Make Writing Real

Where does writing go at your school?

What’s the difference between a student movie project and an essay? Why is one celebrated in class, shown with popcorn and cheers, and the other filed away or recycled? How often have you heard the cries of, “Why are we doing this? Essays aren’t real! I don’t need this for my future! It’s just school.”

I urge you to make writing real.

What does it mean to make writing real? It means starting with a viable, real-life application of whatever writing assignment you are planning.

It’s not just me, the actual curriculum here in Ontario asks the same thing, with its principles of underlying the english curriculum:

Successful language learners:

• understand that language learning is a necessary, life-enhancing, reflective process; communicate – that is, read, listen, view, speak, write, and represent – effectively and with confidence;
• make meaningful connections between themselves, what they encounter in texts, and the world around them;
• think critically;
• understand that all texts advance a particular point of view that must be recognized, questioned, assessed, and evaluated;
• appreciate the cultural impact and aesthetic power of texts; use language to interact and connect with individuals and communities, for personal growth, and for active participation as world citizens.

Now, our curriculum stops at the generality of making connections. In the Writing Section, the closest the curriculum gets to reality is asking students to create a ‘portfolio’ of their work that shows their growth as writers.

How to Make Writing Real

1. Interdisciplinary

Plan backwards from a real-world application of writing. Most writing is inherently interdisciplinary.

Ex. Research Essay = Fundraiser. Students research causes, organize fundraiser event, present their research. Fundraiser is real. Outside world invited. Their paper on the cause is emailed to gain traction.

2. Personal

Students choose their writing topic. Within the general framework you’ve set up (ie. “Fundraiser”, “Short Film Festival”, “Documentary”, “Social Media Campaign”, “Kickstarter”, “Zine Fest”) Ss can choose their own topic to explore.

3. Connected

Students explain why they chose that topic, and what they hope to achieve by writing it.

If the goal is to get a “high mark”, they will not be engaged enough. What real world writing or experience can they connect to? Who is their audience and where are they actually located? What real goals can be achieved with their writing?

4. Published

A publishing platform that is real and public is presented to the students.

This is where reality sets in. Make it mandatory that the work be ‘published’ to a community of real people. Maybe it is only the class, the grade, the school, or the community, or maybe it is the entire world.

• Use Blogs (Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr)
• Publish it for real (iBooks, Google Play)
• Share on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat ‘My Story’)

5. Popcorn-worthy

A ‘popcorn’ event is held to celebrate and publicly read student writing.

The ‘event’ can be small, like a class gathering, or something much larger, like an actual fundraiser at an outside venue. The bigger the better.

Writing is communication. Don’t forget that. When do we communicate? When we have an idea that we want to share.

Let’s break down the student wall and connect their voice to the outside world.

This is easy for me to say, right? What do you think?

• connect with me on Twitter: @jamesmatechuk
• some other recent posts: Emojis + Visual Literacy, Circles of Literacy, What Reading When You're Not Supposed to Taught me about Student Voice, Communication in the Classroom.