Labor Saving Devices

Stack the Deck
Labor Saving Devices

The Stack the Deck Writing Program
P.O. Box 5352
Chicago, IL 60680
Phone: 1-312-675-1000 and 1-800-253-5737
Fax: 1-312-765-0453
Email: stackthedeck@sbcglobal.net

Research Findings | Top Ten Reasons to Try Us | Labor Saving Devices

How We Stack the Deck in Favor of Student Success in the Writing Process

1. Scoring Rubrics
Beginning with Check the Deck, every assignment in The Stack the Deck Writing Program begins with this step. These rubrics help to define and formalize the "contract" between student and teacher, showing precisely what objectives are to be met in the assignment. Later, they become an unarguable benchmark for discussing how successfully those goals were accomplished. These rubrics appear in the teacher manuals and go along with the student learning objectives listed with each assignment in the student book.

Scoring Rubrics from Check the Deck, grades 3 and / or 4.

Scoring Rubrics from Stack the Deck, grades 9 through 12.

2. Think Sheets for Brainstorming
Appearing in the student texts, these Think Sheets are individually designed to show whether the student is armed with enough content to complete the assignment. By performing such "brainstorming" before writing the first draft, the student learns the thought processes which lead, inevitably, to better writing, and most importantly, he or she learns them at the prewriting stage. These sheets help the writer focus on content and support ideas with specific details.

Think Sheet from Check the Deck: Part 1, grades 3 and 4.

Think Sheet from Stack the Deck, grades 9 through 12.

3. The SOS Sheet
"The SOS Sheet is a useful tool that allows students to contrast the writing of two authors, to study the style of a single author, and to improve the effectiveness of their own writing. As a revision technique for a student's own writing, completion of the SOS may signal various writing problems (repetitiveness in sentence opening, possible run-ons and fragments, passive voice, poor verb choice, lack of variety of sentence lengths, etc.) This technique allows students to revise not only grammatical and usage errors but also to strength the meaning and effectiveness of their writing."
To receive an explanation of our SOS sheet, check out Teaching Tips.

4. Checklist Sheets
Checklist sheets make it possible for students to "critique" a fellow student's first draft. Here's where you decide whether to write "Q.E.D." at the end of the assignment. Did the writer demonstrate what he set out to demonstrate? A common use of the Checklist is to exchange papers and Checklists between students and let them cross-evaluate each other's papers. In cross-evaluation usage, the Checklist keeps discussion focused on the stated objectives--nobody gets to throw a "curve ball" unfairly at the writer.

Checklist Sheet from Open the Deck, grades 6 and 7.

Checklist Sheet from Master the Deck, grades 9 through 12.

Labor Saving Devices | Book Catalog | Writing Workshops | Shop Online
Writing Samples | Teaching Tips | News | Home

Copyright © 2001, Stack the Deck Writing Program. All Rights Reserved.



Stack the Deck Labor Saving Devices
The Stack the Deck Writing Program P.O. Box 5352 Chicago, IL 60680 Phone: 1-312-675-1000 and 1-800-253-5737 Fax: 1-312-765-0453 Email: stackthedeck@sbcglobal.net
Research Findings \| Top Ten Reasons to Try Us \| Labor Saving Devices
How We Stack the Deck in Favor of Student Success in the Writing Process 1. Scoring Rubrics Beginning with Check the Deck, every assignment in The Stack the Deck Writing Program begins with this step. These rubrics help to define and formalize the "contract" between student and teacher, showing precisely what objectives are to be met in the assignment. Later, they become an unarguable benchmark for discussing how successfully those goals were accomplished. These rubrics appear in the teacher manuals and go along with the student learning objectives listed with each assignment in the student book. Scoring Rubrics from Check the Deck, grades 3 and / or 4. Scoring Rubrics from Stack the Deck, grades 9 through 12. 2. Think Sheets for Brainstorming Appearing in the student texts, these Think Sheets are individually designed to show whether the student is armed with enough content to complete the assignment. By performing such "brainstorming" before writing the first draft, the student learns the thought processes which lead, inevitably, to better writing, and most importantly, he or she learns them at the prewriting stage. These sheets help the writer focus on content and support ideas with specific details. Think Sheet from Check the Deck: Part 1, grades 3 and 4. Think Sheet from Stack the Deck, grades 9 through 12. 3. The SOS Sheet "The SOS Sheet is a useful tool that allows students to contrast the writing of two authors, to study the style of a single author, and to improve the effectiveness of their own writing. As a revision technique for a student's own writing, completion of the SOS may signal various writing problems (repetitiveness in sentence opening, possible run-ons and fragments, passive voice, poor verb choice, lack of variety of sentence lengths, etc.) This technique allows students to revise not only grammatical and usage errors but also to strength the meaning and effectiveness of their writing." To receive an explanation of our SOS sheet, check out Teaching Tips. 4. Checklist Sheets Checklist sheets make it possible for students to "critique" a fellow student's first draft. Here's where you decide whether to write "Q.E.D." at the end of the assignment. Did the writer demonstrate what he set out to demonstrate? A common use of the Checklist is to exchange papers and Checklists between students and let them cross-evaluate each other's papers. In cross-evaluation usage, the Checklist keeps discussion focused on the stated objectives--nobody gets to throw a "curve ball" unfairly at the writer. Checklist Sheet from Open the Deck, grades 6 and 7. Checklist Sheet from Master the Deck, grades 9 through 12.

Labor Saving Devices \| Book Catalog \| Writing Workshops \| Shop Online Writing Samples \| Teaching Tips \| News \| Home
Copyright © 2001, Stack the Deck Writing Program. All Rights Reserved.

Stack the Deck Labor Saving Devices

Stack the Deck
Labor Saving Devices