W R I T I N G M A T T E R S

1. W R I T I N G M A T T E R S A workshop of the Indiana Teachers of Writing and its IUPUI site of the National Writing Project Herb Budden Co-director

2. Using the 6 Traits Model & Writing Across the Curriculum

3. Group NORMS

4. The AGENDA… ...will move through several flexible activities designed increase knowledge base and teaching skills--all involve reading/writing/collaborating

5. Goals By the end of the workshop, you will • have increased knowledge of Writing Across the Curriculum & the 6 Traits of Writing Model • have had modeled practical strategies • have generated ways to utilize the model in your own classroom

6. Review the model’s validity—why should we use it? • Identifying Key Features • Scoring/Commenting Practice with sample essays using Rubrics • Examining strategies to teach the traits with/beyond writing • Exploring picture book connections

7. Stampede You’re standing in the large field minding your own business when you hear rumbling sounds in the distance. The sounds begin to intensify, and at first you wonder if it is thunder you hear approaching. Because it’s a beautiful, cloudless day you dismiss the notion. As the rumbling sounds grow louder, you begin to see a dust cloud rising just over the ridge a few yards in front of you. Instantly, you become panicked . . .

8. . . . Because at that exact moment it dawns on you that the rumbling you’re hearing is the sound of hundreds of wild bulls stampeding over the ridge. There are hordes of them and they are bearing down right on top of you. They are clearly faster than you and there is not time to escape. What should you do? Survival experts recommend only ONE of the following actions: (5)

9. A. Lying down and curling up, covering your head with your arms B. Running directly at the bulls, screaming loudly and flailing your arms in an attempt to scare them in another direction C. Turning and running like heck in the same direction the bulls are running (even though you know you can’t outrun them) D. Standing completely still; they will see you and run around you E. Screaming bad words at your parent(s) for insisting on a back-to-nature vacation in Wyoming

10. China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world.

11. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s learner will have 10-14 jobs . . .

12. By the age of 38.

13. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist . . .(15)

14. Using technologies that haven’t been invented . . .

15. In order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.

16. In 2002 alone Nintendo invested more than $140 million in research and development.

17. The U.S. Federal Government spent less than half as much on Research and Innovation in Education. (20)

18. There are about 540,000 words in the English language . . .

19. About 5 times as many as during Shakespeare’s time.

20. A weekday edition of The New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in seventeenth-century England (Wurman, 1989)

21. The blogosphere is now doubling in size every six months. It is sixty times larger than it was three years ago (Sifrey, 2006)

22. Today eighty percent or more of the companies in the service and finance, insurance and real estate sectors, the corporations with the greatest employment growth potential, assess writing during hiring. • Half of all companies take writing into account when making promotion decisions. (National Commission on Writing 2004)

23. What does it all mean?

24. Stampede II We are immersed in the dawn of the Information/Knowledge Age. More than ever before in history, the ability to read and write will determine how far one will go in this world. (40)

25. For the most part, people who read and write well will compete and prosper; people who read and write poorly will be left behind. Simply put, there is a literacy stampede approaching and it is bearing down right on top of us.

26. What should we do?

27. A. Go home, curl up on the sofa, watch a lot of TV, and hope the demands of the literacy stampede will go away • Stare the Information/Knowledge Age in the face, screaming wildly and flail our arms, in an attempt to make it go away • Elevate our reading and writing abilities to the point we can run with the literacy stampede • Stand completely still. Pray that the literacy stampede will avoid us. • Scream bad words at our parent(s) for conceiving us in the shadow of a literacy stampede

28. Our Choice • Elevate our reading and writing abilities to the point we can run with the literacy stampede

29. 5 Minute Writing Prompt: Write something you want to tell about your own experiences with writing

30. Why Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)? • Faculty in all disciplines find that when students write in their classes, they learn material and improve their thinking about ideas in the courses. • Writing assigned across the curriculum helps students prepare for the typical communicative tasks they'll face on the job, no matter what the job is.

31. Things to remember: • You are probably already doing WAC! • If it makes teaching harder, you’re doing it wrong • Student achievement will improve using writing across the curriculum

32. The 6 Trait Model can help… …BUT, there are myths to be dispelled: • the 6 Trait model is NOT a curriculum • the 6 Trait model is NOT a program • the 6 Trait model IS a way to empower students and teachers to communicate about the qualities of writing in a consistent, transparent manner MORE ON THIS LATER!!

33. Can writing enhance m e n t a l p o w e r? • If students are encouraged to try a variety of thought processes in classes, they can, regardless of their ages, develop considerable mental power. Writing is one of the most effective ways to develop thinking.

34. What types of writing are best used across the curriculum? • Writing across the curriculum has been implemented at a range of schools and universities. In those schools, writing assignments generally fall into two categories:

35. Writing to Learn • Writing in the Disciplines

36. Do teachers have to be expert in grammar to assign writing? • Not at all! In writing-to-learn tasks, the emphasis is upon the content, not the mechanics of the writing.

37. The Writing Brain This is the part of the brain that every educator wants to activate. It is responsible for focus, reflection, decision- making, problem- solving, and most importantly the ability to be conscious of all of that activity. If a student really thinks and is aware of himself as a thinker, this section has been activated.

38. What do WTL & WID look like? • Activity: Text Rendering the Maxwell article • Sentence • Phrase • Word

39. How are the levels of writing and WAC connected? • WTL = Level 1 • WID = Levels 2 and 3, depending upon the assignment

40. What is Writing in the Disciplines? • WID (LEVEL 3) assignments are typically, but not exclusively, formal papers prepared over a few days, weeks or even months.

41. Activity • Jigsaw list of strategies on pp. __ • After discussion, write an individual reflection on what you are already doing with the Levels of Writing. What could you add?

42. Writing & Grading • Remember the LEVELS of writing– • LEVEL 1- no scoring of content • LEVEL 2- scored for content only • LEVEL 3- scored consistently and analytically by trait across faculty

43. What about writing conventions in my subject? The final papers should adhere to format and style guidelines typical of the subjects they are helping students learn about.

44. Remember: use the LEVELS to determine how to assess! • Writing that is polished, requires revisions, and is not necessarily done ‘on demand’ is Level 3 writing and should be assessed using all or some of the 6 Traits—

45. Polished writing (Level 3) needs Six Traitassessment! • If you assign more polished pieces, especially those that adhere to conventions of your subject, then we suggest putting the burden of proofreading squarely where it belongs--on the writer, then use the 6 TRAITS assessment!

46. Read Aloud A Girl Named Zippy Haven Kimmel

47. What makes good writing?

48. What are the 6 TRAITS? • Based on research, the 6 Trait approach provides more specific feedback to students on various portions of his/her writing. Each trait is scored on a continuum/scale. Not all traits have to be scored each time!

49. The 6 TRAITS: • IDEAS & CONTENT (I/C) • ORGANIZATION (O) • VOICE (V) • WORD CHOICE (WC) • SENTENCE FLUENCY(SF) • CONVENTIONS (C)

50. Validity and Reliabilty • Validity answers the question: can we all agree that does this thing does what it is supposed to do? • Reliability answers the question: will one person’s use of the thing match up consistently with another’s use of it?