1. On Target With Nonfiction Writing
Plattsmouth Community School District
Elementary and Middle School Training
January 16, 2012

2. Let’s Get Started! Tear out a piece of paper.
Write your name at the top.
Write one thoughtful question you have about nonfiction writing.
Get Ready…
Listen…
Go!
Have them crumble up the paper and throw it hard into the air. Have people pick up the paper, open it up, read the question. The person will listen for the answer to this question from the presentation or ask his her group about the answer. At the end of the presentation he/she will connect with the author and provide the answer.

3. Let’s Get Started Part II
Open the paper.
During the presentation or conversations with your peers, try to find the answer to this question.
Write the answer on the paper.
At the end of this workshop, you will find the author and give him/her the answer.

4. Nonfiction Writing Review
Writing increases learning in all subject areas
Nonfiction writing increases student chances for success in later classes and college.
As more time is devoted to writing, test scores increase.
Nonfiction writing helps students hit their learning targets!

5. Why Does Writing Work? When students write about content they:
-Select and organize words to represent what they have learned/read;
-Relate, organize, connect ideas in the text;
-Create systematic relationships between words, sentences, paragraphs, etc.;
-Draw on prior knowledge, background, and purposes for reading;
-Build interrelationships between ideas; and
-Are more likely to think critically.
Writing captures thought on paper!

6. General Guidelines
Writing in the classroom should be frequent and varied
Every piece of writing does not have to be graded
Writing activities can be short and non- threatening
Writing activities should have a real and immediate audience (the audience should be more than simply the teacher)
Publish and Celebrate your students’ writings
Publish, display, read aloud, share with a partner.

7. Nonfiction Writing Takes Many Forms
Forms can be categorized as:
Casual;
Semi-casual;
Semi-formal; or
Formal.

8. Multiple Forms of Writing Help Us Hit the Learning Target
Possibilities are endless…

9. Today’s Focus: Casual Strategies that…
You use regularly but rate as ineffective;
You use in some subject areas but not in others;
Can be used easily;
Do not require a lot of classroom time or teacher preparation;
Actively involve all students; and
Help students develop problem solving and/or higher level thinking skills.

10. You Again! Take out a piece of paper. You will keep this one!
Copy the following graphic organizer onto your paper.
Target
Idea

11. You Again Part II
In the center circle, jot down a learning target your students will need to meet shortly.
As you go through the rest of the workshop, write down new ideas you get for using nonfiction writing to help students meet that target.
At the end of the workshop, you will be sharing these ideas with your partner.

12. Let’s Begin! Strategy I- Note Taking
Two Column Notes- (Content, Student, Real-World)
Main idea- Detail
Conclusion- Support
Problem- Solution
Art strategy- Result
Fitness technique- Difficulty
Industrial Design Component- Cost
Foods- Safety Strategies
Using? Books, lectures, discussions, visuals, etc.
When? Before, during, after a lesson.
How? With drawings, in notebooks, using exit slips, on a laptop in the corner of the room, on the Promethean or white board…

13. Two Column Notes- Examples
Kindergarten
Where? The floor! The teacher has a beginning and ending side of the floor marked.
Using? Read aloud story
How?
1) Half the students draw a picture of what happened at the beginning of the story.
2) Half the students draw a picture of what happened at the end.
3) Students put their pictures on the floor.
4) Teacher helps them talk about how they are connected.

14. Three Column Notes What, Why? How? Transaction, Action, Details
Actions, feelings, settings
Letter, sound, word
Observation, hypothesis, plan
Question, notes, answer
Input, output, conclusion
Instrument, sound, uses in songs

15. Three Column Notes- Example

16. Short, nonthreatening, real, and shared
Your Turn!
Work with a partner.
Identify the note-taker.
Develop at least three new ways you can use two, three, or more column notes in your classes.
Have the note taker record at least one on the sheet provided.
You will have at least 5 minutes for this. Take the time to think through the strategies thoroughly.
Remember:
Short, nonthreatening, real, and shared

17. Strategy 2: Lists!
There are tons of different things students can list!
Each person on the end of a row will get a piece of paper.
The first person will write 1 thing their students could list (related to content!) and pass the paper to the person next to her/him.
The second person does the same without repeating ideas. Keep passing it on!
While you are waiting, think of what you could write.
Papers will pass in the middle! Add to the second list once you get it.
The first row done- with no repeats gets a prize!

18. Lists- You’re Not Done Yet!
Each row will pass their list of lists to the row behind them. The last row will bring their list to the front.
Pass the list again. This time, annotate something on the list. For example, you could star a list you could use. You could make a suggestion, or ask a question.
This time, when the paper hits the middle (seat number ___) the second half of the row will only read through the comments.
When you are done, bring the lists to me and talk with your partner about how you can use lists. Record one idea on the record sheet.

19. Review: Almost Break!
After I am done with directions, you will get out of your seat and share one of your ideas with someone from another part of the auditorium!
You can talk about note taking or lists.
See you in 10 minutes! Be back on time!

20. Welcome Back!
Before we begin, take out your graphic organizer and add an idea or to an idea.
Target
Idea

21. Strategy III: Descriptions of Thought Process and Problem Solving Approaches
Structured
Column notes
Beginning Middle End
Lists - 1) … 2)… 3)
Sentence completion
I used to think _________________. Now I think_________. I changed my mind because __________________________.
Thought bubbles
Unstructured
Have peers comment on posted I thinks. Have students post their thought bubbles.
What if I?
I think this because
I am not sure about…

22. Thought Process Example:
Where? On the back of their homework assignment
When? Before they turn it in to you. “Please get out your homework, but before you turn it in…”
Using? The notes they took the day before.
How? The students will complete this sentence stem:
Yesterday I learned________________________ . Last night when I did my homework I was confused about _________.
Teacher reads random statements aloud to class and discussed before checking homework.
* Have a model for students.

23. Thought Processes and Problem Approaches
Work with a partner.
Identify the note-taker.
Develop at least three new ways you can use this strategy in your classes.
Have the note taker record at least one on the sheet provided.
You will have at least 5 minutes for this. Take the time to think through the strategies thoroughly.
Remember:
Short, nonthreatening, real, and shared

24. Strategy IV: Student Generated Visuals
When students generate their own visuals organizers they are more likely to make important logical connections.
Graphic Organizers
Venn Diagrams
Simple Flow Charts
Webs
T- Charts
Have students draw the organizer before the lesson begins and complete it during the lesson.
Give students a list of facts and have them create a graphic organizer that shows how they are related.
Have the students create multiple graphic organizers for one idea – showing the varied ways ideas can be connect.

25. Graphic Organizer Example
Students are given a blank sheet of paper.
As the class discusses a topic, the teacher assigns each student, or groups of students, a word to write down.
The teacher lists all the words on the board.
Once the lesson is done, the teacher has the students work as teams to organize the papers in such a way as to show the relationships between the words.
For example:
Papers can be mixed up and kept in a center for students to organize again.
Words can be added to the pile and new relationships identified.
Egg
Tadpole
Frog

26. Strategy: Student Generated Visuals

27. Your Turn!
You have one minute to draw a visual related to your content area. Make sure you put your name on the visual!
When I say go, you will pass your visual to the right. Everyone will keep passing visuals until I say stop.
When after I say stop, you will label the visual you have and create a caption.
Once you are done, find the person who created the visual and give it back.
Then, take a five minute break!

28. Short, nonthreatening, real, and shared
Welcome Back! Student Generate Visuals: Graphic organizer or Draw, Label, Caption
Work with your partner.
Identify the note-taker.
Develop at least three new ways you can use this strategy in your classes.
Have the note taker record at least one on the sheet provided.
You will have at least 5 minutes for this. Take the time to think through the strategies thoroughly.
Remember:
Short, nonthreatening, real, and shared

29. Last Strategy: A Plug for RAFTS
When writing a prompt for a topic, give students a: 
Role  (Give them a role to play- a voice to write in
Audience (Have them write to a specific audience- not just the teacher)
Form (Give them a form to write in. It could be a letter, news article,  paragraph, song, rap, etc.)
Topic (Choose a topic that supports the learning and/or challenges their thinking)
Strong Verb ( Select a strong verb to inspire their writing.  Have them "challenge", "criticize",  "convince" rather than simply "explain." )
Game:
In your row, number off 1,2,3,4,5 and 6.
1 will identify a topic. Two, a role, three an audience, 4 the form, and 5 the strong verb. Create a RAFT Now! Have someone take notes and be ready to share.
Have groups share rafts.

30. You Again Part III Take out your graphic organizer with your ideas.
Put a star by your favorite idea.
Add one more detail to one of the ideas.
Record a question you have for one of the ideas.
Target
Idea

31. Final Steps! Remember the sheet of paper you picked up off the floor?
Answer the question if you haven’t done so already. Feel free to ask others for advice.
Find the person who wrote the question and give them the answer.
**** Make sure to turn your record sheet in to your principal!
Have a great rest of your day!!!