Writing In Content Courses

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Writing In Content Courses
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Quick Write

• Describe a time you have been discriminated
  against because of your gender.

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Quick Writes

• Most courses require students to continually
  think at higher levels.
• As one skill is achieved, another is introduced.
• How can students integrate
  new information with prior
  knowledge?
• How can students learn to reflect upon and
  evaluate their learning?

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Quick Writes

• Designed to give students the opportunity to
  reflect upon their learning
• Can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a
  lesson
• Takes only about three to five minutes.
• Short, open-ended statements
  are usually given.

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Quick Write Examples
Students are asked to write about

• what they learned
• problems they encountered
• what they liked (or did not like) about the
  lesson
• how well they
  understood the
  concepts

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Writing in Content Areas
In content teaching, the integration of reading
and writing reinforces meaning construction as
both activities use similar processing skills.
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WICR Activity
On chart paper, list 10 provocative words from
the article just read.

• Have students write a story using all the words
  in just 7 minutes
• Have students volunteer to read their
  stories aloud
• for a large group, have trios read to each
  other

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WICR Activity

• Paraphrasing

• Pass out a different section of a long article to
  small groups
• Students read the section silently.
• Students then collaborate to briefly paraphrase
  their section.
• Share out paraphrases to the class
• Class collaborates to write a
• paraphrase for the whole article.

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4-Square Analogy

• 1. Write as much as you
• can about ________

• 2. A ________ is like ________ because...

• 3. Describe what it would be like to be ________

• 4. I now wish to change or add to number 1
  ________

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Interactive Journals

• Spiral-bound ONLY - always with you
• Right side - INPUT
• Cornell notes (input, questions)
• data, research
• Left-side - OUTPUT
• Concept maps, diagrams, flow-charts
  procedures, photos, graphics
• Summary - SELF-REFLECTION
• Added at the end of a unit
• Feedback on progress, enjoyment,

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Interactive Journals

• An innovative strategy for students and teachers,
  incorporating
• Independent learning,
• creativity
• accountability
• feedback stressed in brain research

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Adaptations for Journals

• Provide students with skeleton computerized
  Cornell notes

• Students re-copy their notes that night into
  their journal
• Automatic review
• Kinesthetic learning
• Can edit, look-up words at leisure
• Prompts higher-level questions
• Absentees can target on what they need to know

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Essay-writing

• Essay-writing in each content
  area is like learning
  another language.

• English the social sciences need a thesis
  statement, supporting body paragraphs and
  concluding paragraph.
• Science math need only brief introductory and
  concluding sentences, with body paragraphs
  including equations data analysis

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Standardized Tests

• Timed Essay-writing is found on
• AP/IB tests
• Some Stanford 9 tests
• High School Exit Exam
• Some Golden State Exams
• Some college placement exams
• Graded only on points that correctly address the
  prompt.
• Timed essay-writing needs to be taught

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Spiral the Skill

• First essay (learning the skill)
• Go over the format beforehand
• Give them the prompt in advance
• Grade rigorously make overheads of best
  (nameless) papers to go over
  in class
• Re-write the essay for a final grade

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Spiral the Skill

• Second essay (learning to peer-grade)
• Give them a choice of 3 prompts in advance test
  on one grade rigorously
• Have students peer-grade, with both positive and
  negative critical comments
• Give points for productive comments
• Re-write the essay for a final grade

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Spiral the Skill

• Third essay (honing their skills)
• Give them a choice of one of 3 prompts on the
  test (not known in advance)
• Teach them to highlight main points
• Give points for productive comments
• Re-write the essay for a final grade

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Spiral the Skill

• Fourth essay (writing a test essay)
• Give them a choice of one of 2 prompts on the
  test
• Teach them to quick write key concepts before
  writing
• Grade rigorously
• No re-write (this is a test)

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Spiral the Skill

• Fifth essay (writing to the clock)
• Give only one, clear prompt (a main concept for
  the unit)
• Math/science Insist on at least one diagram or
  graph within the essay
• Tell them they have ???? min. to work
• Students analyze what they have written

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Spiral the Skill

• Sixth essay (demonstrating mastery)
• Give only one, clear prompt (a main concept for
  the unit)
• Math/science Insist on at least one diagram and
  highlighting within the essay
• Tell them they have ???? min. to work
• Student analysis
• Re-writing essay

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Inquiry
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"In the classroom, wondering should be as highly
valued as knowing."

• F. James Rutherford and Andrew Ahlgren in
  Science for All Americans

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The Fairytale Game
1. Think of a childhood fairytale.
2. Write a question about the fairytale as
though you had assigned it as a reading
in your class.
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The Fairytale Game
3. Review Blooms Taxonomy of critical thinking
on the next slide and determine which level of
critical thinking would be required to respond to
your question. Write down the category next
to your question.
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Blooms Levels
1. KNOWLEDGE recalling information 2.
COMPREHENSION understanding meaning 3.
APPLICATION using learning in new situations 4.
ANALYSIS ability to see parts relationships
5. SYNTHESIS Use parts to create a new whole 6.
EVALUATION judgment based on criteria
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The Fairytale Game
4. In collaborative groups, share and discuss
these questions. As a group, rewrite the
questions to a higher Level.
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Inquiry Strategies
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The Big Picture

• Inquiry is the common thread in a
  student-centered classroom.
• Used in

• Cornell notes
• Tutorials
• Socratic Seminars
• Learning Logs
• Critical thinking decision-making

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The Big Picture

• Often begins with a question
• Encourages students to think critically
• Creates the opportunity for students to
  problem-solve share analyses
• Inquiry promotes COLLABORATION

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Why Use Inquiry as a Teaching Methodology?
Inquiry immediately engages students with their
own thinking processes.
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Why Use Inquiry as a Teaching Methodology?
Student gain greater understanding of concepts
and values.
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You cant get students to think critically
without asking critical questions
Carmen Serret-Lopez
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Collaborative Strategies
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What have we done collaboratively?

• 1. Chunking the article on Title IX
• 2. Fairy Tale Activity using Blooms Taxonomy

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Benefits to Students

• No one knows EVERYTHING!
• Teachers expect analysis, synthesis evaluation
  of subject matter
• the stuff of collaborative groups
• Students will remember more and succeed at a
  faster pace.
• Learning with other people is more FUN than
  learning alone!

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Preparing Students to Collaborate

• May be shy to share their work at first
• Start with non-threatening experiences
• Gradually increase task demands

• Discuss before they begin to work
• Group etiquette
• Stereotyping
• Group dynamics

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Preparing Students to Collaborate

• Provide careful instructions before
  moving to groups
• Establish routines for moving
• Have students group desks closely
• Prevents loud talking
• Creates a group atmosphere
• Establish a reasonable time limit
• Too long and groups deteriorate

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Carousel Brainstorming

• Collect LOTS of data in an active way
• Immediately shows the class all the information
  generated
• Post on walls several sub-topics from a major
  topic
• Divide into groups that match the number of
  sub-topics
• Give groups a different
  color pen and send to
  a specific chart.

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Carousel Brainstorming

• Give 5 minutes to write brainstorm ideas about
  the sub-topic on the paper
• Move groups clockwise to a new chart after 5
  minutes until all groups have added their ideas
• Do a Gallery Walk around the room to allow each
  group to see what was added after
  they wrote.
• Reflect on the activity as a
  whole orally or in writing

From Spencer Kagans Cooperative Learning,
Resources for Teachers
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Word Wall

• Good activity to begin a unit to see what
  information students already know about a subject
• Tape critical vocabulary words and/or concepts
  for a new unit on the wall
• Pairs define 3 concepts or words they know from
  the word wall onto post-it notes and place them
  under the appropriate word on the word wall
• Quickly shows group where
  learning needs to occur

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Helping Students Successfully Access Text
Material

• Reading for understanding and knowledge

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Schemata Have You Got It?

• People construct meaning in their lives based
  on stores of memories.
• It consists of everything they have ever

• sensed
• experienced
• learned

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Schemata Have You Got It?

• Schema HOW people organize and store
  information in their heads. It reflects

• experiences
• attitudes
• values
• conceptual understanding
• skills strategies
• that readers bring to a text situation

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Schemata How it Functions
Schema functions in 3 ways

• Gives a framework to understand reading and fill
  in gaps.
• Helps readers organize text information and
  remember whats been read.
• Helps readers elaborate information involving
  deeper levels of insight, memory judgment and
  evaluation.

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Schemata Have You Got It?
1. Read the passage and fill in the blanks with
words that make sense to you. 2. Answer the
questions using sentences. 3. Get in pairs and
read passages to each other. 4. Find out if any
groups have the exact same wording. 5. Share
your responses in pairs. 6. Have a class
discussion on what strategies students have when
dealing with a text.
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SQ4R

• An important part of the college experience is
  learning to learn.
• SQ4R is one strategy that can help you get the
  most out of your textbook reading.
• SQ4R will assure that you don't just "do it,"
  when it comes to your reading assignments
• you will derive as much as you possibly can out
  of the experience.

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SURVEY

• Overview quickly look for the main idea or
  unifying theme
• Table of Contents
• Introduction/Summary
• Read the first sentence of each paragraph
• Headings (memorize if possible)
• Pictures, charts, diagrams, etc.
• Vocabulary lists, notated print, captions, etc.

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As You Are Surveying
Have a conversation with yourself

• How is the text organized?
• What do I know about the topic already?
• What do I expect it to talk about?
• Do I need to use some kind of visual aid such as
  a thinking map?

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QUESTION

• Establish a purpose. Think about the material by
  doing these things
• Turn headings and subheadings into questions.
• Read all questions within the chapter/text.
• Try to guess at the answers.

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READ

• Read to answer questions
• Carefully read (in manageable chunks) to answer
  questions.
• Correct incorrect guesses from early questioning.
• Note important details, relationships.

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Questions to ask myself when I don't understand
what I've read

• 1. What are the unknown
  vocabulary words? Can I
  figure out what they mean?
• 2. Are there sentences that don't make any sense?
• 3. Are there concepts that are unfamiliar?

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Questions to ask myself when I don't understand
what I've read

• 4. Is the writing hard to follow? Are
  the sentences too long? Do they jump around?
• 5. Am I getting lost in details and missing the
  big picture?
• 6. Am I confused because the parts don't seem
  connected?

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RECITE

• Recite the answers to questions with the book
  closed
• State orally answers to questions.
• State key facts and concepts.
• Reread any areas which are unclear.

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'RITE

• Writing is important. Take notes! It promotes
  learning, understanding and knowledge.
• Take accurate notes on basic concepts.
• Create a thinking map
• Prepare a study sheet for exams.
• Use outline or Cornell Note format

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REVIEW

• Review in chunks for short intervals. This aids
  in retention and deeper learning.
• Review notes.
• Be able to answer all questions.
• Predict test questions and answer them.

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REVIEW
Have a conversation with yourself. This is a
metacognitive skill. What do I know?

• Do my thinking maps make sense?
• Have I missed any important ideas or vocabulary?
• Can I paraphrase the main ideas from memory?
• Can I apply the information to a new situation?

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Model Encourage Reading the Text

• Model the SQ4R method of reading a text.
• Question aloud, show your own notes as overheads

• Assign a chapter for students to read on their
  own.
• Take Cornell notes on the chapter.
• Grade the questions they generate. OR
• Let them use their notes on a quiz.

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KWL
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Significant Statements

• 1. Individually
• Write 3 significant statements about a chapter in
  the text.
• Remember to
  paraphrase,
  not plagiarize
• 2. In a small group
• Write 3 significant statements generated by the
  group after sharing individual concepts.

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Significant Statements

• 3. In a small group
• Create a poster illustrating your 3 statements
  generated by the group.
• Include pictures, examples, diagrams.
• Get ready
• Share your work!

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WICRDebriefing

• Writing
• Quick write
• 10 Provocative Words
• Paraphrasing
• Reading
• Building Schema
• SQ4R
• KWL

• Inquiry
• Fairy Tale
• Blooms Taxonomy
• The Big Picture
• Collaboration
• Chunking
• Fairy Tale
• Word Wall

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Edited and Presented by

• Michael and Sharon Ballard