memorandum rough draft

Memorandum Relating to Concerns of the Teaching of Writing at Henry Elementary School


I. Introduction

This memorandum concerns the teaching of writing at Henry Elementary School. This school has seen drops in testing scores and the teaching of writing has become a serious issue that needs to be addressed within our educational system. Thus, teachers and faculty will be participating in a teaching conference, based upon the selection of the Principal. Suggested in this memorandum will be several crucial factors relating to successful teaching of writing, which are incredibly important for this faculty to learn and should be included in the conference.

II. Modeling Genres

Recent Genre theory suggests that writing well within one genre is not automatically followed by successful writing within another genre. To successfully teach writing within a specific genre, teachers must explicitly model each genre with their students. Different texts have different rules and regulations regarding their format, language, etc., which need to be made clear to each student so they are aware of what is expected regarding different genres of writing.

Recommendation: The provider of the conference should have a clear understanding of various genres as well as information and advice on how to make these genre’s explicit during classroom instruction, including such techniques as the study of different genres through providing students with various examples.

III. The Social Aspect of Writing

Writing is a social process. This statement must be taken into consideration in writing instruction. It is often taken for granted that writing does not always have to be an individual activity and can be improved through peer review as well as group writing projects. Making the classroom a comfortable place for students to share their writing and where constructive criticism is offered to improve students writing is a great way to encourage students to revise their writing as well as a way to provide students with an audience to keep in mind as they write. Also, providing collaborative writing assignments is an excellent way for students to view others writing processes which can help build their writing skills.

Recommendation: The provider of the conference should be able to provide suggestions on how to make a classroom a comfortable place for a writing workshop where peer review is encouraged and accepted.

IV. Multiple Revisions

Providing the opportunity for students to constantly improve their writing through several revisions is important in the instruction of writing.



…and that’s all I have for now.