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outline, list, word web or other means. With the time constraints
in mind, students should then move to the stage of compo-
sition, during which they draft the material in sentence and para-
graph form.*
*Writing Framework and Specifications for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational
Progress, p. 27.
72 visual writing
plan the play and play your plan
YOU HAVE A large reading audience: parents, teachers, state officials, and
national organizations like NAEP. With visual writing, you will be ready for
them all, no matter what the reason for their interest in your work.
Plan your essay s strategy through visual writing; then, please play your
plan. Now that you ve familiarized yourself with the rubric for organization,
you are ready to continue.
organization: the springboard of effective writing
LET S TAKE A different, graphic, look at the six rubrics as well as NAEP s
writing assessment objective, whose hierarchy began with organization:
Students should display effective choices in the organization of their writing. They
should include details to illustrate and elaborate their ideas, and use appropriate con-
ventions of written English:
the good, the bad, and the ugly 73
The more you understand the characteristics for each rubric, the more you
appreciate the importance of organization!
tools of style:
voice, word choice, sentence fluency
Word Choice
§' specific and accurate
§' creates specific pictures
§' effective verbs, nouns, etc.
§' precise use of words
Voice
§' strong, engaging interaction between reader and writer
§' appropriate for purpose and audience
§' reflects strong, honest commitment to topic
Sentence Structure
§' strong, varied, purposeful
§' well-constructed sentences
§' natural dialogue (if used)
§' fragments, if used, add style
Word choice, voice, and sentence structure are the tools writers use. Like
teenagers on skateboards, some ride them with the hope of not falling off.
And others ride them with style. They add twists, turns, ollies. They make
their tricks seem so easy. And they don t execute all their tricks at once. They
add style. They know friends are watching; they have an audience and they
want to connect to that audience. They organize in their mind the sequence
of the tricks they will perform. They connect them smoothly with transi-
tional moves, all to the delight of both performer and audience.
74 visual writing
writing style the details that score
Like the masters of skateboards, good writers pay attention to their reading
audiences. They organize the ideas and details their visual maps present.
They refrain from presenting them all at once. Like the skateboard artist, they
link their ideas together, connecting them smoothly with purposeful transi-
tional words and sentences, indeed, to the delight of writer and audience.
Looking back to Sample 1, you should be able to recognize how the writer
used her natural teenage voice to connect with her peers and how the words and
sentences she chose contributed to her overall skillful completion of this essay.
Sample 2 displays little if any sense of voice, word choice or sentence flu-
ency: I will discuss the nutrients in a corn flakes and milk breakfast.They are car-
bohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
How might this student have written his thesis statement with attention to
these three important rubrics? The writer of Sample 1 did it this way: How do
you choose your breakfast foods? Do you want convenience and so you choose a Pop-Tart®
kind of food? Or do you want nutrition and therefore choose a cereal breakfast? That s
what I do and I do it for three reasons: Carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
the good, the bad, and the ugly 75
As you can see, working with rubrics isn t that difficult!
idea and content
§' narrow topic
§' fresh, original ideas
§' relevant quality details
§' accurate, supportive details
THE CHARACTERISTICS FOR Idea and Content, especially fresh and original
ideas really do reflect the writer s goal to illustrate and elaborate ideas. But how
do good writers elaborate their ideas? Here s what The Nation s Report Card
experts look for:
One important aspect of the writing process is the student s ability
to incorporate effective supportive material into a given piece of
writing. The selection of quotations, examples, anecdotes, and
other forms of detail show the writer s expertise in choosing mate-
rial that enriches a given writing task. The choices a writer makes
and the explanations attached to those choices, provide insight into
the writer s ability to synthesize ideas.*
If you reread Sample 1, you will see that the writer understands the impor-
tance of including effective supportive material. Besides quoting breakfast of
champions, she uses an anecdote about the importance of drinking milk:
How often have you been reminded by your parents to drink your milk? It s good for
your bones. She uses several examples that address her defined audience, her
peers, for example, By the time you reach junior high school, you know that carbo-
hydrates provide the body with the energy . . .
76 visual writing
*Writing Framework and Specifications for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational
Progress, p. 27.
the good, the bad, and the ugly 77
conventions/mechanics
§' spelling
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