Spring Lake Park High School Writing Lab

The Writing Lab currently resides in two different classrooms (Rm. 526 and Rm. 527) and an office (Rm. 526A). Our hope is that we will one day have a permanent home. Steve Harlan-Marks and Jeremy Sellman are available some class periods to provide help with writing. In addition, college students training to be English teachers are also helping with the tutoring.

Third Trimester 2007-2008

Students may make appointments in  advance by signing in and having Mr. Harlan-Marks or Mr. Sellman sign a pass for the period they  would like to work in the lab. They may also drop in with permission from a classroom teacher.

Tutors will provide assistance to writers of all ages and ability for a variety of purposes:

• to work on a particular skill such as  correcting surface errors, improving coherence, or developing ideas
• to complete a particular assignment
• to write a letter of application or a scholarship essay
• to improve performance on a particular writing task such as AP essays
• Brochures detailing Writing Lab procedures and services are available in the counseling office, the library, the main office, and in the lab rooms.

College Tutors

Tegan Madson (Hamline University) helps Melissa Hauberg complete a business letter for Fundamentals of Writing.

Thank you to Tegan Madson (Hamline University)  for tutoring our students.  She is preparing to become an English teacher and is gaining experience coaching high school writers at Spring Lake Park. She will be available to work with our students on Tuesday and Thursday morings, thus increasing the opportunities for our students while simulataneously providing valuable teaching experiences for these young adults. Additional volunteers and students pursuing teacher degrees have offered to help in the future. 

• helping students pass the state BST or GRAD test in writing,
• helping students do better  with written class work in classes they are having trouble passing
• helping students do better with written work in our toughest courses like APE and  APUSH
• providing resources for Students
• providing resources for Teachers
• initiating writing across the curriculum so that students will be encouraged to write well in whatever subject they are studying and teachers of all subjects will feel they have the support they need to share the responsibiity of teaching students to write

Resources for Students

• models, templates, and rubrics for:
• letter of application
• scholarship letter
• various types of academic essays
• documentation and presentation format
• sample final drafts
• ten ways to improve your writing(list)
• Napreisha Pickford and Sam Maage model "Read aloud" (see #7 on the list above this link, then watch)(video)
• Ad analysis sample paper
• Process Analysis sample paper ("How to...")
• AP Triangle worksheet
• AP Essays Do's and Don't's

                       Steve Harlan-Marks  offers assistance to Jennifer Escalante.

Resources for Teachers

• Tne Internet Public Library site is a good source of research and parameters for research:
• www.ipl.org
• Six Traits of Writing site. Goal is primarily to provide information about workshops and materials for purchase. If you want their ideas for free, look below. (Six+ Traits is the official district model for the teaching and assessment of student writing)
• http://www.thetraits.org/about
• Kim's Korner--teacher site with 6 trait grading rubrics and more. Elementary orientation. Yours for free!
• http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/sixtrait/sixtrait/rubrics.html
• "The Owl" at Purdue. This is their Writing Center site and they have a lot of what we'd like on ours already.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/

• Rubric for Fundamentals of Writing, Letter of Complaint
• Sample letter for Fundamentals of Writing, Letter of Complaint 

• Sample letter of recommendation for college admissions
• Tips for Writing admissions and scholarship recommendations

More Pictures:

           Zarkpa Tarlue ('09) discusses language and organization of his persuasive speech with Mr. Sellman.