I had no idea how the assignment would go, and, in all honesty, I didn’t think my creative writing students would be interested in writing something that seemed so formulaic. I thought the lessons would be boring.
In the end, however, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. My students ended up loving the assignment, and it has become my favorite contest to date. To my surprise, three of my students were winners and another was a runner-up!
The Learning Network is running the contest again this school year, and I’m looking forward to having my students participate. If you’re curious about how to teach with it, The Times offers a step-by-step guide from which you can drawn inspiration. Below, I explain how I adapted that guide for my classes. All in all, we spent seven class periods on the contest over four weeks, while meeting twice a week.
Step 1: Introducing the Contest
I began by introducing my students to the contest requirements and scoring rubric. The main stipulations I wanted them to consider were the 400-word limit and the interview component. Once we had reviewed the contest page and I had answered any questions, we moved on to a “Reading Response.”
For the Reading Response, I had them read two Tip columns of their choice (you can find free links to many in The Times’s original guide) and answer the following questions. Some columns they selected were how to choose a karaoke song, how to play dead, how to say goodbye and how to be ambivalent.
Reading Response Questions:
What is the title of each column you chose?
What do you notice about the structure and organization of each column?
How are the pieces similar?
How are they different?
What do you notice about the language of each piece? Include one line from each that illustrates this.
Who is the expert in each piece? Why do you think this person was chosen? Is the person a good source?
How does the author balance quotes, paraphrased information, context and advice in each piece?
Step 2: Brainstorming
Next, we brainstormed possible topics first as a class and then individually. For the class brainstorm, students called out responses to the questions below and I wrote them on the board. I left these responses up to inspire them while they completing their individual brainstorming assignment. For that exercise, I asked them to provide at least three examples for each question. These questions are adapted from The Learning Network’s related writing prompt.
Class Brainstorm
What would you like to be able to do or do better? (Examples: remember where you left your keys, learn to cook)
What is something people your age know a lot about that older people might not?
Individual Brainstorm
What physical skills do you wish you had — either those specific to a sport or a hobby, or something that might come in handy in everyday life?
What practical skills would you like to master? Would you like to be on time consistently? Learn how to start a fire? Change a tire? Roast a chicken? Play poker?
What emotional or interpersonal skills would you like to have? For instance, maybe you wish you knew how to comfort friends when they’re sad, how to calm yourself down when you’re nervous or how to make conversation at a party.
What school-specific skills might come in handy? Do you wish you were better at memorizing Spanish vocabulary, taking notes, speaking up in class or completing your homework on time?
What problems are you or a friend or family member struggling with right now that you could seek advice about? It could be something small and specific, like learning how to fill out a FAFSA form, or something larger, like figuring out how to apply to college in general.
Student Samples
Aside from obvious responses dealing with college applications, procrastination and improving writing skills, here are some other ideas my students came up with:
One student wanted to acquire “the skill to not get cramps when crocheting,” to know “how to suplex someone” and to figure out “how to lower screen time.”
Multiple students were interested in learning “how to be vulnerable” or “not run away from affection.”
Another student wanted to learn how to “become a good slapper,” but he also wanted to “work on anger issues.”
Step 3: Proposals and Pitches
The next assignment was to complete a project proposal based on their brainstorms. After answering the proposal questions below, students pitched their ideas to me and the class. Some students wanted input on how to narrow down their options, and we weighed those and voted. I also let them know if an idea seemed impractical or if another option might make more sense.
During the proposal stage, my students listed potential experts on their topics. I axed anyone impractical and urged them to pick the most accessible candidates.
One contest requirement was that the students not be related to their chosen experts, so I had them think of people they knew beyond their immediate family circle — friends, neighbors, classmates. Some students were worried they didn’t know any “experts,” and I told them to consider “enthusiasts” instead. Reframing the task in this way made it much less daunting.
They soon realized there were experts all around them. They found people with interesting jobs or hobbies, like a juggler in our class or a friend who worked at a zoo. Even though they couldn’t interview their own family members, they could interview each other’s. One student decided to talk to her girlfriend’s mom, who happens to lead community writing workshops from her home. That essay, “How to Host Unexpected Guests,” ended up being one of the winners of the contest. Another winner from my class, “How to Conduct a Podcast Interview,” was written by a student who had a connection to a prominent podcaster he had interviewed a month prior.
I directed my students to choose someone close to them but encouraged them to think outside the box as well. Wanting to learn the art of high-fives, one student interviewed a kindergartner she babysat and said, “I feel like kids add such necessary enthusiasm to high-fiving, so she was a natural choice for my expert.”
Once every student had a topic approved, we moved on to the outline. Instead of giving them a template to follow, I had students create their own. I split them into groups of four and assigned each group a different area to focus on. They had to look at examples from the Tip column in order to come up with a formula of sorts.
Group 1 | Structure: Show us how to structure a how-to. How should we begin and end? How many paragraphs are typical? What should each paragraph do and include? If there are multiple structures, list them.
Group 2 | Advice: Show us how to give advice in a how-to. How can we be practical but engaging? How can we balance advice with why it’s needed? How do we address and center the reader?
Group 3 | Language: Show us how to use language in a how-to. How should we use tone, diction and syntax? What point of view should we use? Should we be abstract or concrete, literal or figurative?
Group 4 | Expert: Show us how to use an expert in a how-to. How do we know which type of expert to choose? How do we question the expert? How do we introduce the expert in the piece? How do we balance direct quotes and paraphrasing in the piece?
Once they finished the group portion, we discussed their findings as a class. I compiled their notes in a document, which they used to construct their first drafts.
Student Sample Outline
Structure
— Two to four paragraphs
— Start with a quote from the expert, introduce the expert and then talk about how the quote applies to the task.
— After the quote, explain how to do the task in straightforward terms.
— Add context and widen the scope. Explain why people should care.
— Go more in-depth with the instructions.
— End with a quote from the expert.
Advice
— Use dialogue from a trusted expert.
— Balance paraphrasing (clear, concise advice) with a more specific statement from your expert.
— Incorporate personal stories and anecdotes to give it a personal feel.
— Center the reader by giving hypothetical situations they can imagine.
— End with a reflection (or the “why”).
Language
— Use imperative second-person point of view.
— Use literal language and very few figurative devices.
— Use casual diction (no essay-speak) and avoid abstract ideas.
— List advice chronologically.
Expert
— Choose an expert experienced in the chosen topic.
— Choose an expert passionate about the chosen topic.
— Ask your expert well-developed interview questions.
— Introduce the expert by using his or her name and providing background merits.
— Use quotes that are both informative and entertaining.
Step 6: Workshop
For our first round of workshopping, I assigned each student two classmates’ essays to review. They provided feedback directly in their classmate’s Google document. When the workshoppers are using Google docs, the first step is to ensure they turn on “suggesting” mode before making changes so they don’t erase the original writer’s work.
In suggesting mode, the students made line edits or left comments in the margins (I did this, too). Then, in a separate tab on the document or at the bottom of the page, they answered the following questions, which are guided by the contest instructions and evaluation rubric:
Does the essay offer the reader practical steps detailing how to complete a specific task? List the steps (or highlight them in the document).
Does the essay provide a thoughtful rationale for where, when or why someone would want or need to complete the task? What is the rationale (list or highlight them in the document)?
Does the writer draw on information from one reliable and relevant expert source whom the student has personally interviewed? Who is the expert and what is that person’s experience?
Does the piece include a minimum of one quotation from the expert?
Are the quotations relevant and illuminating? Do they add to the piece?
Does the essay follow the suggested structure (two to four paragraphs)?
Does the essay use the second-person imperative construction to address the reader?
Is the essay free of flowery or confusing figurative language?
Are there any spelling or grammar errors? Explain.
Is the essay 400 words or fewer?
After workshopping, students discussed their feedback and notes with one another. Students then revised their first drafts according to the input from me and their peers.
Step 7: Putting the How-Tos to the Test
Instead of a traditional round-table workshop with the full class, I decided to read their revised pieces aloud and have the students test the how-to directions. Of course, some — like “how to drift cars” or “how to antique shop” — could not be replicated in the classroom. For those, we discussed the steps, their order, their clarity and their conciseness.
The ones we could attempt in class were how to juggle, how to do the worm, how to “lock in” and how to fall safely. I read out instructions for how to do the worm and the students attempted to follow the steps.
“Start by getting into a push-up-like position on the floor: Legs together, arms bent and shoulder-width apart, chest pressed to the ground,” they said. While the steps were clear and made sense, hilarity ensued as the students flopped around on the floor. A few managed to get the motion right, but learning how to juggle was a bit more successful.
This was one of the most fun class periods of my career.
My students made final edits and submitted their how-tos to the contest. To my surprise, three of them — “How to Do the Worm,” “How to Conduct a Podcast Interview” and “How to Host Unexpected Guests” — won, and another — “How to Antique Shop” — was a runner-up!
