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Sample Writing Prompt

Your principal is trying to create an environment in which the staff at your school works together more effectively and has asked for your help. Write a memo to your fellow teachers on this topic. In this memo include why it is important for staff to collaborate, possible ways this might be accomplished, and the potential challenges of collaboration.

Your response will be evaluated based on how well you communicate your message to the intended audience, not on your personal opinions, position, or point of view. Your response will be evaluated based on how well organized and focused your writing is, how well you develop and elaborate on your ideas, and your grammar and mechanics.

 

 

Example of a “6” Response

To: Fellow Teachers From: Mrs. Smith Date: September 15, 2018 Subject: Expanding teacher collaboration efforts

Dear Colleagues,

Think of the benefits that you see in the classroom when your students work together on a project. By sharing their different perspectives, a collaborative group generates more ideas than one student does alone. By working with each other, the strengths of each student can be used to make group projects better. One student may bring artistic abilities. Another may bring the ability to express thoughts well in written language. Others may have strong verbal skills or the ability to think creatively. When all of these gifts come together, we see amazing results. I’d like to speak together about the importance of collaboration, ways that we can collaborate as teachers, and potential challenges we may come across in the process.

 

The same amazing results we see in our students can be true when we work together as teachers. Each of us brings a unique mix of talents and abilities to this school. Our goal is to provide a quality education for the children. By working together, we can accomplish much more than any of us could accomplish alone. We can share ideas, giving each of us more options from which to choose when lessons are planned. This sharing will also, no doubt, spark more creativity in our planning and classroom experiences. There is no need to “re-invent the wheel”. We can use things that have worked for others and improve on things that haven’t worked as well.

 

I have some suggestions for how we might work together more effectively. One possibility would be to have regularly scheduled team meetings for teachers working at the same grade level. We could discuss lesson plans and goals, sharing ideas and resources that can be used or adapted by others. I would also recommend that we take advantage of informal meetings to talk with each other about what is working well and what challenges we face. Ideas could also be shared through writing. If you have a good idea or a problem with which you need help, put it in an e-mail or on a note in the other teachers’ mailboxes. Let’s help each other find creative solutions! These are just some of the ways that we can take advantage of the gifts that we collectively possess. If you have other suggestions, please share them!

 

I know that we are all are very busy planning lessons, teaching and grading papers. It seems that there is always more work to do than what can be done. I do not want to add more to your workload by suggesting these meetings or other ways of sharing. I believe that as ideas are shared we could actually ease the workload by helping one another. Let’s do all we can to help each other and to provide the best education for our students.

 

While we may face some challenges early on, I believe that collaboration will allow us to be more successful as a unit and more effectively meet our students’ needs to see them excel in our classes. I’d love to start brainstorming and trying to implement new methods of collaboration as soon as possible. Let’s take time during our next staff meeting to set guidelines and get started. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!