Risa Gluskin York Mills C.I. Oct. 13, 2011 Teach Writing With Confidence: For Teacher Candidates in Social Science & the Humanities and Canadian & World Studies Risa Gluskin York Mills C.I. Oct. 13, 2011
Talk About Writing… …directly Adjectives are your best friends… The writer is like a tour guide for the reader… That’s a good topic sentence because… Use strong words to indicate your position… …directly
Philosophical Question: Does development of writing and research skills get in the way of the curriculum? Or does the curriculum get in the way of development of writing and research skills?
Whose Confidence? The title of the presentation is teach writing with confidence: Did you take that to mean you or the students? anxious teacher nervous student
Have a Course or Unit Plan Start small Paragraph before essay, even in grade 12 Topic sentences before thesis statements Start with in-role writing It forces students to take a position, from which they learn to argue and use persuasive and descriptive language
5 Structure Teach paragraphs first Is flexible Is adaptable in-class essay visual essay Is a great place to start -build to longer essays
Scaffold Support your students Don’t assume they can do things without being taught how
Integrate with Course Material Skills + content can be taught together They don’t need to be separated Linking to course content makes it easier for students to use the skills Requires planning ahead Reinforce skills orally through debating
Thesis = main argument + sub-topics Use Formulas Thesis = main argument + sub-topics Topic Sentence = main argument + sub-topics Adjectives help to convey a strong position
Topic Sentence Scaffold Life in the 1930’s was a hardship for most Canadians as demonstrated by… Life was a hardship = main argument Students would then describe sub-topics using STRONG adjectives: Challenging living conditions Destabilizing social unrest Widespread discrimination Difficult environmental conditions Stigmatizing feelings of personal shame
Use Common Terminology Be consistent Point = general idea Example = specific evidence, detail, proof Argument = explanation, connection or link to thesis or topic sentence How the evidence proves the thesis or topic sentence
Seesaw Argument Evidence Light = a list Light = opinion only, a rant Heavy = a list Heavy = opinion only, a rant Evidence
Thesis Glue = what holds the sub-topics together Sub-topic 1
Note-Taking Support and encourage the right kind of note-taking Teach a format that will encourage students to look for and record detailed examples Practice using this format in class Start with the textbook Have students distinguish between general ideas and specific examples in the textbook
Note-Taking Format 13 afterlife The Book of the Dead contained scenes that illustrated how a person was to be judged worthy or not of the afterlife…
Using Your Own Words Most common problem: Solutions? Students copy directly from the source without quoting Even if they cite the source they are still plagiarizing by copying the words of the author(s) Solutions? Check hand-written notes (handed in) Do a class example together of how to paraphrase and cite
Plagiarism Prevention Proactive tips: Change assignments or topics often Have students write the final product in-class Make assignments date-restrictive (e.g., use articles written after January, 2011) Have note-taking done by hand
Highlighting Sub-Topics in Notes Have students highlight their notes using different colours for different categories: categories = sub-topics 3 colours = 3 sub-topics Encourages students to use their notes more effectively Helps them see patterns and relationships (and repetition)
Outline Stage Transition from research to writing Allows teacher to see students’ progress BEFORE the essay / paragraph Encourages good habits: Preparing in advance Citing sources Connecting evidence to argument Teacher can provide electronic template
CHC 2D – 1930s Argumentative Paragraph Scaffold Example/Evidence #1: Source: Explanation/Argument:
Outline Point- form outline