Writing Assignment Critique

This is a descriptive writing assignment and is designed for students in grades three to five. It is titled “Shoe Description” and is exactly that, a descriptive essay of a shoe. Students are asked to study one of their shoes and include details about the style, size, shape, color, and function of the shoe.

The task seems clear, giving the students an object to describe and ideas of what to consider about the appearance of the object (a shoe). Creative students might expand on the prompt and find more points of interest to include in their essay, while others, who might have trouble getting started, will find the given ideas helpful for the initial gathering of information, or brainstorming. The supplied writing checklist will help students with the revision of their essay and with understanding what criteria/expectations a good paper must address. However, as the assignment is for students in grades three to five, suggested techniques (similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia) would have to be described in more simple, comprehensible terms.

My copy of the assignment includes an assessment rubric, though it is not clear if the rubric would be made accessible to the students. I think it should be attached to the assignment, as a rubric will help them understand on what criteria they will be graded. Somewhat unclear might be the letter grade associated with an excellent, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory paper.

Though the learning objectives are not listed for the students, I would assume that they would be discussed beforehand by the teacher with the class. There are standards and benchmarks noted on the top of the page, from which the teacher might select a few to communicate to the students. Based on the prompt, I think that much of the focus is on traditional values of good writing (grammar, spelling, word usage) and on following a scriptof “the process.” That means that after writing this paper, students should be able to identify and use writing processes, such as pre-writing, drafting, revising, and proofreading, follow basic conventions of grammar, and use a common structure (introduction, details, and conclusion). Another learning objective might be to introduce students to another purpose of writing, in this case descriptive writing, and enable them to write for a variety of purposes.

It is not extractable from the prompt what kind of audience will be addressed with this kind of writing, neither is it clear how students will be getting feedback. Is the teacher the only one evaluating the writing, or is there room for feedback from peers? Either audience would need different considerations by the students; if the teacher is the only audience, feedback is restricted and a student might not feel motivated to write creatively, but when peers are used for giving feedback, the creative and humorous side of a student might be awoken, making writing more fun and him/her more likely to identify with the task.

There are several theories about writing evident in this prompt. The focus on drafting, revising, and proofreading as a mandated process reveals influences of the Process Theory;the inclusion of correct writing conventions in regard to grammar and spelling and a teacher-provided prompt point to the Traditional-Current Theory. Signs of the Expressive Theory are visible in the request for vivid language and effective writing techniques, such as metaphors and similes, although this might also just be a reflection of the nature of the writing.

A teacher giving this assignment most likely values a structure and process in writing, to which students must adhere. Such a teacher is also somewhat traditional; she/he is interested in students gaining proficiency in proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Though this assignment seems very complex and somewhat strict in requirements, I feel that it is an appropriate task for elementary students of writing. I would be inclined to use it, as I believe that younger students must learn the basic structure of writing if we expect them to write effectively. Perhaps I would include peer feedback in form of guessing games to motivate students.