Writing In The Classroom

1. Writing In The Classroom CCEAS Webinar Chelsea Kirk Maya Angelou Academy April 22, 2014 Ckirk@seeforever.org.

2. Agenda • Increasing Knowledge About Writing • Exemplary student models • Scaffolding and differentiation • Writing Strategies • Planning, Drafting, Editing, Revising, and Publishing

3. Increasing Knowledge About Writing • What types of writing can happen in the classroom? • Free writes • Structured writing • Analytical writing • Argumentative writing • Figurative and imaginary writing • Timed writing • “Quick writing” • Speeches, poetry, memoirs, plays, short stories, novels…

4. Student Exemplars: Memoirs

5. Memoirs Continued

6. Student Exemplars: BCRs

7. Student Exemplars: BCRs

8. Writing: How do we get there? • Utilizing the Writing Process • Teacher planning • Knowing where your students are in their writing skills • Scaffolding and differentiation

9. The Writing Process (Strategies) • Step 1: Planning TEACHER PLANNING: • What type of writing are students doing? • What is the topic? • How will students be graded? (How will they show mastery?) • What is the timeline of the assignment? STUDENT PLANNING: • What materials do “I” need? • What is the assignment and when is it “due”?

10. Step 1: Planning Notice: Explicit instructions with options for essay topics

11. Step 1: Planning What should students do next? LET THEM KNOW!! • TEACHER GOALS: • Foster independence, especially during the writing process • Make a clear outline of what scholars need to do • Tracking system if needed • Timeline with due dates

12. Step 1: Planning (RUBRICS) • How will students be graded? • Review each section of the rubric with students • Use it as an editing tool later

13. Step 1: Planning • Outlining • Differentiation • What tools do scholars need to achieve the writing goal? • What supports do scholars need? • Examples: • Differentiated outlines • Text supports (selected quotes, evidence, sources…) • Paragraph starters and helping prompts

14. Planning (Outlines)

15. Growing Independence in Outlining

16. Step 2: Drafting • Provide enough time for this phase • Emphasize the importance of writing (structure + content) and editing will follow • Drafting checklists can be helpful (to ensure students understand all of the pieces they need in their final writing product)

17. Step 3: Editing • Explicitly teach editing & revising • Explain the importance of editing • Connect editing to GED and SAT (test-taking skills) • Editing as a 3-step process: self, peer, teacher • Warm ups: “Quick edits” or “Paragraph edits”

18. Step 3: Editing (Checklists)

19. Step 4: Revising • Explicitly teach the revising skills • What is revising? • Revising vs. Editing? • Peer-revising

20. Step 5: Publishing • “Final draft” • Handwritten or typed • “Author’s circle” (whole-group share out) • Awards • Publishing certificates • Blogs

21. Final Student Essays

22. Final Student Essays

23. Final “Take-Aways” • Writing is a process • Writing must be explicitly taught • Any type of writing assignments must be pre-planned • The writing process applies both to the teacher and the student • Allow for enough instructional time to teach writing and to have pure writing days

24. Basic “Building Blocks” of writing • Brief Constructed Response (BCR) • Paragraph writing • The key building block of all writing • Analysis Writing • Multi-paragraph writing • Editing & Revising (usually an IEP goal for many students)

25. Final: “Food for thought” • Writing doesn’t always have to “look” like “writing”!

26. Questions? • Please ask any questions you may have or any areas in need of clarification. • Thank you so much for your time! • Materials and resources will be sent out.