Writing Assessment

WritingAssessment

Presentation

Cathy Mergele

July 8, 2003

Who Has Taught You the Most About Writing?

They were all good writers themselves!!

What Is Good Writing?

• A process (Nancie Atwell)• Expressing the author’s ideas clearly• Making meaning on the page (Lucy Calkins)• Making significance of details (Lucy Calkins)• A response to life• Personal -voice• Writing is the making of reading (Donald

Graves)

Theory

• Students can write authentically

• Writing must be a priority in the classroom

• Students match expectations

• Learn best when writing is modeled

• Teacher-researcher role

• Students can discover their own topics

• Students can guide their learning

Who Are Pioneers in the Field?

• Donald H. Graves• Lucy Calkins• Nancie Atwell• Donald M . Murray• Regie Routman• Randy Bomer

Donald H. Graves

• Began teaching in 1956

• Interest in writing began with doctoral study (1973)

• Initially worked as a researcher

• First book 1982, Writing; Teachers and Children at Work

• Retired in 1992 after 20 years at University of New Hampshire

• Continues to publish

Lucy Calkins

• Founding Director of Teachers College Writing Project 1979

• Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University

• First book in 1983, Lessons from a Child

• 1986, 1994 The Art of Teaching Writing

Nancie Atwell

• Began teaching in 1973

• Taught Junior High English for 12 years

• Founded Center for Teaching and Learning in 1990

• First classroom teacher to receive major research awards for In The Middle

• Continues to refine process Side by Side, Lessons that Change Writers

What Do They All Have in Common?

1. Began as traditional teachers

Taught curriculum as standard

2. Total freedom of students

Choose books, topics, and style

3. Intervention in student writing

Taught concepts as needed

4. Collaborate with other writers

Continue to grow as writers themselves

Why Do We Need to Change?

• Students have only mastered predictable writing—change from TAAS to TAKS

• “We have taught grammar for 12 years and the kids still don’t know it!”

• Students think of writing as a “school only” activity

Writing

• Response to Literature

• Journal Letters• Response to art• Shared writing• Response to

Literature Circles• Focus on content• Write every day

Teacher's Role

• Facilitate writing and learningProvide materials and time

• Teach based on demonstrated needMini-lessons on problems noted

• Personalize learningIndividual vocabulary and spelling

• Literature rich environmentAll types of texts

• Model writingVarious types/purposes

Objections to Writing

• Time, time, time• Material won’t be

covered--No set curriculum

• Won’t cover the standards

• How do I know they know?

Authentic Assessments

• Ensure specific criteria are met for success

• Use indicators as a concrete sign of criterion being met

• Properly balance the impact of the work with an assessment of content and process

Relearning by Design, 2000

Authentic Assessments

• Grow out of and reflect our values and plans and our students values and plans

• Grow out of and are woven into the very fabric of the school day

• Inform our teaching and our students’ learning

Lucy Calkins, The Art of Writing

Using Writing to Inform Our Teaching

• What are the students doing frequently?

• Is everybody doing it?

• Why are they doing it?

• What do I need to do a mini-lesson on?

• How can I model it?• What will I look for

to know they understand?

• Does it need to be added to a check sheet?

Before it comes to you…

• Self-evaluation– Rough drafts

– Line throughs

• Peer evaluation (2)– Initials

– Different colors

• Is this your best work?

Gifted/Talented

• Area of giftedness• Multiple intelligences• Access to information• Richer literature• Encouragement to

develop writing skills

Inclusion/ESL

• Students start where they are

• Content based grading-ideas before spelling

• Conventions added more slowly

• Learn from other students-peer editing

• Experience success in expressing ideas

Bibliography

• “Professional History,” http://www.donaldgraves.org/professional_history.asp

• “Lucy McCormick Calkins,”http://www.tc.columbia.edu/campaign/Pages/lmcalkins.html

• In The Middle, 2nd Edition, Nancie Atwell, Heineman, 1998• Side by Side, Nancie Atwell, Heineman, 1991• A Fresh Look at Writing, Donald H. Graves, Heineman, 1994• The Art of Teaching Writing, New Edition, Lucy Calkins,

Heineman, 1994• Conversations, Regie Routman, Heinemen, 2000• Classrooms that Work; They can ALL Read and Write, 3rd

EditionPaticia Cunninghan and Richard Allington, Allyn and Bacon, 2003

Bibliography, con’t

• http://www.relearning.org/resources/PDF/rubric_sampler.pdf

• http://www.nald.ca/CLR/Btg/ed/evaluation/Reading.htm• http://www.middleweb.com/ReadWrkshp/

RWdownloads.html#anchor6471050• http://www.iu29.org/pg/rubric.html• http://www.writingproject.org/index.html• http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/writing/

graves_process.html• http://www.literacyconnections.com/Writing.html