BEYOND THE BLUR: FOCUSING ON WRITING June Preszler Education Specialist, TIE August 23, 2007
THE PLAN
Status check Activating learning Building vocabulary Summarizing learning Differentiating learning Integrating technology Assessing learning
FINDING THE WRITING TEACHER WITHIN
I believe my role in the teaching of writing is…
Something I enjoy about teaching writing is…
Something I struggle with when it comes to teaching writing is…
I assess writing by… The importance of writing in the Meade
School District and why (rank 1-5, 5 high)
COUNTING COUP
The concept: Counting Coup What do you think it means? Think-Ink-Pair-Share—Content Area
Writing, 12-13
THE ENEMY IN FRONT OF US
Not a person But a thing “The biggest enemy our children have
are those things sitting in front of you and they’re called books.”—Gerard Baker
THE WARRIOR
“What do you do with your enemies? You conquer them.”
“We have to redefine our enemies and conquer them.”
COUNTING COUP
“We have to count coup on books.” Three-Minute Pause (Write) (Struggling
Readers, 21) Vocabulary Notebook (Build Student
Vocabularies, 24)
THE (BATTLE) PLAN
Identifying the enemy Empowering the student Becoming a warrior Conquering the enemy
POWER OF CHOICE
Choice Theory (Glasser and Erwin) All behavior is purposeful Five basic needs that drive all
behavior: Survival Love and belonging Power Freedom Fun
TAKE A BREAK!
Please return in 15 minutes You’ll know it’s time to come back to
me when the music stops…
ACTIVATION THE ABC WAY
Reading Strategies to Guide Learning, page 7
Virtual World of Second Life Independently Share with partner or small group Share with class Write a prediction of what you think
you’ll learn
SECOND LIFE INVESTIGATION
In your group, read the article provided Research Second Life via the Internet As you learn more information, jot
down the ideas on your ABC chart Write a paragraph (or two) describing
one (or two) things you’d like to share (teach) the rest of us about Second Life
REFLECTION ON SECOND LIFE
On your own, summarize your learning. Some guiding questions you might want to consider:
What new information have you learned regarding Second Life?
Why is Second Life so successful? Who uses Second Life? How could Second Life be used in the
classroom? Would you consider using Second Life in your
classroom? Why or why not?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Text to self Text to text Text to world
More Strategies to Guide Learning, pages 5-7
SUMMARIZING
When we summarize, we take larger selections of text and reduce them to their bare essentials.
Bare essentials: the gist, the key, the main points worth remembering.
Content Area Writing, 16-23
MARZANO:
When working with struggling students, we need to understand that summarize academic learning doesn’t come automatically. In fact, we need to provide students with a variety of approaches to use as students attempt to summarize.
STRATEGY EXPLANATION
Summarizing and note taking are identified as two of the most useful academic skills for all students.
Summarizing and note taking are grouped together since both require students to distill and then synthesize.
RESEARCH ON SUMMARIZING
• Students must delete, substitute and keep information.
• Students must analyze information at a deep level of understanding.
• Students must be aware of the information’s structure in order to effectively summarize.
Marzano, et al: Classroom Instruction that Works, pages 30-32
TIPS AND TRICKS--1
Provide students with a selection Ask students to take notes of important
details When students have finished, direct
them to turn over the paper and write what they remember…without looking back
TIPS AND TRICKS--2
Have students write successively shorter summaries, constantly refining and reducing
Begin with half a page, then two paragraphs, then one paragraph, then two or three sentences, then a single sentence
GETTING THE GIST OF IT
Read articles Create GIST for articles, Content Area
Writing, 23-23 Create poster Share summaries
THREE FACTS AND A FIB1.When I took my son to college, I camped
out in the dorm parking lot for the first night…just in case.
2.I played soccer for a championship youth team in Brazil in the 1970s.
3.In one month, I traveled over 3000 miles for education-related business, had one accident in a BHSSC/TIE vehicle, and received two undeserved speeding tickets.
4. I began my professional career as a recipe writer for the Aberdeen American News.
RAFTS
R=Heart (Role) A=French Fries (Audience) F=Complaint (Format) T=Effects of fat in the diet (Topic) S=Warn (Strong Verb) You are Heart and are concerned about your
good health. Write a letter of complaint to the French Fries. Warn the French Fries of the effects of fat in the diet.
See handout
RAFTS
Dear French Fries,I’m writing to give you a warning. You are killing me! You may not realize that one small serving of you contains more saturated fat than I can handle in an entire day. I’ve had it with your high sodium, fat, cholesterol, and artery-clogging ways. Your value-meal family may be easy on the wallet but you are really costly to me.
Clean up your act,The Heart
RAFTS
Dear Mary,It is important to use punctuation. Why aren’t you usingpunctuation? Punctuation marks are periods, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, and so on. When you write you should always use my marks or people won’t know what you mean. I know your teacher has shown you how to use my marks. Please use them everyday.Thank you,Peter Punctuation
Ruth Culham, 6+1 Traits of Writing: Professional Study Guide
OBSERVE TO INFER
Music in the Wind, Bev Doolittle
Details Inferences
Making Meaning through Inferences, 16
ONE POSSIBLE DI DEFINITION
Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning.
(From Carol Ann Tomlinson, ASCD)
BELIEFS BEHIND DI
Learning profiles differ Active learners, decision makers,
problem solvers Making meaning priority Opportunity for choice
WHAT DI IS…
Proactive Varied approaches Multiple approaches to content,
process and product Student centered Ebb and flow of whole-class, group
and individual instruction Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 1999
WHAT IT IS NOT…
Individualized instruction Chaotic Homogeneous grouping Bluebirds and buzzards Hard questions for the gifted, easy
questions for the struggling
Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 1999
DI CLASSROOM CHARACTERISTICS
Teachers engage students in instruction through different learning modalities.
A student competes more against self than others.
Teachers provide specific ways for individuals to learn.
Teachers use classroom time flexibly. Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 1999
WHAT TO DIFFERENTIATE?
Content (what students learn) Process (how students learn) Product (how students show what they
know)
PREP STEPS
Start small—one strategy, one area. Start with what is—mine ideas;
determine what all students will do, what some students will do; identify basic and advanced activities.
Get students ready—discuss differences, organize, “fair” not “same.”
MENU APPROACH
Main dish: Everyone Side dish: Pick and choose Dessert: Optional but irresistible
Differentiation, Grades 4-12, 10-11
CUBES
Looks at topics from different angles
Eliminates flat thinking Includes six commands and a
prompt
Differentiation, Grades 4-12, 12-13
THINKDOTS
Strategy used to review, demonstrate, and extend thinking
Can be developed to respond to learner readiness, learning profiles, student choice
Variation of cubes; works well with older students
THINK (TIC)-TAC-TOE
Allows students choice Incorporates learning preferences Takes readiness into account (basic and
advanced) Provides framework
Differentiation, Grades 4-12, 14-15