10 Ways to Promote Writing for an Authentic Audience

By DINAH MACK AND HOLLY EPSTEIN OJALVO

 

We began our daily Student Opinion feature last October, when we moved to the blog format, to create a "safe space" on NYTimes.com — and on the Internet over all — for students 13 and older to voice their views on the news.

Participating in an online discussion on events and issues in the news not only gives students a forum, but it also helps them build critical thinking, writing and news literacy skills and provides an opportunity to write for an authentic audience.

In a piece for the National Writing Project, Anne Rodier argues that students "have to believe that what they have to say is important enough to bother writing. They have to experience writing for real audiences before they will know that writing can bring them power."

Below are 10 ideas for using Student Opinion to enable your students to experience the power of their words and ideas.

But first, a few notes and tips:

• Make sure to read and share with students the commenting guidelines for The Learning Network and all of NYTimes.com.
  
• All student comments must be signed with a first name (and only a first name), but we cannot post the full name and location of your school, because of privacy concerns. You might give students a code, like your classroom number or section (for example, Rachel221 or Simon3B), so your students, and you, can tell which posts are written by class members.
  
• You can easily find any weekday's Student Opinion question by visiting the blog, or you can scroll through past posts by clicking on the Student Opinion category. There are three other ways to stay on top of the latest posts: follow us on Twitter, sign up to receive our daily e-mail or get an RSS feed of our posts.
  
• If you have computer access in school, students might participate in Student Opinion in one of several ways: regularly (once a week, say), as major issues of concern arise or when our posts contain curriculum-related questions. It could also be assigned as a meaningful activity whenever a substitute is covering your class.
  
• If you lack computer access in school, responding to Student Opinion questions can be assigned as homework, or it can be done on paper in class. One way to do this: Read together printed copies of the related article from the Student Opinion post of your choice. Then circulate sheets of paper with the related question written at the top. Students respond to the question on paper, then pass it to the next person, who can respond to the initial question or to classmates' responses.
  
• Bear in mind that we periodically close these posts to new comments, generally after a few weeks, to keep comments timely and current. If comments are closed on a post you are interested in, you might simulate the experience by having students respond to the post, and each other, in a class blog, wiki space, or on paper or posterboard.
  
• In addition to serving as writing prompts, Student Opinion posts can serve as critical reading material. Students can also read past comments for comprehension, synthesis and analysis.
  
• Parents, by the way, might find the questions we post in Student Opinion useful as conversation starters with their children, especially given that they are grounded in news items and thus provide an authentic way to broach topics with kids. You might also suggest to your children that they post their thoughts in addition to discussing them with you.
  
• We would love to hear from you — and your students — about how you use Student Opinion posts, as well as your feedback and suggestions. What questions and topics would you like to see us address?
  

 

And now for those 10 ways to use the feature across the curriculum:

Debating Controversies — We often pose provocative questions, and responding to them can be a good warm-up activity before organizing and holding a classroom debate on a relevant, current topic. Examples include Where Do You Stand on Unconcealed Handguns?, Should the Military End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'? and Is Tackle Football Too Dangerous for Kids to Play? After reading the related article and responding to a controversial question, students choose sides and then research and craft their arguments.

Practicing Internet Etiquette — Develop computer savvy. Start with our lesson plan Care to Comment? Considering Internet Protocol, then practice good Internet citizenship on Student Opinion, where all comments are moderated. They might enter a discussion about digital life, like What Can Strangers Learn About You Online?, or simply join any Student Opinion conversation and then reflect on the experience and the related issues of Internet safety, privacy and etiquette and Web citizenship, particularly in the area of user comments.

Developing Surveys — Students browse Student Opinion posts to select a topic that would make a good survey to administer in school. Questions that lend themselves to surveys include Should Kids Head to College Early?, Do You Get Enough Sleep? and What Are the Attitudes Toward 'Cheating' and Plagiarism Among Your Peers?. If students choose an "open" Student Opinion page entry on which to base a survey, they can use other commenters' posts for survey questions, and later share their findings with a wider audience.

Generating Creative and Personal Writing — Students write short stories, poetry or other creative pieces inspired by Student Opinion questions, like What's the Most Amazing Thing You've Ever Seen in the Natural World?, What Are Your Favorite Keepsakes From Childhood? and Can You Write a Tweet Story? And we offer many personal writing prompts, including What Do You Know About Teen Depression?, How Has the Recession Affected You?, Have You Had 'Helper's High'? and How Polite Are You? Students can even share short pieces in the commenting area of the related post.

Supporting Reluctant Readers and Writers — Posting comments on serious issues might seem daunting to students who struggle with reading and writing. But many will feel comfortable responding to accessible questions on topics they can relate to, like What Are Your Beliefs About Marriage?, Do You Spend Too Much Time on Facebook?, What Are the Hot Fashion Trends in Your School Right Now? and How Involved Are Your Parents in Your Life?

Reviewing Arts and Entertainment –Young culture vultures can use an entertainment, arts or lifestyle question to craft and share their own reviews, perhaps modeled on Times book, movie or other reviews. Sample past questions in this vein include What Are Your Favorite Books and Authors?, Are You Watching 'American Idol' This Season? and What Are Your Favorite Video Games?

Reflecting on Education — In advisory or homeroom, in preparation for applying to college or just simply as a reflective exercise, students consider their experience in school. Generative questions about education include How Would You Grade Your School?, Class Time + Substitute = Waste?, What Do Good Teachers Need to Know? and How Would You Sell Your School to Potential Students? Encourage students to analyze their textbooks in the context of the recent change to curriculum in Texas by considering the question What Values are Apparent in Your School Textbooks?

Setting Goals and Making Plans — Student Opinion questions can help students focus their thinking about the future. Examples include What Do You Want to Do With Your Life?, What's Your Personal Learning Plan? and How Can You Best Present Yourself on College Applications?

Thinking Deeply — How often do your students have intellectually satisfying "deep discussions"? In Student Opinion, they can reflect on and converse about philosophical questions like How Important Is Your Spiritual Life?, Are You Happy?, What Could You Live Without? and When Is Looting Morally O.K.?

Letting Imaginations Run Wild — How often do students get to just … dream? Pose questions like Where Would You Most Like to Go in the World?, What Would You Create if You Had Funding? or What Can Our Dreams Tell Us?, and dream they will.