1. Teaching Students to Write K-5 Susan Dold doldsb@scsk12.org

2. Why Teach Writing K-5? Writing helps with reading. Writing is 30% of a student’s ELA grade in grades 1-5. The upcoming PARCC Assessments will be heavy on writing. (Sample item to follow)

3. Grade 3, Item #3 You have read two texts about famous people in American history who solved a problem by working to make a change. Write an article for your school newspaper describing how she and faced challenges to change something in America. – In your article, be sure to describe in detail why some solutions they tried worked and others did not work. – Tell how the challenges each one faced were the same and how they were different. Note: This is what the February TCAP Writing Assessment will look like.

4. Knowledge and Skills Required Knowledge of the required writing mode (narrative, informational/explanatory, opinion) Ability to organize thoughts Ability to identify key ideas and details Ability to cite evidence from the text

5. PARCC Framework and the SCS Curriculum

6. How It Looks K-2 K-drawing, dictating, writing--words and phrases, longer pieces 1-drawing and labeling, writing--sentences, longer pieces 2-paragraphs, stories, reports

7. How It Needs to Look 3-5 PARCC says: – Routine writing – Analyses – Narratives

8. Development Focus and organization Language Conventions Scoring Criteria Informational/Explanatory & Opinion

9. Routine Writing Notes – Two column notes – Graphic organizers – Annotations Summaries Journals/learning logs Others?

10. Writing a Summary Read, mark, and/or annotate the text – Topic sentence – Key points – Concluding sentence Frame your topic sentence: In this text, the author reports/states/claims that _________. Summarize two or three key points in one sentence each. Restate the main idea in one sentence.

11. Analyses Multiple modes – Explanatory/informational – Opinion (states and supports a claim) Evidence from the text(s)

12. Writing Analyses Read the text(s) actively – Underline, annotate, highlight Read the prompt carefully – Take note of key words (explain, opinion, cite, delineate) Formulate your main idea (the author’s key point, your opinion) Select a few key details (examples, reasons) Organize your paper (introduction, body, conclusion) Use reasons and examples from the text for the body Conclude by restating your main point

13. Narrative Original stories Modifications to stories (e.g., new endings, write from another point of view) Descriptions of processes

14. When? Experts recommend that students in grades 1- 5 receive one hour of writing instruction per day. – 30 minutes teaching them how – 30 minutes practicing This does not all need to take place during ELA time In kindergarten, the experts also recommend at least 30 minutes per day

15. How: Recommendations from the Experts Provide ample time Teach the writing process Build fluency through handwriting, spelling, sentence structure and keyboarding Create a community of writers

16. How? Use the Writing Process

17. How? Explicit Instruction I do We do You do

18. DescribeSensory detailsUse five sensesK-3 NarrateStory grammarWho? What? When? Where? How?K-5 InformReportK-W-L What I know What I want to know What I learned. 2-5 OpinionSTOP DARE TREE Suspend judgment, take sides, organize ideas, plan to adjust Develop thesis, add support, provide reasons, reject arguments, end strong Tell what, provide reasons, end it, examine it 4-5 2-3 How: Focus on the Mode

19. How: Build Sentence Fluency Sentence framing Sentence expanding Sentence combining

20. Sentence Framing

21. Sentence Expanding

22. Sentence Combining

23. But, But, But… What about grammar, usage, and mechanics?

24. What Spelling is REALLY About

25. Information from the State http://www.tncore.org/english_language_arts.aspx