Use your TIPS!

For the last two weeks, the phrase "Use Your Writing Tips" has been spoken over and over!  The first question I ask you when you begin your post is always "Did you use your writing tips sheet to help guide you?"  By the end of the year, these tips will come naturally and you won't even need your handout to guide you.  In the meantime, however, I want you to use the sheet as a guide to help you continue to bump up your writing/thinking skills.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Did I grab my reader's attention with a good lead?
2. Did I use vivid vocabulary and give lots of details so people will make pictures in their head?
3. Did I muse about what I wrote by beginning sentences with I think, I wonder, or I wish I knew?
4. Did I ask a thought-provoking question at the end of my post to encourage good comments?
5. Will my title entice readers to read my post?
6. Did I start new ideas with new paragraphs?
7. Did I read my post outloud to myself to make sure it makes sense?

I know asking yourself these questions and going through the tips takes time, but isn't it worth it when you compose a good post and get so many good comments from all over the world?  Remember, you are writing for a huge audience who wants to know what/how you think.   You have a voice!  Back up your voice with excellent writing and thinking skills.  Let's show everyone that JHH students are the smartest students in the world!

Comments

[Mr. Brune]

Hi!
I am very impressed by all of your writings. I am trying to have my class use blogs to improve their writing, too, and I will definitely show them your work. Thanks for sharing!
Gordon Brune
5th Grade Teacher
Mamaroneck Avenue School (Mamaroneck, NY)

[mars]

i admire you guys. i'm impressed by everything u've done. it's a great way to encourage youths to learn.... i just wish we have the technologyhere to do the same

[mars]

i admire you guys. i'm impressed by everything u've done. it's a great way to encourage youths to learn.... i just wish we had access to technology at our schools here in belize so that we could do the same!

[Mrs. Brosan]

Thanks for the very useful tips. I'm using them with my middle school bloggers. So far, you are head and shoulders above their writing quality. What a great group of writers!