Writing to Learn Professional DevelopmentJunior HighDecember 7, 2011

Exit Slip Summaries

Writing to Learn as Our Formative Assessment• Strong on rationale• Strong on connections to content area• More models of when to use Writing to Learn

strategies• Review where we start- engagement process

Purposes for Nonfiction WritingEngagingStart Here

Processing Demonstrating UnderstandingOnce it’s part of the culture

Purpose: to provide all students with a nonthreatening opportunity to respond.Students engaged in writing

Purpose: to help students “think” through the end of their pen.Students grappling with or processing the content

Purpose: to produce a product piece that goes through the writing process.Students are provided feedback in using a rubric with clearly identified levels of proficiency

Menu of Options• Quick Writes• Admit/Exit Slips• Brainstorming• Drawing and Illustration• Summary Statements• Structured Note-Taking• One Word Summary

Reflection• Which Writing to Learn techniques did you try?• Which ones fit best with your content area?• How did your students respond?• What adaptations did you/will you make with this

technique?• What surprised you?• What did you learn?

Link to the Iowa Core

Characteristics of Effective Instruction• Student-Centered Classrooms• Teaching for Understanding• Assessment for Learning• Rigor and Relevance• Teaching for Learner Differences

W.7.10 and W.8.10

Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Science - Structured Note Taking

News Clips Observations • Teacher shows short news clip without sound (related to

content goals). • Students write a description of the event based on their

observations using specific content vocabulary and concepts.

 • Students share their quick writes with a partner.

 • Replay the clip with the sound and ask students to compare

the accompanying news commentary to what they saw. 

<object width="416" height="374" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="ep"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=tech/2011/11/08/natpkg-orig-blind-echolocation-poptech.cnn" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=tech/2011/11/08/natpkg-orig-blind-echolocation-poptech.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="374"></embed></object>

Math - Link to the Iowa Core

7.SP.5 - Understand that the probability of a chance event is between 0 and 1 that expresses the likelihood of the event occurring.  Larger numbers indicate greater likelihood.  A probability near 0 indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a likely event.  

Brainstorming - (Student-Centered Classroom)

• Write for 2 minutes everything you know about probability.  • At the end of 2 minutes, discuss at your table, and be prepared to

share one idea.

Lesson Purpose - Students will understand that the probability of a chance event is between 0 and 1. 

Drawing and Illustration - (Teaching for Understanding) • Record your findings in an organized table, graph, or chart

• http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_305_g_3_t_5.html?from=category_g_3_t_5.html

Lesson Purpose - Students will understand a probability near 0 indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a likely event.

Quick Write - (Rigor & Relevance) 

• Looking at the following graph, write two paragraphs making your prediction for snow on December 25th.  

• Based on your understanding of probability, include where it is most likely to snow, least likely to snow, and how you know this.  

• What professions or business owners might be interested in this probability data and why?

Probability of Snow on Dec. 25th in the United States (1961-1990 www.climatesource.com)

   

Next Steps• Identify a lesson you will teach in the next few weeks.• Plan Writing to Learn techniques that will support and

strengthen your lesson purpose.• Keep in mind the Characteristics of Effective

Instruction

Golden Star• Find one person in the room you have not yet spoken

with today.• Share one “golden star” from your work this morning

Web Resources• http://www.climatesource.com• http://nlvm.usu.edu• http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/element

Graduate Credit• No Credit• Staff Development Credit• Drake Graduate Credit

• Shared with you in Google Docs "Writing to Learn Professional Development Registration Information"

• AEA Activity Number: DR326161011201