Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

Sample prompts from a structured response form

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What parts of the writing help you know that it’s a narrative? How can you tell that the writing 

is telling a story?

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What details does the writing include?

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What is good about the writing? What should not be changed? Why is it good?

• 

As a reader, what do you not understand?

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What specific suggestions for improvement can you make?

2.  Use a variety of written exemplars to highlight the key features of texts.

Use exemplars to teach students the key 

features of effective writing so they can use 

them in their own writing. Exemplar texts, 

whether published or created by teachers or 

peers, can clearly illustrate specific features 

of effective writing. These features include 

strong ideation; organization and structure; 

word choice, grammar, punctuation, and 

spelling; use of literary devices; sentences 

meeting the writers’ intentions; voice, includ-

ing tone, mood, and style; and correct use 

of conventions. Example 2.5 lists some text 

types and their important features.