Taking it to Writing

Taking it to WritingJanuary 10, 2014

Weber School District

Be sure to sign roll Cell phones turned off and put away Sitting with team from school Write down ideas to share during discussion

times 20 minute break at 9:50

Housekeeping

“Writing today is not a frill for the few, but an essential skill for the many.”

National Commission on Writing (2003)

Writing is the most difficult of all language skills.

It is acquired the latest, mastered by the fewest, and learned with the most effort over the longest period of time.

(D. Johnson & H. Myklebust, 1967)

Writing is Difficult

Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers

Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Ed, 2012http://ies.ed.gov/ncee and http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/ wwc/publications_reviews.aspx#pubsearch.

Write Traits in a

Process Model

Writing well involves more than simply documenting ideas as they come to mind. It is a process that requires that the writer think carefully about the purpose for writing, plan what to say, plan how to say it, and understand what the reader needs to know.

Teachers can help students become effective writers by teaching a variety of strategies for carrying out each component of the writing process and by supporting students in applying the strategies until they are able to do so independently.

Writing Process

Generating Ideas – what do I have to say? Setting goals – for what purpose am I

writing? Organizing ideas – in what form will I express

my thoughts?

Louisa Moats (2013)

Planning Involves

Develop goals and generate ideas Gather information from reading, prior knowledge, and

discussions with others Organize ideas for writing based on the purpose of the

text Write these goals and ideas down in order to refer and

modify them throughout the writing process

6 Traits Connection: Ideas Strategies:

POW (Pick ideas, Organize their notes, Write and say more) Ordering Ideas/Outlining

Generating Ideas

Create a preliminary version of a text Select words and construct sentences to accurately convey ideas Skills such as spelling, handwriting, and capitalization and

punctuation are important when drafting but should not be the focus of students’ effort at this stage

6 Traits Connection: all traits except conventions and presentation Strategies:

Imitation (models of exemplary text) Sentence Generation

Drafting

Make content changes to clarify or enhance meaning Reorganize Add or remove sections Refine word choice and sentence structure Word processing can make this easier for many students

6 Traits Connection: Organization, voice, sentence fluency Strategies:

Peer revising (?, ^)

Revision- Did I say what I wanted to say?

Reading from the reader’s perspective: Is the message complete, logical, written with conventional symbols and grammar?

Revising, editing: Did I say what I wanted to say? Did I reach my audience? Are the conventions respected? What will add interest?

Review and Revision Involve:

Make changes to conventions of written English Make the text readable for audience and intended

meaning clearer Spelling Grammar

6 Traits Connection: Word Choice, Conventions Strategies:

COPS (Capitalize, Overall appearance, Punctuation, Spelling)

Editing

Occurs at the end of the writing process Purpose is to share publicly in written form or oral form, or both Not all student writing needs to be published but students

should be given opportunities to publish their writing and celebrate their accomplishments

6 Trait Connection: Presentation Strategies:

Peer Sharing (in pairs, listen and read along as the author reads aloud)

Authentic audience(s)

Publishing

Critical skills for our grade level

Foundational Skills

Before a student can be expected to write formally, they must be able to speak formally.

Ways to support this: Require students to use formal language to

answer questions asked in lessons Require students to restate part of question in

responding Use sentence framing to support writing

formally

Oral Language

Listening

Speaking

Reading Writing

Writing places multiple simultaneous demands on the writer. Mastering the foundational skills of good writing, including handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, and typing, allows students to devote more of their attention to composing written texts by utilizing the strategies and techniques associated with the writing process.

Foundational Skills

Utah Core Standards (added components) Manuscript Handwriting (K-2) Cursive Writing (3-5) Reading cursive writing (3-5)

Utah Core Standards

Why do we need to teach handwriting?

Isn’t keyboarding the skill needed in the 21st century classroom..?

“Self-generated action,

in the form of handwriting, is a

crucial component in setting up brain

systems for reading acquisition.”

Karin Harman James, 2011Indiana University

Handwriting Instruction IS Important

1. Students still need to know how to write by hand.

2. Good handwriting makes a good impression.

3. Handwriting is a foundational skill for literacy.

4. Teaching handwriting boosts writing and reading proficiency.

5. Students with good handwriting score better on tests.

(Handwriting Research: Impact On the Brain and Literacy Development, Zaner-Bloser, 2012)

Handwriting IS LiteracyHandwriting instruction…• Supports early reading and writing

development through print awareness and improved letter recognition

• Strengthens students’ ability to self-regulate all of their written work

• Reduces the need for handwriting-related intervention

• Leads to more effective, fluent, and confident communication

Handwriting: A Basic Building Block of Literacy

Dr. Steve Graham

“How legibly and quickly students

write letters influences their

success in school.”

…Most school work is still done by hand.

When kindergarten students are learning to write letters, teachers

should have them begin on a vertical surface.

Sky-Write

Using Interactive Whiteboard TechnologyCan Enhance Gross-to-Fine

Motor Skill Development

What IMPACTs Legible Handwriting?

Posture

Pencil grip

Paper position

How Do You Sit?

Schwellnus, et al., 2012 American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2012

short (golf) pencils, “Pip Squeaks”ball in hand

DO Model and Teach correct grip, hand preference and helping hand.

Very young students can’t be expected to write well-formed letters or to accurately size or space them.

“Tip, Flip, Grip”

Alternate Pencil Grip

Take Time to TeachHow to Hold the Pencil

Early on, children may successfully change a poor pencil grip.

Poor pencil position can cause fatigue and discomfort.

Model and reinforce a good pencil grip.

Letter Reversals are Common

Frequently reversed letters are b, d, f, q, j, p, and s.

Reversals are a developmental issue and will improve.

Reversing some letters is a normal stage and is not a sign of dyslexia or another learning disability.

Avoid programs and interventions that make handwriting more “complicated.”

“Another” program

Stroke Descriptions

vs.Simple is better.

There Are 4 Zaner-Bloser HW iTunes Apps

Spanish Manuscript

Spanish Cursive

English Manuscript

English Cursive

Use “Apps” for Guided Independent Practice

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting - iOS Apps

Handwriting Paper

Using appropriate handwriting paper enables supportive scaffolding and gradual release of

responsibility

Prior to Learning Cursive Students Should

Demonstrate:

Near grade (2nd/3rd) level reading proficiency

The ability to write legibly in manuscript

The ability to recognize cursive letters

Encourage and Monitor Self-Evaluation

NO MOREThan

15 Minutes of Instruction

PER DAY

5 Minutes of Direct Instruction10 minutes of

Guided and/or Independent Practice

Self-evaluation

Automaticity and Fluency

Academic Success!!

Unpacking Writing Standard 1

Unpacking Writing Standard 2

Support at Home…

http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/59261-en.pdf