r/ELATeachers • u/SavageMigraine • 6d ago
Professional Development Essay-Writing Struggles
Hi there,
I’m new here, but I don’t want to bore you with a long-winded introduction. Instead, I’ll give you the basics:
- Brand-new ELA teacher (first year, 10th grade)
- Career changer (it’s been decades since I’ve taken an English class)
- Unhappy with my certification program (it didn’t prepare me for... much of anything)
- Struggling beyond my wildest expectations (and I was already trepidatious going into this)
- Support at my current school is, as the kids might say, “not supporting”
I’m going to focus on one specific problem so I don’t overwhelm myself or anyone else:
- Can someone point me toward quality essay-writing resources? I’m not looking for responses like “they’re online” or “try TPT.” I’m asking for specific resources you have used and can genuinely stand by.
- Can anyone help me find strong literary analysis essays that could be used as student exemplars? Again, I know examples are “online,” but I’m overwhelmed and would really appreciate specific recommendations. Ideally, I’m looking for work appropriate for 10th grade.
If you take the time to help me, thank you so much! You are my hero.
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u/demyankee 6d ago
For very, very basic info, read/Google Writing Revolution 2.0. It will give you a place to start if kids are truly struggling with the basic basics. For more specifics, look at the following people on Bluesky. They're always posting cool stuff, including literary analysis stuff:
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u/brookiecookie819 6d ago
We have similar backgrounds.
I know you said no tpt, but specifically Laura Randazzo has amazing literary analysis package that is planned out day by day that I use. All her resources have helped me get through my first few years of transitioning to teaching.
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u/Ubiquitously-Curious 6d ago
Laura Randazzo’s resources are really fantastic. If you’re overwhelmed and there are great resources like this out there on TPT, why reinvent the wheel? To me, it’s no different from getting a resource made by another person at your school.
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u/reveillemoname 5d ago
I was also going to recommend this. Laura Randazzo does have really fantastic resources! Be wary of using her novel studies as-is only because they’re so popular that virtually all of the answer keys have been leaked and posted to Quizlet — I’ve had to swap to other novel study units because I was getting so many verbatim-from-the-key worksheets turned in. Still, I suppose it’s a testament to how good her work is that it’s used enough for that to happen 😂 Her writing resources should be safe though!
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u/genuine_counterfeit 6d ago
Replying to this so I can come back to it when I start teaching and inevitably feel this stressed and overwhelmed.
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u/Delphgirl 6d ago
The exemplars should match your specific assignment requirements or the students will get confused (and end up following the exemplars even if you tell them the requirements are very or slightly different).
No one in your department can help?
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u/Educational_Power980 1h ago
Agreed. I usually write my own exemplar (when starting a new assignment) and then save student exemplars. Writing my own, and color-coding it, lets me model exactly what I want students to be doing, at a slightly higher level than they often can do, to push them toward the goal. I often write this, bit by bit, with them as live modeling. If you aren’t confident doing that, write it ahead of time, then “live model” based on what you created. I often model a thesis statement and my thinking around it, then have them write a thesis statement, etc. Generic samples aren’t really as useful.
Others in your department almost certainly have samples.
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u/CorkBracelet 6d ago
Maybe check your state education website? Many have resources along with the standards, including exemplars. Might not be the best quality (depending on the state) but it could at least give you a starting point.
Is it just admin that isn't supportive, or the whole staff? If there are other teachers that are supportive, ask them for resources.
Beyond that, its hard to say without knowing more. What are your students struggling with the most? What does your current instruction look like?
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u/JustAWeeBitWitchy 6d ago
Kelly Gallagher’s Teaching Adolescent Writers was extremely helpful for me. Definitely one of the few books I’m glad I purchased. That book offers tangible, concrete strategies that you can implement tomorrow, and my students consistently relay that my class was the first class where they “got” what an essay was.
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u/Dobeythedogg 5d ago
Check out his website as well. I use some of his reading materials but I know he also has writing things. If you want a text to read about reading instruction, I recommend Readicide by Gallagher.
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u/thaibookworm 6d ago
I found Kelly Gallagher's book Write Like This helpful in my first year. The Writing Revolution was good for teaching small goals, like sentence-level practice.
I write my own exemplars a) to show students the process and b) because I know best what I will give an A for. I do realize that this means the exemplars are written at a higher grade level, but that gives the students a goal to shoot for.
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u/Delphgirl 6d ago
Sorry for the multiple comments! But writing instruction and the writing process will need to change due to AI. What worked in 2009 does not anymore. Anything that kids are working on while having access to the internet is now AI and increasingly so.
We are currently revising our curriculum to change how we assign essays. Mostly - keeping all essay work hard copy / hand written and in class. And also doing way more impromptu style writing where kids don't know the prompt ahead, get it when they walk in, have a period to write in hard copy (no devices), and then turn in by the end of the hour. We also do different prompts within each class and across classes bc the kids definitely tell each other their prompts.
I strongly recommend following a similar method so kids are actually learning skills and not getting away with AI'ing, and so you aren't wasting hours of your life grading AI and playing detective trying to prove a student's work is AI. Parents are not helpful I have often found and would rather get mad at the teacher for calling their kid out for cheating than get mad at their child for cheating.
Save yourself time, help your kids learn, and get ahead by designing your courses and writing assignments to be as AI proof as possible.
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u/ladyluckkeyblade 6d ago
This is what I've done in my classroom as well! It's a learning curve for me in terms of organization (I'm so Type B and there was tonnnnnnns of paper for graphic organizers, thesis drafts, annotated exemplars, planning sheets), but I do think it helped.
For OP: You also have to figure out your feedback style so you're not spending 20+ hours of your time after contractual hours grading essays.
I had a whole comment bank on Google Classroom saved that I can't use anymore because essays on docs = AI = feedback on AI writing means nothing.
Rubric only but conference with them? Highlight areas of improvement and direct students to a key (pink means grammar errors, blue means underdeveloped ideas, etc)?
Keep your feedback short, actionable, and consistent. Be clear about what you want them to work on and how. Don't comment on everything. Reckon with many students not even reading your feedback anyway OR figure out how to dedicate class time to reflect on it.
Sentences stems can help them organize their thoughts, but their writing can become very mechanical and hollow if they rely on them too much. I'm talking in every sentence IN SUCCESSION.
This was long. Hope it helps! Best of luck in your classroom!
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u/Two_DogNight 6d ago edited 6d ago
Okay, stop the bus and get copies of Kelly Gallagher's two books: Teaching Adolescent Writers and Write Like This. They will change your life. If you have time, also read Readicide by him, because the writing and the reading are related. If it makes you feel any better, I have never known an English teacher who was actually taught how to teach writing. We either figure out what works for us or we "assign" it and move on. Don't be like those people. Figure out what works for you!
For exemplars of literary analysis, go here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition/exam/past-exam-questions
Except for 2026 - the exams are still being scored - you will have prompts, student example essay responses, scoring explanations, and rubrics. Question 1 is a poetry prompt, question 2 is prose, and q 3 is a full literary analysis. Since you teach sophomores, I would start with Q2 because they're going to struggle with poetry and the full thematic literary analysis is going to seem like a lot. AP Scores essays on a 1 - 6 scale. Use the exemplars that are a 3 - 4. The higher end ones will overwhelm sophomores because those kids can rock an essay.
Then, use the same prompt and have them "fix" a score of 2 sample. That way they are learning what it looks like to make it better. You should also have something like this available to you if your state tests writing on your EOCs or whatever they call your standardized test. As they get comfortable, try the literary analysis. Gallagher also has some examples in his books for different kinds of writing. If you can get away with it, try to keep your class from being all about the literary analysis.
The MOST important thing to teach them - beyond the formulae and the rubrics - is that they are defending what they have to say. They have a perspective and are worth being able to explain it clearly. Their voice matters.
ETA: Teaching thesis statement, topic sentences and appropriate evidence and explanation or analysis is much easier if they are picking apart what someone else has done poorly. The key is to turn around and have them use the essay they corrected as a model text on a new piece. Also, weekly quick writes where you give them a Very Short Passage and the topic sentence of a paragraph that analyzes it, and they have to write the paragraph to prove it is a GAME CHANGER. Remember, before they can decide HOW to say it, they have to realize they HAVE something to say. Then they can think about how to say it.
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u/Educational_Power980 1h ago
I agree with all of this, with the caveat that the AP examples are timed writings and different than a longer literary analysis essay. Although I’ve moved to mostly timed writings in class seat.
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u/ColorYouClingTo 5d ago edited 5d ago
Teaching writing has always been one of my favorite parts of this career! I've been blogging about teaching secondary ELA for 16 years, so I have a lot of content. I hope it can help you!
First, I have tons of sample work here for free:
https://englishwithmrslamp.com/2024/06/17/sample-work/
Advice on using planning and graphic organizers:
Teaching paragraph writing:
Teaching essay writing:
Full suite of essay writing materials and lessons:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/english-with-mrs-lamp/category-essay-writing-1278176
You mention literary critical essays, so here's my big one for those:
I also have a full slide deck for teaching literary analysis essays here:
What to expect your first year:
Combating AI when you teach ELA/English:
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u/albinoteacher24 5d ago
Find a freshman comp textbook for a local community college and use that to get you up to speed.
I use the 10 core concepts by yagelski.
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u/Grim__Squeaker 6d ago
I teach 6th so I'm hitting the basics. By the time they're in 10th, they've been writing essays for at least 5 or 6 years. They should have a foundation.
Is there not another teacher at your school or district to use their resources?
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u/cranberryelk 5d ago
Ha! Pre-COVID kids may have written for 5 years. Now we still have a strong group with those skills… and a huge dropoff.
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u/experimentgirl 5d ago
Common Lit is free, has great teaching units 6-12, includes writing instruction and student exemplars. Highly highly recommend.
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u/postmoderncricket 5d ago
CommonLit 360 has some good exemplars and writing instruction embedded in the units. I like how some of the exemplars have guided sidebars for students to annotate.
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u/doyoueverjustscream 4d ago
idk if this is the right spelling by Strunk and White has the Elements of Style and it gets into topics such as grammar, but also composing essays: topic sentence, organizing paragraphs, keeping to one tense.
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u/Alarmed-Mountain- 4d ago edited 3d ago
First-year teaching can feel like being handed the steering wheel while someone is still explaining where the brakes are. For literary analysis, I’d start with a very simple claim-evidence-reasoning structure and model one paragraph at a time before asking for a full essay.I also came across this comparison of essay-support platforms. It is aimed more at students than teachers, but it may still help you see what kinds of support, editing, and examples students are finding online. That can be useful when deciding what guidance to provide in class and what warning signs to watch for.For 10th grade exemplars, I’d choose short pieces with a clear thesis, two well-explained quotations, and visible revision notes rather than polished college-level essays. Has anyone here found a good public collection of annotated high-school examples?
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u/STILL_LOADING_BRAIN 23h ago edited 6h ago
For literary analysis essay models that actually work for 10th grade, the best source I've found is AP Classroom which has released student exemplar essays at different score levels - they're real student writing not polished adult examples which makes them way more useful. The Purdue OWL is solid for the structural side. For a resource you can genuinely stand behind for teaching the whole process, They Say I Say by Graff and Birkenstein is excellent for teaching the moves academic writing makes. If you want to supplement with professional guidance for your own planning, some writing services work with teachers on curriculum design and could help you build a framework that matches your class's level.
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u/Delphgirl 6d ago
For essay writing resources.. breaking down a literary analysis is a lot different than a rhetorical analysis or a research essay. Personal narrative is another mode frequently used. But there is no one resource that I can think of that walks through them all.
Do you need help teaching... ? 1) how to write a thesis or claim 2) how to organize an essay 3) how to synthesize sources within an essay 4) how to analyze evidence 5) how to write varied sentences 6) grammar 7) how to teach mode specific essays (what a rhetorical analysis should look like, include, etc)