Learning to Write

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Learning to Write

• July 16, 2008

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Context for Writing

• Print Rich, many types of books and writing are
  shared
• Opportunities exist for students to write often
  and for many purposes
• A shared writers community is established where
  teachers and students write and share writing.
• A common language that defines quality writing is
  used.

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Time for Writing

• At least 30 minutes per day
• Time appropriate for purpose
• More extended time for extended tasks

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What defines quality writing?
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StudentsWhat makes writing work?

• Margins
• Grammar
• Handwriting
• Long enough
• Looks neat
• Uses complete sentences

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What Effective Writers Know

• Written text must be clear and effective.
• We write for audiences in different forms for
  different purposes.
• A writing process is used.
• Writing evolves through specific feedback and
  evaluation.

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Think-Pair-Share

• A writing process is used
• How do you define writing process?
• How does the writing process play out in your
  particular content area?
• How do you talk to your students about their use
  of the writing process?
• Do you find that particular steps in the process
  emphasized more than others? Explain.

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Writing Process

• Prewriting/Brainstorming
• Writing/Drafting
• Responding
• Revising
• Editing
• Evaluation

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Explicit Instruction Scaffolding
Teach
Model
Guided Practice
Supported Application
TEACHER
STUDENT
Independent Practice
Gradual Release of Responsibility
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Effective Feedback

• Ongoing
• Timely
• Specific
• Positivewhat the students did well
• Directivewhat they should do next
• Need a Common Language!!!!!!

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A brief history of the Six Traits

• Based on the 1960s research of Paul Diedrich.
• Vicki Spandel and a group of 17 teachers
  replicated his work in the 1980s the Beaverton
  Project
• From this combined research, six analytic traits
  were identified for use in instructing an
  assessing student writing
• Notes from the Beaverton Project were carefully
  revised and reformatted along a continuum of
  writing performance from beginning to developing
  to strong.
• After many years of research and the study of
  thousands of student papers, the fact emerged
  that

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The Traits of Effective Writing

• Ideas
• Organization
• Voice
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Conventions

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What is Six-Trait Writing?

• it is not a curriculum. It is not a program.
  It is a vision- a way of looking at writing that
  takes teachers and students (all writers) inside
  the process to where the action isan answer to
  the question all writers must ask what makes
  writing work? Vicki Spandel

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Process-Trait Connection
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What a student can assess, they can revise.
Vicki Spandel
Students can hit any target that sits still for
them. Rick Stiggins
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What do students consider good writing after six
trait training?

• Voice
• A problem and a solution
• Interesting leads
• Good language
• Exciting characters
• Setting
• I can picture it
• Teaches me something

• Is memorable
• Mysterious ending
• Its understandable
• Conclusion
• Humor
• Sensory images
• Makes me wish I wrote it!

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Students writing changed when they learned first
to become assessors and critics, and then to
become drafters and revisers.
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Practice!

• Look at the RAFT assignment that you created
  yesterday along with your sample.
• Think about your purpose for that assignment,
  identify focus traits for assessment of that
  purpose.
• Ask your partner to give you feedback on your
  piece related to those focus traits.
• Partners, use the Critique Protocol as your guide
  for this feedback.

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Practice!

• Go back to the article you read on Formative
  Assessment.
• Look at the example feedback that the ELA teacher
  gave the student.
• Label, or better yet revise, the comments
  according to the traits.

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What Effective Writers Know

• Written text must be clear and effective.
• We write for audiences in different forms for
  different purposes.
• A writing process is used.
• Writing evolves through specific feedback and
  evaluation.

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Process-Traits-Modes

• Narrative
• Cause-Effect
• Compare-Contrast
• Process-Sequence
• Problem-Solution
• Persuasive
• Argumentative
• Evaluation (critiques)

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Reflection-Application

• Think about what modes of writing lend themselves
  best to your particular content area.
• What types of writing assignments have you given
  to students historically or may you give in the
  future?
• How could you use the traits to support your
  instruction and/or feedback around these
  assignments?