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

Once students have rough drafts of writing, revision needs to take place.  Students can revise their own papers with guidance and can also use peer revision.  One way for peer revision is to partner students and have them do the following.

1. Listen and read along as the author reads his story.

2. After listening, tell what the story is about and what is liked best.

3. Read the partner’s paper silently and make notes about clarity (Is there anything you don’t understand?) and details (What info/details could be added?).  Then discuss suggestions with the author and let the author decide what changes to make.

Another way for per revision is to group students into triads.  Each student reads all three papers for a certain skill and makes suggestions.  For instance, one student might check for complete sentences, another checks for subject-verb agreement, while the third checks for introductions and conclusions.  The key is to try to have students check for something they have success with using.

Revision is very important.  Research shows that a teacher’s revisions of a student’s paper and then having the student make corrections is not effective.  Students need to be involved if they are to remember and learn. Transfer of knowledge can occur if the student is involved with his own revisions.

I think we sometimes assume students have been taught certain skills when they have not.  That is why it is imperative that we pretest and use the results to instruct.  We need to stop blaming those teachers who came before us and just teach what needs to be taught.  Saying that, I have some suggestions from experience of what most students need to be taught during their writing class, sometimes every year.  Not only should it be taught, but it should be practiced.  That is what I believe is missing: the application of the skills.

Students need to know the audience for their writing.  Teach what “audience” is.

Students need to be taught what dialogue is and how to use it.  Have students look in their library books for examples.  Have students use dialogue in their own writing.  Apply the skill.

If we want students to use sensory language, we have to teach what that means.  Then we need to have them use it in their own writing.  Again, they can look for examples in their library books.

For students to  know different types of sentence structures, we need to teach them.  Teach one type and have them apply it in their own writing.  Teach another and so on.

New vocabulary needs to be taught and then USED.  Apply the words in their own writing.  Post the words on word walls.

Please, please, please have students practice skills in context and not on isolated skills worksheets.  I am not a fan of worksheets…

Students need to be taught the type of writing modes.  They need practice with all kinds of prompts.  They need to be taught how to read and interpret prompts on a regular basis.

Students need oral and written feedback.

Teach how to revise and proofread.  Use M-E-S-S.  (movability, expansion, slotting, sentence-combining)

Students need to see examples (exemplars) of high quality writing that has clear focus, details, a command of the language, and appropriate sentence variety.

Try to score papers only on what skills have been taught.

FORMULAIC writing is NOT recommended.

You can help your students improve their writing with some planning, persistence, perseverance, and sometimes prayer.  Happy writing.

All students can improve their writing. Some students improve quicker than others, however.   Children with certain learning difficulties need  balance between opportunities to write and opportunities  to receive explicit instruction in skills and strategies to become proficient. These students need frequent writing on meaningful tasks that have an audience and a purpose for the writing.  Making the writing “real” is very important.

To motivate students, teachers  can encourage them to create class magazines and blogs which give them a real purpose to revise and edit.  Creating shopping lists, writing thank you notes, and completing applications also help to motivate students to write.  Giving them an authentic audience and purpose for their writing is a key to success in their writing.

The writing process should be taught, practiced, and used.  It should be consistent throughout the school. Students need to write daily with research recommending that students be actively involved in the writing process for at least forty-five minutes daily. Writing needs to occur across the content areas with much collaboration among teachers and students.

The writing process to follow varies a little depending upon where, and by whom, the information is shared, but it remains basically consistent enough as not to confuse those teaching or using it.  Some terms need to be taught like draft/copy and revision/proofreading/editing.

Since 1980, I have used the follow process with success.  Much more detail about the process and how to use it can be found on Facebook at studio wise in madison, ga., posted 9.22.20.

Prewriting, Sloppy Copy, Revision, Proofreading, Final Draft/Copy, Publishing

Don’t forget to check out more information at studio wise madison, ga. on Facebook.

Many students struggle with writing.  Several barriers to good writing exist, and strategies for improving are available. Handwriting, spelling, punctuation, fluency, and sentence formation are some of the barriers.

Handwriting: Consider word processing. Give students short daily practice sessions (10-15 minutes) followed by application.

Spelling: Teach spelling patterns.  Have students memorize high-frequency irregularly spelled words.  Make word lists and word walls so students see words to use in their writing. Allow students to have personalized word lists. Provide spelling dictionaries. Teach strategies for learning new words.

Punctuation: 

Fluency:

Sentence Formation:  Research  shows that traditional grammar instruction has little impact on writing quality. Teach sentence expansion, sentence combining, and types of sentences within paragraph types. These work!

For more info:

Teaching Secondary Students to Write

Writing Next

Lucy Calkins writings

Steve Graham writings

The National Writing Project

greatschools.org

What Works Clearinghouse

How do we monitor struggling writers?  Response to Intervention (RTI) is one process that does just that when done with fidelity.  In a nutshell, the process is below.  Tons of info are available if you have further questions.

Through RTI, students get the support they need when they need it before it’s too late.

RTI: Use a universal screener  2-3 times a year. Collect data over time.  Adjust instruction until success.  Modify and differentiate the instruction (intervention) and then check regularly (process monitoring) to see if the intervention is working.

RTI is what good teachers have always done.

Well, I can get on a soapbox about writing instruction.  Hearing others make excuses about why students can’t write when we haven’t taught them really bothers me.  As I say often, teaching students to write is hard work, but it CAN be done.

Research is available about what works and what doesn’t.  Best practices are available.  A process for teaching writing is available.  There is even a process on monitoring struggling students (RTI) that is available.  We know what to do.  We need to rethink schools, I believe, to envision a world where we are educating all our students where all leave school literate and knowledgeable. We are not there yet.

If you haven’t read the Writing Next research, download it and check it out.  Here, I am listing strategies that work.  The actual document goes in to much more detail. With all the research at our fingertips, there is no reason why we should not be creating classrooms that have our children leaving as successful writers.

1. Actually teach the strategies.

2. Teach summarization.

3. Use collaborative writing.

4. Set specific writing goals.

5. Use some word processing.

6. Teach and use sentence-combining.

7. Use prewriting.

8. Include inquiry activities.

9.  Use process writing approach.

Have students study models of effective writing. Teach and use “writing for content” learning.

Just as there is a writing process, there is also a process for reading.  As there are strategies for preparing to read and reading itself,  there are also ways to extend the reading. Listed below are several extension strategies .

1. Oral discussion

2. Graphic organizers (which can be used in each step of the process): To compare characters, settings,  organizational structures

4. Quick writes

5. Summarize sections.

6. Present a readers’ theatre.

7. Write a poem about what was read.

8. Extensions will vary depending on whether the reading is fiction or non-fiction.

Writing: POW

   P     lan what to say.

   O    rganize what to say.

   W   rite and say more.

Silent and Purposeful Reading Process: MAX

    M   otivation (before): Connections. background knowledge, setting a purpose

    A    cquisition (during): Reading and gathering information

e   X  tension  (after) : See separate post about extending reading.