Writing for the World: Wikipedia as an Introduction to Academic Writing
Article
Resource
This article outlines a unit in which students write an article for Wikipedia as a way to learn and practice academic writing. Students learn how to use secondary sources in their writing as well as master a new genre with appropriate conventions and word choice. With this activity, students are encouraged to build academic writing skills in an interesting and public way. The author provides an explanation of Wikipedia as well as a step-by-step lesson plan with sample assignment sheets.
Author:
Christine M. Tardy
English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 1
The feature article in this issue is on snowboarding. A lesson plan, “Create Your Own Sporting Event,” continues the sporting theme. Other articles discuss professional development for teachers, writing for Wikipedia, grouping schemes for maximizing language learning, and teaching haiku writing.