Lessons that Change Writers: The Power of Analyzing On Demand Responses

Grades 3-5

Think of a Time…One Minute Essay

Roadmap for the Learning

▪ Understanding the language of the writing standards

▪ Progression of writing across grade levels

▪ Identify strengths and weaknesses in “our” student pieces

▪ Instructional strategies for teaching writing traits and skills to “gap” groups

Percentage of elementary students in the Gap Group in KY

The Story of “In Common” Resources

▪ Created to supplement Appendix C in Common Core Standards

▪ Vermont Writing Collaborative and Student Achievement Partners

▪ Over 1600 pieces submitted

▪ Range of samples (writing over time and On demand)

▪ Three modes represented K-12

▪ Instructional resource for teachers, provide clearer understanding of qualities of effective writing across content.

Writing Progressions Standard 2

Grade Level Expectations of CCSSHow does writing change over time in

Information Writing?

Writing Progressions Standard 1

Grade Level Expectations of CCSSHow does writing change over time in

opinion writing?

Let’s Vote

______________-is best because

Looking at your student work with a partner

▪ Standards, Student Work, Annotated Vermont papers

▪ Trade student work with your partner.

▪ Annotate using standards and Vermont papers.

▪ Discuss annotations with your partner.

▪ Make a list of strengths and places to grow.

Places to Grow

How will this activity help you look at your student work?

Lunch

When discussing writing with your colleagues, which skill or trait would you identify as most difficult for students to produce proficient writing?

Skills ofa Proficient Writer

Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD)

• SRSD is an approach for helping students learn specific strategies for planning, drafting, and revising text.

• It is characterized by explicit teaching, individualized instruction, and criterion-based versus time-based learning. Children are treated as active collaborators in the learning process. Instruction takes place in six stages: • Develop Background Knowledge. • Describe It• Model It• Support It• Independent Use

• Sources: De La Paz & Graham, 2002; Harris & Graham, 1996

On Demand Writing

Skills Students Need

• Unpacking the Prompt• Analysis: Context, audience, role, topic

• Selecting the best prompt

• Marking the Text

WWF GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

Practice Planning Time

Skills Students Need

• Qualities and Expectations of Good Writers

• Organization• Understand the genre• Writing good leads/ topic sentences/ opening paragraphs

• Idea Development• Use examples and descriptive details to support their ideas• So What?

• Word Choice and Sentence Fluency• Effective use of transitions• Sentence Fluency

Organization

Graphic organizers

Props for Paragraphs

The Claw

Cloze or Story Frames

Sentence Frames

• “Providing students with the beginning of an academic response is a very effective tool for increasing the quality and quantity of student participation. Sentence starters serve to both focus attention on critical content as well as provide students with the language support needed to engage in academic discussions.”

• Kevin Feldman & Kate Kinsella

I believe ________________________ is the best season.

Reason #1 Reason #2

I believe ___________________________

____________________________________.

I think this because_____________________

____________________________________.

Also, ________________________________

____________________________________.

All in all, _____________________________

____________________________________.

Paragraph Frame for Opinion Writing

• I like ______________ because ______________. The first reason I like ____________ is because ____________. The second reason I like ____________ is because ______________. In conclusion, I feel that ________________ is the best due to the fact _____________.

Take a look at Student Writing

Idea Development

Quotation Sandwich

Adding Emotion to Develop your Ideas

Action Chain

I fell down the steps.

Idea: “because” stickers

because

because

because

because

because

because

because because

Take a look at Student Writing

Word Choice, Voice and Sentence Fluency

Bare Bones

Sentence Combininga Research-Based Practice

• Constructing more complex and sophisticated sentences through exercises where two or more short, kernel sentences are combined into a single sentence using:

• Placement of adjectives or adverbs

• Inserting Propositional phrases

• Using “connectors” (e.g., but, because, so…)

• Using a seriesExample: The noodle was soft. The noodle was on my plate

Sentence Combining

• The car stopped.

• The car ran out of gas.

The car stopped because it ran out of gas.

• My mom can run fast.• My dad can run fast.

Try This One

• The noodles were long.

• The noodles were skinny.

• The noodles fell on the floor.

• The noodles cracked into pieces.

• The dinner was ruined.

Word Intensity Charts

Word Intensity Thermometers

• Elated

• Joyous

• Cheerful

• Glad

• Exuberant

• Thrilled

• Happy

• Content

Transition words and phrases

• to show time – one day later…

• to clarify cause and effect – as a result...

• to show location – to the right...

• to introduce examples – for example...

• to add more information – in addition...

• to contrast information – otherwise…

• to conclude – in conclusion…

• to compare – much like…

Transition Cards: Primary

First

Second

Third

Take a look at Student Writing