Studio WISE…a mosaic of literacy, history, and creativity

1. What are writing conferences? They are basically short conversations with students about their writing.
2. How long should they last? Three to six minutes is a good length for a conference.
3. What can be discussed in a writing conference? Stages of the writing process, specific strategies, qualities of good writing, etc. Start with something positive and then guide and teach.
4. What are some types of conferences? *A roving conference is where teachers move about. *Students can schedule to meet with the teacher at a table or the teachers desk. *Peer conferences are useful, too.
5. What are appropriate times for conferences? This is dependent upon individual needs, but the following are suggestions: * while others are reading silently, after mini-lessons when students are having independent writing time (4-5 students can be pulled), in the mornings while students are drifting in, in the afternoons as students are waiting to leave…Be creative. Time is available if we look for it.

Writing Conferences the WISE Way

Targeted instruction+ time= learning. (Bloom)

That equation should be in the forefront of every classroom and every professional learning session for every teacher and administrator in every state. Targeted instruction. Time. Learning. That’s the answer.

We cannot change students’ home environments, but we can change what we do in our schools to teach our students. Teach, not indoctrinate. Most teachers report for duty every day, after planning exciting classes for all their students, and do the best they know how to reach their precious children. That is not in question. What is in question is perhaps the training for teachers and accountability for what really works if our students are to succeed.

The last two years have stolen precious learning opportunities from our children. I know most teachers and administrators have worked hard to keep instruction current and available through virtual learning and some face-to-face instruction. I’m afraid it hasn’t been enough. We have got to figure out the gaps that have been created and work with parents and other stakeholders to make certain that the children are ready for their futures.

Are we really teaching and reaching our students? In 2008, 1.2 million students dropped out of school. (Swanson, 2008) In 2019, there were 2 million dropouts. (NCES) Why? It is estimated that 60-75 percent of prison inmates are functionally illiterate. Illiteracy and crime are related. What can we do to change these statistics?

Poor teaching has consequences. All students deserve best practices, high quality and research-based instruction (great teaching), and current standards.

If students are struggling, we need to ask if it might stem from a curricular issue, instructional issue, or a student issue. If we dig a little deeper, I believe we will find more curricular and instructional issues and less student ones. Once we know, we need to remedy the situation.

As you are planning your classes, keep these four words in the forefront: Reteach, Review, Remediate, and Enrich. If we do those, our children will succeed at a much higher level. We cannot be satisfied with the status quo but must seek out anything that helps our children.

Teachers have gotten a bad rap during the pandemic, so let’s prove them wrong. We are here to teach our students. Becoming literate doesn’t happen by chance.

Students must be taught what we are assessing with a rubric if they are to succeed. Teachers must know what they are teaching before they can ensure student success. Creating charts for the wall with this information or making individual step books will help students remember what the writing domains are and how to improve.

Ideas

Choose an idea, stay on topic, and use details. Brainstorm ideas. Plan writing. Add details with the w and h words. Show; don’t tell in your writing. Narrow your topic. Use expansion. Read about the topic first. Focus.

Organization

Write a complete paper in proper order. Have a beginning, middle, and an ending. Use transition words. Link sentences into paragraphs. Make sure paper is complete.

Style

Make paper interesting, have it sound like you, and use interesting words. Stick to the purpose. Show action. Think about the audience. Remember the genre. Use strong verbs and vivid adjectives. Don’t overuse words. Begin sentences in different ways. Use different kinds of sentences. Use movability, sentence-combining, and slotting.

Conventions

Write so others can read and understand your papers. Capitalize. Punctuate. Space between words. Indent. Watch spelling. Use homophones correctly.

When creating a basic rubric using this info, weigh Ideas 40% and the other three domains 20% each.

***Summarized by WISE Writing Consulting

( A few thoughts about Expository writing)

Expository is writing that is meant to inform the reader. Informational writing in the lower grades is similar to what will be discussed in this post. Opinion isn’t a part of this writing. Describing, defining, explaining, and informing about a topic is the gist of it.

Before asking students to write , we must first link reading and writing for them. They need to “see and hear” it before they can write it. Students must read other expository writings and discuss them, break them apart, and model them to prepare for their own expository writing.

In preparation, students need to be taught to write an effective thesis. Conducting research may also be an important part in this process. Discuss with students techniques for grabbing/hooking the interest of the audience. Stick to the facts. Clarity and organization are important.

Examples of Expository:

• Process essays
• C/C
• Business writing
• Cover Letters
• Resumes
• Research papers
• Oral History
• Textbooks
• News stories
• Technical Guides

Explain. Report. Describe how to…Tell what happened when…

Ways to Develop a Main Idea in Expository

1. Examples
2. Compare and contrast
3. Definition and Explanation
4. Cause and effect

****Tip: Avoid first and second person pronouns in Expository writing.

This post is for all students, especially ones who are in the RTI process, ones with an IEP, and ones who need more challenge.

I bet these questions have crossed your mind a time or two if you’ve attempted to teach students to write. What do I do with a student who struggles with getting ideas on the paper? What about spelling? Fluency? Grammar? Style? Focus? Why is writing growth so hard to measure?

Here, I will attempt to simplify goal-setting, but I am going to be blunt. It won’t happen if you don’t get out of the boat. It will take some work, but the dividends will be worth it. Keep reading.

Before setting goals, let’s remember that students must first have something on the paper. If that is difficult, this may be your first goal…fluency. Students need to write DAILY for a variety of audiences and purposes. Not all writing is “graded.”

Informal writing includes, but is not limited to, writing to summarize, to solve problems, response to reading in logs and journals, and quick writes.

How much do students need to write at a time? Do not tell students how much to write, but tell them how long. Set a timer and build some perseverance. They need to get something on paper without concentrating on the length. Fluency needs to be built.

Establish a baseline. Does that sound familiar? Well, it can be done with writing. It has to be specific. A baseline may include writing prompts, fluency probes, spelling lists, and standards-based assessments.

You determine the area of greatest need: Fluency, focus, content, style, conventions, etc. The tool to be used needs to be explained to the student. Are you checking for the amount of words written? Total number of sentences? Is it based on a rubric? All of this needs to be considered when establishing a baseline.

CONTENT GOALS

This includes getting down ideas and developing/supporting them.

Examples of CONTENT GOALS:

1.Given a writing assignment, _______________will improve his score from doesn’t meet the standard to meeting in IDEAS on the school rubric.

2. Using a graphic organizer, ________________ will write a __(A number)____paragraph essay that includes topic sentences, _(A number)_____transition words, and a conclusion.

3. _______ will write a _______ sentence paragraph with a topic sentence and _________ detail sentences.

FLUENCY GOALS

Fluency goals will depend upon the level/age/grade of the students. Goals may measure letters written, words written, words written correctly, or sentences written.

1. Given 5 minute timed probe, _________will increase the number of _____________ written from ________(current baseline) to ____________.

FOCUS GOALS

A writer needs to stay on topic, not confuse the reader, or give information that isn’t relevant.

1. Given a written assignment at ______ grade level, _______ will stay on a given topic/stay focused and will move from level _______ to _________.

Goals can also be set for students to move from meets to exceeds.

CONVENTIONS AND EDITING GOALS

1. Given a one-paragraph writing sample at the ________ grade level, _______ will correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors accurately with fewer than ___________ errors.
2. Given a prompt, __________ will complete ___________ sentences using correct capitalization and punctuation with ________% accuracy from the baseline of _________%.

STYLE GOALS

Teaching students to find their voices is hard to teach and difficult to measure. Be specific as to what you expect. Read to students all the time, so that they hear other voices.

1. _______ will include ________ descriptive words in a given written assignment.
2. Given a three paragraph assignment, _______ will vary sentence structure throughout each paragraph.
3. ________ will correctly include one or more simile and/or metaphor in a written assignment.
4. Given a written assignment, _________ will begin each sentence in a different way.
5. Given a writing assignment, _______ will use a combination of simple and compound sentences. (Given the students/grades, they may also be required to write complex and compound-complex per their standards.)

What I have shared is a start. Make the goals pertinent to your students and schools. Use these if they work for you. Seek out more information. I am here to help.

Resources that may provide more information about setting writing goals:

• Meredith Laden
• National Writing Project
• WISE Writing Consulting
• IEP Goals and Objectives Bank

I love to journal and love to teach about journaling. What many do not realize is that various types of journaling exist. Journaling can be one outlet for expressive writing. It is my hope that this post will explain in a nutshell what expressive writing is and how therapeutic it can be for many.

Gregory Ciotti and James Pennebaker have written extensively about expressive writing and how it may help the whole person. Many of their ideas are used in today’s post. Expressive writing is a more structured approach.

Think about it as journal therapy for mental health and the soul. Expressive writing is more about how one feels about what happened or is happening than about what already happened. Sometimes we use journaling to regurgitate events so that we don’t forget. This is different.

When we start writing about our feelings, it seems emotions may seem to get worse before better . Try to work through this, but if things get worse and don’t improve, stop writing and get help from a trained specialist. Expressive writing works for many, but it is not for everyone. I do hope you see benefits if you try it, however.

So how does this look? Expressive writing can take many paths.

• Diaries
• Journals
• Memoirs
• Personal songs and/or poetry
• Opinion pieces
• Personal observations
• Blogs
• Reflections
• Narratives

Basically, it is working through emotions and changes we may encounter. It’s talking on paper. William Wordsworth said, “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” It’s a way to keep from pressing emotions deep inside to surface only when we least expect it. The best way to get through life, I think, is to face it head on. I have not always been successful, but writing does help me. Perhaps this will help you, as well.

What are the benefits of regular/often expressive writing?

• Reduces stress
• Improves sleep
• Has a positive impact on mental health
• Helps mood and well-being
• Reduces neural overload (too much going on in the brain)
• Improves retention of info if done by hand
• Builds motor memory better than a keyboard

Graham Gibbs, former Oxford professor, suggests the following plan for expressive “writing to heal.”

1. Describe what happened. (Description)
2. What were you thinking and feeling? What are your feelings now? (Feelings)
3. What was good and bad about the situation? (Evaluation)
4. What sense can you now make of the situation? (Analysis)
5. What else could you have done? (Conclusion)
6. If it arose again, what would you do? (Action Plan)

I have added Step 7.

7. Write a letter to yourself making peace with the event. This may be completed at a later date.

If you would like more information about expressive writing, email me at slpholbert@gmail.com.

• Engages students in learning
• A means to evaluate mastery of content or of written form
• Forms and extends thinking
• Engages students in becoming invested in their ideas and learning
• Writing-to-learn : Literary modes, free writing, sentence-combining, rubrics
• Students engage with the text in order to understand it.
• Must be planned with a purpose and audience…authentic
• Discover, connect, clarify, and communicate through writing.
• Daily writing

Students should be writing often and at extended opportunities.

If students get to high school and are struggling writers, we must find ways to close the gap. No excuses.

High school students need multiple opportunities to use journals and logs. They need to write informational and argumentative pieces, as well as research papers. They need a chance to write creatively. (I think we have lost the creative writing along the way…)

Read the previous posts about writing in math and science classes for suggestions.

We cannot continue to ignore the writing research. Students won’t learn to write if they never get the opportunity. One doesn’t learn to swim without jumping in the water. Same with the skill of writing.

I challenge you to read many of my posts at wisewritingconsulting.com and choose some new ideas to try. You can do it. Happy writing.

Steve Graham, well-known writing authority, says that writing is a neglected skill, and I agree wholeheartedly. Most teachers know what it takes, but it gets forgotten in the demands they face. Stakeholders don’t always see the importance , and lack of time is a “factor” for teachers when asked why writing isn’t happening.

Writing is needed for student success; it IS a fundamental skill. The United States is not the only country facing the issue . Graham also states that writing instruction is inadequate in many countries and many grades. Most countries. Let that sink in…

The last two years have been so difficult on everyone. Education and students have suffered, I don’t care how well students did with virtual learning. It just was not the same. Gaps were evident before the pandemic, and I believe we will only be able to see the real effects of the pandemic on education as we move forward. We must find a way to reach our students, to make up what they missed, and to fill in important cognitive gaps in the quickest way we can.

I believe writing is more important today than it has ever been. We have got to change how we teach so instruction improves and students have cognitive gains. Writing is a means to an end. A solid writing plan and research-based strategies are a must, now more than ever. Writing is the most important cognitive tool we have readily available that also improves reading along the way. Why do we continue to ignore the benefits of having our students write regularly?

Gregory Ciotti and James Pennebaker write extensively about the benefits of writing. Ciotti in 2014 reminded us that writing by hand improves retention of information and builds motor memory better than using a keyboard. That needs to be shouted from the rooftop.

Teachers must be trained in the “why” and the “how” and then adequate time—extensive time— must be built in to the schedule. Writing cannot be an afterthought, and it cannot be neglected any longer.

Let’s ask ourselves a couple of questions. What do we want our students to be able to do? How do we use writing? Think hard. Be honest. If you teach math, really think about how your class is organized and what you expect of your students.

I believe most of us want our students to succeed and will do anything we can to make that happen. What would you say if I told you that having your students write is one of the best ways to your students’ success? Would you decide you already have too much on your plate and that it’s just one more thing? I’m serious and it may take removing some of the activities you have had the habit of using with your math students. Stay with me, and please read with an open mind.

Having students write in math class will

• help students reflect on learning
• encourage deeper understanding
• help to make connections
• help access formatively and summatively
• help solidify thinking
• help students gain new perspectives
• and help both teachers and students discover holes in logic and missing steps.

All students in all classes need to write, and research supports this. Marilyn Burns says, “I can no longer imagine teaching math without making writing an integral aspect of students’ learning.”

When do they write? Students need to write consistently and daily, if possible, in all classes. This writing must be planned and purposely to achieve the desired results: increased understanding of the math content.

It is not easy to teach students to write, but it can be done. Nothing happens by accident. It helps to connect their speaking to writing. I like to call writing “thinking on paper.” Have them to put their math thoughts on paper.

What are some ways to accomplish this?

• Think-Write-Pair-Share
• Post prompts and key vocabulary you want students to use.
• Use a rubric to guide responses.
• Journals and logs

Prewriting, even in math, is important.

• Webs
• KWL Charts
• Pictures and labels
• Definitions to words
• Writing about real-life math applications using specific concepts and skills
• Think about understanding of a skill on a scale of 1-5 and explain to the students what the scale means.

Some prompts might include

• I agree with…
• I started the problem like…but then…
• I don’t agree with…

Assign specific, reachable writing goals. Use computers as instructional support. Have students analyze concrete data to develop ideas for a writing activity. USE WRITING AS A TOOL FOR LEARNING CONTENT.

What might you look for from your math students when they write?

• Evidence of logical conclusions
• Justification of answers and processes
• Use of facts to explain thinking
• Explanations about how they solved a problem
• Solutions to problems
• Reports describing contributions of mathematicians

Some examples of writing assignments:

• Define parallel (or another term) in your own words.
• Cut out a graph and write a paragraph about it.
• Write one sentence that…
• How do you know one-sixth is smaller than one-half?
• Write everything you know about…
• What are three things you learned today?
• What confuses you about today’s lesson?

Example of a log
Date. Name of topic, chapter, video… Pages read, length of discussion, etc. Main points. Summary of main points. (Students must be taught how to summarize before the can summarize.

Cornell Notes:
Pair Cornell notes with a reading assignment, video, mini-lesson, etc. Students summarize on the left. Respond to the summary on the right which is inferential and critical thinking.

or

Write the problem on the left. Write the way to solve it on the right. Add a third column and have them write a personal reflection that describes what was easy, frustrating, confusing, etc.

To review, writing helps students problem-solve and think critically. Writing supports mathematical reasoning. We must teach the vocabulary before expecting the students to use or understand in their writing.

For more information:

Two of Marilyn Burns’ books, 10 Big Math Ideas and Options for Writing in Math

Math Journals Boost Real Learning

Math Out Loud

Greg Tang’s Poems in Math Class? Yeah. Write!

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Writing Next research by Graham and Perin

WISE Writing Consulting

Students are never too young to write. It should be a focus of early education to instill a love of literacy in students. We generally get from our students what we expect. With that being said, I am sharing with you a few tips for your ELA classrooms in Elementary and even Primary schools. (Much has already been said about the upper grades in previous posts.)

• Teach, teach, teach the writing process.
• Write EVERYDAY at least 45-60 minutes actively…
• It really is as easy as PIE: Persuade, Inform, Entertain
• Review the Traits of Writing.
• Be familiar with the writing standards.
• Have high expectations for all.
• Develop routines and classroom management.
• Conference with all students. Conferencing can be as simple as sitting down and talking 2-4 minutes about the writing. Students can move to you, you may go to students, or you may just rove about the class and stop for impromptu conferences. Students can share what they are writing, you can ask questions, or you can read parts of the papers. Always leave students with something to try or revise.
• Decide how you will keep writing records. Find something that works for you. Schedule a few conferences daily. Devote any extra time to struggling students.
• Read, read, read to and with students. Talk about the reading. Journal about the reading.
• Teach important vocabulary words. Use research-based strategies to teach.
• Revise, revise, revise the writing. (See Cleaning-up-the-Mess posts.)
• Writer’s Workshop (Writing Workshop) still works.
• If you are using the Daily Five approach, remember that the writing center is only part of the suggested writing time. There is also a recommended writing block that is often ignored…
• Get creative. Buy funky writing utensils and paper. Have them use thin white paper plates as paper. Write on cardboard. Do whatever it takes.
• Research is available that supports using paper and pencil over word processing. Balance is the key.
• Think. Reflect. Organize. Start with a clear learning and writing goal. Give short, direct writing assignments with real-life applications. Model writing as thinking.
• To facilitate spelling:
  • Word wall with pictures when appropriate
  • Books, books, books
  • Poems
  • Charts
  • Posters
  • Writing

Who’s to blame if a student doesn’t master a standard if we are not teaching it?

Happy writing.