BEYOND THE BLUR:FOCUSING ON WRITING

June PreszlerEducation Specialist, TIEAugust 23, 2007

THE PLAN Status check Activating learning Building vocabulary Summarizing learning Differentiating learning Integrating technology Assessing learning

FINDING THE WRITING TEACHER WITHIN

I believe my role in the teaching of writing is…

Something I enjoy about teaching writing is…

Something I struggle with when it comes to teaching writing is…

I assess writing by… The importance of writing in the Meade

School District and why (rank 1-5, 5 high)

LOOKING AT THE OLD WAYS Strategies that work and how to use

them

COUNTING COUP The concept: Counting Coup What do you think it means? Think-Ink-Pair-Share—Content Area

Writing, 12-13

THE ENEMY IN FRONT OF US Not a person But a thing “The biggest enemy our children have

are those things sitting in front of you and they’re called books.”—Gerard Baker

THE WARRIOR “What do you do with your enemies?

You conquer them.” “We have to redefine our enemies and

conquer them.”

COUNTING COUP “We have to count coup on books.” Three-Minute Pause (Write) (Struggling

Readers, 21) Vocabulary Notebook (Build Student

Vocabularies, 24)

THE (BATTLE) PLAN Identifying the enemy Empowering the student Becoming a warrior Conquering the enemy

POWER OF CHOICE

Choice Theory (Glasser and Erwin) All behavior is purposeful Five basic needs that drive all

behavior: Survival Love and belonging Power Freedom Fun

POWER Power over Power within Power with

TAKE A BREAK! Please return in 15 minutes You’ll know it’s time to come back to

me when the music stops…

ACTIVATION THE ABC WAY Reading Strategies to Guide Learning,

page 7 Virtual World of Second Life Independently Share with partner or small group Share with class Write a prediction of what you think

you’ll learn

EVEN 2ND LIFE HAS TO UPGRADE!

2ND LIFE HOME

SECOND LIFE INVESTIGATION In your group, read the article provided Research Second Life via the Internet As you learn more information, jot

down the ideas on your ABC chart Write a paragraph (or two) describing

one (or two) things you’d like to share (teach) the rest of us about Second Life

REFLECTION ON SECOND LIFEOn your own, summarize your learning. Some

guiding questions you might want to consider: What new information have you learned

regarding Second Life? Why is Second Life so successful? Who uses Second Life? How could Second Life be used in the

classroom? Would you consider using Second Life in your

classroom? Why or why not?

MAKING CONNECTIONS Text to self Text to text Text to world

More Strategies to Guide Learning, pages 5-7

SUMMARIZING When we summarize, we take larger

selections of text and reduce them to their bare essentials.

Bare essentials: the gist, the key, the main points worth remembering.

Content Area Writing, 16-23

MARZANO:When working with struggling students, we need to understand that summarize academic learning doesn’t come automatically. In fact, we need to provide students with a variety of approaches to use as students attempt to summarize.

STRATEGY EXPLANATION Summarizing and note taking are identified

as two of the most useful academic skills for all students.

Summarizing and note taking are grouped together since both require students to distill and then synthesize.

RESEARCH ON SUMMARIZING• Students must delete, substitute and keep

information.• Students must analyze information at a deep

level of understanding.• Students must be aware of the information’s

structure in order to effectively summarize.

Marzano, et al: Classroom Instruction that Works, pages 30-32

THAT’S GROSS! Ear Wax

TIPS AND TRICKS--1 Provide students with a selection Ask students to take notes of important

details When students have finished, direct

them to turn over the paper and write what they remember…without looking back

TIPS AND TRICKS--2 Have students write successively

shorter summaries, constantly refining and reducing

Begin with half a page, then two paragraphs, then one paragraph, then two or three sentences, then a single sentence

GETTING THE GIST OF IT Read articles Create GIST for articles, Content Area

Writing, 23-23 Create poster Share summaries

TAKE A BREAK! It’s lunch time; please return at 1:15

A LITTLE LIE GOES A LONG WAYS Three Facts and a Fib Strategies to Help Struggling Readers,

page 25

THREE FACTS AND A FIB1.When I took my son to college, I camped

out in the dorm parking lot for the first night…just in case.

2.I played soccer for a championship youth team in Brazil in the 1970s.

3.In one month, I traveled over 3000 miles for education-related business, had one accident in a BHSSC/TIE vehicle, and received two undeserved speeding tickets.

4. I began my professional career as a recipe writer for the Aberdeen American News.

RAFTS R=Heart (Role) A=French Fries (Audience) F=Complaint (Format) T=Effects of fat in the diet (Topic) S=Warn (Strong Verb) You are Heart and are concerned about your

good health. Write a letter of complaint to the French Fries. Warn the French Fries of the effects of fat in the diet.

See handout

RAFTS

Dear French Fries,I’m writing to give you a warning. You are killing me! You may not realize that one small serving of you contains more saturated fat than I can handle in an entire day. I’ve had it with your high sodium, fat, cholesterol, and artery-clogging ways. Your value-meal family may be easy on the wallet but you are really costly to me.

Clean up your act,The Heart

RAFTSDear Mary,It is important to use punctuation. Why aren’t you usingpunctuation? Punctuation marks are periods, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, and so on. When you write you should always use my marks or people won’t know what you mean. I know your teacher has shown you how to use my marks. Please use them everyday.Thank you,Peter Punctuation

Ruth Culham, 6+1 Traits of Writing: Professional Study Guide

OBSERVE TO INFER Music in the Wind, Bev Doolittle

Details Inferences

Making Meaning through Inferences, 16

ONE POSSIBLE DI DEFINITION Differentiation is classroom practice

that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning.

(From Carol Ann Tomlinson, ASCD)

BELIEFS BEHIND DI Learning profiles differ Active learners, decision makers,

problem solvers Making meaning priority Opportunity for choice

WHAT DI IS… Proactive Varied approaches Multiple approaches to content,

process and product Student centered Ebb and flow of whole-class, group

and individual instruction Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 1999

WHAT IT IS NOT… Individualized instruction Chaotic Homogeneous grouping Bluebirds and buzzards Hard questions for the gifted, easy

questions for the struggling Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 1999

DI CLASSROOM CHARACTERISTICS Teachers engage students in instruction

through different learning modalities. A student competes more against self

than others. Teachers provide specific ways for

individuals to learn. Teachers use classroom time flexibly. Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 1999

WHAT TO DIFFERENTIATE? Content (what students learn) Process (how students learn) Product (how students show what they

know)

PREP STEPS

Start small—one strategy, one area. Start with what is—mine ideas;

determine what all students will do, what some students will do; identify basic and advanced activities.

Get students ready—discuss differences, organize, “fair” not “same.”

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, YOU NEED TO KNOWWHAT YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO

Know Understand Do

MENU APPROACH Main dish: Everyone Side dish: Pick and choose Dessert: Optional but irresistible

Differentiation, Grades 4-12, 10-11

CUBES

Looks at topics from different angles

Eliminates flat thinking Includes six commands and a

prompt

Differentiation, Grades 4-12, 12-13

THINKDOTS

Strategy used to review, demonstrate, and extend thinking

Can be developed to respond to learner readiness, learning profiles, student choice

Variation of cubes; works well with older students

THINK (TIC)-TAC-TOE Allows students choice Incorporates learning preferences Takes readiness into account (basic and

advanced) Provides framework

Differentiation, Grades 4-12, 14-15

EXIT CARDS Easy strategy for assessing student

learning Students respond to prompts or

questions; turn in cards as they leave Teacher uses card to help create

groups, monitor student progress, revise lessons

Struggling Readers, 27