Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 minutes
Printable: “Advice to a Candidate” Lesson Plan (PDF)

Advice to a Presidential Candidate Prompt:

As the U.S. Presidential election season heats up, the voices of America’s diverse citizenry cry out, expressing the people’s needs, opinions, and visions for the future.  In the midst of all these competing voices, the Presidential candidates have to carefully consider what they say in return.  Imagine that you have the opportunity to speak privately to the candidate of your choice before he or she makes an important speech.  What would you tell him or her to say to America? (more…)

Target Grade Levels: All
Key Concepts: Writing process, narrative writing, MY Tutor feedback, Revision

Stephanie Binckes is a former high school English and ELD teacher. As a fellow of the California Writing Project, she has worked as a writing coach and mentor throughout her state. She wrote this article to help teachers re-envision MY Access! as a powerful tool that can be used to support students throughout the composition process.    

    One of the most common concerns I hear from teachers who use MY Access!® is that MY Tutor feedback is too general to be helpful for students.  MY Tutor was never designed to replace teaching of writing skills, but it does support and reinforce effective writing instruction.  By modeling with whole-class guided instruction, teachers can enable their students to use MY Tutor independently. Below, you will find a model lesson that demonstrates how to use MY Tutor feedback to teach students a specific skill: writing a detailed setting in a narrative piece. (more…)