K3 Writing Summer Institute sponsored by the Literacy

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K-3 Writing Summer Institute sponsored by the
Literacy Numeracy Secretariat

• Aug. 18-19, 2008

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Kindergarten Writing Expectations

• As children progress through the K years, they
• demonstrate interest in writing and choose to
  write in a variety of contexts
• demonstrate an awareness that writing can convey
  ideas or messages
• write simple messages, using a combination of
  pictures, symbols, knowledge of the
  correspondence between letters and sounds and
  familiar words

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Kindergarten Writing Expectations(cont)

• As children progress through the K years, they
• begin to use classroom resources to support their
  writing
• experiment with a variety of simple writing forms
  for different purposes and in a variety of
  contexts
• communicate ideas about personal experiences
  and/or familiar stories, and experiment with
  personal voice in their writing

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Gr. 1-8 Overall Writing Expectations

• By the end of Grade ? , students will
• generate, gather, and organize ideas and
  information to write for an intended audience
• draft and revise their writing, using a variety
  of information, literary, and graphic forms and
  stylistic elements (traits) appropriate for the
  purpose and audience
• use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills
  and strategies, and knowledge of language
  conventions, to correct errors, refine
  expression, and present their work effectively
• reflect on and identify their strengths as
  writers, areas for improvement, and the
  strategies they found most helpful at different
  stages in the writing process.

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What should be included in an effective writing
program?

• WRITING PROCESS
• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
• Publishing/Presenting

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What should be included in an effective writing
program?

• On-demand writing
• Spelling
• Word study
• Classroom resources and materials

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Gradual Release of Responsibility

• Modelled Writing
• Shared Writing
• Interactive Writing (share the pen)
• Guided Writing
• Independent Writing
• How do these link to read-alouds,
  shared/guided/independent reading?

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Forms/Formats/Genres?!?

• Persuasive
• Recount Narrative
• Story Report
  Storyboards
• Explanation Summary
• Procedure Poetry
• Personal narrative

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61 Traits/Elements of Writing

• IDEAS
• ORGANIZATION
• VOICE
• WORD CHOICE
• SENTENCE FLUENCY
• CONVENTIONS
• PRESENTATION (1)

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4 Categories of the Achievement Chart

• Knowledge and Understanding
• Thinking
• Communication
• Application

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4 Categories of the Achievement Chart

• Knowledge and Understanding
• 
  ORGANIZATION
• Thinking
• 
  IDEAS CONTENT
• Communication VOICE, WORD CHOICE
• 
  CONVENTIONS,
• 
  SENTENCE FLUENCY
• Application IDEAS
  CONTENT
• (connection to
  topic, personal experience
• and life
  situations to enhance main idea)

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WRITING PROCESS

• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
• Publishing

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WRITING PROCESS

• Prewriting Ideas
• Drafting Ideas, Org
• Revising I, Org, V, WC, SF
• Editing Conventions, SF
• Publishing Presentation

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Resources

• Language curriculum expectations
• Write Traits resources (Nelson and Scholastic)
• Ruth Culhams books K-2, 3 and up (Scholastic)
• Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading, 2003
• Guide to Effective Instruction in Writing, 2005
• www.eworkshop.on.ca
• www.eqao.com
• Ontario Writing Assessment (OWA)
• Is That A Fact? By Tony Stead
  

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• Marvelous Minlessons for Teaching Beginning
  Writing, K-3 by Lori Jamison Rog
• Ottawa Catholic Schools booklet
• Primary Writing

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EAQO 2006-07 Suggestions

• Model for students and provide multiple
  opportunities for students to organize written
  work around clear, well-developed and
  well-supported ideas in the variety of forms
  expected in the Primary Division curriculum.
• Ensure students are familiar with the
  characteristics of all the genres students are
  required to write according to the Primary
  Division expectations.

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EAQO 2006-07 Suggestions

• Continue to help students use conventions
  correctly and edit their own written work and
  that of their peers.
• Provide opportunities for students to master
  Specific Writing Expectation 2.4 dealing with
  sentence fluency.

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EAQO 2006-07 Suggestions

• Students demonstrated their knowledge of
  conventions when responding to multiple choice
  questions better than they did when using
  conventions to produce written work required by
  the writing prompts.

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EAQO 2006-07 Suggestions

• Short writing tasks
• Students performed better on Writing Skills 3
  (conventions - spelling, grammar, punctuation)
  than on Writing Skill 1 (developing a main idea
  with sufficient supporting details) and Writing
  Skill 2 (organizing information and ideas in a
  coherent manner).

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What we know

• Students require choice and variety where
  possible while writing.
• Students require DAILY opportunities to write for
  authentic purposes. KEEP IT REAL!
• Link to other subject areas.
• Romance the writer! Engagement is key!

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Definition (Min. of Ed. 2006)

• Non-fiction writing is distinguished from other
  types of text by its purpose namely
• to communicate accurate, credible information
  about things, events, people, constructs,
  concepts and theories.

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• Purpose of Fiction to entertain and involve
  readers or listeners in stories of life
• Purpose of Nonfiction to inform or persuade

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Text forms/formats/genresFiction Nonfiction

• Both fiction and nonfiction texts must be
  explored by students during read-alouds, shared,
  guided and independent reading so that students
  can then learn how to write these forms
  effectively.

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Why nonfiction writing?

• With the exception of attendance, opportunities
  to develop skills and abilities in nonfiction
  writing is the number-one factor associated
  with test scores.
• Douglas Reeves, 2002

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• Nonfiction writing is the most widely read genre
  in the world.
• Kamil Lane, 1997

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• Studies have shown that academic achievement in a
  range of subjects and fields relies heavily on
  informational reading and writing.
• 
  Duke, 2004

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• Elementary school children of both genders (not
  just boys) will choose to read nonfiction over
  stories nearly half the time, a finding that
  surprises many teachers.
• Kletzien Szabo, 1998

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• We must speak to our students with an honesty
  tempered by compassion Our words will literally
  define the ways they perceive themselves as
  writers.
• 
  Ralph Fletcher

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• Studies have shown that exposure to informational
  texts such as textbooks, reports, manuals and
  biographies has many benefits, including
  increased enthusiasm for recreational reading and
  growth in the ability to read and write not only
  informational text but also other genres.

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• Nonfiction writing is associated with higher test
  scores in reading as well as in mathematics,
  science and social studies.
• Reeves,
  2002
• Nonfiction writing helps students think
  systematically and thoroughly about the world.

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• Because of the many benefits for students,
  nonfiction writing should reinforced in all areas
  of the curriculum, in all grades.

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Is That A Fact? Tony Stead

• If we want children to become able writers for
  many different purposes, we need to dive deep and
  give our children comprehensive learning
  engagements so that they can develop deeper
  understanding about how different text types
  work. Page 14

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Is That A Fact? Tony Stead

• A nonfiction study of anything less than a
  weeks duration will do little to foster such
  understanding.
• Most of the teachers I have worked with have
  found that nonfiction explorations in their
  classrooms usually average three to four weeks.
• Page 14
  

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A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction Writing One
Teachers Journey

• Step 1
• Selecting the writing purpose (genre) and
  relevant form
• Helens Grade 2 class
• What are the childrens needs as writers?

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Step 1 A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction
Writing

• Step 2
• Immersing the children into a content areas to
  create a real context for their learning the
  purpose of the writing and its relevant form

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A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction Writing

• Step 3
• Assessing each childs skills and understanding
  in writing in the specific form selected

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A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction Writing

• Step 4
• Implementing a whole-class exploration of the
  selected text
• doing words verbs
• seeing words nouns
• how to do something words
  adverbs
• what it looks like words
  adjectives

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A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction Writing

• Step 5
• Encouraging independent explorations of the text
  type being explored
• Simply showing children how a thing is done
  without letting them independently practice it is
  not a good model for learning. Children need to
  try writing in the selected form with the teacher
  providing ongoing demonstrations and support.

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A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction Writing

• Step 6
• Conducting follow-up assessments to determine
  each childs writing skills and
• understanding of the specific form
• Comparing a childs written piece with prior
  pieces is one of the greatest assessment tools we
  can utilize as teachers.

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A Framework for Teaching Nonfiction Writing

• Step 7
• Future considerations for teaching and learning