a workshop on writing instruction
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A Workshop on Writing Instruction. Presenter: Amy Benjamin Today’s visuals are available to you at www.amybenjamin.com. Today’s Topics: Differentiating instruction to meet student needs Difference between revising and editing Using “Reading Rods” to develop sentence sense - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
A Workshop on Writing Instruction
Presenter: Amy Benjamin Today’s visuals are available to you at www.amybenjamin.com
Today’s Topics:Differentiating instruction to meet student needsDifference between revising and editingUsing “Reading Rods” to develop sentence sense“Sentence-making Kit” to write and develop complete sentencesWriter’s Workshop ModelUsing pictures to prompt four kinds of writing purposesSuggestions for writing introductions and conclusionsA brainstorming techniqueSolving common writing problemsTeaching students to write four different kinds of questions
Where do I need help?
Answeringthe question
Organizing myideas
Writing the ConclusionVocabulary Development
Spelling
Getting Started;
Writing the introduction
Capitalizing
Using punctuationWriting neatly andclearly
When I proofread my pre-final draft, I needto look carefully at these things, which mightbe problems:1. _______________________2. _______________________3. _______________________
_____________’s Proofreading List
run-onspunctuationcapitalizationspelling:
suffixesWord Wall words
ie ei homonymsdescriptive wordsindentingrepetitivethen/thantoo many “then I”
sentence variety: different beginningsspacing, letter heights, careful letter formationsubject-verb agreementNO wanna, gonna, cuz, & and other “speaky” “words”
When I proofread my pre-final draft, I needto look carefully at these things, which mightbe problems:1. _______________________2. _______________________3. _______________________
_____________’s Proofreading List
_____________’s Proofreading List
When I proofread my pre-final draft, I needto look carefully at these things, which mightbe problems:1. ___Complete
sentences____________________2. ___capital letters_____________3. _too many times I say I I I
___________________
Alison
Writing Tasks: Range
EvaluateCompare & ContrastRecommendPersuadeDraw conclusionsMake generalizations
ListDefineDescribeIdentifyPut in orderCreate categories Apply
IllustrateGive examples ofSummarize, paraphrase, restateAnalyze (take apart + put together)
More complexityLess complexity
Where are we now?Where would we like to be?
Scaffolding higher-level tasks
Gradual release of responsibility:
1. Provide a word bank2. Provide sentence stems (template)3. Provide models; copy the models
The Difference Between Revision and Editing
Revision is about transforming: Editing is about correcting:
Content: Through the pre-writing and drafting stages, the writer may develop a new conception of where the whole piece wants to go.
Organization: The writer may rearrange sentences or paragraphs. The writer will probably want to add transitions: in and out of paragraphs and from sentence to sentence within paragraphs
Language: The writer should be upgrading vocabulary to be interesting, varied, and appropriate for the audience. The writer should also be combining sentences, eliminating redundancy, and using other rhetorical techniques that make the language more powerful and efficient.
Grammar: Agreement: Subject-verb Pronoun-antecedent Pronoun case Adjectival Adverbial Usage: Proper verb forms Consistency of verb tense Clarity: Placement of sentence elementsSpellingCapitalizationPunctuationInadvertently omitted or ineffectively repeated wordsOverall presentation and “look” of the piece
Revision
Editing: Surface Features, such as: Grammatical mismatches and errors Spelling, capitalization, punctuation
Meaning: Did you do what the question asked you to do? (Also called: focus, addressing the task
Development:
Do you have sufficientsupportive information, suchas: reasons, examples,anecdotes, textual reference, proof
Organization:
Do you give your reader enoughtransitional words between andwithin paragraphs?
Do your introduction and conclusion serveyour purpose?
Language:
Is your word choice(diction) appropriate,efficient,interesting, and varied?
Is your sentence structure(syntax) appropriate, efficient,interesting, and varied?
Have you written from theappropriate P.O.V?
Is your language tone(register) appropriatefor youraudience?
Writer’s Workshop Model
Based on Lucy Calkins’ model from The Art of Teaching Writing
Students have open flexible time (usually about forty minutes each day, threeor four days a week) for writing.
Students design their own writing program, with help from the teacher.
Topics, form, and format are chosen by the student.
Students draft several pieces, and then choose one of their drafts to take throughthe remaining phases of the writing process (…revision, editing, publication)
Revision: Peer readers respond to the draftEditing: With teacher assistancePublication: Copied neatly or typewritten; illustrated; displayed or published
in a book; student sits in the “Author’s Chair” and reads hisor her piece to an audience
How is your writing class similarto/different from this model?
What might you like to adapt?
4 Purposes for Writing
To Persuade
To Entertain
To Inform
To Socialize
How to use the ACTION FLASH CARDS to expand sentence skills:
Have students express what is happening in the action flash card using various sentence forms:
Step One: Explain what is happening in your action flash card.
Step Two: Now, experiment with many different ways to write your sentence:
Ex: Begin with There is/ There are____________ Don’t begin with the or a
Write a yes/no question Write a Who? or What? or When? or Where? or Why? question Write a sentence that has an -ING word Write a sentence that has a word in it that you’ve never written before Write a sentence that does not use IS or ARE or WAS or WERE Write a sentence that uses BECAUSE in the middle Write a sentence that use SO in the middle Write a sentence that needs a comma Write a sentence that shows a detail Write a sentence that could be the first sentence of a story Write a sentence that could be the last sentence of a story
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Language Development:
Students place a picture in the
center of this page. They
compose sentences that
answer the six information
questions.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions
Technique 1: Begin with an anecdote
Example: How Are You Being Controlled?
When someone in my family needs shoes, we go to the Big Box Store. My mom tells me that before I was born, there were many shoestores in our town. But they all closed one by one when the Big Box Storeopened up.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions
Technique 2: Begin with a meaningful quotation
Example: How I Solved a Problem
In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle, for theyshall inherit the earth.”
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions
Technique 3: Begin with “news”:
Example: Cigarette Advertising to Kids
Our guest speaker told us that ninety percentof American smokers started as teenagers.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions
Technique 4: Begin with background.
Example: Illegal Drugs in SportsThe United States Congress held hearings to find out about the
problem of professional baseball players who have been using illegalsteroids to make them bigger and stronger.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions
Technique 5: Begin with an announcement
Example: My BrotherI am going to tell you why my brother Kevin
makes our family laugh.
And a few techniques you might want to avoid:
1. Dictionary definition
2. In this report, I am going to talk about…
3. Did you ever…..? (flat, uninteresting question)
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions
Technique 1: End with an instruction to thereader: If….then…
Example: How to Care for a Pet
If you follow these steps, your pet will be safe and happy, andso will you.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions
Technique 2: End with a prediction
Example: How to Care for a Pet
I predict that if you take good care of your pet, youwill want another one soon.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions
Technique 3: End with a strong, emotional statement
Example: How to Care for a Pet
You promised your parents you would take care of your pet,so now do it!!!
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions
Technique 4: End with a statement that “echoes” your opening statement.
Example: How to Care for a Pet
Tippy always greets Jason with a wagging tail and a happy facebecause he knows that Jason loves him.
5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions
Technique 5: End with a question that leaves the reader thinking.
Example: How to Care for a Pet
Do you think you are ready for the responsibility for takingcare of a pet?
A Brainstorming-Organization Technique
First, brainstorm the phrases. Then, sort them into the three columns: beginning, middle, end. Then, put the phrases in order within the beginning, middle, and end. Then, create sentences.
Then, link main ideas together with transitions (and, but, so).
Write all of the phrases that apply to your topic:
Beginning Middle End
Problem-Solver: Student writing
When my students(mistakenly) writethis:
and I want them(instead) to writethis:
Here is what I might suggest:
Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of Questions
Topic:_________________________Yes/No Questions: Require a yes/no answer
Begin with: Is/are/was/were Do/did/does
Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of Questions
Topic:_________________________“Inch” or “centimeter” questions: Require an
answer of one or two words
Begin with Which one…?/ What kind…?/How many…? Who is…?/What is…?
Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of Questions
Topic:_________________________“Foot” or “meter” questions: Require you to
read a passage and state it in your own words
Begin with: Explain…; Summarize… Tell about…
Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of Questions
Topic:_________________________“Mile” or “kilometer”questions: Require you
to find the answer by looking at various sources and draw your own conclusions
Begin with: What if…? What do you think about…? Why do you think…? Would you want…?