RAMPing Up the Rigor

Kids need to write, right?

They’re not going to get better at it if they don’t do it. Frequently. In every class.

You may be thinking to yourself, “But I’m not a writing teacher. I wasn’t taught how to teach writing. I’m not a confident writer myself. How can I possibly teach my students how to write?”

Relax a moment. I know that if you’ve read this far, you know how to read. You probably have even identified that I used a few sentence fragments in the preceding paragraphs, and you may or may not have been comfortable with my decision to do so. But since I know you know how to read, I also know that you can read a student’s writing and tell whether it makes sense and whether it says something. That’s the first step--and the most important one--to becoming a teacher whose students write.

I’m not asking you to become a writing teacher if you’re not one already and if the class you teach doesn’t require it. What I am asking is that, no matter what you teach, you ask your students to write.   

To help you make this happen, I’m going to clue you in on a little tip, an acronym many English teachers use that will jumpstart your ability to design interesting and rigorous writing: RAMP.  

RAMP stands for Role, Audience, Mode, and Purpose. These are four elements students can identify for themselves when they are dissecting a writing prompt:

Role: What persona or perspective am I adopting as a writer?  

Audience:  To whom or for whom am I writing?

Mode: What type of writing am I being asked to do (category and genre/format)? Probable types include narrative, expository, and persuasive.

Purpose:  Why am I writing this?

As I mentioned above, many teachers use this to help students determine what they’re supposed to do in response to a writing prompt. Decisions regarding word choice, degree of formality, organization, and content relate directly to the four elements of RAMP. I’m going to write in a different style if I’m writing a formal lab report for publication in a chemistry journal than I am if I compose a text message to a friend to find out about his date last Saturday.

Not only can RAMP be useful to students, but RAMP can come in handy for teachers who are trying to create more interesting real-world writing assignments for their students. Asking students to adopt different roles and to write for varied purposes not only can make writing more fun but also “ramp up” the rigor in writing assignments.

Here are some deconstructed writing prompt samples to help you see how easy (and perhaps even fun) creating writing activities using RAMP can be.

An old-school, boring essay topic:

Write an essay about the themes in Moby Dick. Select three themes, and support each with evidence from the novel.

            ROLE:  A student

            AUDIENCE: The bored English teacher

            MODE:  Expository/literary analysis

            PURPOSE: To inform and explain

A more exciting Moby Dick essay (spoiler alert):

You are the psychiatrist treating Ishmael as the lone survivor of the Pequod's sinking. Since the patient refuses to speak, you have only his manuscript (the novel Moby Dick) to use to diagnose him and recommend a treatment. Using the evidence, write a report to the hospital’s Board of Governors about your patient detailing the nature of the trauma, the effect on Ishmael, and your plan for treatment.

            ROLE: Hospital psychiatrist

            AUDIENCE: The hospital’s Board of Directors

            MODE: Expository/analytical

   PURPOSE: To analyze Ishmael’s character and what mental or emotional support or treatment he may need.

Something for the historians:

You are an educated woman in England in the 1790s who has just read Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Women. Inspired by what she has said, you decide to send in an anonymous editorial to the local newspaper about your reactions to the essay, but you know that a letter from a woman will be ignored. Write your editorial as if a man wrote it, but still try to get your points across. Make specific reference to Wollstonecraft’s ideas in your editorial.

ROLE: A British woman in the 1790s pretending to be a man

AUDIENCE: The editors and readers of the local newspaper

MODE: Argumentative

PURPOSE: To persuade readers that your thoughts, reactions, and opinions are correct.   

American history from an offbeat perspective:

As a termite gnawing on the table on which the Declaration of Independence was signed, you had the chance to witness the event firsthand and overhear the comments of those who signed it. Write a letter to your British cousin giving your account of what happened that day, including what you heard from the signers about their excitement, concerns, and hopes.

            ROLE: Eavesdropping termite

            AUDIENCE: A British relative overseas

            MODE: Narrative letter

            PURPOSE: To summarize what you heard and viewpoints of the signers

To explain a scientific concept in simplest terms:

Write a children’s book to explain mitosis to a third grader in an interesting, entertaining, educational way. You may illustrate your book.

            ROLE:  Yourself (a brainy science student)

            AUDIENCE: A third grader who could care less about cell division

            MODE: Expository/informational (may also be narrative)

   PURPOSE: To explain mitosis in a way a third grader would understand

Bringing science to the real world:

You have recently become aware that neighbors have been using a nearby field as a dumping ground for their household trash and are concerned about the effect this might have on the wooded area and creekbed nearby. Write a letter to the City Council expressing your concerns and asking them to take measures to halt this potentially dangerous hazard to the ecosystem.

            ROLE: A concerned citizen

            AUDIENCE:  City Council

            MODE: Persuasive letter

            PURPOSE: To expose a biohazard and stop further damage

           

Writing in math can be fun, too:

Write a love letter from the Pythagorean Theorem to pi.

            ROLE: The amorous Pythagorean Theorem

            AUDIENCE: 3.14159265359…

            MODE: Personal/love letter

            PURPOSE: To declare your undying love and admiration

Let’s not forget the performing arts:

You are a critic from an entertainment magazine who attended last night’s choir concert. Write a review so that your readers who didn’t attend will know what they missed and what you--the expert music critic--thought of the performance. Your readers will appreciate lively writing and vivid details in your critique.

ROLE: Music critic

AUDIENCE: The readers of your magazine

MODE: Expository/arts review

PURPOSE: To critique the performance and provide details for readers who weren’t there.

Something cross curricular and controversial:

You, Karl Marx, have recently completed your Communist Manifesto and are looking for the perfect cover art for the paperback edition of your book. Consider the artists who are working around this time, and select one whom you think will be the best candidate to create an appropriate artwork to showcase your ideas. Write a letter to that artist telling him about your ideas and convincing him or her to create an artwork for your cover.

ROLE: Karl Marx

AUDIENCE: A 19th century artist of your choice

MODE: Persuasive letter

PURPOSE: To convince the artist to design a book cover

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It’s relatively easy to come up with a writing activity with a little creativity and the assistance of RAMP to help you sort things out. I encourage you to give it a try. You don’t have to grade for spelling or grammar; in this type of writing, the content and understanding are most important. That’s the key to Writing to Learn.

Thanks for giving your students a writing workout once in a while.