Completion of the template
Completion of the template refers to adequate use of the template: evidence of understanding and meeting but not expanding or transcending the requirements of the form. For instance, as evident in the first evidence and warrant sentence in his feminist perspective essay, Zahir fulfills the basic requirements asked for by the template:
Also as she talks to the huntsman about whether or not the compass can leave them in the right direction she define that “[she] doesn’t believe [him]” shows that she desire for independence because the huntsman try to tell her that the compass will lead them to the right direction and her knowing better, she stops and questions him even though he felt sure about going that way. (Artifact #7.9)
This example is representative of the writing done using the template. In this case, Zahir provides context for the quote, changes the first person pronouns appropriately, shortens the quote, connects the evidence to the claim made in his topic sentence, and explains (at a very basic level) how the quote relates to the claim. However, the erroneous grammatical construction of his sentence reveals fundamental skill deficits and/or a lack of mastery of the template. It is unclear if he edited his work, apparent in the use of the word “leave” for “lead,” the absence of the word “which” to clarify what is showing her desire, and the use of the word “define” to preface the quote. Furthermore, his analysis is superficial and does not delve deeply into how her independence is being shown by this exchange. The student’s perception that he has fulfilled the requirements of the template may preclude further work polishing or improving writing unless it is specifically guided by the teacher as a step in the writing process.
Kittle (2008), echoing my own desire, “wish[es] there were a secret formula to ensure that all students will revise everything,” but as she points out, “kids are different, passions are different, and the writing process changes according to the needs of both the writer and the piece of writing” (p. 153). However, a writing template effectively freezes the writing process in place, maintaining consistency of product but failing to accommodate or encourage the kind of inspiration that drives students to “revise and rethink the piece a dozen times” (Kittle, 2008, p. 153). Another example of template completion can be seen in the Poetry POU essay written by DP (Artifact #9; Journal Entry #5). This is an interesting piece because for this project we did extensive pre-writing work for this project, and students discussed their poems and filled out multiple graphic organizers to develop their analysis before entering into the drafting process itself. However, DP’s essay writing templates almost perfectly represent the work he submitted for the final copy of the essay rather than serving as drafts that he reworked. A few markings can be observed on the templates, from myself and Ms. Ricci, but otherwise DP copied verbatim what he had writing into his final (handwritten) draft. His analysis is, in almost all warrants, sophisticated compared to the work of his classmates. However, he does not vary from the template and does not elaborate beyond the two-sentence warrant formula, even when writing about a complex issue that might have generated more material than the template called for. And as previously mentioned, he did no unprompted essay revision or rewriting (perhaps because of the limitations of writing by hand, but also possibly due to the strict enforcement of the template for past writing assignments).
Kittle (2008), echoing my own desire, “wish[es] there were a secret formula to ensure that all students will revise everything,” but as she points out, “kids are different, passions are different, and the writing process changes according to the needs of both the writer and the piece of writing” (p. 153). However, a writing template effectively freezes the writing process in place, maintaining consistency of product but failing to accommodate or encourage the kind of inspiration that drives students to “revise and rethink the piece a dozen times” (Kittle, 2008, p. 153). Another example of template completion can be seen in the Poetry POU essay written by DP (Artifact #9; Journal Entry #5). This is an interesting piece because for this project we did extensive pre-writing work for this project, and students discussed their poems and filled out multiple graphic organizers to develop their analysis before entering into the drafting process itself. However, DP’s essay writing templates almost perfectly represent the work he submitted for the final copy of the essay rather than serving as drafts that he reworked. A few markings can be observed on the templates, from myself and Ms. Ricci, but otherwise DP copied verbatim what he had writing into his final (handwritten) draft. His analysis is, in almost all warrants, sophisticated compared to the work of his classmates. However, he does not vary from the template and does not elaborate beyond the two-sentence warrant formula, even when writing about a complex issue that might have generated more material than the template called for. And as previously mentioned, he did no unprompted essay revision or rewriting (perhaps because of the limitations of writing by hand, but also possibly due to the strict enforcement of the template for past writing assignments).