A variety of strategies to use in the elementary classroom: 6+1 traits, Writers Workshop, assessments, using mentor text

1. Welcome…
• Begin by labeling your tabs.
– Red: Documents
– Clear: Assessments
– Blue: Handwriting
– Orange: Workshop and 6+1
– Yellow: Notebook
– Green: Mentor Texts
– Pink: Strategies
– Light Orange: resources

2. Best Practice and Core Strategies
for Writing Instruction

3. Agenda for Core Writing Strategies
• Read and understand KCAS writing standards
• Plan effective Writing opportunities based on
best practice research
• Demonstrate basic knowledge in
– Writers’ Workshop, 6 traits and Notebook
– Using Mentor Text
– Writing Process
– Assessment

6. The most important thing about writing
is______.
It_____________________________.
It is _____________________ and
___________.
But the most important thing about writing
is_______________________________.

7. What does
writing
instruction
look like in
your school?

8. 3 Modes
Opinion Informational Narrative

9. Writing Requirements: Program Review
and HB 69
Demonstrator 2 Demonstrator 1 Instruction Instruction Demonstrator 1 Assessment

10. HB 69
And K-3
Program Review

11. Let’s Start with KCAS

12. Writing Standards
Three Modes of Writing
Located in Standards 1-3
Standards 4-10
How students
should do the work
of Standards1-3

13. Where is it addressed in the Standards?

14. Let’s Take a Deeper Dive Into
Writing

15. Learn more about the standards
Nouns:
Know
Verbs:
Do
Adjectives
Adverbs:
How, To what
degree
Ainsworth, Mctighe and Wiggins
“On their own”

18. Standards focus
on expectations
not methods
Will require a planned, sequential
and explicit writing program

20. Universal Screeners

21. Possible Data Sources
• KPREP Results
– On-demand
– Extended Response/Constructed Response
• MAP
• Core Content Assessments (CCA’s)
• Program Assessments
• Writing Sprees
• CBM Group-Administered Probes

22. Universal Screening for Writing
• Screening Written Expression
– Writing Probes
– CBM
– Rubrics
• Screening for Letter Writing Fluency
• Screening for Word Writing Fluency
– Dictation Sentences Hearing and
Recording Sounds in Words
(Observation Survey)
– Observation Survey Writing Spree by
Marie Clay (Writing Fluency)

23. So, do you have a Universal Screener
for Writing?

24. Handwriting Screeners

25. Things to Consider
• What do I want to screen at my school?
• What resources or tools do I have available?

26. Let’s Look at some Writing!

27. Do we teach handwriting in an
explicit, sequential and intentional
way?

28. Why teach Handwriting?
Labored handwriting
creates a drain on mental
resources needed for
higher-level aspects of
writing, such as attention
to content, elaboration of
details, and organization
of ideas.

29. Instruction
• 10-15 minutes daily
• Early instruction is key so bad habits don’t
form
• Teach children consistent formation of letters
using a continuous stroke if possible.
• Focus initially on learning the motor pattern
rather than perfect legibility or size.

30. Instruction
• Teach similarly
formed letters
together, and use
an instructional
sequence that takes
into account both
ease of formation
and frequency in
words.

31. Assessments should include:
• Legibility
– Legibility involves the readability of letters, as
well as spacing within and between words.
• Execution
– Execution includes correct and consistent pencil
hold, posture, and letter formation.
• Speed/ Fluency
– use writing efficiently in a variety of tasks.

32. Handwriting Screeners

33. Writing Process
Learning to write is active. The learner
must do the bulk of the work. Just as
in learning to swim or play the oboe,
there is very little the teacher can do
from the front of the room.

34. WRITER’S WORKSHOP

39. Process and
Product

40. Integrated Writing Instruction (MacArthur, Graham, & Schwarz, 1993 )
The instructor follows a uniform daily instructional
framework for writing instruction.
1. Status-checking
2. Mini-Lesson
3. Student Writing
4. Peer & Teacher Conferences
5. Group Sharing or Publishing

41. Writer’s Workshop Structure
• Includes at least 30 minutes a day for writing
• Begins with a minilesson (10-15 minutes of
direct explicit instruction)
• Conferencing with individuals and small
groups
• “After the Workshop Share” connected to the
minilesson

42. Minilessons (only 10-15 minutes)
• All students bring writing folders,notebooks to
meeting area.
• Sit on their folders (younger students)
• Assigned spots.
• Assigned Partners
• We teach a strategy that the child will use
often as they write.
• Teach children their jobs during minilesson

43. Architecture of a Mini Lesson (10-15
minutes)

44. CONNECTION
• Avoid launching mini lessons with questions
• Tell children what they’ll be doing rather than
what they will learn
• Make connections short

45. TEACHING
• MOVE STUDENTS ALONG GRADIENT OF
DIFFICULTY
• PLAN METHOD AS WELL AS CONTENT
– DEMONSTRATION, TELL AND SHOW,
INQUIRY, GUIDED PRACTICE

46. Excerpt from Launching the Writing
Workshop by Lucy Calkins
“I know that we’ve been talking about writing
our words the best we can. And we’ve been
talking about stretching our words so that we can
hear the sounds in them. Today I want to show
you how to get the main sounds you hear in your
words down on paper.”

47. ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
• Ask children to be researchers and articulate
what you did
• Ask children to try it immediately
• Ask children to plan to do it immediately and
tell their partners their plans.

48. Excerpt from Launching the Writing
Workshop p. 21 by Lucy Calkins
“So let’s pretend I say it is writing time. I’ll say
table monitors and when I say that, six of you ,
one from each table with your names on the list,
will come over here and get your tools. So let’s
try it.”
“Table monitors get your tools.”
“Let’s watch and see what they do.”

49. LINK
• Restate your teaching point
• Encourage children to add the days teaching
point to their repertoire of strategies
• Generalize the lesson
• Make transition smooth
• Boost the children’s writing energy

50. Excerpt from Launching the Writing
Workshop p. 22 by Lucy Calkins
“ Writers, this is how we will always get the
room ready for writing workshop. Now let’s see
if , when I call on you, you can go quickly to
your writing spot.”

51. Let’s Take a Look

53. Scoring Rubric for Traits

54. 6+1 Traits Of Writing
Page 4-5
• Select the trait you will teach.
• Find mentor text for the selected trait. Teach
the mini lesson.
• Students work on several writing
activities to develop the trait. Teacher
modeling very important.

55. 6+1 Traits Of Writing
• Students look at sample
pieces and score them
on the selected trait
using a 6+1 trait rubric
and make revision using
the sample piece.
• Teacher assess the piece
of writing.

58. Writers’
Notebook
“

59. Why Notebooks?
• Provides students with writing practice.
• Allows student ideas to emerge.
• Becomes a reference to strategies taught
throughout the year.
• Encourages writing fluency.
• Becomes an ongoing process.

60. What’s In? What’s Out?
In the Notebook Out of the notebook/ in
Writing Folder
Daily entries
Collecting Around a
topic
Revision strategies
Editing, grammar notes
Drafts
Revisions
Editing
Final Copy

61. General Time Frames
• K-1st 5-10 minutes writing or drawing in the
notebook on a daily basis.
• 2nd-3rd 5-15 minutes writing in the notebook
daily, perhaps 1-2 times at home with travel
notebook.
• 4th-5th 10-20 minutes writing in the notebook
daily, perhaps 1-3 times at home with travel
notebook.

64. MENTOR
TEXT

65. Mentor Texts
• Short pieces work best
• Use the text numerous times for different
purposes
• Teaching Writer’s Craft not the book

66. How to Select A Mentor Text
• The text is a little more sophisticated than the
writing of your best students.
• Your entire class can have access to the text.
• The text is a good example of a particular kind
of writing (genre).
• The text is of a genre you are studying.

67. MENTOR
TEXT

68. How would you use your Mentor Text?

69. Multisensory Strategies To Incorporate
into Your Writing Practice

70. Props for Paragraphs

71. The Claw

72. Bare Bones

73. Resources
• www.writingfix.com
• http://educationnorthwest.org/resource/504
• Appendix C KCAS
• KDE Marker Papers

74. Let’s Make a Plan
• Who will you share today’s information with?
• What information will you share?
• What ideas do you have for core writing
instruction at your school?
• What next steps to you need to take?