Parenting the Writing Process Getting the Most out of your Child --- On Paper

1. Parenting the Writing ProcessGetting the Most out of your Child --- On Paper GT/LD Network Tracy Topping November 15, 2012

2. Why is Parenting the Writing Process Important? • Where does your child do most of their writing - at home or at school? • No specific writing course in public schools • Opportunity for child to demonstrate knowledge is usually assessed by written assignment or test • Importance of written communication skills in careers

3. Who Will Own the Final Product ? • Goal - Process not Product • Child should learn writing process and internalize it • Emphasize not what grade but what you will learn • Grades do not matter until high school • Self esteem/confidence -- promote independence • Target problem areas -- only one at most two at a time

4. Other Parenting Do’s and Don’ts • Model writing for your child at every opportunity • Give your child ample opportunities to write • Make writing fun • Enabling v. Empowering - be careful about what work load modifications you request

5. Nuts and Boltsor Writing Stages • Planning • Pre-Writing • Writing Process • Self-Evaluation

6. Planning • Goal - good writers are goal directed • This is stage where our kids fall down • Considerable time should be spent

7. Planning con’t • Student clearly knows what assignment requires • What is the end result? • What is the timeline? • What form will it take? • Who is the reader? • What discreet steps are involved - research, interviews, reading a book?

8. Pre-WritingACE4 • A - Answer the question • C- Cite the evidence • E - Explain how the evidence supports your answer • E- Expand your answer: other evidence, background information • E- End it. Sum up your ideas in a conclusion • E- Edit writing. Mechanical and Qualitative

9. Pre-Writing • Big wall - how will you help your child navigate around it? • Never lift a pencil • ACE4 - Answer the question. • Can student paraphrase the question and put into their own words? • Is question sufficiently narrow? • Brainstorm ideas • How do you think you will answer the question? • Goal is not to organize but allow generation of free flowing ideas. • Use old standby - who, what, when, where, why, and how. • Take general ideas and try to get your child to be more specific.

10. Pre-Writing con’t -- Organization • Next step is how do we get the ideas down on paper? • Goal of this stage is the A and C - answer the question and cite evidence • very important to identify what evidence supports the answer • why are you including this information - what point will you make by using it • Choose your format • graphic organizers • dictate to a parent who outlines or puts in organizational format • computer or computer software • speech to text software • Make your organizer • Check your assignment/rubric • Whatever works - whatever is fun

11. Writing Process • Don’t assume that a completed graphic organizer means your child can now put it into writing • Let the writing process flow - don’t stop to correct spelling, word choice, etc. Idea is to get the ideas down QUICKLY on paper. Don’t interrupt thinking. • Once ideas are down, leave it alone if possible • Put ACE4 at top of paper

12. Writing Process con’tACE4 • Answer the question - introductory statement or paragraph answers the question. • Flip the question presented • Flip your paraphrased question • Cite the Evidence - Start with the first piece of evidence that supports your answer. (In a multi - paragraph paper you would include each of your evidentiary ideas in the introductory paragraph and then develop each idea individually in its own paragraph later in the paper.) • Explain why that evidence supports your answer. Why did I pick this example? What point am I trying to make. Why does this evidence prove or disprove my answer?

13. Writing Process con’tACE4 con’t • Expand your answer • Can you bring in other information that supports your explanation of this point? • background information • prior knowledge • other examples from the text that support the same point • outside research • opinions • Is there other evidence that supports your answer but which needs a distinct explanation? If so, go back and develop answer as before.

14. Writing process - con’tACE4 • End it. Bring ideas to a conclusion. A simple sentence or paragraph. • Very important to brainstorm conclusion before writing it. • Not sufficient to say “This is why I think it is.” or “These are the reasons that make it so.”

15. Writing process - con’tACE4 • Edit. Very important stage - just as important as planning • Kids often think of editing as running spell check. This does not constitute editing or revising a paper. • Editing Steps • Mechanical • Qualitative • Self-evaluation? • Use of Six Plus One traits very helpful at this stage

16. Writing Process-con’tACE4Edit - Mechanical • Spelling • Punctuation • Grammar • Use of software at this stage is very helpful • spell-check • grammar check • Ginger

17. Writing Process con’tACE4Edit - Revising • Reminder - goal is process not product • Recheck rubric - are all parts there • Revise to make paper more interesting • Word choice • Is introductory sentence an attention getter? • Do I use active rather than passive voice? • Go over each paragraph or key sentence and ask • Does this add to my paper? • Does it clearly state what I want my reader to know? • Does it raise any questions that I failed to answer? • Do words flow freely - Read it aloud

18. Writing Process-con’tACE4Edit - Self-evaluation • How do I feel I did on my assignment? • Is there anything I would do differently next time - time management, narrow the topic, etc.? • Is my writing improving? • End on a positive note

19. Dribs and Drabs • BCRs, ECRs, 6 plus 1, Rubrics • Following directions • Circle - Key direction words • Underline - detail words, information words • Count - number each direction word • Check - did you do each step • Example - Answer1 questions 1-4 then draw2 a picture to explain #5. (answer and draw should be circled) • Research papers • One idea - one card. Make sure page number and source are on card • Develop system for recording source right from the beginning • Summarize not rewrite