Literary analysis can be a fun way students learn how to interpret quotes and identify patterns in writing. However, most students prefer to write a creative nonfiction essay (free resource) on a topic of choice. After students learn the various types of essays and their intended audience, it can be fun to drop the expectations and allow students to combine the main types of writing: narrative, expository, persuasive, and argumentative. I simply tell them to write on a topic using any approach, much like the essays in the anthologies, The Best American Essays.
I tell them I want them to write like they would speak if giving a speech. Sometimes you tell a story, sometimes you mention a statistic, and sometimes you speak in your own style to convey your idea. It’s more formal than a journal but has the same feel. I look for the same elements in any essay: an introduction, thesis, topic sentences, conclusion, interpretation of facts, and the logical development of ideas. If they can’t find something to write about, I direct them to 1,000 Student Writing Prompts from the New York Times.
In addition to these more conventional expectations, I tell students to write like a poet. Instead of simply using an experience to relate to the topic, they can use literary techniques like simile, personification, symbolism, metaphor, alliteration, and parallel structure. We study highly poetic novels like To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and Beloved by Toni Morrison, so this is their opportunity to write creatively using detailed descriptions and figurative language to express their thoughts. This type of assignment gives students the opportunity to be funny. One of my students wrong about slang and another wrote a satirical essay about a local affordable housing project. Students could write about celebrities and influencers, social media trends, war, politicians, nature, traveling, music, pets, religion, gratitude, family, science, fate, school, their favorite athlete or team, money, memory, or their favorite television series.
In my project for seniors, students study media (essays, podcasts, images, and video) and after they discuss the examples I pick, they need to create their own version. The project reminds them before they graduate that school is about discovering something that interests them and sharing their thoughts.
Teacher's Workshop, professional development for secondary ELA teachers
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