Writing for Career + College Readiness

Day 1: Aligning the Writing Process for Career and College ReadinessDeveloped for SBCUSD by Educators CooperativePresented by Kirk Melkonian

Support Goals

Support you and your students in writing, using materials and resources already available to you

Support SBCUSD vision for aligned writing

SBCUSD Vision for Aligned Writing

Daily writing opportunities using a writing process

A new published piece of student work at least monthly

Student work demonstrates use of a writing process

Intended Outcomes of the District Initiative

1.Students are increasingly engaged in the steps of the writing process.

2.Students have increasing opportunities to improve their writing.

Today’s Outcomes

Align the writing process school-wide

Apply prewriting strategies

What are the Expectations for Writing in the Common Core?

“…take task, purpose, and audience into careful consideration”

Common Core Writing Expectations

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Writing were created to enable students to meet college and career readiness by the time they complete high school.

CCSS Text Type and Purposes

Type Purpose

Opinion/Argument To Persuade

Informational/Explanatory

To Explain

Narrative To Convey Experience

Production and Distribution of Writing

Produce Clear and Coherent Writing

Use Research-based Writing Process

Use Technology to Collaborate and

Publish

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Conduct Research Projects

Gather and Integrate Information

Draw Evidence from Texts as

Support

Range of Writing

Extended Writing Projects

Short, Interactive Writing

Writing in Every Content Area

What exactly is the “Writing Process?”

The writing process can be defined in different ways, but in general, a 5-step process can help students understand the expectations.

Research-based Writing ProcessA holistic process emphasizes the actual process of writing. It concentrates on writing as a recursive process in which writers have the opportunity to

plan, draft, edit, and revise their work (Hillocks, 1987; Murray, 1982).

Pre-writing Drafting Revising Editing Publishing

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Another Way to Think of the Writing Process

Publish high

quality work

Prewriting

Drafting

Revising

Editing

Key Research Finding

Pre-writing is essential to producing quality writing. Research indicates that skilled writers spend significantly more time organizing and planning what they are going to write.

Pre-writing

Brainstorming

Free writing

Organizing / outlining

Gathering information / research

Reading/listening to a text/media

Discussing a shared experience

70%

Drafting

Write and refine

Focus on communication of meaning

Revising

Revise content

Clarify text organization Introduction, body, conclusion Main ideas and details

Check for specific skills Adding details Use of figurative language Precise nouns

Editing

Proofread for writing conventions Capital letters Spaces between words Correct spelling Paragraph indentation Punctuation

Publishing

Present your work in a meaningful way

Digital Student Work Posted In The Classroom

Classroom Presentation Participate in Writing Fairs

What is the best way to prepare a unit or set of lessons on writing?

Answering a few questions can help teaching the writing process go much more smoothly and quickly.

Writing Process Preparation

What is the mode (purpose) of the writing?

What format (text type) will the students produce?How will the writer know the final expectations?

How will students participate in pre-writing (planning) activities?How will students produce their drafts?

How will students revise and edit to develop and strengthen writing as needed? How will students publish their work?

How will students receive feedback on the final product?

Wisdom in the Room

Quick think/write:

What strategies are you using to engage students in the writing process?

What training or support materials do you use and feel are most successful?

Prewriting Activities

Research shows a direct correlation between students instructed in a writing process and writing proficiency levels. Prewriting is an essential part of any writing process

Prewriting Activities

Thinking about writing Brainstorming Free writing Gathering information / research Reading/listening to a text/media Discussing a shared experience

Organizing / outlining Templates Frames Graphic Organizers

Other?

Prewriting Models for Today’s Workshop:

EITHER-OR: Persuasion Opinion / Argument

Colored Cards: Response to Literature Expository / Informational

Summarize Without Words: Expository / Informational

Either – OrPersuasive Writing Pre-Writing

Details:

• EITHEROR is an acronym that helps students plan out their persuasive writing

• Provides students with a good memory hook to help them organize their writing when the graphic organizer is not available

• Can be used to focus on significant points and counter points

Meaning of Either-Or Letters

E Everyone is doing this or buying this.Learning to write is an essential life skill. Those who don’t learn to write effectively will be reducing their chances to find a good paying job.

I Intelligent people agree with this!Corporate CEOs have been saying that the potential employees coming out of college are not ready for the writing required by their company.

T This is good for you or someone you know.Ask your loved ones to write with you a little each day as it will help both of you to become more proficient writers.

H Happiness: Doing this will make you happy.Having the ability to communicate on both a personal and professional level effectively will make life much more enjoyable.

Topic: It is important to be a

good writer.

Meaning of Either-Or Letters

EEntitled: Everyone is entitled to do this; it is their right.

America has invested its vast resources to providing a free education for all of its children, which gives you the right to seek a good education, and writing is an essential part of this.

RReason: Many good reasons prove this is so.

Every job has some type of writing involved. Accountants write financial reports, mechanics write estimates, teachers write lesson plans, etc... By choosing to be a poor writer, one severely limits their career prospects.

OOpposing point of view is wrong, I see their point, but

the facts disprove their position.There are those who argue they don’t need to write to be successful, but how many opportunities have they probably missed because they lacked this essential skill.

RResponsibility: This is an important responsibility!

It is the responsibility of every parent and educator to help students not only write better but to instill in children its great importance.

Topic: It is important to be a

good writer.

Either-Or ActivityTopic: The Importance of Funding Schools

E Everyone is doing this or buying this.

I Intelligent people agree with this!

T This is good for you or someone you know

H Happiness: Doing this will make you happy

E Entitled: Everyone is entitled to do this; it is their right.

R Reason: Many good reasons prove this is so.

O Opposing point of view is wrong, I see their point, but the facts disprove their position.

R Responsibility: This is an important responsibility!

Using Tool 1-24a• Have students read a text• Write down some key words or phrases in

one of the boxes of the tool• Get students into groups and give each

group one of the boxes• Students will then brainstorm ideas that uses

that word or phrase to discuss the topic.• Students get three minutes to write and then

they receive a new box and repeat the process.

Response To LiteraturePre-Writing Activity

Response To LiteratureTool 1-24a Sample

Ruby Slippers

YellowBrick Road

Glenda TheGood Witch

Wicked Witch

Of the West

Kansas The Emerald

CityCourage Tornado Heart

Topic: The Wizard of Oz

Directions:• Assign students a section of reading within a

text.• The teacher will then draw (or provide images

about) the important events within the text on the board.

• The students will write a summary of the text using the teacher’s drawing as a scaffold.

Summarize Without Words

What Movie Is This Summarizing?

What are the expectations for the classroom?

1. Have students become familiar with the writing process.

2. Use pre-writing activities before any writing assignment.