You want me to write what!?! Everyday writing for the everyday teacher

1
You want me to write what!?! Everyday writing
for the everyday teacher

• Presenter Jennifer Nehl for TIE

2
Session Objective

• We will focus on strategies that cause students
  to think reflectively and analytically as they
  deepen their understanding of content materials
  and express themselves through writing.
• The strategies selected are ones that both
  teachers and students can bring into their daily
  routines. Although some of the strategies can be
  building blocks for long-term projects, many of
  them stand alone as ways for students to access
  prior knowledge or reflect on their learning.

3
Wait! So, Now I Have to Teach Writing, Too?

• Still need convincing? Steve Peha, president of
  Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc., lists the
  following reasons why writing must appear in all
  content areas
• 1. Written output is a great way to assess
  student knowledge.
• Writing is a simple, efficient, cost-effective
  way for students to show their knowledge of a
  topic or lesson.
• Writing is also the simplest way for teachers
  to get a glimpse of student thinking and
  processing.
• 2. Writing is the essential skill students need
  as they enter adult life.
• When students are taught to write well, they
  are better able to sort through the complicated
  ideas and concepts that they will need to master
  as they mature.
• Writing is a tool that helps students make
  sense of their education and their lives.

4

• 3. Helping students learn to confidently express
  themselves in all content areas can contribute to
  improved behavior and self-esteem.
• When teenagers are unable to express
  themselves, they risk losing a sense of
  well-being.
• Writing provides an outlet for self-expression.

5

• 4. Students who write clearly, think clearly.
• Students who think clearly are better able to
  navigate through the obstacles of adolescence.
• 5. Writing is power.
• Peha explains that writing is a powerful tool
  that allows students to control their lives,
  shape their futures, and define their dreams.

6
How many golf balls has Tiger Woods hit?

• 4-14 repetitions to learn something new
• Students with disabilities need 250-350
  repetitions over the years
• Student MUST practice, teachers must be
  consistent!

7

• How do we write in the content area?
• Current Events.
• Book Reports.
• Lab Reports.
• Word Problems.
• Summary of the day in Kindergarten.
• Notes for Social Studies in Fourth grade.
• Ect. Ect. Ect.

8

• Brainstorming Graphic Organizers
• The Whatnhow

9

• Brainstorming Graphic Organizers

What How (What you
know) (How you know about it)
10

• Brainstorming Graphic Organizers

Flora and Fauna of South Dakota
11

• Brainstorming Graphic Organizers

What How (What you
know) (How you know about it)
12

• Brainstorming Graphic Organizers

Turn to your elbow partner and discuss one way
you can implement this strategy into your
classroom this week.
13
Writing Expository Summaries

• A summary is a shortened, condensed version.
• The purpose of a summary is to share the main
  ideas.
• Summaries keep the same tone as the original
  piece and do not contain opinion.
• Summaries do not require a formal conclusion,
  however, pieces which contain summaries are more
  pleasing to a reader and will score (on an
  average) higher on standardized tests.

14

Mom Yikes!
Gang Movies
Bunch of People
Cause Problems
Gangs
Bad
Gang Songs
What if my friends joined?
Stay Away
I wouldnt join
15
Gangs are just a bunch of people with nothing
better to do. Gangs cause problems. I would not
join a gang. Well, maybe if I was with my friends
but probably not. My mom is against gangs. The
movies are filled with gangs and there are a lot
of songs about gangs. Stay away from gangs they
are bad for you.
16

Mom Yikes!
Gang Movies
Bunch of People
Cause Problems
Gangs
Bad
Gang Songs
What if my friends joined?
Stay Away
I wouldnt join
17
Whats missing?

• ORGANIZATION

18

• How do we get started?!?!?!?!?!?!?

19
Writing an Effective Topic/Thesis Sentence

• Write a topic sentence using the three-part topic
  sentence method (the burrito fold).
• Identify the item Select a verb Finish
  your thought

3.5
20
Writing an Effective Topic/Thesis Sentence

• Write a topic sentence using the three-part topic
  sentence method (the burrito fold).
• Identify the item Select a verb Finish
  your thought

Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark
Twain
describes
how Tom got others to do his work.
3.5
21
Chapter two of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by
Mark Twain describes how Tom got others to do
his work for him.
22
Verb Reference List for Summaries
3.6
23
Things Trap

• Weak
• As I read about Ben Franklin, I learned two
  things.
• Better
• As I read about Ben Franklin, I learned that
  his life was filled with challenges.

2.38
24
Better Word Choices

• Actions
• Benefits
• Features
• Reasons
• Improvements

• Ideas
• Items
• Choices
• Qualities
• Thoughts

2.38
25
Writing an Effective Topic/Thesis Sentence

• Now your turn!!!

3.5
26

• Stork Service Makes New Kind of Delivery
• No More Babies We've got Tacos
• Written by Princess Poole
• After centuries of delivering babies Stork Inc.
  has decided to call it quits. "We just can't stay
  in the baby business any longer," says spokesbird
  Sam Stork, "Hopefully the new product will be
  more profitable." Sam is convinced there are
  two reasons for the decline in the use of stork
  delivery. Firstly, he believes many families are
  simply having fewer children because of the
  exponential increase in the price of insurance
  and education. Second many families are refusing
  to use stork services because of cable TV. Sam
  maintains watching actual hospital deliveries,
  screened every week day morning, has influenced
  parents to drop the stork story and just let the
  kid watch it on TV.Sam hopes the new service to
  will be successful, he and his mate, Sally, are
  incubating three new eggs. "Yeah, I think the
  taco thing will work out great, everybody loves
  tacos. Since they get cold easy we'll just wrap
  them up in the baby blankets."

27
Writing an Effective Topic/Thesis Sentence

• Write a topic sentence using the three-part topic
  sentence method (the burrito fold).
• Identify the item Select a verb Finish
  your thought

3.5
28
Writing an Effective Topic/Thesis Sentence

• Write a topic sentence using the three-part topic
  sentence method (the burrito fold).
• Identify the item Select a verb Finish
  your thought
• Stork Service Makes describes how a long time
  family business
• New Kind of Delivery must make adjustments
  with the
• by Princess Poole changing times.

3.5
29
Turn to your elbow partner and discuss one way
you can implement this strategy into your
classroom this week.
30
Reasons Outline
Topic Today was a great day in Kindergarten

• counted up to 100
• used beans
• from Forest Service
• learned how to put out fires
• got our picture taken

• Counted by 5
• Smokey the Bear

2.15
31
Differentiation Idea Example

• Same assignment
• Give students with disabilities a frame outline
  asking for 1 yellow and 2 red
• Give students who need a challenge 3 yellow and 7
  red
• To begin, tell students how many yellow and red
  you want. Or you could have a minimum number.
  Later, they may decide.

32
TOPIC Today was a great day in Kindergarten.
REASON/DETAIL/FACT First, we learned to count by
fives.
REASON/DETAIL/FACT Next, we got to meet Smokey
the Bear!
2.8
33
Reasons Outline and T-Chart
Topic Today was a great day in Kindergarten

• counted up to 100
• used beans
• from Forest Service
• learned how to put out fires
• got our picture taken

• Counted by 5
• Smokey the Bear

2.15
34
TOPIC Today was a great day in Kindergarten.
REASON/DETAIL/FACT First, we learned to count by
fives.
EXPLAIN, EVIDENCE We counted to 100 and got to
use beans. ELABORATION
REASON/DETAIL/FACT Next, we got to meet Smokey
the Bear!
EXPLAIN, EVIDENCE Smokey is from the Forest
Service. ELABORATION
EXPLAIN, EVIDENCE We learned how to put out
fires and got ELABORATION our picture
taken with him.
CONCLUSION RESTATE TOPIC/THESIS We learned some
valuable lessons today.
2.8
35
Details Outline Current Events
Topic Evening Before Iowa Caucuses

• Obama favored
• Huckabee leads over Romney
• Third of likely caucus-goers could change mind

• Clinton, second and Edwards last
• Romney and Huckabee have traded places in
  the lead on the GOP side.
• Three way race between Clinton, Obama and
  Edwards

2.15
36
Writing an Effective Topic/Thesis Sentence

• Write a topic sentence using the three-part topic
  sentence method (the burrito fold).
• Identify the item Select a verb Finish
  your thought
• The Evening demonstrates the
  unpredictability of
• Before the Iowa Americas election
• Caucus, by AP season.

3.5
37
TOPIC The Evening Before the Iowa Caucus, by AP
demonstrates the unpredictability Americas
election season.
REASON/DETAIL/FACT
EXPLAIN, EVIDENCE ELABORATION
REASON/DETAIL/FACT
EXPLAIN, EVIDENCE ELABORATION
EXPLAIN, EVIDENCE ELABORATION
CONCLUSION RESTATE TOPIC/THESIS
2.8
38
Differentiation Idea Example

• Same assignment
• Give students with disabilities a frame outline
  asking for 1 yellow and 2 red
• Give students who need a challenge 3 yellow and 7
  red
• To begin, tell students how many yellow and red
  you want. Or you could have a minimum number.
  Later, they may decide.

39
Facts Outline Lab Report
Topic Smell and Taste

• taste of an apple
• strong vanilla smell
• taste changed

• chew slow
• concentrate
• impact
• near nose
• strange
• thought differently

2.15
40
Learning About Smell and Taste

• As we completed the lab with our apples and
  vanilla extract, we made several observations.
  First, we both agreed that we usually do not
  really stop to think about the taste of an apple.
  Chewing slowly made a difference. We also
  noticed that the vanilla smell was pretty strong
  but it did no impact the taste of the apples
  until we put it neat our noses. Finally, we were
  surprised by how much the taste of the apple
  changed. We thought that it would change a
  little bit, but we both felt like we were eating
  a very strange kind of fruit. We are not sure
  that vanilla apples would sell very well.

41
Turn to your elbow partner and discuss one way
you can implement this strategy into your
classroom this week.
42
Math Using Framed Paragraphs

• The Perimeter of a Rectangle
• These steps make it easy to find the perimeter
  of rectangle. To begin, __________
  _____________. I do this because ________
  _________________. Next, ____________
  ______________________________. This is an
  important step because _____________
  _____________________________. Finally,
  __________________________________________________
  ________________.
• The Perimeter of a Rectangle
• These steps make it easy to find the perimeter
  of rectangle. To begin, I measure the length
  and width of the rectangle. I do this because I
  need to know both the length and width to find
  the perimeter. Next, I multiply the length by 2
  and the width by 2. This is an important step
  because to find the perimeter I need to find the
  total length of all 4 sides, which is the same as
  2 lengths and 2 widths. Finally, I add the
  results together to find the total length of all
  four sides, which is the perimeter.

• The Surface Area of a Rectangle
• I realized that it would be easy to find the
  surface area of a rectangle if I just follow2ed
  these steps. To begin, ___________________.
  Next, ________ ________________________. After
  that_____ _____________________________________
  __________________________. Finally, _____
  _____________________________________
  ___________________________.
• The Surface Area of a Rectangle
• I realized that it would be easy to find the
  surface area of a rectangle if I just follow2ed
  these steps. To begin, I measured the length of
  the rectangle. Next, I measured the width of the
  rectangle. After that, I multiplied the length
  by the width. Finally, I labeled my answer with
  the correct unit of measurement.
• Note The paragraph on the left is longer
  because it includes explanations I do this
  because... and This is important In general,
  math students should include more, not less,
  explanation.

43
Narrative Outline
Topic Narrative

• Setting
• Time
• Place
• Meet Characters
• Glimpse of problem
• Learn more about problem
• Conflict developed
• Solve problem
• Conflict resolution

• Beginning
• Middle
• End

2.15
44
What I thought you taught

• Expectations
• Write the prompt at the top of your page.
• Write a list of words you will need to write a
  complete and accurate entry of what you were
  taught.
• As you write your entry, use each word and to
  explain and enhance your thoughts.
• Let a peer read your entry. He/she will circle
  the world you have used form the list.

45
What I thought you taught

• Expectations
• Write a list of words you will need to write a
  complete and accurate entry of what you were
  taught.
• List of words
• Expository, organization, communication,
  user-friendly, student achievement, teacher
  expectations, formative assessment, age
  appropriate, etc. Please list at least six (6)
  words. You may use some of these or some of your
  own.

46
What I thought you taught

• Prompt
• Describe how you will be able to implement
  writing into your content/classroom.
• You might write What I thought you taught about
  writing in the content/ classroom was/is

47
Turn to your elbow partner and discuss one way
you can implement this strategy into your
classroom this week.
48
How can I use this?

• Science reports
• Book reports
• Current events
• Summary paragraphs
• Expository papers
• Math word problems
• Use your imagination!!
• Whether you use SUTW, Writing in the Content
  Area, 61 Traits, Writing Across the Curriculum,
  it must be meaningful and user friendly to your
  and your staff!

49
Other resources

• On my wiki I will have examples for
• Getting the story rolling
• Moving the story along
• Ending/wrapping up our story
• Full verb reference list
• Story maps

50
Revise, Edit, and Proofread

• Improving Sentence Quality

6-19
51
Revise, Edit, and Proofread

• Improving Sentence Quality

6-19
52
Elementary Charlottes Web
53
Elementary Charlottes Web
54
Elementary Charlottes Web
55
Read a story or piece of text

• Do together
• T_________________________
• Brainstorm the details in random order.
• Create an outline with a title and color coded
  items.
• Write about the main ideas of narrative or
  expository writing.

56

• It is imperative to make meaning though your
  teaching and your learning!! Can you use what
  you have learned?

57
Contact Information

• Jennifer Nehl
• Education Specialist
• jnehl_at_tie.net
• [phone]
• [phone]