Teaching to the TABE

Judy Kahalas forRoxbury Community College

Outcomes

At the conclusion of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Develop a plan to teach writing to your class.• Focus on specific skills that they will need.• Identify ways to teach writing more effectively.

Skill Building

• The grammar skills identified in the TABE are as follows:

Recognizing the parts of speech: adverb, adjective, noun and pronoun

Using tenses correctly Ensuring subject-verb agreementConstructing sentences correctly: avoiding fragments,

comma splices, run-onsConstructing questions and sentencesUsing end punctuation correctly.

How to Best Prepare Students

• Have students organize a portfolio. They can start from tomorrow and continue to the last day of classes.

• Have them index their work.• Each month, have them assign a grade to their

own work.• Provide frequent feedback on their portfolio.

Develop Writing over Time

Remember that writing develops over time. We do not become writers unless:

• We have something important to say.• We are confident that our writing will not be

harshly judged.• We get positive reinforcement and

encouragement.

So, let’s begin.

• Divide your portfolio into two sections: o Section One: Grammaro Section Two: Writing Use these worksheets in each section. Let’s

start with grammar.

Use a Rubric

Use a concrete system of grading so students know what is expected of them. Here is an example:

GrammarExcellent 9 or 10

Good7 or 8

Fair5 or 6

More Worksheets, Please Under 5

adverbs

adjectives

nouns

pronouns

More RubricsExcellent Good Fair More

WorksheetsSubject-Verb agreementTenses

Parallel constructionCommas

Apostrophes

End punctuationContractions

Quotations

And when they pass their grammar:

Move onto the Writing Section.Daily:• Pass out 3 X 5 inch index cards. Instruct the student to

summarize what they learned in yesterday’s class. Ask them to exchange their card with someone in the class and see how their perceptions differ.

Weekly:• Have them keep a journal on a targeted class once a week.

For example, if they took a tour of RCC, have them write how they felt, what they observed, what they will do with the information they got.

Writing Practice

Develop a close writing exercise. For example, have them write their story by providing a chronological format with transitions but leaving out important information.

Time to Learn to Write

Do you have questions?What are ideas that have worked for you? (Best

practices).What suggestions do you have?How do you see your students as learners?What tools can we give them to help them do

better?