English SOL Institute Secondary Writing Strand

1. English SOL Institute • Secondary Writing Strand Jim Davis Getting Off to a Good Start

2. Secondary Writing • Key Points in Secondary Writing • Writing revolves around mode, purpose, audience, and process • Provide students opportunities to practice writing on demand, for shorter time frames, and over extended periods of time • Each grade level has a composing/revision standard and an editing/grammar standard

3. Secondary Writing • Key Points in Secondary Writing • Teaching writing is an expectation of every grade, not only “tested” grades • Provide students with opportunities to compose using computers • Self- and peer-editing opportunities for students are essential

4. Secondary Writing • Key Points in Secondary Writing • 6-8 writing emphasis is expository and persuasive writing • 9-12 writing emphasis is argumentative, persuasive, and analytical writing • 9-12 writing should produce a sound argument, address counterclaims, provide sound reasoning, and come to a just conclusion

5. Writing Standard • 9.6a; 10.6a; 11.6a; 12.6a: • Generate, gather, plan, and organize ideas for writing to address a specific audience and purpose.

6. Problem With Prewriting • Outlines imply that a student already knows what she wants to say. Usually done post-essay. • Web maps are similar: You already have a main idea and just have to fill in bubbles.

7. Problem with Prewriting • E.M. Forster: “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” • Most prewriting exercises ignore the GENERATION of ideas and focus just on ORGANIZATION

8. LGL: List / Group / Label • A remedy in three steps: • Brainstorm a list of ideas for a piece of writing • Analyze list and group similar ideas • Label those groups and see if a main idea emerges.

9. With the 2010 EOC Prompt • It has been said that laughter is the best medicine. Think of a time when your ability to laugh helped you to get through a difficult situation. Write about what happened. Support your response with details and examples.

10. My List • Parents divorce with my sister • Joking kept me out of fights • My divorce with Marc and Carla • Daily Show after school • Lunch bunch at Eliot M.S. • Happy hour @ GPMS • Charlotte laughing in my face when i’m mad • Surviving twins with late-night shows • Delirious on train trip--Chris gone crazy • Maggie happy at the doctor’s office with hives

11. My List Grouped • Parents divorce with my sister • My divorce with Marc and Carla • Delirious on train trip--Chris gone crazy • Daily Show after school • Lunch bunch at Eliot M.S. • Happy hour @ GPMS • Charlotte laughing in my face when i’m mad • Surviving twins with late-night shows • Maggie happy at the doctor’s office with hives

12. My List Labeled • Friends/family • Parents divorce with my sister • My divorce with Marc and Carla • Delirious on train trip--Chris gone crazy • Surviving school • Daily Show after school • Lunch bunch at Eliot M.S. • Happy hour @ GPMS • Surviving twins • Charlotte laughing in my face when i’m mad • Surviving twins with late-night shows • Maggie happy at the doctor’s office with hives

13. My Main Idea • When the going gets tough—whether it’s dealing with divorce, a tough day of teaching, or raising twins—the tough get laughing.

14. Now What? • Now that students (hopefully) have an idea and some ideas for elaboration, getting started is usually their next obstacle.

15. Breadcrumbs • Just like Hansel & Gretel, start your piece with a hook that grabs attention in the beginning and can be returned to in the end.

16. Intro: Water Breadcrumb • “Bob Marley was on the stereo, the NBA playoffs were on the TV, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line was in the water. Leadership is demonstrated  through gestures big and small, and on a free weekend last May during the Steelers’ organized team activities, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made a major splash. He flew them all of his offensive linemen to Atlanta on his private plane, drove them an hour to his lake house, took them on his wakeboard boat, gave them rafts, jet skis, and inner tubes, and watched the hilarity that ensues when 300-pounders play aquatic bumper cars.”

17. Conclusion: Water Breadcrumb “The other favorites--the Giants, Panthers and Titans--are all sunk. The Steelers, buoyed by their inner-tubing offensive linemen, are happily afloat.”   --Lee Jenkins, Sports Illustrated, Jan. 19, 2009

18. Intro: One-Man Band Breadcrumb • “Flash and the Temps, the rock band fronted by Dwayne Wade, doesn’t go on tour, preferring to perform exclusively in  his rec room. The Temps consist of whichever of Wade’s relatives and friends happens to grab the Guitar Hero World Tour video game instruments first...Even though he admits he’s no virtual-reality virtuoso, Wade is the band’s lead guitarist--and bass player, and drummer, and lead singer. ‘I move around depending on the song,’ he says. ‘I like to do it all.’ ”

19. Conclusion: One-man Band Breadcrumb “The Heat needs those [players] to emerge quickly...While Wade enjoys playing different instruments now, that doesn’t mean he’ll always want to be a one-man band.” --Phil Taylor, Sports Illustrated, Jan. 19, 2009

20. A Student’s Breadcrumb Intro • A note out of place does not make for a beautiful tune, but when the note is rearranged, it can make a beautiful harmony. Chris McCandless, a young man who left his great life and well-to-do family to live in the wild of Alaska, had a very mysterious personality. Many people thought he was an idiot and a rebel for going on his quest ill-prepared.

21. Student’s Breadcrumb Conclusion • Chris finally found a place where he created a beautiful harmony with himself and nature, where he lived the end of his life with complete peace and serenity with his discovery.

22. Breadcrumb Suggestions • A single word or powerful image • A literary allusion or historical reference • A personal anecdote Ramona Hillebrand

23. Works Cited • Davis, Jim. “Leaving a Trail: Beginning With the End in Mind.” The Journal of the Virginia Writing Project 32:1 (2011): 16-10. Print. • Hillebrand, Romana. “It’s a Frame Up.” The Quarterly of the National Writing Project 23.1 (2001): 2-4. Print. • Jenkins, Lee. “The Power of One.” Sports Illustrated. 19 Jan. 2009: 53-56. Print. • Taylor, Phil. “Who’s Gonna Stop ‘em Now?” Sports Illustrated. 19 Jan. 2009: 42-45. Print.

24. Contact Information • Jim Davis • davisjm@staffordschools.net

25. Disclaimer Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.