1. February 18, 2014 Matt Creasman Jan Jones
Content Objective:
Participants will synthesize writing to learn information to infuse writing routinely across the curriculum.
Literacy Objectives:
Use sentence starter, stem or frame to respond.
Read and respond to text orally and in writing.
Write to Learn
Matt
February 18, 2014
Matt Creasman
Jan Jones

2. February 18, 2014 Matt Creasman Jan Jones
Individual
Quick Write:
Learning to write means…
Writing to learn means…
Pair-Share
Partner 1: Explain what it means to learn to read
Partner 2: Explain what it means to read to learn
Write to Learn
Matt speak to state assessment expectations, change from No Child Left Behind, excitement of bringing writing back, rigor
February 18, 2014
Matt Creasman
Jan Jones

3. Brain Research Why Write? Semantic memory (learned from words)
Repeatedly processed for long-term storage to take place
Must be stimulated by associations, comparisons, and similarities
Learning and Memory: The Brain in Action
-Marilee Sprenger
Matt
Semantic (word) learning is what happens in most standard classrooms.
Research shows for this type of learning to be moved to long term memory, it must involve repetition and various associations.

4. Kansas College and Career Readiness Standards
Why Write?
Kansas College and Career Readiness Standards
for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
10. Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
1.-3. Arguments
Informative/Explanatory
Narratives
Matt
That research is reflected in the expectations of the standards.
Routinely
Extended- research papers, essays
Shorter- quick writes, sentences, paragraphs
Refer to handout of standards for pg. 63 anchor standards.
These are the literacy standards for all courses. We should ALL be teaching and using writing in every class on a routine basis.

5. Research: Dr. Anita Archer Steve Graham
Why Write?
Research: Dr. Anita Archer Steve Graham
Matt
These are the resources that the district literacy team has been studying in order to find and develop the curriculum and strategies that we are using.
Some are probably familiar to your building.
Prominent authors: Anita Archer, Steve Graham

6. Research from Writing Next
Why Write?
Research from Writing Next
11 most important ways to improve student writing
Writing Strategies
Summarization
Collaborative Writing
Specific Product Goals
Word Processing
Sentence Combining
7. Prewriting
8. Inquiry Activities
9. Process Writing Approach
10. Study of Models
11. Writing for Content Learning
Jan
One of those resources says the 11 most important ways to improve student writing is by doing these things in your classroom.
Today, we will be doing those in blue.

7. -Best Practices in Writing Instruction
Why Write?
The goal of writing to learn is most often to help students better understand concepts and theories in a subject.
-Best Practices in Writing Instruction
It helps teachers conduct the kind of formative assessment needed to improve student writing without an endless cycle of paperwork..
Jan
Good for students to better understand and remember what you are teaching.
Good for teachers to see if students are comprehending the information and to make adjustments in instruction as needed.
-Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core

8. How to Teach It
Where you spend your energies thinking is what you will remember.
-Anita Archer
Explicit Instruction
Teach the Critical Attributes
Provide a Written Example
Scaffold
Gradual Release of Responsibility
Provide feedback
Jan
We need to teach writing explicitly and support students as we ask them to write.
Rigor without support is cruel and unusual punishment.
If students are struggling to write, they will spend their energies in that struggle. They will remember they hate writing.
If you support their process, they will spend their energies on your content. They will remember your teaching.
These are the areas we will be looking at more closely as we talk about teaching writing explicitly.

9. Teach the Critical Attributes
How to Teach It
Explicit Instruction
Teach the Critical Attributes
Teach the Genre
What is the genre?
KCCRS: Arguments, Informative
(Narrative incorporated into argument & informative)
Create a student-friendly Rubric
Six Traits / Analytical Rating Guide
Includes content specifics
Standards
Includes writing process
Introduce only a portion initially
Jan
Before students can write in a particular domain or type, they need to know the critical attributes of the genre. You don’t have to be an expert in that. Refer to your standards. Details are there.
You also don’t have to teach it all at once. Focus on portions. Scaffold their learning of that genre.
Another way to teach the critical attributes is to create a teach a student friendly rubric.
Considerations for the components of the rubric are the six traits, details of the genre in the standards and the writing process in the standards.

10. How to Teach It Explicit Instruction Jan
This is a basic accountability rubric to be used by students to self check, peer check, and teacher grading. You can also increase the evaluation by changing Y/N to a range of numbers 1-3, 1-5.
Start small. Start manageable. Write routinely.

11. Provide a Written Example
How to Teach It
Explicit Instruction
Provide a Written Example
You write what you will assign
Grade level example
(Optional) non-example
Guide students in analyzing a non-example to determine missing attributes
Matt
Use example #1
Teach using rubric- Scaffold
Work thru teaching portion of rubric-
Cloze read to underline what looking for 1
We do: Finger on main idea, check partner
Underline main idea
Rate on rubric
Cloze read and check mark what looking for in 2
We do: Read next sentence- check mark if about main idea
You do: Do rest on own
Choral read 7
Cloze read 9
I do: Circle descriptive words (first 4)
We do: finger on next descriptive word, choral response word (do 4 like that)
You do rest

12. Provide Feedback Opportunities
How to Teach It
Explicit Instruction
Provide Feedback Opportunities
Students discuss before & after writing
Teacher oral & written
To Individuals
As you circulate and monitor
Praise, encourage, correct
To Group
Observations
Student (use rubric)
To Self
Carefully check against rubric
To Partner
Focused feedback after you model the feedback procedure
Matt
We just showed how to teach the rubric.
Empathize the work load writing can create. Today we are focusing on ways to make it more manageable and incorporate self and peer edit.
Feedback: Facilitators will do this during strategy writing.

13. “I had students respond in writing to _________ by …”
What to Write
“I had students respond in writing to _________ by …”
Written text
Multimedia (visuals, photographs, editorial cartoons, short videos, etc.)
Collaborative conversations based on text
Completed Graphic Organizers
Essential questions
Student notes
Matt
Partner share
Think over your last couple weeks of instruction. When did you have students write and what were they responding to (bulleted items). Use the sentence stem to share what they responded to and what you had them write.
Example: I had students respond in writing to their graphic organizer by writing a summary.

14. What to Write
Share with partner: “Some struggles I’ve experienced when asking students to write are…”
Matt
Partner share

15. Writing is not caught. It must be taught.
What to Write
Writing is not caught. It must be taught.
Strategy: Writing Frames
-Anita Archer
Scaffold Organization- Writing Frames
Have a plan for gradual release of responsibility!
Jan
Using writing frames like cloze paragraphs and sentence starters is a quick and easy way to support students. It helps them with organization, confidence, academic / coherent writing.

16. Scaffold Written Product (organization & sentence fluency)
What to Write
Scaffold Written Product (organization & sentence fluency)
Use with beginning writers
Use as an accommodation for emerging writers
Use to support specialized writing
Use to support summarization
Use to promote comprehension of material
Use to emphasize use of academic language
Jan
Use writing frames in a variety of ways to support students

17. Writing Frames - Examples
What to Write
Writing Frames - Examples
#2 beginning writers (basic paragraph)
#3 accommodation for emerging writers
(state report, mammal report)
#4 specialized writing (story problem explanation)
#5 summarization narrative (story grammar)
#7 comprehension responses
#8 academic language
Jan
Briefly look through examples provided.

18. Apply It What to Write Read- Mark the text I do We do You do
Circle key terms and essential words
Underline author’s claims and relevant information to purpose: better understanding of Write to Learn
I do
We do
You do
Jan
Movement for Differentiation!!! Take your stuff with you to a new seat.
3 greens and 3 yellows at each table. All new table mates.
Pinks move to table with your para, Wendy.
Best Practices in Writing to Learn article from seminar
Mark the Text
Facilitators will make sure yellows see to focus on last paragraph.
will watch to see when they are finished and hand out the writing frames.
Para Wendy will read last paragraph aloud to students and assist them with writing frame.
Discuss ways to scaffold after they complete the activity.
I do mark the text 1st paragraph, We do 2nd and 3rd, You do 4th
I do first 2-3 words, We do with slate boards or with partner, and choral response next 3-4 blanks, We do to finish.
I do first, partner do rest with group choral check activity, You do by writing a paraphrase of the paragraph.

19. Writing is not caught. It must be taught.
What to Write
Writing is not caught. It must be taught.
Strategy: Paragraph Writing
-Anita Archer
List
Cross out
Connect
Number
Write
Edit
Research- Difficulty students had was putting their plan into text (transcribing it).
Matt
Research shows students struggle to transcribe their ideas into a coherent piece of writing.

20. List of Important Ideas
What to Write
List of Important Ideas
Penguin’s Birth
Male takes care of egg
Female lays egg
Female leaves
Female spends winter at sea
The water is cold
Male puts egg on his feet under bell
Male stays on egg for two months
Male doesn’t eat
Egg hatches
Male must care for baby
Matt

21. What to Write
Cross-out unnecessary or weak ideas Connect ideas that could go in one sentence
Penguin’s Birth
Male takes care of egg
Female lays egg
Female leaves
Female spends winter at sea
The water is cold
Male puts egg on his feet under bell
Male stays on egg for two months
Male doesn’t eat
Egg hatches
Male must care for baby
Matt

22. Number order they will appear in paragraph
What to Write
Number order they will appear in paragraph
Penguin’s Birth
Male takes care of egg
Female lays egg
Female leaves
Female spends winter at sea
The water is cold
Male puts egg on his feet under bell
Male stays on egg for two months
Male doesn’t eat
Egg hatches
Male must care for baby 3 1 2
Matt 4 5 6

23. Write a Summary What to Write
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.
Matt

24. What to Write
Apply It
Brainstorm:
List of critical actions / components about using Write to Learn
Jan
List the critical actions/components that you have learned today about using writing to learn
Differentiate –pair green and yellow
Brainstorm with partner-Green & Yellow Pink aloud with Wendy.
We do- facilitators circulate and get more ideas to share.
Show idea and name on doc cam
Cross-out I do-Cross out one idea.
We: You do w/ Partner: Look through your list and cross out ideas that are not supporting topic
Connect- I do-Make a connection.
We: You do w/ Partner.
I do: Number- first idea
We: number with partner
Write- I do- Write first sentence that you numbered.
You do: ready to write paragraph individually (we do has been done thru-out with partner discussion)