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[kittybelle]

I am asking readers for their opinions as to the level of education of the writer who wrote the following test answer to a question about  Christopher Columbus and his historical importance. I am asking this because I may have lost some perspective over the years, and may be asking too much of my students.



"Christopher Columbus was a man who had traveled to this place on a ship. This place that he thought he was getting closer and closer to was Japan. He was very wrong in his discoveries. Chrisopher Columbus came across the Americas. The Americas got its name from Amerigo Vespucci. Columbus’ voyage was one that he thought was amazing because he believed that the place was Japan. Japan is very far from America. He had to have been traveling for a long time and not paying any attention to where he was going."

[saguaro]

Back in my day, I would say this person has a third grade education. Today I would guess it is a college freshman.

[iomhaigh]

At least the student used complete sentences. 

I would guess 5th grade, but I went to a lousy school system. 

[charlie_11]

Fairly, I would say this is written at about a ninth grade level, but I have seen college freshmen write this way, especially on first assignments. Usually, when I tell them to step it up, they can and do. This makes no attempt to show a logical relationship between statements. I'd say it attempts to circumvent the question by stating disconnected facts--it sounds like there was a question. The student is concerned with regurgitating facts, but is probably paying no attention to what s/he has actually written. That's the real problem. There is no thinking. None.

[jammer]

Elementary school.   

[helpful]

Fairly, I would say this is written at about a ninth grade level, but I have seen college freshmen write this way, especially on first assignments. Usually, when I tell them to step it up, they can and do. This makes no attempt to show a logical relationship between statements. I'd say it attempts to circumvent the question by stating disconnected facts--it sounds like there was a question. The student is concerned with regurgitating facts, but is probably paying no attention to what s/he has actually written. That's the real problem. There is no thinking. None.

"Regurgitating facts"??? The student even has the facts wrong!

[studentaffairsed]

5th or 6th grade.

I always say maintain the high expectations for our students.  I have found when I expect more, I get more.  It may take some time for students to get there.

Right now in compulsory education (K-12) there has been a strong focus on literature as opposed to writing in the secondary English curriculum.  I am no longer amazed how many college freshman students have never been asked to write a research paper.  What previously had been the hallmark of the 11th grade English curriculum in most schools has been downsized in order to make room for more literature study.

The pendulum swings throguh a focus on writing and a focus on literature.  What I cannot seem to understand is why K-12 education cannot achieve a balance of a study of both aspects of the curriculum.

Thoughts?

[expatinuk]

4th grade

[scheherazade]

He had to have been traveling for a long time and not paying any attention to where he was going."

ROTFL!

This makes it sound as if they were just having a frat kegger on the boats, hopin' for the best.  Because if you set sail, of COURSE you'll land in Japan!  Right?

[big_giant_head]

So, Kittybelle, will you ever come back and tell us what level the student really was?  Because my bet is on "college freshman."

[indebted]

My guess is anywhere from 6th grade to college freshman because it seems like careless, quick writing from someone who is used to getting away from it.  The sentence structure could easily come from a lazy 6th grader or a college freshman who thinks that its better to hand anything in than nothing at all and again, hasn't had to suffer any real consequences for being that incredibly lazy.  If only grades could come with punishments as well so that the student gets as annoyed as you were when you had to mark it.  How about a failure with no drinking for two weeks, or a failure and being sprayed by a skunk... 

[larryc]

Either a 5th grader or Stephen Ambrose.

[seniorscholar]

The first half of it could well be an ESL student, but the final three sentences are more complex than generally produced by ESL students who haven't yet progressed beyond the very simple subject-verb-object construction. C'mon -- tell us!

[lbradleye]

This certainly looks like an elementary response, but, sadly, could be coming from any upper grade level. The writing is painfully choppy, and very point by point. It is almost as though the student had points bulleted for an outline, and simply rewrote the points in paragraph form without filling in all the blanks.

[aandsdean]

5th or 6th grade.

I always say maintain the high expectations for our students.  I have found when I expect more, I get more.  It may take some time for students to get there.

Right now in compulsory education (K-12) there has been a strong focus on literature as opposed to writing in the secondary English curriculum.  I am no longer amazed how many college freshman students have never been asked to write a research paper.  What previously had been the hallmark of the 11th grade English curriculum in most schools has been downsized in order to make room for more literature study.

The pendulum swings throguh a focus on writing and a focus on literature.  What I cannot seem to understand is why K-12 education cannot achieve a balance of a study of both aspects of the curriculum.

Thoughts?

It takes too long to grade 180 essays a week for a H.S. English teacher.  It's easier and much more fun to read and talk about books.

Seriously--if you have 5 or 6 classes of 30+ students each, how can you possibly pay constructive, persistent attention to their writing?

(And yes, I've taught tons of freshman comp, so I do know what the time commitment is to do it right.)