A Workshop for Teaching Writing: Grades 1,2 Mount St. Mary’s College Newburgh, New York

1. A Workshop for Teaching Writing: Grades 1,2 Mount St. Mary’s College Newburgh, New York February 11, 2008 Presenter: Amy Benjamin www.amybenjamin.com Topics: Review of what works Problem-solvers Sentence development Writers Workshop ReadWriteThink More Spelling Ideas

2. What’s Possible: • Elevate vocabulary: Use “more exciting” words as a form of revision • Increasing their “Tier 2” oral vocabulary • More reports, using unit-based vocabulary; presentations • Color-coded sentence strip, designating subject and predicate (It is true that… test for sentence completion) • Asking if their sentences make sense when standing alone • “Be kind to your reader” • Bicycle metaphor: Subject and predicate

3. Tier Two Words Words with a Latin base: Prefix, root, suffix Words that are not usually found in the children’s conversation, but are found in academic language

4. Problem-Solver: Student writing When my students (mistakenly) write this: and I want them (instead) to write this: Here is what I might suggest: Set down a law: A sentence may have no more than two uses of and. and, and, and Write sentences that allow me (the reader) to process reasonable amounts of information. Problem and Reason: “and” chain mimicking speech not respecting clause boundaries not being kind to the reader by giving the reader “no break” Small AND: joining words or phrases Big AND: joining sentences Rule: Comma before Big AND Rule: Think really carefully before deciding to have more than one Big AND in sentence You may begin a sentence with AND once a week, maximum.

5. Problem-Solver: Student writing When my students (mistakenly) write this: and I want them (instead) to write this: Here is what I might suggest: Rain comes from clouds. The clouds have rain drops inside. When there are enough rain drops it starts to rain. Rain makes the grass grow and flowers grow. We need rain. Start with a word bank. The given/new principle of textual cohesion: In coherent text, we have given (old, familiar) information in the subject slot; new information in the predicate slot Like a KWL chart Prompt: Write a report that tells about rain. I like rain. It is fun. I like big dogs. I have a dog. Problem & reason: Lack of: attending to the question cohesion (developing a single subject)

6. Problem-Solver: Student writing When my students (mistakenly) write this: and I want them (instead) to write this: Here is what I might suggest: Acknowledge the validity of informal register, especially in online language and speech Make an analogy about clothing: informal (home) school dress-up going to have to let me want to lots of kind of gonna hafta lemme wanna lotsa kinda Teach that school writing has a different code (more formal): Translate a message from informal to formal Who is my audience? What does my audience expect? What is my purpose? Problem & Reason: Lack of understanding about language register; Inability to code-switch from informal to formal language

7. Problem-Solver: Student writing When my students (mistakenly) write this: and I want them (instead) to write this: Here is what I might suggest: Double negatives Standard use of negatives Model the Standard form back to the student “Is there another way to say that?” Showing the models side by side Problem and reason: Non-standard and status-marked in both speech and writing They hear it. In school, we say and write this: With your friends, you might say this: I don’t have any money. I ain’t got no money.

8. Problem-Solver: Student writing When my students (mistakenly) write this: and I want them (instead) to write this: Here is what I might suggest: My friend and I went to the movies. Model the correct form back to the student. Me and my friend went to the movies. • Be polite: Place the other person • first. • 2. Take the other person out and • say the sentence: • Me went to the movies (?) Problem: Use of objective case pronoun in the subject position Reason for problem: They hear it: “Automatic Wincer does not activate”

9. Problem-Solver: Student writing When my students (mistakenly) write this: and I want them (instead) to write this: Here is what I might suggest: If you have any questions, see the principal or I. Use objective case for: direct object indirect object object of a preposition: Ex: This is a gift for my mother and me. Take the other person out. Problem: Use of subjective case where objective case is called for.

10. 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

11. 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 cards. A gingerbread man is riding on a giraffe’s back. . Step Two: Now, experiment with many different ways to write your sentence: Write a sentence that is make believe: Write a sentence that combines what is happening in two card, and join the two sentences with ,and Write a sentence that shows detail: in, on, at, for, with Write a sentence that uses proper nouns: Group1: person Group 2: place on the map Group 3: day on the calendar

12. 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 cards. A gingerbread man is riding on a giraffe’s back. . Step Two: Now, experiment with many different ways to write your sentence: Write a sentence that uses an explanation point. Write a sentence, and place a comma after the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth word. Read the sentence with the random comma and see what happens. Write a sentence that uses an adjective (Which one? What kind? How many?)

13. Who? Where? Language Development: Students place a picture in the center of this page. They compose sentences that answer the six information questions. Why? What? How? When?

14. Purposes for writing:PIES Reports (expository wtg) Letters Articles Requests to INFORM to PERSUADE Messages Blogs Letters to SOCIALIZE to ENTERTAIN Narrative

15. Written Forms Not requiring complete sentences: Requiring complete sentences

16. Social Invitation to a Panda Party Write a letter to the author to the Bee Book Write a flyer inviting people to vote for the best jack-o’lantern Write an announcement for the school PA system for the upcoming Little League game Write a thank-you letter to the firehouse, thanking them for the field trip Write an announcement about Sugar-Free Day

17. Narrative Write a story about a little league team that gets invited to the Yankee Stadium for the very last game against the Yankees. Write a story about A Day at the Dentist Pretend that you are a firefighter. Write a journal entry about your day Write a haiku about pumpkins A day in the life a bee: Bee by the Bee Poem to the Panda Bear Story about stuffed panda coming to life

18. Informational Make a poster for the classroom about dental hygiene: labeled collage Following visit to the firehouse, make a poster about fire safety and present it to the first graders Write a report about how playing baseball is good exercise and is healthful; Explain the rules of baseball Make a booklet with directions on how to carve a pumpkin Write the sequence (step by step) telling how honey is collected Make a poster showing how the bamboo forest is being destroyed

19. Persuasive Write a letter to the World Wildlife foundation persuading them to continue protecting the panda Write a commercial to promote honey bee awareness Write a letter to the principal asking for permission to go to the pumpkin farm Write a letter to the community recreation department asking for improved fields and new equipment Write a letter to the firehouse commission to ask permission to go there for a field trip Dentist: write a letter to the children about dental hygiene Write an editorial (persuasive report)

20. Purposes for writing:PIES Reports (expository wtg) Poster Directions Letters Articles Requests to INFORM to PERSUADE Make a poster about how to make flowers grow Write a letter to the principal asking for space and materials for a class garden FORMAL FORMAL Messages Blogs Letters Announcement to SOCIALIZE to ENTERTAIN Narrative: story poem play Write a party invitation for a “flower party” Write a story about a girl whose flower disappear FORMAL or INFORMAL, depending on the audience What the author says is formal; What the characters say can be informal.

21. Afternoon Generating writing experiences for upcoming holidays Teaching students to write different kinds of questions Spelling Clearinghouse ReadWriteThink Lessons

22. Writer’s Workshop Model Students have open flexible time (usually about forty minutes each day, three or 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 through the remaining phases of the writing process (…revision, editing, publication) Revision: Peer readers respond to the draft Editing: With teacher assistance Publication: Copied neatly or typewritten; illustrated; displayed or published in a book; student sits in the “Author’s Chair” and reads his or her piece to an audience How is your writing class similar to/different from this model? What might you like to adapt? Based on Lucy Calkins’ model from The Art of Teaching Writing

23. Peer Helper:Read your partner’s draft. Answer these questions. • What are some exciting words? • What do I want to know more about? • What pictures in my mind do I see?

24. Please read the “ReadWriteThink” lesson that you have been given, and, along with your group, report out to the group, summarizing the following: Overview of lesson: What does the lesson look like? Student objectives Preparation Highlights of the classroom procedures Assessment

25. Ten Great Writing Activities for St. Patrick’s Day: Categorizing: Letter-writing: Report-writing: Story-writing: Story summary: Story finishers: Lists: Questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Word banks and vocabulary development Rhymes:

26. 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

27. 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…?

28. 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…

29. 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…?

30. Homophones: The Substitution System There √Their They’re The substitution for THEIR is HIS: Their His house is next to our house.. The Wilsons keep dog inside a fence. their his All students should be respectful to bus drivers . their his

31. Ten Great Writing Activities for St. Valentine’s Day: Categorizing: Letter-writing: Report-writing: Story-writing: Story summary: Story finishers: Lists: Questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Word banks and vocabulary development Rhymes:

32. Homophones: The Substitution System √There Their They’re The substitution for THERE is HERE: There Here is a big truck parked outside our house. Please put the candy over there here We expected some friends to meet us at six o’clock. there here

33. Homophones: The Substitution System There Their √They’re The substitution for THEY’RE is THEY ARE: They are They’re moving into the house next door.. I saw that training a new puppy. they’re they are Sometimes, not happy. they’re they are

34. Homophones: The Substitution System √Your You’re If you can substitute HIS, use YOUR: Your His mother is calling you on your cell phone. Get to know the children in your his class. Introduce me to friends. your his ITS/IT’s works the same way.

35. About Your Word Wall The best word walls are: Dynamic Useful Organized for a purpose Generated and created by students Written with words on cards, for easy change Attractive

36. Spelling Steps: • Look at the word. See the letters in it and think about what • the word means • 2. Say the word. Hear the vowel and consonant sounds. • 3. Think about the word. How is each sound spelled? Look for • any prefixes, suffixes, or word parts that • tell you the meaning. • 4. Find groups of letters that go together in the word. • 5. Write the word in the air with your arm straight out. • 6. Close your eyes and see the word in your mind’s eye. • 7. Write the word just by remembering how it looked. Form the • letters carefully as you write. • 8. Check the word. Did you spell it correctly? If not, notice what • part you got wrong. Start over. say close your eyes look think find air-write 6 2 3 5 1 4 write check 7 8

37. Recommended: Lists of words that students need immediately for their writing Not Recommended Spelling Instruction Lists of unrelated words that are not applicable to immediate writing needs

38. Recommended: Not Recommended Spelling Instruction Memorization through rhythm, patterns, groupings, and associations Rote memorization through repetition w/o a pattern or associations Ex: Twins are two

39. Recommended: Not Recommended Spelling Instruction Considering the difficulty of a word to be related to the student’s familiarity with it, visually; and, the non-phonetic nature of it; and, the “unusualness” of it Organizing the difficulty of words based on length alone

40. Recommended: Not giving students negative or intimidating signals about words Not Recommended Designating some words as “demons” or “problems” Spelling Instruction

41. Spelling Instruction How to Compile a Great Spelling List: • The 44 morphemes of English with the K sound • Pattern-based lists: …ough; …oo; …tch • Words related by subject: wallpaper, paint, carpet, tiles… 4. Words that are related by form: vacation, relation, station, imagination…

42. Spelling Instruction How to Compile a Great Spelling List: 5. Common words that we need all the time: it, and, the, you, I, me, my, mom, class… 6. Useful proper nouns: United States, American, Catholic, Jesus Christ, February, … 7. Pattern-based rules: prefixes, suffixes, ie/ei, “when two vowels go walking, the first does the talking”…