Writing Instruction

December 8, 2011

A Haiku Poem

At academic
Coaching this week at Salem,
I had the pleasure

Of helping students
Maximize their writing skills
In preparation

For the Private Schools
Interscholastic Contest
In Ready Writing.

Throughout the course of
Instruction, honing their skills,
Using examples

Of various styles,
I have advised the students
To never neglect

To keep the main thing
The main thing, remembering
To reveal their point,

Expressing it well.
What is it they have to say
That someone would want

To take time to read?
Is it worth being written?
Is there real value?

Get the point across
By the use of resources
And illustrations.

A topic sentence
Conveys your main idea.
The next sentences

Support your topic.
Re-emphasize your topic
In the last sentence.

Be careful about
Neatness, spelling, grammar, and
Punctuation marks.

Organize writing,
Conform to standard usage;
Provide interest.

Capture the reader’s
Interest in the first line;
Grab their attention.

Use verbs, adjectives,
And words that create pictures
In the reader’s mind.

Revise your writing;
Edit for sentence structure,
Consistent verb tense,

Spelling, word usage,
And subject/verb agreement.
Read your work aloud.

Is there excitement
In the words you have chosen?
I am proud of you.