A Series of Four Queries: Query #1: How Do English Educators Teach Students to Write?

Most of us teach kids how to escape writing.

We tell them to write a "research paper," and then command them not to interact with the material or draw conclusions of their own or write about what they think beyond the facts. We tell them to stop thinking entirely when they find those "expert opinions" that agree with theirs. The exercise descends to the level of collecting and reiterating other people's thoughts.

Balderdash. That is not writing instruction. Perhaps it is all very unprofessional of me to insist so boorishly, but nevertheless, it is balderdash, and I refuse to participate.

When I have kids write research papers, I insist on substantive thinking beyond the facts. I tell them to make some choices, provide synthesis (meaningful, original thinking about the research they've gathered) and draw their own conclusions. Other teachers frown on that practice. They say I'm mixing research with opinion.

We also teach kids how to express and support opinions, of course, in a separate activity. We take students through the routine of the five-paragraph essay, requiring an introductory paragraph with thesis, three paragraphs of support (including perhaps some mention of arguments the opposition might pose, with reasoning that renders them erroneous, or evidence and arguments that trump their concerns), and a conclusion.

With the incredible number of essays published on the web, it's almost impossible not to run into one on any chosen topic, of any description, unless of course, you're not looking for it. And if you're teaching kids to write research without synthesis, you're also encouraging them to compose essays by finding and reiterating opinions without doing any of their own thinking. It becomes very easy for them to perceive internet essays as time-savers. And they use them, often. I have caught some of the brightest kids copping out of work by copying someone else's work.

To clarify matters, I will tell you that I like the five-paragraph essay. In fact, I often have students write a five-paragraph essay first, then expand it with research, and transform it into a research paper, with synthesis and opinions, of course.

Plagiarism is an inconvenience I refuse to worry about. I make the plagiarists worry about it. I'll show you how.