IGNITING THE SKILLS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE WRITING

1. IGNITING THE SKILLS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE WRITING Deborah Bell Ph.D. Murray State University Purchase Area Writing Project Co – Director NCTE 2012

2. How can I ignite my students’ to write?

3. Objectives for the session.... • Define on-demand writing • Make connections between research and practice. • Learn and take home strategies to help your students.

4. What is on-demand writing?

5. Why are some schools doing so well in On - Demand? What pedagogical strategies and methods are used in the writing classroom that resulted in improved student performance on the Kentucky State Assessment?

6. Schools Involved in Research • Oldest public high school west of the Alleghenies-urban – 1800 students • Impoverished high school in Appalachia – 350 students • Rural high school – 800 students • Small high school in rural America – 200 students Schools all rank in the top in writing.

7. Characteristics • 60-90 % proficient /distinguished • 60-90% Free/Reduced Lunch • One – high minority • Three – few parents with college degrees

8. What commonalities do these schools have that might contribute to their success? • Curriculum • Learning Culture • Power of Motivation

9. Essential Question Why should I incorporate On Demand Writing in my classroom instruction?

15. A “Dozen” Tips for Igniting Writing • Teach the tested genres as you teach your content: informative/explanatory, opinion/argumentative, and narrative. • Teaching Critical reading skills • Summarizing • Using Inferences • Using support • Identifying the author’s writing techniques • Teaching Format

16. 2. Use common language between grades. • “Break Down” the Prompts. • Practice Composing Thesis statements.

17. 5. Teach Time Management • Time management is key to success. • Gauging time is NOT common sense; it must be practiced. Many students have an unrealistic sense of time. • Simulated testing conditions must be integrated into the curriculum

18. Write frequently and revise Students learn the “how” of writing when they revise...even on-demand responses. • Use models – include teacher modeling • Use mini-lessons to teach (strategies) how to vary sentence structure, enrich vocabulary, etc. • Teach writing as a process. Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, Publishing.

19. 10. Know your students • ProvideFeedback • Conference • Affirm • Encourage • Celebrate

20. 11. Motivate • Student negotiated instruction • Incentives P/D – Exempt from exams Grades Tickets to Prom Points for P/D performance 3. Challenge the students to be the best they can be. • Teachers/Students supported all facets in the school culture • College

21. 12. Develop a Learning Culture • All faculty and staff support one another in teaching. • Extremely HIGH expectations for all students. • Focus on student – preparation for after HS – not tests - 4. Must have an effective writing plan. • Create a welcoming campus for all students, parents and members of the community. • Positive perceptions

22. NOW Strategies for “Igniting” your writing classroom.

23. 8th Grade OD – Passage -based

24. 10th Grade OD – Passage-based

25. Every Form of Communication Requires a Rhetorical Strategy • Mode • Audience • Purpose

26. “Break Down the Prompt”

27. S P A M Situation Purpose Audience Mode

28. The Prompt Situation Writing situation: • After reading “College Entrance Exams,” consider your feelings on exams being used to determine college admission. Writing Directions: • Write a commentary/essay for the school newspaper arguing your position on whether colleges should rely on entrance exams to grant students admission to their programs. • Support your argument. MODE Audience Purpose

29. Summarizing • 3,2,1 Sentence summary • SUM IT UP! 20 Words for $2.00 • Who, What, When, Where and How • Selective Underlining • Exit summary • Inside Outside Circle • Jig-Saw • Think-Pair-Share

31. Support • Character Web • Yes Ma’am • Close Reading Skills • Detectives • Analyzing Literature • Evidence Graffiti

32. YES MA’AM M- ME – The first sentence should reword the issue and state a claim. A – AUTHOR – The author said…. According to the passage…. Dr. Brown states… A – AUTHOR – The text also states… M – ME – Your interpretation of the evidence. This shows…This demonstrates….

33. Show Don’t Tell • Let People Talk • Choose a Point of View • Snapshots and Thoughtshots- Barry Lane • Figurative Language

34. Time • 5 minutes…to read and reread the 2 prompts carefully and choose the one you like best • 10 minutes…prewriting/SPAM • 20 minutes…drafting • 5 minutes…conferencing (alone), revising, editing with dictionary and thesaurus

35. On Demand Writing Constraints • Time Limit • Lack of Feedback • One-shot Deal

36. Remember! • Even though we use advanced organizers to remind students to organize their writing, we must be careful about stifling their creativity with too much structure. • There is a difference in teaching how to write within a time frame and teaching how to write for real-world purposes.

37. Inferences • Require higher order thinking skills used in all-content areas. • Strategies – • Show-Don’t Tell • Inferences with Figurative Language • Question the author Students must make a judgment using facts, details, statistics, or descriptions they discovered while reading.

39. #1 Teaching the genres • Informative/Explanatory • Opinion/Argumentative • Narrative – 5, 6, 8 When do I teach these? How do I teach these? http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/departments/gheens/CurrMaps2012.html

40. Informative/Explanatory What is it? NONFICTION 1. Explains something most readers won’t know 2. Presents the latest research on a topic 3. Defines a complex term 4. Compares and Contrasts viewpoints 5. Analyzes a complex problem 6. Teaches readers how to solve a problem or apply knowledge CCSS. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

41. Examples of informational texts: • Newspapers - a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

42. Examples of informational texts: • Biographies – accounts of the series of events of a person’s life (not Bibliographies) • Autobiographies – biographies of yourself

43. Examples of informational texts: • Almanacs - annual publications of weather forecasts and other information arranged according to the calendar of a given year

44. Expose students to a variety of informational reading selections. Read the text like an author. • Use those writings as models. • Teach students how to begin…(mapping,etc) • Students can replicate using the author’s strategies. (What is poverty?)

45. I-Search paper – great practice for students to develop the idea of support and fluency. (Daniels) • Definition Essays • Analysis • The One-Pager • How to…

46. The Argument 3 Purposes: • To change the reader’s point of view • To bring about some action on the reader’s part • To ask the reader to accept the writer’s explanation or evaluation of a concept, issue, problem CCR Anchor Writing Standard #1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

47. The Argument involves Five Main Ingredients • Introduction • Thesis • Context • Reasons that support your argument • Counter-arguments • Responses • Conclusion

48. Narrative“Tells a Story” • Creative Narrative – has a plot, setting, and characters. • Nonfictional narrative – often used to recount a person’s life story, important historical events, or news stories. – may be informational narrative

49. Activities and Handouts • http://Bellspages.weebly.com • http://Teacherhelpdesk.wikispaces.com • Also, handouts can be found on the NCTE conference page.

50. GoodLuck! “Igniting” your students to write.