Writing Instruction Kim Bowen, NCDPI ELA Consultant kbowen@dpi.state.nc.us Phyllis Blackmon, NCDPI ELA Consultant pblackmon#@dpi.state.nc.us

“Good writing and writing on demand are not contradictory.” Gere, Christenbury, and Sassi, Writing on Demand, 2005

Features of Writing Shaped by purpose, audience, context Common across all writing NC Writing Assessment (Grades 4, 7, 10) IPT NAEP Classroom writing tasks

Features of Writing Focus Organization Support and Elaboration Style Conventions

Effective Instructional Strategies Writing Next, Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006 Meta-Analysis of research on adolescent writing instruction Comparing effectiveness of specific teaching strategies 11 recommendations ranked by strength of effect (statistical analysis)

1. Strategy Instruction ES = .82 Explicitly teach students strategies for planning, revising, and/or editing text. Resource: High School Writing Across the Curriculum Teacher Handbook Specific strategies organized within features Content area concerns and examples included Can be used 4-12

2. Teaching Summarization ES = .82 Explicitly teach students how to summarize texts.

Activity Read the assigned text and summarize on index card – no more than 25 words. Group 1 – p. 3 top Group 2 – p. 3 bottom Group 3 – p. 4 middle Group 4 – p. 4 bottom Group 5 – p. 5 left Group 6 – p. 5 right Group 7 – p. 6 left + top Group 8 – p. 7 bottom Group 9 – p. 9

3. Collaborative Writing ES = .75 Have students work together to plan, draft, and/or revise their compositions.

Activity At table, each person reads individual summary aloud. Compare summaries. Write a new group summary of no more than 25 words. This summary will be shared with the whole group to let your peers know the information in your section. Copy summary onto chart paper to post in room.

4. Specific Product Goals ES = .70 Assign students specific, reachable goals for their writing. Purpose of assignment Characteristics of final product

5. Word Processing ES = .55 Have students use word processing and related software when writing.

6. Sentence Combining ES = .50 Teach students to construct more sophisticated sentences by combining 2 or more simpler sentences into a more complex one.

Sentence Combining Example Writing is important. Writing is a skill. Writing develops. Writing takes time to develop.

7. Pre-Writing Activities Engage students in activities prior to writing that help them generate and/or organize ideas for their papers.

8. Inquiry ES = .32 Engage students in inquiry activities that help them develop ideas and content that they use when writing.

9. Process Approach ES = .32 A writing program that involves extended opportunities for writing; writing for real audiences; engaging in cycles of planning, translating, and reviewing; personal responsibility and ownership of writing projects; high levels of student interactions; creation of a supportive writing environment; self-reflection and evaluation; personalized individual assistance and instruction; and in some instances more systematic instruction.

10. Study of Models ES = .25 Have students study and emulate models of good writing.

11. Writing As A Tool for Learning ES = .23 Have students use writing as a tool for learning content material.

Fool’s Gold -- Grammar ES = -.32 (NEGATIVE effect) Explicit teaching of grammar Parts of speech Structure of sentences “The answer is not eliminating grammar but teaching with relevance in the context of writing.”

Grammar in Context Objectives determined by student data (observation, writing samples, etc.) Demonstration of concept Guided application in student writing Independent application in subsequent writing Assessment through continued collection of data

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