Reply to Time for a mutiny yet? MCPS = crummy math, no grammar, poor writing

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I teach older students and the grammatical and spelling errors that occur early in the writing process are often a part of the struggle writers experience as they try to figure out exactly what they want to say and how to say it. As they go through prewriting and drafting, often these issues are cleared up.

It's important NOT to focus on editing until the very end of the writing process. If a writer feels writing is all about good grammar and spelling s/he will fixate on writing correct and safe and boring sentences because sentences with complex and new ideas are HARDER to write, and s/he will avoid that out of the fear of making mistakes. You will set your child up to be a very average writer if this is what you obsess over.

Elementary students should be taught spelling and grammar, but it should not be their primary focus.[/quote]

I don't know where you teach, but many of the 9th graders I've had in the past in my SS schools couldn't identify parts of speech, nor did they know the difference between a fragment and a sentence.

but when you're reading below level . . .

So I disagree with your philosophy.  As someone who's seen the pendulum swing back and forth over the past two decades, you can't substitute one thing for another.  There is the need to both MEMORIZE and free write w/o being "burdened" by errors. But drafts riddled with errors of which students are UNAWARE are drafts that remain drafts.

[/quote]

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