Episode 401: Graphic Group Essays: A Writing Assignment Your Students Will Actually Like

About this episode

This episode discusses the use of graphic group essays as a lighter, engaging writing assignment for students during April.

April makes it hard to keep essay writing rigorous without burying ourselves in grading. We use graphic group essays to help students practise claims, evidence, and justification through a visual, collaborative process that keeps writing engaging and low stakes. • why April is the perfect time for a lighter essay structure • what a graphic group essay is and how it combines visual planning with group writing • using the strategy to replace a standard essay or prep for a formal draft • how co...

Topics covered

• essay writing
• graphic group essays
• collaborative writing
• visual planning

Keywords

• claims
• evidence
• justification
• low stakes writing

More episodes of Teaching Middle School ELA

• Episode 404: Tips for Using Your Prep Period to Grade (Instead of Plan) · April 21, 2026 · 26 min
• Episode 403: The Feedback Framework That Cuts Grading Time in Half · April 14, 2026 · 18 min
• Episode 402: Monday Mindset: Margin for Magic · April 13, 2026 · 11 min
• Episode 400: A Simple Hack for Helping Students Find the Main Idea in Informational Text · March 31, 2026 · 11 min
• Episode 399: Monday Mindset: The One Thing That Makes the End of the Year So Much Harder Than It Has to Be · March 30, 2026 · 6 min
• Episode 398: Why Students Don't Apply Grammar in Their Writing — And How to Fix It Part 2 · March 26, 2026 · 11 min