Materials for Writing in the Common Core

1. Materials for Writing in the Common Core Sticky Note Chart paper Markers, Glitter markers, highlighters Ream of Paper, Video (Individual) Handout 1- The Standards (Class Sets) Handout 2- The Prompt and Texts Handout 3- The Student Sample w/out Comments Handout 4- The Student Sample with Comments

2. Writing in the common core College Career Ready Conference

3. Session Objectives • Discuss the Maryland College and Career Ready (MCCR) standards for argument writing • Differentiate between assigning and teaching writing • Identify the components of effective argument writing

4. Quote of the day “Writing is a craft before it is an art; writing may appear magic, but it is our responsibility to take our students backstage to watch the pigeons being tucked up the magician’s sleeve.” • – Donald M. Murray, A Writer Teaches Writing Anderson, Carl. Assessing Writers (107).

5. three types of writing outlined in common core • Argument • Informative/explanatory • Narrative

6. Dr. Lowery Video

7. What does common core say about writing? The Standards acknowledge the fact that whereas some writing skills, such as the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish, are applicable to many types of writing, other skills are more properly defined in terms of specific writing types: arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

8. What does common core say about writing? Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can construct effective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information.

9. What does common core say about writing? They learn to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly to an external, sometimes unfamiliar audience, and they begin to adapt the form and content of their writing to accomplish a particular task and purpose.

10. COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR ARGUMENT WRITING

11. COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR ARGUMENT WRITING

12. COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR ARGUMENT WRITING

13. COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR ARGUMENT WRITING

14. COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR ARGUMENT WRITING

15. COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR ARGUMENT WRITING

16. Prose Constructed Response (PCR) • Establish a clear purpose for writing, modeling the language found in the Writing Standards • Specify the audience to be addressed • State clearly the topic, issue, or idea to be addressed • Reference the source text(s) serving as the stimulus for a student response • Specify the desired form or genre of the student reponse

17. Assigning vs. teaching What is the difference between assigning writing and teaching writing?

18. assigning writing What do we do when we assign writing? • provide students with the writing task • assign a text and require students to write an essay on a given topic • collect and grade the task • provide minimal feedback • proceed to the next task

19. teaching writing What do we do when we teach writing? • show students what is expected of them based upon the standards • provide models of high-quality writing • offer meaningful feedback • allow opportunities for students to develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach

20. Activity : engage with samples from achievethecore.org to examine teaching writing • Deconstruct the following prompt

21. Activity : engage with samples from achievethecore.org • Read the texts • Take critical notes as necessary

22. Prepare for good writing How can we prepare students to become good writers?

23. Key Components of argument writing, grades 6-8 • Write arguments • Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence • Introduce claims • Distinguish claims from alternate or opposing claims • Organize the reasons and evidence logically

24. Key Components of argument writing grades 6-8 continued… • Support claims with logical evidence • Use accurate, credible sources • Demonstrate and understanding of the topic or text • Clarify the relationships among claim(s),counterclaims, reasons and evidence • Maintain a formal style • Provide a concluding statement or section

25. Activity: provide effective feedback • Read the student samples • Use the writing and language standards to provide appropriate comments where necessary • Construct feedback in the affirmative

26. Debrief Constructive Comments At your table, what comments based on the standards would be most helpful for this student?

27. Activity: Review Achieve’s comments 1) Read the comments provided by achievethecore.org on the student samples. 2) In what ways did achievethecore.org use the standards in their feedback?

28. reflection What are the instructional implications?

29. Take Aways Modeling Writing: “Teachers better understand the writing task when they do it themselves. There’s no substitute for doing when it comes to understanding.” “Teachers, when they write, uncover the hard parts and are thus better able to see which mini-lessons will most benefit their students. Writing done by the teacher drives better instruction.” Gallagher, Kelly. Teaching Adolescent Writers (48).

30. Take Aways Benefits to Teachers and Students: “Teachers can model that writing is challenging. This demonstrates to students that good writing is the product of multiple revisions.” “Students see the teacher struggle with the complexity and chaos of writing. This helps demystify the writing process. Students no longer maintain the false impression that good writing just flows at will.” Gallagher, Kelly. Teaching Adolescent Writers (48).

31. MSDE Resources

32. Additional Resources • www.achievethecore.org • msde.state.md.us • http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/ • Carl Anderson’s book: Assessing Writers • Kelly Gallagher’s book: Teaching Adolescent Writers

33. Thank you! Please contact MSDE staff with additional questions: Ava Spencer <aspencer@msde.state.md.us>