Answering Questions in Writing Objective: Students will identify the types of questions commonly encountered in school assignments and write answers to them in an acceptable form. Students are very often evaluated, their progress and understanding judged, according to their proficiency at composing answers. As students progress through the grades, essay-type answers become more complex and lengthy. Writing an effective answer is a skill we should teach because it is directly related to a studentís success in school. It is also a skill that possesses tremendous practical applications. While there is some truth in the belief that we are rapidly becoming a ìfill-in-the-blankî society and that technology is making books obsolete, that same technology places a premium on good written communication skills. The rapidly increasing use of technology in the home and in business allows people to communicate quickly, frequently and across great distances. At work, employees no longer have to meet face-to-face all the time. E-mail accounts for much of the information exchange during a work day. Now friends, who never wrote letters, send e-mail across town and around the globe. On-line education, interactive websites, hobby-related bulletin boards, business-oriented News groups and informal chat rooms all require users to read what is on the monitor and respond via the keyboard. Acquiring and developing the basic skill of understanding written questions and writing effective answers grants power far beyond the classroom. In addition to achieving higher grades, this unit will become a tool for building a richer, more enjoyable, more successful life. |
