Make it Mine! Strategies for Contextualizing Writing in the Adult Basic Education Classroom Laurie Weston Chair, Transitional Studies (252) 493-7439 Pitt Community College PO Drawer 7007 lweston@email.pittcc.edu Greenville, NC 27835-7007

What is Contextualized Instruction? Hands-on Experience-based Relevant to work, home, community Real Life Addresses personal interests, goals

“A set of teaching, learning and assessment practices that: are aimed directly at developing the skills and knowledge that adults need to deal with specific situations or perform specific tasks, and that they have identified as important and meaningful to themselves ‘right now’ in their everyday lives….. In addition, rather than focus only on the possession of basic skills and knowledge, contextualized instruction focuses on the active application of those skills and that knowledge ‘in a context.’ (And this context should be as ‘real-world’ as is feasible.)” http://efftips.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/faqwhat-is-contextualized-instruction/?blogsub=confirming#blog_subscription-2 (Equipped for the Future, retrieved 10/22/13) A collection of practices that “relates subject matter content to real world situations; motivates students to make connections between knowledge and its applications to their lives as family members, citizens, and workers; and encourages student persistence.” http://0347dbd.netsolhost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Abstractforwebsite.pdf (Motheread/Wake Tech Research Project on Contextual Teaching, retrieved 10/22/13)

Contextualized Writing Strategies To Be or Not To Be? Pardon Me….. SnapShot Bio Parts of Speech?? Silly Proverbs Where I’m From Poem

Pardon Me, but your Participle appears to be dangling.

Now You Try… Riding along on my bicycle, the dog knocked me over. Donna saw the ball walking by the lake. I found a dollar walking home. He made a table for his aunt with wooden legs. The young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt. The dog was chasing the boy with the spiked collar. The library has several books about dinosaurs in our school. While camping, I saw a bear in my pajamas.

Snapshot Bio Activity Provides the opportunity to examine personal experiences with culture, family, history, and identity Connects writing with social networks, websites, and the Internet in an unthreatening way Provides experience with technology Contextualizes learning Inspires creativity Promotes community within classroom Provides a basic framework for beginning essay writing

Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll Twas brillig and the slithey toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves and the momeraths outgrabe. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll

Silly Proverbs Game subject/verb agreement Birds of a feather flock together. Birds of a feather make light work. Great minds think alike. Great minds are not always what they seem. Bad news travels fast. The early bird travels fast. Silly Proverbs Game subject/verb agreement

Where I’m From, By George Ella Lyon

Writing as a component of Project Based Instruction Collaborative groups or individual Competitive or display Career oriented or topic of students’ choosing Make writing a component of the project Depending on student level, include a template for scoring or feedback Connects with student goals, interests, needs

lweston@email.pittcc.edu (252) 493-7439