Teaching Students to Write K-5 Susan Dold doldsb@scsk12.org.

Teaching Students to WriteK-5

Susan Dolddoldsb@scsk12.org

Why Teach Writing K-5?

• Writing helps with reading.• Writing is 30% of a student’s ELA grade in

grades 1-5.• The upcoming PARCC Assessments will be

heavy on writing. (Sample item to follow)

Grade 3, Item #3

You have read two texts about famous people in American history who solved a problem by working to make a change. Write an article for your school newspaper describing how she and faced challenges to change something in America.

– In your article, be sure to describe in detail why some solutions they tried worked and others did not work.

– Tell how the challenges each one faced were the same and how they were different.Note: This is what the February TCAP Writing Assessment will look like.

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Knowledge of the required writing mode (narrative, informational/explanatory, opinion)

• Ability to organize thoughts• Ability to identify key ideas and details• Ability to cite evidence from the text

PARCC Framework and the SCS Curriculum

How It Looks K-2

• K-drawing, dictating, writing--words and phrases, longer pieces

• 1-drawing and labeling, writing--sentences, longer pieces

• 2-paragraphs, stories, reports

How It Needs to Look 3-5

• PARCC says:– Routine writing– Analyses– Narratives

• Development• Focus and organization• Language• Conventions

Scoring CriteriaInformational/Explanatory & Opinion

Routine Writing

• Notes– Two column notes– Graphic organizers– Annotations

• Summaries• Journals/learning logs• Others?

Writing a Summary

• Read, mark, and/or annotate the text– Topic sentence– Key points– Concluding sentence

• Frame your topic sentence: In this text, the author reports/states/claims that _________.

• Summarize two or three key points in one sentence each.

• Restate the main idea in one sentence.

Analyses

• Multiple modes– Explanatory/informational– Opinion (states and supports a claim)

• Evidence from the text(s)

Writing Analyses

• Read the text(s) actively– Underline, annotate, highlight

• Read the prompt carefully– Take note of key words (explain, opinion, cite, delineate)

• Formulate your main idea (the author’s key point, your opinion)

• Select a few key details (examples, reasons)• Organize your paper (introduction, body, conclusion)• Use reasons and examples from the text for the body• Conclude by restating your main point

Narrative

• Original stories• Modifications to stories (e.g., new endings,

write from another point of view)• Descriptions of processes

When?

• Experts recommend that students in grades 1-5 receive one hour of writing instruction per day.– 30 minutes teaching them how– 30 minutes practicing

• This does not all need to take place during ELA time

• In kindergarten, the experts also recommend at least 30 minutes per day

How: Recommendations from the Experts

• Provide ample time• Teach the writing process• Build fluency through handwriting, spelling,

sentence structure and keyboarding• Create a community of writers

How? Use the Writing Process

How? Explicit Instruction

• I do• We do• You do

Describe Sensory details Use five senses K-3Narrate Story grammar Who? What? When? Where? How? K-5

Inform Report K-W-LWhat I knowWhat I want to knowWhat I learned.

2-5

Opinion STOP

DARE

TREE

Suspend judgment, take sides, organize ideas, plan to adjustDevelop thesis, add support, provide reasons, reject arguments, end strongTell what, provide reasons, end it, examine it

4-5

2-3

How: Focus on the Mode

How: Build Sentence Fluency

• Sentence framing• Sentence expanding• Sentence combining

Sentence Framing

Sentence Expanding

Sentence Combining

But, But, But…

What about grammar, usage, and mechanics?

What Spelling is REALLY About

Information from the State

http://www.tncore.org/english_language_arts.aspx