Writing Across the Curriculum: Enlisting Staff to Teach Writing

1. Writing Across the Curriculum: Enlisting Staff to Teach Writing

2. Introductions • Kay Graham: K-12 Principal • Toni Taylor: Science Teacher • Heidi Sawitzke: Social Sciences Teacher • Taylor Llewellyn: Math Teacher

3. It’s All In The Communication • Text Messaging my sister while in DC Kay: How are you doing? Julie: On my way to the metro…wish me luck!!!  Kay: Good Luck! Julie: At 10th and G Kay: You are only a few blocks from the Whitehouse! Julie: Gross!

4. It’s All About The Communication What My Text Actually Said: “You are only a few blocks from the whorehouse!” Hence the response of “Gross” from my sister

5. Believing It Can Be Done: • If your staff thinks it can’t be done, it won’t happen • “Little Bets” works: Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries By Peter Sims • Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us By Daniel H. Pink • Angela Lee Duckworth: The Key to Success? GRIT (Ted Talks) • Rigor, Relevance, Relationships (with emphasis on the relationships)

6. What Lowell Jr./Sr. High Looks Like (Demographics): • Current Enrollment: 164 Students in grades 7-12. • Approximately 70% of students are considered economically disadvantaged. • Approximately 15- 17% of students are served through Special Education Services • The school serves a high population students currently in foster care or who are considered homeless.

7. Other Programs: • Increased Offerings in AP and College Now Classes • Strong CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs with emphasis in: • Engineering • Woods • Health Occupations • Strong/Award Winning Music Programs • Strong Athletics Program • Focus on Adding Clubs • Strong Leadership Group

8. Writing Data: • 2012-2013: 33% passed the OAKS Writing Test • SENSE OF URGENCY CREATED • 2013-2014: 68% passed the OAK Writing Test • 2014-2015: 6 students did not pass SBA writing though they are easily passing Local Assessment

9. Pathway for Implementing Writing Across the Curriculum • Identify achievable building goals based on input from teacher leaders and buy-in from the staff • Restructure staff meetings to focus on professional development in writing and writing assessment • Plan self-evaluation of building goals at the end of the year. Next year we will do this three times in the given year. • Complete gap analysis and structure professional development around the gap analysis

10. What Else? • In 2015-16: • Shift in thinking: Keep struggling kids at LHS if possible. • Begin cultivating “whatever it takes” attitude in students and staff. (The Science Teacher calls this “Stand and Destroy”) • Students began reporting in survey data that: • They felt safe at school • Teachers cared about them • Teachers were available to help • Students were listened to • General increase in student well being • TEACHERS BELIEVED STUDENTS COULD SUCCEED IN COLLEGE!

11. Clear Educational Focus for Students: • Writing Across the Curriculum • Increase number of times students do writing in all classes • Make writing a public task (Skateboard Park Concept) • Help staff identify writing assignments in their given area • Provide teacher training and support for writing improvement • Use common vocabulary about writing (TEA technique for example) • Put on a “Writing Workshop” for all students taking the writing test this year • Bring in outside tutoring help: Writing expert gives 30 minutes of time to students as she dissects his/her writing

12. The Writing Rubrics: • Smarter Balanced Scoring Guides • Argumentative • Explanatory • Oregon Department of Education Scoring Guide • New Trait: Citing Sources • In the pilot stages • Likely to be adopted as part of the official scoring guide • ODE recommended we use ODE scoring guide, not Smarter Balanced writing rubric

13. Using the Gap Analysis Document: It works! • Identify Current Practice • Identify Desired Practice • Understand the Gap • Take Action Steps to Close the Gap

14. Writing in Science • Easy to incorporate in science curriculum. • NGSS aligned with CCSS • Prepares students to use evidence based explanations.

15. SBA Assessments • ODE Science Assessments

16. Writing in Social Studies • Writing goes hand in hand with social studies. • There are many ways to incorporate writing in social studies • Creative Narratives (historically based and fact checked) • RAFT’S (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) • Dialogue Poems • The one I will be focusing on today are DBQs (Document Based Questions).

17. Document Based Questions • Primary Sources • Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating! • Argumentative Essays • Overview of the project • Background Knowledge • Annotating the documents/Answering questions • Finding a thesis from the documents • Writing TEAM paragraphs (modified TEA paragraphs) • T- Topic, E- Evidence, A- Argument, M- Moving On

18. Linked to: Smarter Balanced Assessment • Performance Task Example Look Alike! • Argument performance task rubric • Purpose and organization • Strong thesis statement throughout, transitions, and organization through TEAM paragraph. • A note on formulaic writing. • Providing evidence • Forces students to use different documents and hence evidence.

19. What Math Might Contribute: • Project-Based Learning in Math

20. Personal Commitment: • “Waiting for Superman” : As the schools go, so goes the city. • Rigor: Are we asking enough of our students? Is the work challenging enough? • Relevance: Is the work meaningful with real world application? • Relationship: Do we as a school and community care enough about our students and the families we serve? Do we take enough time to build connections?

21. Thank You! • Team Time to Work on Gap Analysis for Writing