Writing
is one of the first skills that students learn in the classroom and arguably
one of the most important. As an English major, I'm a little biased in regards
to how important I value writing and I make sure that the students in my
classroom understand the importance of writing.
I've
spent my undergraduate degree learning about how to craft the written word and
there are a few techniques that have helped me become a better writer:
1.
Have a clear message.
The
most important part of writing is to convey a message. If there is no message
to convey, there is no point in writing. Important points that the writer is
trying to make should be evident and all claims made should be supported with
evidence.
2.
Pay attention to structure.
The
structure of the writing should be coherent and easy to follow. When excess
words can be eliminated, they should be eliminated. Proper grammar is important
and students should know the features of grammar in order to write proper
sentences.
3.
Transitions are important.
A
feature of writing that college has taught me a great deal about is
transitions. In high school I never paid much attention to how I transitioned
from one idea to another; this left my writing sounding choppy to the reader.
Luckily, I had a writing class that taught me all about how to structure
transitions and smooth the flow of my writing.
4. Read Aloud
I
highly recommend reading a piece of writing aloud while proofreading it. This
is something I practice with my third graders because it allows them to hear
where their writing could use improvement.
These techniques have helped me become a better writer and I recommend them to anyone hoping to improve their writing.
