A Workshop on Writing Instruction

Presenter: Amy Benjamin Today’s visuals are available to you at www.amybenjamin.com

Today’s Topics:Differentiating instruction to meet student needsDifference between revising and editingUsing “Reading Rods” to develop sentence sense“Sentence-making Kit” to write and develop complete sentencesWriter’s Workshop ModelUsing pictures to prompt four kinds of writing purposesSuggestions for writing introductions and conclusionsA brainstorming techniqueSolving common writing problemsTeaching students to write four different kinds of questions

Where do I need help?

Answeringthe question

Organizing myideas

Writing the ConclusionVocabulary Development

Spelling

Getting Started;

Writing the introduction

Capitalizing

Using punctuationWriting neatly andclearly

When I proofread my pre-final draft, I need

to look carefully at these things, which might

be problems:

1. _______________________

2. _______________________

3. _______________________

_____________’s Proofreading List

run-onspunctuationcapitalizationspelling:

suffixesWord Wall words

ie ei homonymsdescriptive wordsindentingrepetitivethen/thantoo many “then I”

sentence variety: different beginningsspacing, letter heights, careful letter formationsubject-verb agreementNO wanna, gonna, cuz, & and other “speaky” “words”

When I proofread my pre-final draft, I need

to look carefully at these things, which might

be problems:

1. _______________________

2. _______________________

3. _______________________

_____________’s Proofreading List

_____________’s Proofreading List

When I proofread my pre-final draft, I need

to look carefully at these things, which might

be problems:

1. ___Complete sentences____________________

2. ___capital letters_____________

3. _too many times I say I I I ___________________

Alison

Writing Tasks: Range

EvaluateCompare & ContrastRecommendPersuadeDraw conclusionsMake generalizations

ListDefineDescribeIdentifyPut in orderCreate categories

ApplyIllustrateGive examples ofSummarize, paraphrase, restateAnalyze (take apart + put together)

More complexityLess complexity

Where are we now?Where would we like to be?

Scaffolding higher-level tasks

Gradual release of responsibility:

1. Provide a word bank

2. Provide sentence stems (template)

3. Provide models; copy the models

The Difference Between Revision and Editing

Revision is about transforming: Editing is about correcting:

Content: Through the pre-writing and drafting stages, the writer may develop a new conception of where the whole piece wants to go.

Organization: The writer may rearrange sentences or paragraphs. The writer will probably want to add transitions: in and out of paragraphs and from sentence to sentence within paragraphs

Language: The writer should be upgrading vocabulary to be interesting, varied, and appropriate for the audience. The writer should also be combining sentences, eliminating redundancy, and using other rhetorical techniques that make the language more powerful and efficient.

Grammar: Agreement: Subject-verb Pronoun-antecedent Pronoun case Adjectival Adverbial Usage: Proper verb forms Consistency of verb tense Clarity: Placement of sentence elementsSpellingCapitalizationPunctuationInadvertently omitted or ineffectively repeated wordsOverall presentation and “look” of the piece

Revision

Editing: Surface Features, such as: Grammatical mismatches and errors Spelling, capitalization, punctuation

Meaning: Did you do what the question asked you to do? (Also called: focus, addressing the task

Development:

Do you have sufficientsupportive information, suchas: reasons, examples,anecdotes, textual reference, proof

Organization:

Do you give your reader enoughtransitional words between andwithin paragraphs?

Do your introduction and conclusion serveyour purpose?

Language:

Is your word choice(diction) appropriate,efficient,interesting, and varied?

Is your sentence structure(syntax) appropriate, efficient,interesting, and varied?

Have you written from theappropriate P.O.V?

Is your language tone(register) appropriatefor youraudience?

Writer’s Workshop Model

Based on Lucy Calkins’ model from The Art of Teaching Writing

Students have open flexible time (usually about forty minutes each day, threeor 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 throughthe remaining phases of the writing process (…revision, editing, publication)

Revision: Peer readers respond to the draftEditing: With teacher assistancePublication: Copied neatly or typewritten; illustrated; displayed or published

in a book; student sits in the “Author’s Chair” and reads hisor her piece to an audience

How is your writing class similarto/different from this model?

What might you like to adapt?

4 Purposes for Writing

To Persuade

To Entertain

To Inform

To Socialize

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____________ Don’t 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 you’ve 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

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

How?

Language Development:

Students place a picture in the

center of this page. They

compose sentences that

answer the six information

questions.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions

Technique 1: Begin with an anecdote

Example: How Are You Being Controlled?

When someone in my family needs shoes, we go to the Big Box Store. My mom tells me that before I was born, there were many shoestores in our town. But they all closed one by one when the Big Box Storeopened up.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions

Technique 2: Begin with a meaningful quotation

Example: How I Solved a Problem

In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle, for theyshall inherit the earth.”

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions

Technique 3: Begin with “news”:

Example: Cigarette Advertising to Kids

Our guest speaker told us that ninety percentof American smokers started as teenagers.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions

Technique 4: Begin with background.

Example: Illegal Drugs in SportsThe United States Congress held hearings to find out about the

problem of professional baseball players who have been using illegalsteroids to make them bigger and stronger.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Introductions

Technique 5: Begin with an announcement

Example: My BrotherI am going to tell you why my brother Kevin

makes our family laugh.

And a few techniques you might want to avoid:

1. Dictionary definition

2. In this report, I am going to talk about…

3. Did you ever…..? (flat, uninteresting question)

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions

Technique 1: End with an instruction to thereader: If….then…

Example: How to Care for a Pet

If you follow these steps, your pet will be safe and happy, andso will you.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions

Technique 2: End with a prediction

Example: How to Care for a Pet

I predict that if you take good care of your pet, youwill want another one soon.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions

Technique 3: End with a strong, emotional statement

Example: How to Care for a Pet

You promised your parents you would take care of your pet,so now do it!!!

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions

Technique 4: End with a statement that “echoes” your opening statement.

Example: How to Care for a Pet

Tippy always greets Jason with a wagging tail and a happy facebecause he knows that Jason loves him.

5 Techniques for Writing Excellent Conclusions

Technique 5: End with a question that leaves the reader thinking.

Example: How to Care for a Pet

Do you think you are ready for the responsibility for takingcare of a pet?

A Brainstorming-Organization Technique

First, brainstorm the phrases. Then, sort them into the three columns: beginning, middle, end. Then, put the phrases in order within the beginning, middle, and end. Then, create sentences.

Then, link main ideas together with transitions (and, but, so).

Write all of the phrases that apply to your topic:

Beginning Middle End

Problem-Solver: Student writing

When my students(mistakenly) writethis:

and I want them(instead) to writethis:

Here is what I might suggest:

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

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…?

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…

Teaching Students to Write Different Kinds of Questions

Topic:_________________________

“Mile” or “kilometer”questions: 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…?