| الوصف: |
Research and anecdotal evidence show that today's typical student is graduating high school without the basic writing skills required for college or career. English teachers at Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, Delaware find themselves struggling to find methods to help teach basic writing skills to all students. American Literature is the course for 11th-grade students, and encompasses writing from Native Americans through to modern day, with writing instruction focused on the argumentative modality, as well as continued literary analysis; a process begun in 9th grade. However, writing in life beyond high school is also important, regardless of a student's path. Therefore, the question of this study is: Does teaching writing using mentor texts (including learning the skill of reading like a writer) help students improve their writing abilities in all modalities? Despite challenges created by the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, the study found that this method of instruction can be successful for students at all ability levels.Keywords: mentor texts, writing, high school, ELA, self-efficacy, college and career readiness, teaching writing |