A Workshop for Teaching Writing: Grades 1,2

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A Workshop for Teaching Writing Grades
1,2 Mount St. Marys College Newburgh, New
York February 11, 2008 Presenter Amy
Benjamin www.amybenjamin.com
Topics Review of what works Problem-solvers Sente
nce development Writers Workshop ReadWriteThink Mo
re Spelling Ideas
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Whats Possible

• Elevate vocabulary Use more exciting words as
  a form of revision
• Increasing their Tier 2 oral vocabulary
• More reports, using unit-based vocabulary
• presentations
• Color-coded sentence strip, designating subject
  and predicate (It is true that test for sentence
  completion)
• Asking if their sentences make sense when
  standing alone
• Be kind to your reader
• Bicycle metaphor Subject and predicate

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Tier Two Words

• Words with a Latin base
• Prefix, root, suffix
• Words that are not usually found in the
• childrens conversation, but are found
• in academic language

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Problem-Solver Student writing
When my students (mistakenly) write this
and I want them (instead) to write this
Here is what I might suggest
Set down a law A sentence may have no
more than two uses of and.
and, and, and
Write sentences that allow me (the reader) to
process reasonable amounts of information.
Problem and Reason and chain mimicking
speech not respecting clause boundaries not
being kind to the reader by giving the reader
no break
Small AND joining words or phrases Big AND
joining sentences
Rule Comma before Big AND Rule Think really
carefully before deciding to have more than one
Big AND in sentence
You may begin a sentence with AND once a week,
maximum.
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Problem-Solver Student writing
When my students (mistakenly) write this
and I want them (instead) to write this
Here is what I might suggest
Rain comes from clouds. The clouds have rain
drops inside. When there are enough rain
drops it starts to rain. Rain makes the
grass grow and flowers grow. We need rain.
Start with a word bank. The given/new
principle of textual cohesion In coherent text,
we have given (old, familiar) information in the
subject slot new information in the predicate
slot Like a KWL chart
Prompt Write a report that tells about
rain. I like rain. It is fun. I like big
dogs. I have a dog.
Problem reason Lack of attending to the
question cohesion (developing a single
subject)
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Problem-Solver Student writing
When my students (mistakenly) write this
and I want them (instead) to write this
Here is what I might suggest
Acknowledge the validity of informal register,
especially in online language and speech Make
an analogy about clothing informal
(home) school dress-up
going to have to let me want to lots of kind of
gonna hafta lemme wanna lotsa kinda
Teach that school writing has a different code
(more formal) Translate a message from
informal to formal Who is my audience? What does
my audience expect? What is my purpose?
Problem Reason Lack of understanding about
language register Inability to code-switch from
informal to formal language
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Problem-Solver Student writing
When my students (mistakenly) write this
and I want them (instead) to write this
Here is what I might suggest
Double negatives
Standard use of negatives
Model the Standard form back to the
student Is there another way to say
that? Showing the models side by side
Problem and reason Non-standard
and status-marked in both speech
and writing They hear it.
In school, we say and write this
With your friends, you might say this
I dont have any money.
I aint got no money.
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Problem-Solver Student writing
When my students (mistakenly) write this
and I want them (instead) to write this
Here is what I might suggest
My friend and I went to the movies.
Model the correct form back to the student.
Me and my friend went to the movies.

• Be polite Place the other person
• first.
• 2. Take the other person out and
• say the sentence
• Me went to the movies (?)

Problem Use of objective case pronoun in
the subject position Reason for problem They
hear it Automatic Wincer does not activate
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Problem-Solver Student writing
When my students (mistakenly) write this
and I want them (instead) to write this
Here is what I might suggest
If you have any questions, see the principal or I.
Use objective case for direct object
indirect object object of a preposition Ex
This is a gift for my mother and me.

Take the other person out.
Problem Use of subjective case where
objective case is called for.
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How to use the ACTION FLASH CARDS to expand
sentence skills
Have students express what is happening in the
action flash card using various sentence
forms Step One Explain what is happening in
your action flash card. Step Two Now,
experiment with many different ways to write your
sentence Ex Begin with There is/ There
are____________ Dont begin with the or a
Write a yes/no question
Write a Who? or What? or When? or
Where? or Why? question Write
a sentence that has an -ING word
Write a sentence that has a word in it that
youve never written before
Write a sentence that does not use IS or ARE or
WAS or WERE Write a sentence
that uses BECAUSE in the middle
Write a sentence that use SO in the middle
Write a sentence that needs a
comma Write a sentence that
shows a detail Write a
sentence that could be the first sentence of a
story Write a sentence that
could be the last sentence of a story
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How to use the ACTION FLASH CARDS to expand
sentence skills
Have students express what is happening in the
action flash card using various sentence
forms Step One Explain what is happening in
your action flash cards. A gingerbread man is
riding on a giraffes back. . Step Two Now,
experiment with many different ways to write your
sentence
Write a sentence that is make believe Write a
sentence that combines what is happening in two
card, and join the two sentences with
,and Write a sentence that shows detail in, on,
at, for, with Write a sentence that uses proper
nouns Group1 person Group 2 place
on the map
Group 3 day on the calendar
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How to use the ACTION FLASH CARDS to expand
sentence skills
Have students express what is happening in the
action flash card using various sentence
forms Step One Explain what is happening in
your action flash cards. A gingerbread man is
riding on a giraffes back. . Step Two Now,
experiment with many different ways to write your
sentence
Write a sentence that uses an explanation point.
Write a sentence, and place a comma after the
first, second, third, fourth, and fifth word.
Read the sentence with the random comma and see
what happens. Write a sentence that uses an
adjective (Which one? What kind? How many?)
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Who?
Where?
Language Development Students place a picture
in the center of this page. They compose
sentences that answer the six information questio
ns.
Why?
What?
How?
When?
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Purposes for writingPIES
Reports (expository wtg)
Letters Articles Requests
to INFORM
to PERSUADE
Messages Blogs Letters
to SOCIALIZE
to ENTERTAIN
Narrative
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Written Forms
Not requiring complete sentences
Requiring complete sentences
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Social

• Invitation to a Panda Party
• Write a letter to the author to the Bee Book
• Write a flyer inviting people to vote for the
  best jack-olantern
• Write an announcement for the school PA system
  for the upcoming Little League game
• Write a thank-you letter to the firehouse,
  thanking them for the field trip
• Write an announcement about Sugar-Free Day

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Narrative

• Write a story about a little league team that
  gets invited to the Yankee Stadium for the very
  last game against the Yankees.
• Write a story about A Day at the Dentist
• Pretend that you are a firefighter. Write a
  journal entry about your day
• Write a haiku about pumpkins
• A day in the life a bee Bee by the Bee
• Poem to the Panda Bear
• Story about stuffed panda coming to life

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Informational

• Make a poster for the classroom about dental
  hygiene labeled collage
• Following visit to the firehouse, make a poster
  about fire safety and present it to the first
  graders
• Write a report about how playing baseball is good
  exercise and is healthful
• Explain the rules of baseball
• Make a booklet with directions on how to carve a
  pumpkin
• Write the sequence (step by step) telling how
  honey is collected
• Make a poster showing how the bamboo forest is
  being destroyed

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Persuasive

• Write a letter to the World Wildlife foundation
  persuading them to continue protecting the panda
• Write a commercial to promote honey bee awareness
• Write a letter to the principal asking for
  permission to go to the pumpkin farm
• Write a letter to the community recreation
  department asking for improved fields and new
  equipment
• Write a letter to the firehouse commission to ask
  permission to go there for a field trip
• Dentist write a letter to the children about
  dental hygiene
• Write an editorial (persuasive report)

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Purposes for writingPIES
Reports (expository wtg) Poster Directions
Letters Articles Requests
to INFORM
to PERSUADE
Make a poster about how to make flowers grow
Write a letter to the principal asking for space
and materials for a class garden
FORMAL
FORMAL
Messages Blogs Letters Announcement
to SOCIALIZE
to ENTERTAIN
Narrative story poem
play
Write a party invitation for a flower party
Write a story about a girl whose flower disappear
FORMAL or INFORMAL, depending on the audience
What the author says is formal What the
characters say can be informal.
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Afternoon
Generating writing experiences for upcoming
holidays Teaching students to write different
kinds of questions Spelling Clearinghouse ReadWr
iteThink Lessons
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Writers Workshop Model
Students have open flexible time (usually about
forty minutes each day, three or four days a
week) for writing. Students design their own
writing program, with help from the
teacher. Topics, form, and format are chosen by
the student. Students draft several pieces, and
then choose one of their drafts to take
through the remaining phases of the writing
process (revision, editing, publication) Revisi
on Peer readers respond to the draft Editing
With teacher assistance Publication Copied
neatly or typewritten illustrated displayed or
published in a book student sits in the
Authors Chair and reads his or her piece to
an audience
How is your writing class similar to/different
from this model? What might you like to adapt?
Based on Lucy Calkins model from The Art of
Teaching Writing
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Peer HelperRead your partners draft. Answer
these questions.

• What are some exciting words?
• What do I want to know more about?
• What pictures in my mind do I see?

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Please read the ReadWriteThink lesson that you
have been given, and, along with your group,
report out to the group, summarizing the
following Overview of lesson What does the
lesson look like? Student objectives Preparation
Highlights of the classroom procedures Assessme
nt
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Ten Great Writing Activities for St. Patricks
Day Categorizing Letter-writing Report-writi
ng Story-writing Story summary Story
finishers Lists Questions Who? What? When?
Where? Why? How? Word banks and vocabulary
development Rhymes
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Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of
Questions

• Topic_________________________
• Yes/No Questions Require a yes/no answer

Begin with Is/are/was/were
Do/did/does
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Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of
Questions

• Topic_________________________
• Inch or centimeter questions Require an
  answer of one or two words

Begin with Which one?/ What kind?/How many?
Who is?/What is?
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Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of
Questions

• Topic_________________________
• Foot or meter questions Require you to read
  a passage and state it in your own words

Begin with Explain Summarize Tell about
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Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of
Questions

• Topic_________________________
• Mile or kilometerquestions Require you to
  find the answer by looking at various
• sources and draw your own conclusions

Begin with What if? What do you think about?
Why do you think? Would you want?
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Homophones The Substitution System
There vTheir Theyre
The substitution for THEIR is HIS
house is next to our house..
Their
His

their
his
The Wilsons keep dog inside a fence.
their
All students should be respectful to
bus drivers .
his
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Ten Great Writing Activities for St. Valentines
Day Categorizing Letter-writing Report-writi
ng Story-writing Story summary Story
finishers Lists Questions Who? What? When?
Where? Why? How? Word banks and vocabulary
development Rhymes
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Homophones The Substitution System
vThere Their Theyre
The substitution for THERE is HERE
is a big truck parked outside our house.
There
Here
Please put the candy over
there
here
there
We expected some friends to meet us at
six oclock.
here
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Homophones The Substitution System
There Their vTheyre
The substitution for THEYRE is THEY ARE
moving into the house next door..
Theyre
They are
I saw that training a new
puppy.
theyre
they are
theyre
Sometimes, not happy.
they are
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Homophones The Substitution System
vYour Youre
If you can substitute HIS, use YOUR
mother is calling you on your cell phone.
Your
His
Get to know the children in
your
his
class.
your
Introduce me to friends.
his
ITS/ITs works the same way.
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About Your Word Wall

• The best word walls are
• Dynamic
• Useful
• Organized for a purpose
• Generated and created by students
• Written with words on cards, for easy
• change
• Attractive

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• Spelling Steps
• Look at the word. See the letters in it and think
  about what
• the word means
• 2. Say the word. Hear the vowel and consonant
  sounds.
• 3. Think about the word. How is each sound
  spelled? Look for
• any
  prefixes, suffixes, or word parts that
• tell you
  the meaning.
• 4. Find groups of letters that go together in the
  word.
• 5. Write the word in the air with your arm
  straight out.
• 6. Close your eyes and see the word in your
  minds eye.
• 7. Write the word just by remembering how it
  looked. Form the
• letters carefully as you write.
• 8. Check the word. Did you spell it correctly? If
  not, notice what
• part you got wrong. Start over.

say
close your eyes
look
think
find
air-write
6
2
3
5
1
4
write
check
7
8
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Spelling Instruction

• Recommended
• Lists of words that
• students need
• immediately for their
• writing

• Not Recommended

Lists of unrelated words that are not
applicable to immediate writing needs
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Spelling Instruction

• Recommended

• Not Recommended

Memorization through rhythm, patterns,
groupings, and associations
Rote memorization through repetition w/o a
pattern or associations
Ex Twins are two
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Spelling Instruction

• Recommended

• Not Recommended

Considering the difficulty of a word to be
related to the students familiarity with it,
visually and, the non-phonetic nature of it
and, the unusualness of it
Organizing the difficulty of words based on
length alone
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Spelling Instruction

• Recommended
• Not giving students
• negative or
• intimidating signals
• about words

• Not Recommended
• Designating some words as demons
• or problems

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Spelling Instruction

• How to Compile a Great Spelling List
• The 44 morphemes of English with the K sound
• Pattern-based lists ough oo tch
• Words related by subject wallpaper,
• paint, carpet, tiles
• 4. Words that are related by form vacation,
• relation, station, imagination

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Spelling Instruction

• How to Compile a Great Spelling List
• 5. Common words that we need all the time
• it, and, the, you, I, me, my, mom, class
• 6. Useful proper nouns United States,
• American, Catholic, Jesus Christ, February,
• 7. Pattern-based rules prefixes, suffixes,
• ie/ei, when two vowels go walking, the first
  does
• the talking