Writing Research Papers in Critical Literacy

In the high school where I teach, there are courses called Critical Literacy. These are year long English courses designed to break down elements of literature, writing, and comprehension for learners who struggle in various areas.

In the two Crit. Lit. courses I am currently teaching, we are working on research essays. Breaking down the writing process with this group of students has been quite a learning experience for me.

On our “pre-writing” day, the class was asked to brainstorm various problems within the world, nation, state, society, and/or school. The students showed a lot of potential when brainstorming, coming up with unique as well as cliche but valid ideas. They wanted to talk about the problems and why they exist, which was a great way for me to transition into a teachable moment on the importance of researching problems and writing about their importance. Day one, off to a good start.

From the moment the students began to narrow down their topics, things began to go awry. Because the class needs specific breakdowns during the writing process, we began by focusing on researching just the CAUSE of the problems. For example, one student researching global warming began looking for sources which listed the causes of global warming.Their cause paragraph was also broken down into step, with a graphic organizer listing the order of sentences for their paragraphs.

From this point, I lost some of them. I had some repetitive questions such as, “Miss, what’s a topic sentence?” and “Yo, miss, what does lead-in mean?” This is the point of the process where I am beginning to feel frustrated with this group of students. We spent almost an entire class period working on topic sentences and another on lead-in phrases for quotes (According to, This source believes, [Author's name] highly suggests).

And this is where I am now. I have just collected their cause paragraphs with a minimum requirement of 5 sentences.  Out of 17 students, I have 2 complete paragraphs turned in, 5 that are complete but incorrect, 2 that only have 2-3 sentences, and the rest of them are not turned in at all.

The writing process does not work if the steps are not followed properly, and students will fall behind with each step they miss. It is now my job to sit and figure out what I can do to increase completion and effort. At this point, I feel I’ve exhausted myself in providing them with as much information in the simplest way possible without actually doing the work for them.

Any teachers out there familiar with the writing process who can offer suggestions and tips, they are welcome. I’m going to beg, borrow, and steal to ensure that my students needs are met and they understand the research process if it kills me!