Write On!

1. Write On! Young America Works Public Charter Vocational High School August 27, 2008 Kevin Simpson KDSL - Know.Do.Serve.Learn KDSL07@hotmail.com kdsl.wordpress.com

2. Quick write – 3 minutes What makes a piece of writing great? What types of writing tasks do you use in your classroom? Partner Share

3. Research Tells Us • “In order to improve, students need meaningful opportunities to put developing skills to use.” (Shanahan, 2004) • “Most research today supports the view that writing is recursive, that it does not proceed linearly but instead cycles and recycles through sub processes (planning, drafting, evaluating, revising).” (NWP & Nagin, 2003, p.25) • “Numerous studies have shown that writing led to improved reading achievement, reading led to better writing, and combined instruction led to improvement in both reading and writing.” (Shanahan, 1991, p. 258)

4. Why Write More? Only 1/3 of the students are proficient writers –Students need to write more –Students need to become fluent writers 90/90/90 schools require written responses –Use short paragraph assignments -Frequent writing in a variety of subjects -Nonfiction writing “More than 90% of mid-career professionals recently cited the need to write effectively as a skill of great importance in their day-to-day work.” National Commission on Writing, 2003

5. ‘But I’m Not a Writing Teacher’ • Writing should be an integral part of content instruction, not an add-on. • Writing skills/processes may be introduced in English/language arts but should be reinforced in all content classes. • Writing is an effective tool to assess student comprehension in any subject. • Students who write clearly, think clearly.

6. Writing Strategies • Power Writing • Write Why! • Interactive Notebook Many more ideas are in your packet

7. Power Writing A fluency activity requiring students to write as many words as they can on topic as fast as they can. Topic: 2008 Presidential Race

8. Write Why! In Write Why! the teacher provides the student with content or a question and answer and the student has to explain or justify why the answer is correct. a + 5 = 10 a = 5 Write Why!

9. Interactive Notebooks Interactive Notebooks Help Students Develop graphical thinking skills Use their critical-thinking skills to organize information Ponder questions And express high level concepts in different formats Resulting in.. More creative, independent thinkers Interactive Student Notebooks allow students to: Record information about a subject in an engaging way Use several types of writing and innovativegraphic techniques to record them

10. Interactive Notebooks provide a cohesive structure and serve as an organizational anchor for multiple intelligence activities • Each lesson centers around three key • elements: • Preview Assignments (RAP) • Graphically Organized Reading Notes • (WOW) • Processing Assignments (WIO)

11. Looking at Student Work - LASW Purposes for Looking There are a range of purposes for looking at student work. These purposes include: professional development; accountability (determining the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction); setting standards; and reflecting on student learning and development. http://www.lasw.org/welcome.html

12. LASW Discussion Questions In a small group, examine the student task and scoring guide. Then select one piece of student writing and discuss… What does the student know? How do you know? What instruction or experiences do you think led to this student response? What feedback would you give this student? What would be the next steps for instruction? Record your responses on the graphic organizer.

13. Table Talk • What did I hear or do that affirmed my current teaching practices? • How can I begin to incorporate these writing strategies into my teaching? • I plan to use…with my learners this year.

14. A “Write On” Quote “Those who write have tremendous intellectual advantages over those who don’t.” Mike Schmoker, Results Now