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English SOL InstituteEnglish SOL Institute

Elementary Writing StrandElementary Writing Strand

Genre Study: Genre Study: Learning to Read like WritersLearning to Read like Writers

English SOL InstituteEnglish SOL Institute

Elementary Writing StrandElementary Writing Strand

Genre Study: Genre Study: Learning to Read like WritersLearning to Read like Writers

Kelly Worland PiantedosiKelly Worland Piantedosikworland@umd.edukworland@umd.edu

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Elementary WritingElementary WritingElementary WritingElementary Writing

• Writing to convey a concise message Writing to convey a concise message begins in Kindergarten and moves through begins in Kindergarten and moves through grade 3 when students will write a short grade 3 when students will write a short reportreport

• Student use of graphic organizers begins Student use of graphic organizers begins at grade 1at grade 1

• Beginning in grade 4, students write multi-Beginning in grade 4, students write multi-paragraph essaysparagraph essays

Key Points in WritingKey Points in Writing

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Elementary WritingElementary WritingElementary WritingElementary Writing

• Persuasive writing begins in 5th grade Persuasive writing begins in 5th grade

• Students in grades 3-5 should have Students in grades 3-5 should have practice writing on demand, for shorter time practice writing on demand, for shorter time frames, and over extended periods of timeframes, and over extended periods of time

Key Points in WritingKey Points in Writing

Today’s objectives . . .Today’s objectives . . .• Identify goals for writing instruction and

development

• Identify common pitfalls for struggling writers

• Identify strategies and solutions using genre study and student-centered practices

• Identify goals for writing instruction and development

• Identify common pitfalls for struggling writers

• Identify strategies and solutions using genre study and student-centered practices

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How are we doing? How are we doing? Writing Pass

Rate 2010-2011All Students*

Writing Pass Proficient 2010-2011

Writing Pass Advanced2010-2011

Writing Percent Failed

2010-2011

84% 60% 24% 16%

Where would we like to improve?

What needs to change?

*average pass rates for Region 4

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Let’s take a look at some sample essays in your handouts . . .

Let’s take a look at some sample essays in your handouts . . .

What are the differences between a non-proficient and proficient/advanced writer according to SOL scores?

Score of 4Score of 4Score of 4Score of 4

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Score: 2Score: 2

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What are the primary challenges What are the primary challenges for lower performing students?for lower performing students?What are the primary challenges What are the primary challenges for lower performing students?for lower performing students?

•Lack of central idea

•Lack of specific details and elaboration

•Lack of focus

What are teachers’ typical solution to these types of problems?

What are teachers’ typical solution to these types of problems?

• Graphic organizers

• Mini-lessons focused on telling students the components of a well-written essay and teacher-modeled writing.

• Tell students to add more details

• Tell students to cut out sentences that don’t match their central idea

• Graphic organizers

• Mini-lessons focused on telling students the components of a well-written essay and teacher-modeled writing.

• Tell students to add more details

• Tell students to cut out sentences that don’t match their central idea

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Why don’t these approaches work for struggling writers?

Why don’t these approaches work for struggling writers?

Novice writers often engage in a knowledge-telling process when they write.

Experienced writers use a knowledge-transforming strategy to shape their knowledge for a specific purpose and audience.

Figure 1. Bereiter and Scardamalia’s knowledge-telling model (1987).

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What does knowledge-telling look like in practice?What does knowledge-telling look like in practice?

Figure 2. An example of a hierarchical attribute list from Donovan, 2001.

Traditional Approach to Writing Instruction:Traditional Approach to Writing Instruction:Let’s examine a sample lessonLet’s examine a sample lesson

Traditional Approach to Writing Instruction:Traditional Approach to Writing Instruction:Let’s examine a sample lessonLet’s examine a sample lesson

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Sample LessonSample LessonSample LessonSample Lesson

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Systems - Those Mighty, Mighty Ants!

By Mary Perrin

Ants are amazing insects. They live in colonies. Each colony is a system of ants that work together and

depend on one another in order to live. Each colony has worker ants, soldier ants, and one or two queen

ants. Their tiny bodies are made to allow them to do different jobs. Each job is important. The colony would

not do very well if a job did not get done. Every ant does its part. The worker ants must move the quickest.

The worker ants are responsible for many jobs. Worker ants do not live very long. They collect food for the

colony, they look after the queen's eggs, and they work hard to protect the nest.

The nest is sometimes called an ant hill. An ant hill is a pile of dirt or sand that sits on top of the ground.

Ants can also make their nest underground, beneath rocks, and inside old trees, too. Like other insects, ants

have six legs. Ants use their strong legs to help them move quickly around the nest. Ants also have three

main body parts. They are called the head, thorax, and abdomen. These three body parts allow ants to carry

large amounts of weight. Ants can lift twenty times their body weight. For example, if your body weighs fifty

pounds, you would be able to lift one thousand pounds all by yourself. That requires a lot of strength. Ants

also have two stomachs. They have an extra stomach to store food for the other members of the colony.

The next time you see an ant on the sidewalk or climbing around on a leaf, remember that the little ant is

doing its very important job. When all the ants do their special jobs, they create something wonderful: an ant

hill complete with a nursery for larvae (baby ants), a dump where they put their waste, and even a kitchen

where they store all their food. Ants may be tiny, but they are mighty!

Systems - Those Mighty, Mighty Ants!

By Mary Perrin

Ants are amazing insects. They live in colonies. Each colony is a system of ants that work together and

depend on one another in order to live. Each colony has worker ants, soldier ants, and one or two queen

ants. Their tiny bodies are made to allow them to do different jobs. Each job is important. The colony would

not do very well if a job did not get done. Every ant does its part. The worker ants must move the quickest.

The worker ants are responsible for many jobs. Worker ants do not live very long. They collect food for the

colony, they look after the queen's eggs, and they work hard to protect the nest.

The nest is sometimes called an ant hill. An ant hill is a pile of dirt or sand that sits on top of the ground.

Ants can also make their nest underground, beneath rocks, and inside old trees, too. Like other insects, ants

have six legs. Ants use their strong legs to help them move quickly around the nest. Ants also have three

main body parts. They are called the head, thorax, and abdomen. These three body parts allow ants to carry

large amounts of weight. Ants can lift twenty times their body weight. For example, if your body weighs fifty

pounds, you would be able to lift one thousand pounds all by yourself. That requires a lot of strength. Ants

also have two stomachs. They have an extra stomach to store food for the other members of the colony.

The next time you see an ant on the sidewalk or climbing around on a leaf, remember that the little ant is

doing its very important job. When all the ants do their special jobs, they create something wonderful: an ant

hill complete with a nursery for larvae (baby ants), a dump where they put their waste, and even a kitchen

where they store all their food. Ants may be tiny, but they are mighty!

How do we break the cycle? How do we break the cycle?

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Genre Study or teaching our kids to Genre Study or teaching our kids to Read Like WritersRead Like Writers

Genre Study or teaching our kids to Genre Study or teaching our kids to Read Like WritersRead Like Writers

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Start by teaching kids to develop:

• A clear and authentic purpose for writing• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain/Engage

• Combination

• An awareness of audience

Start by teaching kids to develop:

• A clear and authentic purpose for writing• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain/Engage

• Combination

• An awareness of audience

How do we teach this?How do we teach this?How do we teach this?How do we teach this?

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Guiding principle of the genre study approach:

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.

~Chinese proverb

Guiding principle of the genre study approach:

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.

~Chinese proverb

Genre Study Approach Step by StepGenre Study Approach Step by StepGenre Study Approach Step by StepGenre Study Approach Step by Step

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1. Establish author’s purpose.

2. Provide examples and non-examples of one component of each genre of writing at a time .

3. Ask students to identify which example of writing they prefer and why to gain an awareness of audience.

4. Name the strategy the author used to make that example interesting to their reader.

5. Ask the students to try that strategy in their own writing.

6. Teach kids to reread, revise, and rewrite throughout the drafting process. REVISION SHOULD BE ON-GOING!

1. Establish author’s purpose.

2. Provide examples and non-examples of one component of each genre of writing at a time .

3. Ask students to identify which example of writing they prefer and why to gain an awareness of audience.

4. Name the strategy the author used to make that example interesting to their reader.

5. Ask the students to try that strategy in their own writing.

6. Teach kids to reread, revise, and rewrite throughout the drafting process. REVISION SHOULD BE ON-GOING!

Sample Genre ComponentsSample Genre ComponentsSample Genre ComponentsSample Genre Components

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Narrative Persuasive Informational

STYLE •Hook/Lead•Sensory details•Dialogue•Character traits, personalities, and feelings (show not tell)•Closure/Satisfying ending

•Hook/Lead•Claims and evidence•Author’s voice•Counter-arguments•Concluding statement

•Hook/Lead•Descriptive sensory details•Author’s voice•Concluding statement

STRUC-TURE

•Beginning•Building towards the climax of your story•Denouement

*Note—a good narrative does not have to be sequential (think flash-backs, flash-forwards, etc.)

•Introductory paragraph and statement of the problem•Supporting paragraphs with claims and evidence (potential rebuttal of opposing point of view)•Concluding paragraph

•Introductory paragraph•Facts organized around themes or subtopics•Concluding paragraph

Let’s compare. . .Let’s compare. . .Let’s compare. . .Let’s compare. . .

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Pros Cons Traditional Approaches

Familiar to teachers and students

Structure focused Explicit instruction on what

to write and where to write it (e.g., topic sentence, supporting paragraphs, etc.)

Relies heavily on direct teacher-led instruction

May compact too many aspects of writing into one lesson (e.g., structure, style, ideation, etc.)

Output and reproduction focused (less room for differentiation).

Genre Study Approach

Student-led learning Process focused Reading like a writer:

therefore awareness of audience is both implicitly and explicitly understood

Structure and conventions are taught as an element of audience awareness providing an authentic rationale for students to actively consider these features of writing.

Shows the novice writer not only what to write, but STRATEGIES for how to write it.

Less familiar to teachers Requires teachers to know how to

guide student-learning through questioning and supportive feedback

Perception that this approach takes longer and that aspects such as structure are lost.

Pros Cons Traditional Approaches

Familiar to teachers and students

Structure focused Explicit instruction on what

to write and where to write it (e.g., topic sentence, supporting paragraphs, etc.)

Relies heavily on direct teacher-led instruction

May compact too many aspects of writing into one lesson (e.g., structure, style, ideation, etc.)

Output and reproduction focused (less room for differentiation).

Genre Study Approach

Student-led learning Process focused Reading like a writer:

therefore awareness of audience is both implicitly and explicitly understood

Structure and conventions are taught as an element of audience awareness providing an authentic rationale for students to actively consider these features of writing.

Shows the novice writer not only what to write, but STRATEGIES for how to write it.

Less familiar to teachers Requires teachers to know how to

guide student-learning through questioning and supportive feedback

Perception that this approach takes longer and that aspects such as structure are lost.

The Missing LinkThe Missing LinkThe Missing LinkThe Missing Link

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Questions and discussionQuestions and discussionQuestions and discussionQuestions and discussion

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ReferencesReferencesReferencesReferences

Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Donovan, C. A. (2001). Children’s development and control of written story and informational genres: Insights from one elementary school. Research in the Teaching of English, 35, 395-447.

Lattimer, H. (2003). Thinking through genre: Units of study in reading and writing

workshops, 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Wood Ray, K. (2006). Study Driven. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

  

Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Donovan, C. A. (2001). Children’s development and control of written story and informational genres: Insights from one elementary school. Research in the Teaching of English, 35, 395-447.

Lattimer, H. (2003). Thinking through genre: Units of study in reading and writing

workshops, 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Wood Ray, K. (2006). Study Driven. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

  

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Contact InformationContact InformationContact InformationContact Information

Kelly Worland PiantedosiKelly Worland Piantedosi

kworland@umd.edukworland@umd.edu

Kelly Worland PiantedosiKelly Worland Piantedosi

kworland@umd.edukworland@umd.edu

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