Writing: Focus on Informative Products

Writing: Focus on Informative Products

Writing is not caught. It must be taught.
Anita L. Archer, Ph.D. Author, Consultant, and Teacher

Big Idea #1 – Focus on a limited number of genre
Common Core State Standards Opinion/Argument - to convince (paragraphs, essays, letters, editorials) Informative Text - to explain or inform (paragraphs, reports, summaries, comparisons, explanations) Narrative - to convey an experience (fictional stories, anecdotes, autobiographies, autobiographic incidents)

Big Idea #2: Teach the foundation skills to mastery.
Outcome: Writing Arguments, Informative Text, Narratives Example Foundation Skills: reading, expressive vocabulary, word usage, grammar, fluent handwriting or typing, spelling, mechanics, sentence formation

Automaticity of foundation skills necessary for higher order thinking and tasks.
When ________ is automatic... Space is available in working memory to ____________ When handwriting (or keyboarding) is automatic Space is available in working memory to plan, compose, edit, and revise product When spelling is automatic When capitalization and punctuation are automatic When sentence formation is automatic

Writing Foundations – Sentence Formation
Sentence Expansion Sentence Combining Sentence Frames

Sentence Expansion Students can learn the structure of sentences and gain “sentence sense” though sentence expansion exercises. Students add words or phrases to sentences that answer questions such as when, where, why, and how.

Sentence Expansion What Works Clearinghouse – IES Practice Guide
The teacher provides a short sentence. Students expand the sentence using different parts of speech. The dog napped.  The brown dog napped. The brown dog napped on the couch. The lazy, brown dog napped on the couch. The lazy, brown dog napped on the couch while I read a book. Introduce a short sentence. Model how to add to the sentence using different parts of speech, and demonstrate appropriate capitalization and punctuation as the sentence is expanded. Have students provide suggestions for different parts of speech (e.g., subjects and predicates) to add to the short sentences. Have students work independently or in pairs to expand a sentence. Encourage students to share their expanded sentences in small groups, providing feedback to their peers.

Sentence Expansion Judith Hochman Teaching Basic Writing Skills Expand each sentence using three of the following question words: who, what, when, where, why, and/or how. Start Sentence: The children raced. When: one spring day Where: down the road Why: celebrate the last day of the school year Create Sentence: One spring day, the children raced down the road to celebrate the last day of the school year.

Sentence Expansion Expand each sentence using three of the following question words: who, what, when, where, why, and/or how. Start Sentence: I attended the writing workshop. When: __________________________________________ Where: __________________________________________ Why: ____________________________________________ Create Sentence: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

Sentence Combining Sentence combining has a positive effect on students’ writing. (Evans, Venotozzi, Bundrick, & McWilliams, 1988; Howie, 1979; Kanellas, Carifio & Dagostino, 1998; Pedersen, 1977; Saddler & Graham, 2005; Stoddard, 1982) Students start with a stem sentence and combine it with one to four other sentences.

Sentence Combining What Works Clearinghouse – IES Practice Guide
Students combine two or more sentences into one simple, compound, complex or compound-complex sentence. My dog is brown. My dog is big. My brown dog is big. Choose sentences for combining. Model how to combine the sentences using several examples; with older students, introduce moving, deleting, and adding words or parts. Have students rate the quality of the new sentence, provide alternatives to the new sentence, and discuss which sentences sound better and why. Encourage students to work in pairs to combine sentences, creating several new possibilities and rating the quality of their new sentences. The boy was riding his bike. The boy was careless. The boy ran into a tree. The boy was careless while riding his bike, so he ran into a tree.

Sentence Combining I do it. Start: Linda grabbed a seat.
(Examples taken from REWARDS Writing – Sentence Refinement published by Sopris Learning) I do it. Start: Linda grabbed a seat. Add: Bobby grabbed a seat. Add: The seats were adjoining. Add: The seats were on the bus. Add: The bus was crowded. Create:

Sentence Combining We do it. Start: As the cubs grow fur, they spend periods of time outside the den. Add: The fur is thicker. Add: The periods of time are short. Add: The den is warm. Add: The den is protective. Create: _________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

Sentence Combining You do it. Start: Jared will finish shopping for school supplies. Add: He will shop this afternoon. Add: He will shop at the mall. Create: ____________________________________ _______________________________________________

Sentence Combining Start: Everyone ate birthday cake.
You do it. Start: Everyone ate birthday cake. Add: The birthday cake was chocolate. Add: Everyone ate vanilla ice cream. Add: Everyone ate candy. Create: ____________________________________

Sentence Frames Sentence frames: - Give students a framework to support thinking and writing - Encourage use of content vocabulary - Provide scaffolding for academic language - Increase oral language proficiency

Sentence Frames What Works Clearinghouse - IES Practice Guide
Activity Description Examples How the Teacher Can Implement the Activity Sentence Framing Teachers provide sentence frames to guide students’ sentence writing. I like _____________________. I like to _______ and ________. My __________ is __________. When I __________,I like to _____. She didn’t go to _____________ because __________________. Develop a sentence frame for students to use. Model the use of the of the sentence frame. Have students use the sentences frame to construct their own sentences. Have students share their sentence with peers and discuss their word choices. Slowly fade the use of sentence frames during instruction until students can write sentences independently.

Sentence Frames Compare and Contrast
Compare = same Contrast = different 1. __________ and _____________ are ___________. 2. Both _____ and _______ have _____________. 3. _________and ________ are similar because they both ______________. 4. There are several major differences between ____ and ____. The most notable is ____________.

Big Idea #3 - Break down complex tasks
Complex skills and strategies should be broken down into smaller, easy to obtain instruction units. This will promote success and reduce cognitive overload.

Big Idea #4 - Provide explicit instruction
Remember - Writing is not caught. Writing must be taught. Model - I do it Guided Practice - We do it We do it Gradual release of responsibility We do it Unguided Practice - You do it

Provide Explicit Instruction
Scaffold Instruction, gradually fading out teacher assistance M T W T F I do it We do it We do it. We do it We do it. You do it. … You do it. …… You do it.....

Big Idea # 5 - Provide judicious practice
Engage students in writing for short and long time segments Have students write many products of focus genres to promote mastery Have students compose products in a variety of domains

Big Idea # 5 - Provide judicious practice
Short writing often Not just long writing seldom

Big Idea # 6 - Provide Quality Feedback
“In the visual learning synthesis, feedback was associated with an effect size of 0.73 indicating it is one of the most powerful factors implicated in academic learning and resultant achievement.” “Feedback refers to the process of securing information enabling change through adjustment or calibration of efforts in order to bring a person closer to a well-defined goal.” Hattie & Yates, 2014

Praise/Acknowledge Encourage/Support Corrective Feedback Correct errors with the individual or the group. Correct with a neutral affect. Use: I do it. We do it. You do it.

“Instruction is more effective than feedback. Feedback can only build on something; it is of little value when there is no initial learning or surface information.” (Hattie & Timperley, 2007)

Teacher feedback to individual: Provide feedback to individuals in real time as you circulate and monitor. Praise, Encourage, Correct Teacher feedback to group: Provide feedback to the entire class on your observations.

Feedback to self: Students reread their products to make it sound “good”. Feedback to self: Students carefully check their products against rubric or checklist. Feedback to partner: Guide students in giving focused feedback to their partners after you model the feedback procedure.

Teacher Feedback: Provide feedback to students on a portion of the rubric. Teacher Feedback: Provide feedback on final drafts using the rubric. To promote final drafts include a signature page: ________________________(Author) I have carefully revised and edited this paper. ________________________(Peer) I have read this paper and have indicated errors to the author. ________________________(Adult Mentor) I have read this paper and have indicated errors to the author.

Big Idea # 7 - Consider motivation
Success (perceived probability of success) Interest (interest in the topic) Choice (narrow choice when possible)

Big Idea # 8 - Frontload Writing
If students have no ideas, their written products will be low in quantity and quality. Frontload IDEAS Brainstorm ideas (Think, Pair, Share) Read related materials Relate to concepts that have been taught Frontload VOCABULARY Provide a list of academic vocabulary related to the topic Provide a list of transition words and phrases

Big Idea # 9 - Teach “What” and “How”
WHAT What is the genre? Critical attributes Rubric Example HOW How to write the genre? Writing Process

Review Big Ideas Focus on limited number of genres
Teach the critical foundation skills to mastery Break down complex tasks Provide explicit instruction Provide judicious practice Provide immediate feedback Consider motivation Frontload writing Teach “What” and “How”

WHAT Consider the Six Traits
Ask yourself, what are the CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES of a well-written product. Consider the Six Traits Ideas Organization Word Choice Voice Sentence Fluency Conventions Consider the descriptions in the Standards

What Design a simple, easy to understand RUBRIC.
Consider introducing only a portion of the rubric initially. Focus on ideas (content), organization, and conventions. Provide an EXAMPLE to illustrate the critical attributes. (Optional) Guide students in analyzing a non-example to determine missing attributes.

Rubric - Summary of Article
Content of Summary Student Rating Teacher Rating 1. Topic - Is the topic of the original article stated? Yes No 2. Main Idea - Is the main idea of the article clearly stated? 3. Major Points - Does the summary focus on the major points, reasons, and/ or information from the article? 4. Accurate - Are the major points, reasons, and/or information accurate? 5. Own Words - Is the summary written in your own words? 6. Concise - Is the summary shorter than the original article? 7. Combined Ideas - Are some of the ideas combined into longer, more sophisticated sentences? 8. Understanding - Is the summary easy to understand? Yes No

Rubric - Summary of Article
Conventions Student Rating Teacher 1. Handwriting - Is the handwriting legible? Yes No 2. Spelling - Are the words spelled correctly, particularly the words found in the article? 3. Capitalization - Is correct capitalization used including capitalization of the first word in the sentence and proper names of people, places, and things? 4. Punctuation - Is correct punctuation used including a period at the end of each telling sentence?

Example - Summary (Illustrates all of the attributes.)
Summary - Just Say No to Uniforms In this article, Theresa Jenkins expresses her contention that schools should not require students to wear uniforms. She believes that requiring uniforms could have many negative outcomes including robbing children of their individuality, requiring them to wear clothing that is not matched to their body type, and increasing the wardrobe budget for families to cover the cost of regular clothing and uniforms.

HOW Writing process Planning - Plan Writing - Write Revising - Revise
Editing - Edit Rewriting - Rewrite Publishing - Publish

HOW – Writing Process Plan Plan your writing. Write
Write your first draft. Revise Change your writing to make it better. Edit Check your spelling, capitals, and punctuation. Publish Share your writing.

HOW - Plan Plan T = Task/Topic A = Audience P = Purpose Analyze Prompt 1. Think of the ideal job for you when you grow up. Now think of reasons why this would be a good job for you. Write an essay to explain why this is your ideal job.

HOW - Plan Plan Think Use personal knowledge and experiences or Research Gather information from a variety of digital and print sources

HOW - Plan Plan - Organize Scaffold organization of written product
Writing frames Strategies Think Sheets

Writing Frames

Summary - Informational Text
Chapter: __________ Topic: _______________ In this section of the chapter, a number of critical points were made about … First, the authors stated that… This was important because… Next, the authors mentioned that… Furthermore, they indicated… This was critical because… Finally, the authors suggested that…

Summary - Informational Text
Chapter: Decomposers In this section of the chapter, a number of critical points were made about decomposers. First, the authors stated that decomposers break down organisms that are no longer living such as dead plants, dead animals, and rotting wood. This is important because decomposers break the organisms into nutrients that can be used by plants. Next, the authors mentioned that earthworms are decomposers that eat plant life that has died. Furthermore, they indicated that earthworms pass nutrients from dead plants to the soil. This was critical because these nutrients enrich the soil and thus support plant growth. Finally, the authors suggested that fungi and some insects are other examples of decomposers.

Chapter: Drifting Continents Topic: Wegener's Theory
In this section of the chapter, a number of critical points were made about Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift. First, the authors stated that Wegener believed that all the continents were once joined together in a single landmass that drifted apart forming the continents of today. This was important because it explained why the outline of the continents as they are today fit together. Next, the authors mentioned that Wegener argued that there were many pieces of evidence supporting his theory of continental drift. Furthermore, they indicated that Wegener used evidence of similar landforms and fossils on different continents to prove his theory. This was critical because other scientists could validate this evidence. Finally, the authors suggested that despite this evidence, other scientists did not accept Wegener's theory because he could not explain the force that pushes and pulls the continent.

Summary – Narrative Frame
The title of this story was …… The setting of the story was ….. …… was the main character of the story. In the story, we learned that …. was ….. His/her main problem/conflict/goal was … At first, … tried to resolve this problem/conflict/goal by … Later, he/she tried to resolve the problem/conflict/goal by… In the end, the following happened: …

Summary – Narrative Example
The title of this story was My Summer Vacation. The setting of the story was a cattle ranch in Texas during summer vacation. Wallace was the main character of the story. We learned that Wallace was a young city boy who was spending his summer with the crew on the ranch. His main problem was that he had to learn all of the skills of a wrangler such as how to move the cattle from one location to another and use a lasso properly. At first, Wallace tried to resolve this problem by carefully observing the ranch hands and mimicking their behaviors. Later, he tried to resolve the problem by asking the other wranglers, the ranch manager, and even the cook to teach him ranch skills. In the end, the following happened: Wallace stopped a stampede.

Summary - Video Although I already knew that ... I learned some new facts from the video titled ... I learned ... I also discovered that... Another fact I learned was ... However, the most important/interesting thing I became aware of was...

Summary - Video Although I already knew that migrating Vaux Swifts gather in NW Portland, Oregon in the fall, I learned some new facts from the video titled Vaux Swifts. I learned that the Vaux Swifts can not perch like other song birds due to the structure of their claws. These birds either cling to the walls of a hollow tree or a chimney or fly. I also discovered that their natural habitat is declining, forcing them to sleep in chimneys. Another fact I learned was that up to 30,000 swifts gather at Chapman Elementary School where they dive down into the chimney at sunset. However, the most interesting thing I became aware of was that the children at the school are very supportive of the migrating Vaux Swifts. To protect the swifts in the school chimney, the heat is turned off until the swifts migrate, resulting in the students wearing sweaters and coats in class.

Compare and Contrast - Example
Narrative and informative written products are similar in a number of ways. First, they both have an author intent on sharing his/her ideas. Another critical similarity is the goal of informative and narrative writing: to communicate to a reader or group of readers. An equally important similarity is that both genre’ utilize the words, mechanics, and grammar of the author’s language. Finally, both are read on a daily basis across the world. The differences between narrative and informative written products are also obvious. The most important difference is their purpose. Narratives convey a story, real or imagined, while informative products transmit information that the reader needs or is interested in learning. In addition, they are structured differently. The structure of a narrative is based on the elements of a story: settings, characters, the character’s problems, attempts at resolving the problem, and finally its resolution. In contrast, when writing an informative product, authors organize the information into paragraphs each containing a topic and critical details. In the final analysis, narratives differ from informative text in two major ways: content and structure.

Compare and Contrast Although...and...are different, they are alike in some interesting ways. For example, they both... They are also similar in The...is the same as... The ...resembles... Finally they both...

Explanation There are a number of reasons why .... The most important reason is… Another reason is … A further reason is … So you can see why…

Explanation There are a number of reasons why everyone should recycle. The most important reason is that recycling reduces the amount of energy and natural resources that we use. Another reason is that recycling reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. A further reason is that recycling also reduces the amount of carbon that is emitted into the air. So you can see why it is critical that all of us increase our efforts to recycle.

Process To ..., you need to follow these basic steps. First, you need to … Next … Then… Finally... When you finish, you should have ….

Process To draw an animal using a photo, you need to follow these basic steps. First, you need to draw an oval for the body of the animal and additional shapes to represent the head and legs of the animal. Next, connect the shapes to form the outline of the animal. Then, draw in additional features such as eyes, ears, claws, etc. Finally, you can sketch in details such as hair, eyebrows, and nails. When you finish, you should have a drawing that mirrors the animal’s photo.

Description When describing ..., the word that comes to mind is ... One reason is ... Another reason is ... Finally, ... is ... because ... Thus, ... is the best description of ...

Description (Mystic Horse by Paul Goble)
When describing the Pawnee boy in Mystic Horse, the word that comes to mind is kind. One reason is that he was very kind to his grandmother. He helped her travel, gather food, collect discarded clothing for their use, and set up camp every day. Another reason is that the boy took care of the sickly, old horse even when others thought the horse was useless. Finally, he was kind when he gave a horse to his grandmother and asked her to give the remaining horses in the herd to individuals who needed a horse. He could have chosen to keep the entire herd to increase his wealth. Thus, kind is the best description of the Pawnee boy called the Boy Chief.

Character Analysis The character ... in ... can best be described as ... This is evident when also shows this trait when he/she... Further, his/her...is evident when ... Thus, ... is a good way to describe ...

Analysis of Graphic The title of this graphic is... The type of graphic is .... Its purpose is to ... One critical observation that I made was... This is important because ... I reached a number of conclusions through my analysis of this graphic. First, .... Second, .... Finally, ...

Example Graphic – Social Studies Western World - Holt Social Studies

Analysis of Graphic The title of this graphic is Mexico’s Trading Partners. The type of graphic is a pie graph. Its purpose is to convey information about Mexico’s imports and exports in One critical observation that I made was that Mexico’s major trade partner is the United States. This is important because it emphases the economic relationship between the United States and Mexico, its southern neighbor. I reached a number of conclusions through my analysis of this graphic. First, Mexico has a higher percentage (89%) of their exports going to the US than the percentage of imports (63%) coming into Mexico from the US. Second, 10% of Mexico’s imports come from Asian countries, China and Japan. Finally, it is obvious that Mexico’s economy is very dependent on Mexico’s relationship with the United States.

Your Turn There are a number of reasons why writing frames are beneficial to students. The most important reason is… Another reason is … Further … So you can see why…

Strategies - Cross-out - Connect - Number ( Write)
Strategy for Paragraph Writing - List - Cross-out - Connect - Number ( Write) REWARDS PLUS (Sopris West)

List - Make a list of important ideas.
Penquin’s birth Male takes care of egg Female lays egg Female leaves Female spends winter at sea The water is very cold Male puts egg on his feet under belly Male stays on egg for two months Male doesn’t eat Egg hatches Male must care for baby

Cross-out - Cross out any unnecessary or weak ideas
Cross-out - Cross out any unnecessary or weak ideas. Connect - Connect ideas that could go in one sentence. Penquin’s birth Male takes care of egg Female lays egg Female leaves Female spends winter at sea The water is very cold Male puts egg on his feet under belly Male stays on egg for two months Male doesn’t eat Egg hatches Male must care for baby

Number - Number the ideas in the order that they will appear in the paragraph.
Penquin’s birth 3 Male takes care of egg 1 Female lays egg 2 Female leaves Female spends winter at sea The water is very cold Male puts egg on his feet under belly 4 Male stays on egg for two months 5 Male doesn’t eat Egg hatches 6 Male must care for baby

Write a summary. The birth process of penguins is fascinating and quite different from that of other animals. The female penguin lays an egg. Soon after laying the egg, the female penguin leaves and spends the winter in the sea. Meanwhile the male must take care of the egg. For two months, he places the egg on his feet under his belly. During this time, the male penguin doesn’t eat. Even after the baby penguin hatches, the male penguin continues to take care of the infant penguin.

Think Sheets

Compare The Senate and the House of Representatives are similar in a number of ways. First, they are both part of the legislative branch of government referred to as Congress. Furthermore, citizens in each state must elect the senators and representatives that serve in Congress. In addition, the two bodies of Congress have a number of joint powers including the power to make laws, declare war, and collect taxes.

Contrast While the Senate and House are similar in a number of ways, their membership composition differs. There are 100 elected senators with two senators from each state regardless of the state’s population. In contrast, the House has a total of 435 representatives with the number from each state dependent on the state’s population. The qualifications also differ between senators and representatives. Representative must be at least 25 years old, a US citizen for 7 or more years, and a legal resident of the state that they represent. On the other hand, a senator must be at least 30 years old, a US citizen for 9 years or more, and a legal resident of their state. The Senate and House of Representatives, while given joint powers, are also accorded separate powers. The Senate is given the responsibility for ratifying treaties, confirming presidential nominations, and trying impeached officials. In contrast, the House of Representatives’ specific powers include initiating spending and tax bills, impeaching high officials, and determining who will be president if the Electoral College ends in a tie.

Ben Franklin, a well-known American living from 1706 to 1790, gained fame as an inventor, scientist, author, printer, and politician. As an inventor, he developed a range of items including the Franklin stove, bifocals, and swim fins. His experiments verified that lightning was simply a form of electricity. As an author, he was best known for his annual Poor Richard’s Almanack that supplied advice to readers on numerous subjects. As a politician, Franklin helped write the Declaration of Independence, signed the Constitution, and served as an ambassador to France. Franklin’s accomplishments spanned many domains while his life spanned three countries: the United States, Great Britain, and France.

Informative Report Writing – Early Grades
Read and analyze prompt. Select a topic that matches the prompt. Brainstorm “subtopics” that could be covered in report. Narrow the focus by selecting subtopics to be covered. Write each subtopic on a separate piece of paper. Research using a number of sources. As you read, add notes to appropriate subtopic page. Number the pages to match the order desired in the body of the report. Write the body of the report. Use “List, Cross out, Connect, Number and Write” to write on each subtopic. Write an introduction and conclusion. Add illustrations and graphics.

HOW – Revise Revise Is your writing clear? How can you make it better?
Read it out aloud (whisper) to yourself. How can you make it better? Delete? Expand? Combine? Fix up your writing.

HOW – Edit Edit Check your spelling. Check your capitals.
Check your punctuation. Fix up your writing.

Exit Ticket Today I learned… I was surprised by…
Name: Directions: Complete _____________ of these statements. Today I learned… I was surprised by… The most useful thing I will take from this lesson is... One thing I am not sure about is…. The main thing I want to find out more about is…. After this session, I feel… I might have gotten more from this lesson if….

Exit Ticket – Your turn. 3. The most useful thing I will take from this session is 4. One thing I am not sure about is

HOW – Publish Share Read your exit ticket to your partner.

Thank You May we remember : Writing is not caught. It must be taught.

Writing: Focus on Informative Products

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