Date of Defense

6-24-2004

Department

Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies

First Advisor

Pam Buchanan

Second Advisor

Kathleen King

Third Advisor

Corey Harbaugh

Abstract

I am very interested in teaching writing and moreover, teaching writing effectively. Due to my interest, I decided to investigate the teaching of writing in the upper elementary and middle school levels. I wanted to examine what makes the teaching of writing effective. To begin this exploration, I observed ten teachers in their respective classrooms as they taught writing for a period of 45-120 minutes. I observed two teachers from each grade level in grades 4-8. During the observations, I took note of the instructional methods the teacher used to teach writing and the students' reaction to those methods. I observed the classroom environment, including such things as the room setup, the amount and type of writing displayed, and students' willingness toward writing. Throughout my observations, I took note of the way a teacher goes about teaching writing, including the amount of choice they allow students as they write and if they use a workshop environment, etc. I also prepared a short survey for the teachers to respond to. The questions within the survey were meant to gauge how the teachers feel about and teach writing.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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