Middle School Writing: Nonfiction Projects facilitates the research and writing process necessary to complete a nonfiction writing project in the format of the student’s choice. Formats include:
Students use Brave Writer® tools including topic funneling, freewriting, and Snip and Pin to move from idea generation to research, note-taking and drafting to a revised and edited final project in four weeks.
Project Selection and Research. Class begins with a discussion of project choices, where to look for ideas, and how to narrow down a topic choice.
Freewriting and Drafting. Students research to investigate a myriad of sources. Freewriting activities help to get the raw writing on the page. Once initial writing is in place, students expand their research to fill in gaps in their knowledge.
Narrowing and Expanding. Students devote this week to revision as they reorganize, streamline, and add more vivid detail. The goal: Create a piece of writing that's clear and interesting to readers.
Publishing and Finding Readers. The week when all the hard work pays off. Students put a final polish on the writing and talk about different ways to publish and find an appropriate audience for their work!
What follows is a word bank and set of skills associated with this class. Use them to craft your own learning narrative for use in year-end evaluations, charter school reports, or any other accountability source.