[etni] Fw: re: composition correcting


----- Original Message ----- From: Sarah Maoz - srmaoz@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: composition correcting

What I sometimes do is to write down recurring mistakes or very blatant ones while I'm grading the compositions. I try to take something from each student's work, even
if it is only a bad spelling mistake ! Then I take a big piece of paper and write the mistakes on it. (you can type a page and give one to a table , or write them on the board if you have time while they are doing something else). I head the page "Your mistakes" and tell them that I have made nothing up - usually there are a few hilarious bloopers! Then I ask them to correct the mistakes - it can be done orally or in writing.
Of course, I explain what's wrong if they don't get the correction. Students usually enjoy it and cannot believe that THEY made such mistakes and I believe that they will remember the corrections more than if I had just written them in red on the composition and of course the whole class gets to learn from everyone's mistakes.
Sarah


Pnina wrote:
I am at my wits end with the compositions I am checking. Every time I check 
compositions I feel like tearing my hair out but I feel that there must be
another way of doing things that is less time-consuming for me and more
useful for the pupils.
I have an intelligent 5 point yod bet class. Their spoken English is
wonderful, but when they put pen to paper, it's an entirely different story.
My main problem when correcting is deciding what to correct without covering 
the whole task with comments, corrections etc. I sometimes feel that I may
as well rewrite the whole task and be done with it. I have tried correcting
bloopers with the pupils, rewriting compositions, peer-correcting, etc. etc.
There is very gradual improvement with some pupils but nothing that comes
close to justifying their efforts and mine.
With the class I'm teaching this year, many who write beautifully, do lousy 
reading comprehensions and the ones who do extremely well on RCs, write very
badly. I can't explain it and I'm at a loss trying to think of a way that
will be beneficial to us all.

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