Guidelines For Ece Writing Assignments

GUIDELINES FOR ECE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS There are three levels of writing assignments in the South Puget Sound Community College Early Childhood Education program. Your instructor will describe each assignment as Writing to Learn, Writing to Share, or Writing to Publish. Each has a different purpose and different expectations for quality. This chart gives the general characteristics. See your assignment sheet or syllabus for precise expectations.

WRITING TO LEARN

WRITING TO SHARE

WRITING TO PUBLISH

PURPOSE

Writing to Learn gives you a chance to process your personal experiences, organize your thoughts to prepare for a discussion, write to clarify your thinking or enhance your memory.

Writing to Share gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge and experience with other students, teachers, or coworkers.

Writing to Publish gives you a chance to edit a piece of writing so that you can share your knowledge and skills with parents, colleagues, supervisors, agencies or the general public.

EXAMPLES

Note taking on reading, lectures, meetings or observations, reflective journals, webbing/clustering, brainstorming notes or plans for yourself.

Letters to friends Notes to co-workers Curriculum plans Observation records Article reviews Reading logs Working drafts of papers Self evaluation of work Application assignments

Newsletters Letters to parents Publicity brochures Referral letters Research Papers Developmental Summaries Resume’ Portfolio self reflections

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES

Answers the questions asked or follows the directions given

This includes all Writing to Learn qualities plus:

This is professional ready-to-publish writing and includes all Writing to Share qualities plus:

basic ideas are evident

meaningful, relevant content

message is strong, clear and insightful

message and logic are clear

all parts of the writing enhance the meaning (no filler)

These may be required for the assignment to be accepted or may be a significant part of the grade. Additional expectations may be included on the assignment sheet

in your own voice; a product of your own thinking word choices goes beyond parroting text or instructor legible writing in ink

each sentence makes sense one topic per paragraph details support main idea generally correct spelling and punctuation; only light editing needed to make it publishable

EXCEPTIONAL QUALITIES

Evidence of student engagement

connects personal experience and course content

word choice reveals understanding of professional theory and vocabulary and interprets/ translates it into lay terms clear, concise, fluent sentences effective introduction, body, conclusion most important ideas are emphasized logically sequenced paragraphs one idea flows smoothly to the next fully edited for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, word usage

neat writing or typed, one side of page.

typed, no errors

Expresses fresh ideas

Evidence of critical thinking

Clear, concise, fluent sentences

Well-crafted sentences

Supports main ideas with vivid details

Topic springs to life with author’s own voice

Strongly connects knowledge and practical application

In-depth connections between ideas and between knowledge and application.