How to Enhance Students’ Writing By Sasha Vargas

Quickwrite…. What do students need to become proficient writers?

Background Information on the CA Standards K-6 for Writing Kindergarten: Students can write about experiences, stories, people, objects, or events. 1st Grade: Students can write brief expository description of a real object, person, place, or event, using sensory details.

2nd Grade Write a friendly letter Write an expository description Write a personal narrative 3rd Grade Write a narrative Write personal and formal letters, thank-you notes and invitations Write a summary

4th grade Write multiple paragraph essays on following genres: narrative, summary, response to literature, informational reports 5th grade Write multiple paragraph essays on following genres: narrative, summary, response to literature, informational reports, persuasive letter or composition, expository compositions

6th Grade Write multiple paragraph essays on following genres: narrative, summary, response to literature, research reports, persuasive letter or composition, expository compositions

Discuss at your group: What do you notice in the writing standards K-6?

What can a proficient writer do? Value writing and have a positive attitude towards it Use writing extensively for personal and social reasons Revise and edit their work Use a variety of strategies Receive teacher feedback on their writing According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (1990)

What your writing program should have: Do teachers model the steps they go through to choose topics? Do they help students go through these same steps as they choose topics to write about? Are students encouraged to draw on their own personal experiences when they choose topics? So they write for authentic purposes? Do students make connections between their reading and writing? Do they see that reading provides ideas for writing? According to Freeman, Y.S. and Freeman, D.E. (2006).

Do students keep and update list of topics that they have written about and that they plan to write about? Do students see writing as a process, and do they understand the various activities they should engage in as they move a piece of writing toward its final form? Does the classroom have ample accessible literature, content, and resource book for students to reference as they write? According to Freeman, Y.S. and Freeman, D.E. (2006).

Are students allowed to invent spellings, drawing, on their internal phonics hypotheses and their pictures of words derived from their reading experiences? Do students have opportunities to share their writing with others? Is there authentic response, which is both critical and sensitive to the writer’s needs? According to Freeman, Y.S. and Freeman, D.E. (2006).

Discuss with a partner: How can you use the previous list about effective writing programs in your classroom?

Traditional Writing Classrooms Process Writing Classrooms Focus on the product Focus on the process and product Begin with parts and build to whole messages Begin with the messages and then focus on the parts Teacher directly instructs on how to form letters, then words, and combine words into sentences Teacher creates conditions for authentic written responses Teacher gives topics Teachers help students learn to choose good topics Topics may or may not relate to students’ lives Topics come from students’ background of interest Time for writing is restricted and flexible Time for writing is open and flexible Few resources are available for writers Many resources are available Writing product must be conventional Writing moves naturally from invention to convention Students write for teacher Students write for read audience The teacher corrects Classmates and others respond Writing is private and individual Writing is shared and social

I do (Modeling portion of a writing lesson) Purpose: teacher models their own writing and thinking to show how to complete a task Outcome: As a result students see the process of how to complete a writing task from beginning to end

Presentation of Bing Bang Bango

Student example

Student’s Brainstorm of ideas for essay

Student Rough Draft/ Graphic Organizer

Student Rough Draft/ Graphic Organizer

Final Draft

Self evaluation and peer evaluation

We do (Guided Practice) Purpose: provides students to self-check for understanding, students give suggestions while teacher is writing/recording Outcomes: students will participate and practice writing skill/strategy to enhance understanding

You do (Independent Practice) Purpose: provide opportunities for students to apply target skills and strategies Outcome: the goal is that students can write independently and improve writing achievement

Conclusion: Questions, Comments, Concerns… Evaluation form