Enhancing Writing Skills through Iowa Core ELA Standards

    West Liberty

Community Schools

February 11, 2015

Helen Duranleau-Brennan

1

Session Goals:

•

Participants will review the argumentation

writing component of the Iowa Core ELA

Standards.

•

Participants will share the argumentation task

that was implemented in the classroom.

•

Participants will examine Iowa Core Writing

Standard 2 and tools for implementation in the

classroom.

•

Participants will develop an

informative/explanatory task for class

implementation.

2

Learning Targets

•

I can explain the professional

responsibilities of the Iowa Core ELA

standards.

•

I can incorporate Iowa Core Writing

Standard 2 in my classroom.

•

I can design and implement an

informative/explanatory task in my

classroom.

3

Professional Considerations

1.

Start on time.

2.

Stay focused and limit distractions.

3.

Engage in respectful, honest,

confidential, and open-minded

collaboration.

4.

Be an engaged, active learner.

5.

Use technology respectfully.

4

LITERACY: WRITING  &

STANDARDS

5

Review

Writing to Argue or Explain

●

Writing to sources and writing an

argument based on evidence and

conveying complex information should be

part of instruction.

●

Writing prompts should be tied to texts.

●

Students should be writing

arguments/taking stances and using

evidence from sources to support their

positions.

6

Five Reasons Why Students

Should Write…

1.

Writing improves communication skills.

2.

Writing helps students review and 

     remember recently learned material.

3.  

Writing helps educators assess student  

learning.

4.  

Writing encourages creativity and

exploration.

5.   

Writing is essential for self-understanding.

7

Anchor Standard 1 for

Writing

Review: Write arguments to support

claims in an analysis of substantive

topics or texts using valid reasoning

and relevant and sufficient evidence.

We looked at terminology in argumentation. (claim, evidence,

reasoning, rebuttal)

We looked at a framework to use while constructing arguments.

(CERR)

We looked at sample arguments, planning sheets, graphic

organizers, an outline frame, sentence frames, and rubrics for

argumentation.

8

Reflection

•

Struggles?

•

Successes?

•

Share out at your tables.

•

Share with large group.

9

Research

“When students write more frequently, their

ability to think, reason, analyze,

communicate, and perform on tests will

improve. Writing in every curricular area,

using many different text types, is critical to

student achievement.”

Dr. Douglas Reeves, Center for Performance Assessment, in

Greiner, "Eleven Research-based Tips for Improving Writing

Instruction," 2007

10

Research

•

It is essential that we increase writing

volume across the curriculum. It has been

well proven that writing influences

content retention, boosts acquisition of

academic vocabulary, and enhances

reasoning ability 

(Marzano, 2008; Hoyt, 2007; Stead;

2002). 

11

Professional 

E

xpectations

By high school, the expectation is that

students will "write informative/explanatory

texts to examine and convey complex ideas,

concepts, and information clearly and

accurately through the effective selection,

organization, and analysis of content." 

(Iowa Core for English Language Arts & Literacy in

History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical

Subjects 

, pg. 

81

).

12

Explanatory Writing Differs

from Argument Writing

because...

•

an explanatory response seeks to explain,

support, or clarify. The 

thesis statement

for an explanatory essay is factual and

objective. It conveys the writer’s purpose

to increase readers’ knowledge, 

not to

change their minds.

13

Explanatory 

writing

 may be

organized in various ways…

•

Cause/ Effect

•

Problem/ Solution

•

Definition

•

Classification

•

Chronological/ Sequential

•

Compare/Contrast

•

Compare

•

Contrast

14

Type of Writing in Content Areas

Sample 

Content-specific

Explanatory Tasks

•

Science Lab Reports- Explain lab

observations; compare a process used

to another possible process.

•

Career Technology Education -

Diagram the sequence of steps

required to diagnose and

troubleshoot malfunctioning

equipment. 

16

More Samples

•

Mathematics Reflections- Contrast the

graph you created with a partner and

depict the differences you discovered. 

•

Music- After listening to recordings of two

performances, identify strengths of each

performance and give suggestions for

improvement in 

the

 performance,

considering tone, intonation, balance, and

articulation. 

17

Even More Samples

•

Art- Explain the choices you made as

you developed ideas for your portrait. 

•

Social Studies- Compare Northern and

Southern rationales for the ending or

continuation of slavery 

18

Informational Teaching Task

Example: Science

•

After researching 

the following

articles on various organisms

, write 

a

report 

that defines “

organisms

” 

and

explains 

what Domain and Kingdom

you would classify each organism

.

Support your discussion with

evidence from your research. 

19

Informational Teaching Task

Example:  Social Studies

•

After researching 

secondary sources

on ancient India or China

, write 

a

report 

that 

explains

 the geography,

culture/customs, and government of

these civilizations. 

What conclusions

or implications can you draw? 

Cite at

least 

three

 sources, pointing out key

details 

from each source.

20

When in the lesson should we

have students write?

Writing can be done at any point in the

lesson.

•

Beginning

•

Middle

•

End

21

What writing should be

assigned?

•

Casual

•

Semi-formal

•

Formal

22

Casual 

W

riting is...

•

Comfortable writing

•

What we as adults do every day

•

Non-threatening

•

Rough in terms of grammar and structure 

•

Used to help us remember, organize, and

manage information in our daily lives 

•

Like talking to yourself on paper and really

for your eyes only

•

Examples: 

notes, lists, scribbles, journals, logs

23

Semi-formal 

W

riting is...

•

Conventional yet still comfortable. 

•

Slightly more deliberate than casual writing.

•

Nowhere near as polished as a formal piece

ready to be published.  

•

It is like talking to a friend. 

•

Needs to be able to be interpretable by

others, so it has to make sense.

•

Examples: 

essay questions, summaries,

responses, drafts, reflections, emails

24

Formal Writing...

•

Is dressed up with some place to go. 

•

Has a broad and possibly unknown audience. 

•

Requires the writer to navigate through the

entire writing process. 

•

Uses formal language and grammar. 

•

Should be assessed in a distinct way by the

instructor.

•

Examples: 

research papers, literary papers,

informational reports, business letters,

newspaper articles, editorials, etc.

25

Remember...

The length of a written response is

determined by the task and its

purpose. 

Every written response is not intended

to be an essay.

26

Short Response Writing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egGHvpDlF9A

27

28

WRITING PROCESS

“Nothing is particularly hard if

you divide it into small jobs."

Henry Ford

29

5 Step Writing Process

Use in formal writing. 

(Items in bold are iterative.)

•

Planning

•

Drafting 

•

Revising

•

Editing

•

Publishing

30

Planning

The student carries out necessary pre-writing

planning activities, brainstorming of content,

format, 

purpose, goals.

•

Direct students to pertinent information

that will come from classroom learning:

reading, viewing, listening, practicing, etc.

•

Provide various learning opportunities :

•

PowerPoint/Lecture

•

View a video

•

Read selected articles, etc.

31

Pre-writing organizer

32

33

http://www.eduplace.com/g

raphicorganizer/

34

Step 2 -- Drafting

•

Students d

evelop a thesis statement: a

sentence that contains the focus of 

the

paper and tells 

the

 reader what it will be

about.

•

Students d

etermine the main points that

support 

the

 thesis (look at 

organizer

).

35

Drafting

•

Students write an introductory paragraph

that draws the reader into the work,

includes the thesis statement and a

general idea of the support that will be

offered.

•

Students use well chosen, sufficient facts,

examples, details, etc. as support.

36

•

Students use disciplinary vocabulary.

•

Students use relevant and accurate

content.

37

Step 3 -- 

Revising

•

Revising is a

lso known as revisiting.

•

Revising involves making big picture

changes:  

•

adding

•

rearranging

•

removing words/phrases/

sentences/paragraphs, etc.

38

Coherence and Clarity.

“Don’t write merely to be understood.  Write so

that you cannot possibly be misunderstood.” 

  Robert Louis Stevenson

39

A.R.R.R.

•

Adding: Is there any other

information that the reader needs to

know?

•

Rearranging: Is the information

presented in the most logical order?

•

Removing: Are there any

unnecessary details?

•

Replacing: Could I change anything to

make intent and message stronger?

40

Step 4 -- 

Editing

•

This is completed AFTER Revising

.

•

C

lear

s

 up confusing phrases, sentence

structure

, 

word usage, subject/verb

agreement

•

A

ttend

s

 to grammar, spelling, and

punctuat

ion

•

Also called “Conventions”

41

Step 5 -- 

Publishing

•

Student p

ut

s the 

paper in neat,

appropriate 

format as requested by

teac

her and submits it

.

•

The district should offer clear,

consistent expectations across

content areas.

42

Next Steps

•

Determine a topic or purpose for an

informative/explanatory writing task.

(Writing Standard 2)

•

Consider 

Task Templates

, or consult

your textbooks or teaching materials

for suggestions.

43

Tips on creating tasks

Writing assignments have more value and

appeal to students if created taking into the

consideration the types of writing that

professionals do in your discipline. 

P

roves to students that writing is an

integral part of the workplace for everyone. 

What would a historian, biologist or     

computer scientist write?

44

Expectations

•

Develop an informative/explanatory

writing assignment (task) to use with at

least one class.

•

Implement it, e

valuate it and provide

feedback to students.

•

Share 

the assignment/writing task and 

a

sample

of student work with your

colleagues.

45

The assignment:

•

Provide students with consistent

guidelines for what should be

included in their final product. 

•

Ensure that students are provided

learning opportunities to address

what you think is important. (Pre-

writing)

46

•

Decide how much time, if any, that

you will allocate for in-class writing. 

•

Think about how to focus/direct that

time to keep it productive.

47

Allow student choice

•

There are different levels of student

choice in writing. 

•

Provid

ing

 some aspect of choice in

an assignment creates more interest

and ownership for the student. 

•

Assures 

a better final product.

48

How?

•

Students can select a topic that appeals to

them from a list of teacher generated

assignments. 

•

Topics should 

appeal to different

learning styles

.

•

Topics should appeal to 

varying

readiness levels

 based on 

a 

particular

classroom

.

49

Or...

•

Students can create own

topics/assignments based on their

own individual interests. 

50

When assigning a formal

piece of writing:

Always have a clear, concise and

comprehensive prompt for your

students.

Include directions for writing that

details your expectations and what

needs to be included in the specific

piece.

51

Include in the prompt:

-

Page length of writing to be done.

-

Specific words (analyze, discuss,

interpret, compare, contrast,  etc.)

that tell writer

s 

what level of thinking

you expect the writing to

demonstrate.

-

Leading questions that might help the

writer with the thought process or

organization of the writing.

52

Assessing

53

Assessing

C

an be done in many different ways for all

levels of writing. 

•

For 

casual writing

, it can be as simple as

using the Think, Pair, Share…Square. 

•

For 

semi-formal writing

, it can consist of

students reading each other's pieces and

responding back to one another with some

purpose in mind.

54

•

For 

formal writing

, there should be a

rubric/scoring guide that effectively

shows the students the reasoning for

how the writing was assessed.

55

Scoring Guides

Purpose/

Focus 

•

Clear thesis/central idea

•

Writing is appropriate to task,

purpose, audience

56

Organization

•

Introduction

•

Conclusion

•

Transitions link ideas/create cohesion

•

Logic to order of events/ideas

57

Elaboration of Evidence

•

Use of evidence from sources is smoothly

integrated, cited, comprehensive, relevant,

and concrete. 

•

A variety of effective elaborative techniques

is used. 

58

Language and Vocabulary

•

Precise language clearly and

effectively expresses ideas 

•

Use of academic and domain-

specific vocabulary is clearly

appropriate for the audience and

purpose

59

Editing/Conventions

•

Errors in usage and sentence

formation may be present

•

Use of punctuation, capitalization,

and spelling.

60

Work Time

A great resource…

https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/thinklitera

cy/files/ThinkLitEnglish10-12.pdf

Thank you!

61

RESOURCES

SOCIAL STUDIES

Build a RAFTS Writing Prompt for Social Studies Class

http://www.writingfix.com/WAC/Writing_Across_Curriculum_RA

FTS_Soc_Studies.htm

Popular Creative Writing Activities for Social Studies

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/creative-writing/social-

studies/54697.html

Writing a Social Studies Story

http://teachers-subject-

guides.suite101.com/article.cfm/writing_a_great_story

Improving Writing Skills through Social Studies

http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-926/writing.htm

62

SCIENCE

How Does My Garden Grow?  Writing in Science Field Journals

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=846

Build a RAFTS Writing Prompt for Science Class

http://www.writingfix.com/WAC/Writing_Across_Curriculum_RA

FTS_Science.htm

Journals and Logs:  Science, Conversation, and Writing

http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Products/Perspectives/may-

jun99/schleper.html

63

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ARTS

Writing to Learn in the Music and Theatre Department - PDF

http://wac.colostate.edu/journal/vol9/andrews.pdf

Inspire Thoughtful Creative Writing Through Art

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/thoughtful-creative-writing-through-art-denise-

cassano

How One Art Teacher is Implementing Common Core

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/common-core-in-action-art-andrew-miller

65

Make use of 

Iowa AEA Online

 resources as

students do the research necessary for

informative/explanatory writing. These

include both video and text sources, so that

students may develop both listening and

reading skills as they explore ideas and

concepts. You will need to get your school

username and password from your teacher

librarian in order to access these resources.

66

AEA Resources

●

AEA Digital Library

 (All grades) This source provides a wide array of

video resources. Filters and a search function allow teachers or

students to find needed resources. Full programs as well as clips are

available.

●

Britannica Online

: (All grades) This source provides four complete

encyclopedias and other resources that ensure consistency with

classroom topics and age-appropriate language. It is also a portal to

several other data bases.

●

CultureGram

s: (All grades) This source provides age-appropriate, high-

quality digital content from primary and secondary sources spanning

thousands of titles and multiple media types. It features landmark

articles and electronic resources that illuminate all aspects of the most

vital issues of our time.

67

●

Learn 360

: (All grades) This source provides video and audio

clips, as well as full length videos, on a wide variety of

historical, current, and intriguing topics.

●

Gale

: (All grades) This source offers screened and reliable

content from magazines, newspapers, and reference materials.

●

AP Images

: (Intermediate through high school) This source

provides both historic and current newsworthy photographs, as

well as audio news clips and graphics. For instance, students

may listen to the the President’s weekly address.

68

●

Truflix

: (Intermediate through middle school) This source

provides video and text around select topics, along with links to

related age-appropriate sites.

●

Teen Health and Wellness

: (Middle and high school) Provides

middle school and high school students with nonjudgmental,

straightforward, standards-aligned, curricular and self-help

support. Topics include diseases, drugs, alcohol, nutrition,

mental health, suicide, bullying, green living, financial literacy,

and more.

●

SIRS

: (High school students) Provides current perspectives on

controversial issues, as well as a framework/process for

students to analyze the information and create their own

reasoned argument.