CH 8: The Process of Writing

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CH 8 The Process of Writing

• READ 321/322
• Dr. Schneider

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Objectives You will learn

• A variety of approaches to teach writing
• The stages involved in the process of writing
• What writers workshop entails
• How to teach bookbinding to students
• Different types of journal writing
• Different types of poetry how to teach it
• content of writing mini-lessons
• Ways to assess writing

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Starting questions

• What makes writing difficult? ??
• What makes writing enjoyable? ??

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Starting questions

• What makes writing difficult? ??
• No ideas
• Fine motor problems
• Spelling problems
• Difficulties organizing ideas
• Negative feedback
• What makes writing enjoyable? ??
• Positive feedback
• Good ideas as sense of how to put them on paper
• Good feeling about what effect words can have on
  a paper/in print

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Two basic types of text

• Expository text
• 3 parts (IMC/S)
• Theme statement (I) outline
• Paragraphs with details examples (M)
• Final paragraph with conclusion summary that
  links with theme statement/ hypothesis (E)

• Narrative text
• 3 parts (BME)
• Time Place (B)
• Characters (B)
• Problem that main character solves (action plot
  with climax) ending in resolution (M)
• Message (E)

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3 basic types of texts

• (1) Expository text (prose non-fiction)
• (auto) biographies, certain journal writing
• Letters (friendly/business)- pen-pal, Research
  report
• (2) Narrative text (prose fiction)
• Stories (adventure, mystery, detective, play)
• Certain journal writing (
• (3) Poetry
• Free verse or end rhymes
• Different rules patterns (limerick, diamante,
  concrete poetry)

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2 approaches to teaching writing

• Traditional approach
• 1 topic for all students
• 1-shot assignment
• elements of writing taught as separate
  unconnected skills (spelling, punctuation,
  handwriting, text structure etc.)

• Process approach
• Rewrites are possible
• Prewriting activities precede drafting/writing
  activities. These include revising and editing
  with peer teacher support. It is completed by
  post writing activities.
• Student actively involved in choosing topics
• Writing skills taught within process of writing a
  piece

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Details about the 3 writing phases

• PRE-writing
• set up comfortable brainstorming writing
  environment (time, place, materials- papers,
  pencils drawing utensils)
• get ideas to write about from observing
  environment consciously
• Get ideas to write about from different kinds of
  books
• Draw your ideas

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Details about the 3 writing phases

• PRE-writing
• Tell story, ideas to s.o. before writing
• Draw graphic organizer of ideas
• Free writing for 5-10 minutes to find ideas
• Collect as class keywords and spellings for
  specific topic(s) in folder accessible to all.
• Collect ideas, vocabulary, pictures, notes in a
  folder, writing drawing paper.

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Details about the 3 writing phases

• WRITING
• Produce rough draft conference with T and/or
  peers
• Make check list about suggestions
• Revise text, edit and proof-read on your own and
  with /for peers (includes reading text out-loud!)
• Repeat revising editing process until satisfied

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Details about the 3 writing phases

• POST-Writing
• Sit in authors chair and read project to peers
• Bind texts as books or booklets for Authors
  Fair
• Mail letters off
• Display written works publicly (library, young
  authors fair)
• Perform written play

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Details about the 3 writing phases

• POST-Writing Book binding
• Staple book binding
• Ring book binding (at least 2 holes)
• Stitched book binding
• Library book binding (p. 292)
• Publishing going public with students(p.293)
• Nationwide contest
• Magazine Kids Magazine and Cricket
• Website publishing

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What to do with struggling writers

• Provide stress-free writing conditions
• Reduce distractions (items, sound, light)
• Allow for unusual writing places
• Assure that spelling, poor handwriting will not
  be taken into consideration
• Let student write on computer
• Provide quietness special corner, headphones,
  earplugs
• Extend time for final project due date
• Increase helpful conference times/dialogue

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What do with excelling writers

• Support steeper, up-ward learning curve
• Encourage more advanced research (details)
• Encourage focus on higher level vocabulary in
  text
• Encourage advanced technological resources for
  final project (computer illustrations, graphs)
• Provide/foster HOT tasks for content
• Encourage more advanced basic resources
  (literature type, amount of reading, topic)

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Types of journal writing

• Reading Logs
• Writing Logs
• Learning Logs
• Simulated Journal entries

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Journal writing tips

• Never grade journal entries for content or for
  writing style (conventions)
• Provide comments that encourage further written
  dialogue, further reading, further thinking
• Respond to content and feelings in journals,
  never grammar.
• Keep journal yourself write with students in
  class

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Teaching narrative writing

• Teach mini-lessons on story writing
• Beginning, middle, end
• Plot (conflict, climax, resolution)
• Setting (Place, Time)
• Character development(descriptors)
• Theme , the message of the story
• Role of narrator (first person, third person
  omniscient or limited)
• Revising/editing

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Teaching narrative writing

• Purpose of narrative writing
• Types of texts to write
• General stories
• Fairy tales
• Fantasy stories
• plays
• songs

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Teaching expository writing

• Types of texts to write
• Reports (history, arts, science, personal event)
• Recipe, greeting, thank you cards, magazine
  article
• Science/learning log about development of sth.
• Persuasion paper
• Cause/effect paper
• Interview summary
• Film report
• Letters (formal, informal)
• biography

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Teaching expository writing

• DemonstrationT models steps (research,
  note-taking, outlining, writing, proof-reading
• Joint activitySsT in group write non-fiction
  together
• Supported writingT supports individually with
  guiding questions/outlines
• Independent writing ST researches takes notes
  writes following modeled steps

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Teaching expository writing

• Step up to Writing Strategies (Auman, 2003)-see
  extra sheets
• Make text writing more multisensory, less
  threatening and more explicit in organization of
  thoughts- more than webs
• Color coded sentence strips (laminated) help sort
  thoughts into arguments, their support and
  beginning and end part information. Smaller cards
  are used to provide transition words.

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Teaching poetry writing

• Types of poetry to write
• Concrete poetry,
• form poetry (haiku, diamante, limerick, couplet)
• Free verse
• Acrostic poetry
• Others on separate sheet

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What is the purpose of poetry writing?

• relieve stress, emotions, sort ideas
• experiment with figurative elements of language
• Write/communicate without confinement to sentence
  structures from day one of new language learning
  experience on
• Communicate emotions, points of views regarding
  current politics, events (see freedom writers
  deported from their countries or thrown into
  prison)
• Other

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Teaching poetry writing

• Ways to teach poetry
• Read to students a lot of samples exposure
• Let students share favorite poems
• Memorize poems
• Read poems in groups in exaggerated rap-like
  speed and intonation that matches content
  regardless of time of origin then compare to
  another way to read it understand through
  performing poetry in theatrical speech , not
  discussing it

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Teaching poetry writing

• Ways to teach poetry
• Regular choral speaking groups take turns
  reading different parts of poem -. Fluency
• Students illustrate poems they have copied
• Copy a favorite poem into personal favorite
  sayings book.
• Writing own poetry following no model or some
  guidelines given by teacher see extra sheet

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Teaching poetry writing

• Reduce any existing barriers by
• Writing a poem collectively
• Showing students that poems do not have to rhyme
• Letting students read many poems, select
  favorites and express/share why
• Reading poems aloud to others
• THEN start writing their own and going through
  several revision processes

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Assessing writing performance

• There are various ways to be used
• Several measures should be taken to assess
  performance skill overall, not just one
• Progress must be taken into consideration
• Teacher-pupil conference
• Teacher observations (kidwatching)
• Anecdotal records
• Student journals
• Student self-evaluation

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Assessing writing performance

• LA portfolios (p. 321)
• 6 Traits of Writing Rubrics or others
• 1-5 scale with categories
• Development of ideas and content
• Organizational structure of paper
• Voice how writer speaks to reader
• Word choice
• Sentence fluency
• Conventions of writing (spelling) (www.nwrel.org)
• Web-site to create rubrics http//rubistar4teache
  rs.org