Strategic Writing Instruction for Teachers (SWIFT)

Writing Your Way to Wisdom

Welcome!

Strategic Writing Instruction for Teachers

www.swiftpens.com

“Reading proficiency is just half of the literacy picture, we have to widen the literacy forum to include writing.”

– Writing Next

Goals and Focus• Expose teachers to the various writing structures by highlighting the elements of effective writing instruction for persuasive writing, constructed responses, and essays.

• Increase teacher understanding of how to create writing lessons which include strategy instruction, prior knowledge triggers, guided practice, monitoring and adjusting techniques, collaborative inquiry, and formative assessment.

• Increase teacher understanding of how to provide timely and explicit feedback that encourages student confidence and promotes their continued focus on the writing process.

• Provide teachers with tools to establish baseline data of their students’ writing skills as measured against the HSCE, GLCE, MME, and MEAP to use for lesson planning purposes.

• Provide teachers with a venue for examining the written work of their students to formatively assess the level of students’ thinking and expertise. Teachers will be exposed to rubrics to help them navigate this process.

• Effectively use technology to teach writing and enhance classroom instruction.

LogisticsOakland CreditSB-CEUSWorking AgreementsParking LotAgenda

Urgency: 21st Century Literacy

“Literacy in the 21st century will mean the ability to find information, decode it, critically evaluate it, organize it into personal digital libraries and find meaningful ways to share it with others. Information is a raw material students will need to learn to build with it.”

From: The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

Who ARE We?

NameSchoolAssignmentTraining

Expectation

Road Map for today’s work

Welcome and Introductions

Reflection and Digital Organization

Writing to Learn: Journals and Blogging

Break

What the research says: Writing Next

Kelly Gallagher’s Pillars of Writing Success - Teaching Adolescent Writers

Lunch

More than a Temporary Acquaintance(continued)

Learning-to-Write (Prewriting, Draft Writing, Revising, and Edition)

Assessment, Rubrics, and Graphic Organizers

Closing

Notebook Teaching Adolescent Writers

by Kelly Gallagher 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing

by the National Writing Project www.swiftpens.com

Materials

Reflective Prompts and Rubrics Delicious More Than a Familiar Acquaintance One-sentence Summary Quickwrite Synectic Metaphor STAR RAFT Writing Websites

Day 1 - Toolbox

Anchor Papers Graphic Organizers Great Debate MME/MEAP Prep Tools

Book Marks Revision Rummy

30 National Writing Strategies

Day 2 - Toolbox

Digital StorytellingWeeblyBlog WebsiteGraphic OrganizersStudent PortfoliosWeebly Website

Day 3 - Toolbox

Reflective Prompt

Think about the way you write. How has it changed since you were in school? What is different? What has stayed the same?

Introduction - SWIFTPENS Website

Getting Organized Digitally

www.swiftpens.com

 

The C's of ChangeCompetency with technology

Collaboration Critical Thinking

CreativityCommunication

Self Control

What is Writing-to-Learn? Generally, writing-to-learn activities are short,

impromptu or otherwise informal writing tasks that help students think through key concepts or ideas presented in a course.

Often, these writing tasks are limited to less than five minutes of class time or are assigned as brief, out-of-class assignments.

Two Strategies:

Journaling

Blogging

Writing to Learn – Module 1

Writing-to-Learn

Writing to learn differs from other types of writing because it is not a process piece that will go through multiple refinements toward an intended final product.

Instead, it is meant to be a catalyst for further learning---an opportunity for students to recall, clarify, and question what they know and what they still wonder about.

In other words, writing provides students an opportunity to clarify their own thinking.

Writing-to-Learn Continued

Writing also provides teachers an opportunity to gauge students’ understanding of content.

Writing-to-learn “involves getting students to think about and to find the words to explain what they are learning, how they understand that learning, and what their own processes of learning involve” (Mitchell, 1996, p. 93).

BIG QUESTION

Are you grading this work or are you providing feedback to let students know where they need to focus their attention or learning?

Have a 3-minute dialogue at your tables about this question.

Journal Writing as a POWERFUL Classroom Tool

Cognitive Activities in Journal Entries (things to put in your journals)

Observations: describing what is visible, summarizing, and interpreting details, or recalling key ideas

Questioning: formulating and recording personal doubts, academic queries, validity of information, and theory.

Speculation: free to wonder about the meaning of events, issues,facts, readings, interpretations, problems, and solutions.

Self-Awareness: become conscious about what they stand for and how they are different from others.

Digression: departs from the subject to connect to something that "comes to mind."

Synthesis: Organize ideas and find relations and connections between topics.

TEACHERReflective Prompt

How might using tools like delicious support student

writing?

Support teaching learning?

Module 1Page 3

Class Journal Rubric: Effort

Additional Rubrics

Class Journal RubricAnalytic Rubric for Logs and

Journal WritingRubrics Assessing JournalsHolistic Rubric for Lab Write-up

Module 1Pages 4-8

Blogging: Learning to Write

Blogging for Educators(handout)

Today’s students want to blog, so we as educators need to focus their learning in ways that use technology to increase student engagement.

Module 1Page 10-13

BLOGGING

WEB + LOG = BLOG

A blog is a website where entries are written in chronological order. They are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. Usually they are narrative in fashion.

Blogging for Educators Edugblog and Weebly

Explore website

http://swiftp.weebly.com/

“Building a Literary Learning Community with Technology”

 

Post Your CommentOne Minute Impression

Respond to this question

How might you use Del.icio.us in your

classroom? or

How do you use journaling and quickwrites

in the classroom?

Blogging Rubrics for the Classroom: MODULE 1 Ends

Blogging RubricBlog EvaluationBlogging Assessment Rubric

Module 1 p. 13-15

Writing Next - Module 2

11 Effective Elements: Strategies that Work

What are you currently doing?

Synectic Metaphor

William Gordon created the notions of Synectics as a process for creative thinking. It helps people understand a more abstract concept by linking it to something they already know. It taps into both hemispheres of the brain and stretches their thinking.

Resources: American Rhetoric

Synectic Metaphor

When you think about the writing process for students,

does it feel more like:

Custom Puppies

OR

A Plate of Hors D’oeuvres?

Module 3 -LEARNING-to-Write

Shifting Gears:

We will focus our attention toward helping students become better

writers.

Kelly Gallagher’sTeaching Adolescent Writers

READING MINUTE

“Running with the Literacy Stampede”

Pg. 3

Righting Writing Wrongs: The SIX Pillars of Writing Success1. Students need a lot more writing practice.2. Students need teachers who model good writing.3. Students need the opportunity to read and study

other writers.4. Students need choice when it comes to writing

topics.5. Students need to write for authentic purposes

and for authentic audiences.6. Students need meaningful feedback from both

the teacher and their peers.

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The Pillars of Writing Success

SIX Pillars of Writing

Each of these pillars plays an INTEGRAL ROLE in building strong writers; take one pillar away and the structure might still stand, but it will be weakened.

It is the COMBINED strength of these pillars that serves to build a strong writing foundation.

Five Assumptions about Writing Instruction

STUDENT

More than a Temporary AcquaintanceTeaching Adolescent Writers

Read, skim, and highlight the key points of your assigned chapter.

Discuss key pointsChart key ideas and strategies that

help address your particular assumption Include page #’s (time, teacher, strategy, or assessment)

Share Out

Activity

Chapter 2 (Time) page 25

Chapter 3 (Teacher) page 47

Chapter 4 (Strategies) page 73

Chapter 7 (Assessment) page 141

pgs. 10-11

Expert Jigsaw GroupsThinking MapGroup #1 (Chapter 2) – pages 25 to 35Group #2 (Chapter 2) – pages 36 to 46Group #3 (Chapter 3) – pages 47 to 58Group #4 (Chapter 3) – pages 58 to 71Group #5 (Chapter 4) – all (page 73-89)Group #6 (Chapter 7) – pages 141- 152Group #7 (Chapter 7) – pages 152-167

The Role of Time - Chapter 2

Marzano defines time in classrooms as:

Allocated time: the time in the school day specifically set aside for instruction, such as classes, as opposed to non-instructional activities, such as recess, lunch, passing time and the like.

Instructional time: the in-class time that a teacher devotes to instruction (as opposed to management-oriented activities).

Engaged time: the portion of instructional time during which students are actually paying attention to the content being presented.

Academic learning time: the proportion of engaged time during which students are successful at the task they are engaged in.

The Role of the TeacherChapter 3 Prewriting Conditions

These conditions encourage students to “fuel up” on information. With a “full tank” they are more prepared to pour their newfound knowledge onto a page.

Reading Dialogue Inquiry Personal Interest

The Role StrategiesChapter 4Help Organize your students’ THINKING

Freewriting Loop writing and

looping Brainstorming/listing Clustering/Mapping SDQR Chart Movie Writing Prewriting THINK

Sheet

The Role of AssessmentChapter 7

ASSESSMENT EVALUATION gathering

information to meet the particular needs of a student

judging the information that results

having students retell a story because it is an informal way to gather information about a students’ needs

standardized tests because the resulting test scores represent a formal judgment

Writing for Assessment—

writing-for-learning

Writing-as-Evaluation—what was learned

Using Writing Assignments for Assessment

writing-to-learn

learning-to-write

SUPPORT Building Content Knowledge

UNCOVER the Curriculum vs. COVER the Curriculum

Teaching writers requires that we create extended writing time in our classes.

If we create extended writing time to truly teach students how to write, doesn’t that mean other parts of the curriculum will have to be sacrificed? In a word, YES.

How Can Teachers Help?

OFFENSE

Classroom Culture

Norms

Resources

Opportunities to Write

DEFENSE

Scaffolding Instruction

Modeling Writing

Providing Feedback

Using Thinking Maps

Peer Evaluating

The Role of Technology

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Am I using available technology to the fullest extent possible in my classroom?

How do I know when software applications are appropriate and have real instructional value?

How can I use technology in my lesson planning and instruction?

What changes can I expect in my students, my classroom, and myself when I increase my use of technology?

Online Graphic Organizers help Students Organize and Hold their THINKING

http://web000.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Writing/Index.htm

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm

11 Minute Essay

STEP ONE

Develop a starting point prompt. This could be a statement such as: “We can learn lessons from the people around us. They often demonstrate how to be honorable, loyal, and brave.” Pictures make excellent prompts, such as this picture of a soldier working with an aroused cobra.

Module 4 Learning-to-Write Toolbox

Toolbox for Learning-to-Write

Prewriting Draft Writing: Revising and EditingRubricsGraphic Organizers and Thinking Skills

Check out the website: Module 4

Ten Things That BUG You

First - and Second Draft Writing…more

Learning-to-Write

First-Draft Writing

•“Down draft (get it down)Done to work out what one thinks or understandsIs tentative and exploratory in form Done for self or trusted readerReceives responses but no grade

Response come from:

•SelfPeersTeachersParentsFriends

Second-Draft Writing

•“Up draft (fix it up)Done to demonstrate ‘final” thinking on a topicDone with careful attention to content and mechanicsIs handed in with previous draftIs often assessed/graded

From the work of: Bay Area Writing Project, Mary K. Healy

Draft Writing

2-Minute Free write about one of the things on your list that bothers you.

1st Draft 2nd Draft

Teacher Hints

Ask students to revise their papers as it was just modeled.

Second – Draft Writing

STAR Strategy

S = SUBSTITUTE

T = TAKE THINGS OUT

A = A DD

R = REARRANGE

Complete the STAR Chart

SUBSTITUTE

TAKE THINGS OUT

ADD REARRANGE

Second – Draft Writing

SSUBSTITUTE

TTAKE THINGS OUT

AADD

RREARRANGE

Replace:overused wordsweak verbs with strong verbsweak adjectives with strong adjectivescommon nouns with proper nouns“dead” words

Take out:unnecessary repetitionsunimportant or irrelevant informationparts that might belong in another piece

Add:detaildecryptionnew informationfigurative languagedevelopment clarification of meaningsexpanded ideas

Rearrange:the sequence to produce a desired effectthe order for a more logical flow

STAR ACTIVITY Kelly Gallagher

Surface vs. Deep Revision

The STAR framework helps students visually see that there are two levels of revision---the surface revision and deep revision.

Use a metaphor with your students to help move this point with students.

Surface-Level Improvements Deep-Level Improvements

to a student’s bedroom to a student’s bedroom

giving the bedroom a new paint job changing the carpet replacing my light fixture with a light fixture that has a fan

removing the drywall removing the bathtub in your bathroom and adding a shower stall removing the walk-in closet to utilize more square feet in the bedroom

WRITE YOUR 2ND – DraftRevisionsReread your 1st – DraftIdentify the most dynamic sentence from

your free write Can this sentence springboard your

revision writing? Write Your 2nd – Draft

Assessment Rubrics

The Role of Assessment Teachers who recognize the importance of writing as a tool for learning in any content area intuitively understand that writing helps students connect their thoughts, deepen their content knowledge, and communicate with others.

Module 4…Assessment

Do You Know What Your Students are Thinking?

Most educators intuitively understand the critical relationship between thinking and writing: writing allows us to express what we think, but the very act of writing spurs a process of exploration that changes our thinking and helps us learn.

By Vicki Urquhart

KNOWLEDGE

DEFINITION KEY WORDS QUESTIONS

KNOWLEDGE

Demonstrate knowledge of previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers

who, what, when, where, choose, find, how, define, label, show, list, name, relate, recall, select

How would you explain…?How would you show…?Can you select….?Who were the main…?Can you list three…?

Page 128

COMPREHENSION

DEFINITION KEY WORDS QUESTIONS

COMPREHENSION

Demonstrate understanding of facts ad ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions, and stating main ideas

compare, contrast demonstrate, interpret, explain, illustrate, outline, rephrase, summarize, show, classify

How would you compare…? How would you interpret…?Which statements support…?How would you rephrase…?Which is the best answer…?How would you summarize…?How would you classify…?

Pages 129-131

APPLICATION

DEFINITION KEY WORDS QUESTIONS

APPLICATION

Demonstrate ability to solve problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, concepts, and strategies in new and different contexts

apply, build, construct, develop, interview, plan, select, solve, utilize, model, identify

How would you apply…? How would you solve…?What approach would you use...?What would result if…?How would you show…?What examples can you find…?

ANALYSIS

DEFINITION KEY WORDS QUESTIONS

ANALYSIS

Demonstrate ability to examine and break information or concepts into parts by identifying different components, making inference , and finding evidence to support generalizations

analyze, categorize, dissect, divide, examine, distinguish, infer, conclude, hypothesize

What do you think…? What conclusions can you draw…?How would you classify…?What evidence can you find…?What is the relationship…?How would you distinguish…?

SYNTHESIS

DEFINITION KEY WORDS QUESTIONS

SYSNTHESIS

Demonstrate ability to compile information in a different way by combing concepts or parts in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions

Build, choose, combine, compile, construct, create, design, develop, imagine, invent, propose, solve, suppose, modify, improve, adapt, test, change

What would happen if…?How could you change…? How would you test…?How could you connect…?How would you construct…?

EVALUATION

DEFINITION KEY WORDS QUESTIONS

EVALUATION

Demonstrate ability to present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, the validity of ideas, or quality of work based on criteria

criticize, defend, determine, evaluate, judge, justify, recommend, interpret, prioritize, criteria, prove, assess, decide, support, estimate

What is your opinion of…? How would you evaluate…? How would you select…?How would you judge…? Why is it better or worse…?

Remember. . .

The potential all students hold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LExJ6oN4hUo