More Writing Please

I recently gave my U.S. History class an assignment of writing film analysis papers on the movie, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.  We watched the film as part of our Westward Expansion unit in class.  As I'm grading the papers I am realizing that students need to write more.  I'm seeing a lot of mistakes that I think can be attributed to lack of practice.  I'm trying to work more assessments into my courses that require more writing from students.  I also don't want my students to get to college and be blindsided by the amount of writing they are going to have to do.  I've been hearing a lot from professionals that I know that being able to write well is such an important skill.

In this day and age with texting, e-mails, twitter, and Facebook posts, being able to write and express yourself well through written language can set you apart from your peers in the workplace or in the college admissions process.  One important thing to remember in this discussion of writing is that there is a time and place for many styles of writing. It's okay to use shorthand when texting or tweeting.  It's not okay to use shorthand when writing e-mails to employers or organizations.  I'm worried our students are not understanding the difference in contexts. 

I think I can help solve the problem in my own small way by having more writing assignments in my classes and showing my students what quality writing looks like.