Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

DO

WHAT

Select

One important current event

Write

A news article

Describe

What happened during the event, who was there, and when it 

occurred

Use

Quotes from eyewitnesses

K-W-L

Informational 

genre

Create a K-W-L chart using a word processing program, where the first col-

umn represents what you already know about your topic, the second column 

represents what you want to know about the topic, and the third column 

represents what you learned about the topic. For example, when planning to 

write a paper on genetics for biology class, you can begin by recording what 

you know about genetics. Then, record what you want to know about genet-

ics and use those questions to guide your research. After completing your 

research, compile what you learned while collecting additional information. 

Use all three columns to organize your ideas for your paper.