Slide 1

Writing and Civics2012-2013

WritingCritical ThinkingWhere our students are and what to expect Why write?1. Loudoun County has placed renewed emphasis on writing in social studies and in science. two 5-paragraph essays every year in middle school

2. SOLs - writing and critical thinking

Virginia Standards of Learning

CE.1.h The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to select and defend positions in writing, discussion, and debate.

Virginia Standards of Learning

CE.1.g The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to formulate an informed, carefully reasoned position on a community issue.Virginia Standards of LearningCE.1.f The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to identify a problem, weigh the expected costs and benefits and possible consequences of proposed solutions, and recommend solutions.Virginia Standards of Learning

CE.1.d The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information.

Virginia Standards of LearningCE.1.a The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to examine and interpret primary and secondary source documents

The benefits of writing wellSynthesizing information helps students understand the Civics content.Stimulates critical thinkingPromotes logical thinking

More benefitsProvides practice at the craft of writing

Helps ease student anxiety about writing

Our plan for the year Teach students about different types of writing

Help students do a better job of planning their writing, writing clearly, and proofreading

Encourage students to evaluate their own writing

Increase the complexity of writing tasks

Civics writing vs. English writingTypically fact-based rather than based on personal observations or feelings Requires knowledge of a topicUsually written in third personUsually does not ask for an opinionOften requires research or examination of primary documents

Different purposes of writingFormal vs. informalFiction vs. non-fiction

Note to a friend vs. letter to a U.S. senator

Persuasive, informative, reflective

Learning to match writing style with prompt

Rising expectationsOne paragraph as part of a quizA brief summaryAn opinion pieceAnalysis (Run for the White House)Five-paragraph essaysDebate (synthesizing information)Compare and Contrast (Political parties)Informational writingDBQ -- short, introductory assignment What writing requires Understanding the information Planning with a graphic organizer Logical structure Accuracy Flow Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling

See CHECKLIST FOR WRITERS handoutWhere 8th graders struggle

Where is the proofreading in this pie?Knowing the content Cant compare two documents without understanding them

Providing sufficient facts and supporting detail.

Putting what they know into words

Leaving out their opinion (unless requested in the prompt)

Writing in third person (tend to use I in all writing)

Complete sentences Correct punctuation and capitalization Correct spelling of familiar words Not-so-good writing

Average Writing

What Good Writing Looks Like

Writing TipsWhen allowed, type your assignment (to take advantage of spelling and grammar checks)Read your paper aloud; youll catch many errors that way.Ask a parent or sibling to read your writing (Does it make sense to them?)

Eliminate wordinessAvoid repetitionAvoid repetition

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.

Thomas JeffersonSecond semesterResearch papersMulti-document DBQs (document-based questions)Political cartoon analysisSupreme Court case research and analysisPrimary document analysisMore challenging reading and writing

What to expect in high schoolSummer pre-AP assignmentSignificantly greater volume of workChapter outliningChapter questionsDBQs (Document-based questions)

Benefits of writing wellReason #1: Written output is a great way to assess student knowledge.

Reason #2: Writing is the essential skill students need as they enter adult life.

Reason #3: Helping students learn to express themselves with confidence in all subject areas. Copyright 1995-2003 by Steve PehaThank you for your time, interest, and support!