Your Quick Guide to Planning Effective Writing Assignments

Today’s guest post is by Joan Sedita, author of The Writing Rope.

When assigning writing tasks, how often do you receive work that doesn’t meet your expectations? A common issue is that students may lack a clear understanding of what is expected. Writing task directions are often too vague, such as:

• Write a composition that compares and contrasts…
• Write a short research report about…
• Use information from these three sources to answer this question…

With assignments this broad, students may understandably be uncertain about the purpose of a writing task, the expected length, the type and amount of content to include, and the available support. They may also be unclear about how their work will be graded.

Setting Specific and Reachable Goals

A key recommendation from the Writing Next research report (Graham & Perin, 2007) is to provide your students with specific product goals:

“Setting product goals involves assigning students specific, reachable goals for the writing they are to complete. It includes identifying the purpose of the assignment (e.g., to persuade) as well as characteristics of the final product. Specific goals in the studies reviewed included (a) adding more ideas to a paper when revising or establishing a goal to write a specific kind of paper and (b) assigning goals for specific structural elements in a composition. Compared with instances in which students were simply given a general overall goal, these relatively simple procedures resulted in a positive effect size, and the average effect was strong. Overall, assigning students goals for their writtean product had a strong impact on writing quality.”

To help students successfully complete content writing tasks, consider the following steps when planning a writing assignment:

• Identify the writing objective. Is the goal to have students process content knowledge, deepen their understanding, or reflect on their learning? Will the writing task serve as a means to assess students’ content learning?
• Design an appropriate writing task. Select the most suitable type of writing—informational, opinion/argument, or narrative—based on the intended objective.
• Establish clear goals. Define the TAP (Task, Audience, Purpose), and clearly state expectations regarding length, structure, and other requirements.
• Provide scaffolds. Offer models, examples, or other forms of support to help students meet expectations.
• Plan for feedback and revision. Determine whether revision is necessary and feasible based on the writing objective and task. Identify tools or methods for providing feedback.

Using a Writing Assignment Guide (WAG)

A WAG is a tool designed for teachers that is part of the Keys to Content Writing professional development course (Sedita, 2020) and is further explained in the book The Writing Rope. You can use the WAG both to plan assignments and communicate expectations to students. Share it with students so they clearly understand the assigned requirements and the support available to them.

Below is an example of a blank WAG template, followed by a brief description of each component and questions to ask yourself while planning.

WAG Components & Planning Questions

Writing Task: A description of the assignment, including the type of writing (informational, opinion/argument, narrative, or a combination)

Planning questions:

• What content topic are you covering?
• What type of writing task would be best to support the learning of this content?

Audience: Identification of the intended readers (e.g., the teacher, peers, or an authentic audience)

Planning question:

• Does the assignment lend itself to an authentic audience (i.e., in addition to the teacher and student peers)? Consider these options: members of the community, organizations or their members, businesses, politicians, younger or older students, family members, peers, blogs, student publications.

Purpose: The reason for the writing, such as reinforcing content learning, developing writing skills, or addressing a specific purpose related to a particular audience

Planning questions:

• What do you want the writing piece to do as it relates to the topic?
• What is the student’s personal goal for writing this piece?
• If there is an authentic audience, what is the reason for communicating with this audience

through this piece?

Length: The expected length of the writing piece, expressed as a range of words, sentences, paragraphs, or pages

Planning question:

• How many words, sentences, paragraphs, or pages do you want students to produce?

Directions & Requirements: Specific expectations and requirements related to the content and text structure

Planning questions:

• What content information must your students address, including related vocabulary?
• Are there any requirements related to sources?
• Is there a particular format you want students to follow (font style and size, line spacing and page margins, etc.)?
• Are there any specific requirements for the introduction, body development, use of transitions, or conclusion?
• What is the timeline/due date?
• What opportunities will be provided for peer collaboration?
• Will the student receive feedback from peers or the teacher?
• Will there be an opportunity for students to revise some or all of the writing piece?
• Will the piece be graded? If yes, how?

Writing Supports: Scaffolds and supports available to help students complete the assignment

Planning question:

• What scaffolds will you provide all or some of the students? Possibilities include mentor model samples, two-column notes, topic web, writing templates, set of steps, and checklists or rubrics.

Sharing a WAG with Students

To help students understand the expectations and available support, present the WAG in a format appropriate for your students’ age and skill level. You may choose to distribute it as is or adapt the information into a more student-friendly format.

Using a WAG as a Grading Guide

One of the most common questions students ask is, “How will my writing be graded?” The Length and Directions & Requirements sections of the WAG help clarify what students should consider when reviewing and revising their work. Key considerations include:

• Have they met the length, structure, and formatting requirements?
• Have they used appropriate vocabulary?
• Have they included all required content?

When grading a writing piece, you can incorporate the WAG criteria into a scoring rubric. This ensures that grading decisions are based on clear, predetermined standards rather than a general impression of writing quality.

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For a complete, practical guide to evidence-based writing instruction, add Joan Sedita’s The Writing Rope to your professional library. And check out her Keys to Literacy Free Resources page, which has an extensive collection of videos, archived webinars, articles, and templates/printables that you can access for free.