Strategies for engaging all students in writing. Grades 4-6. Focus on pre-writing, co-creating criteria, developing goals, enabling all to write and write as thinkers. Delivered in Toronto, Feb., 2010.

1. Writing for Everyone – Strategies
for Diverse Kids & Teachers
@
Reading for the Love of It
Feb. 11 & 12, 2010
Faye Brownlie
fayebrownlie@shaw.ca

2. Learning Intentions
• I will uncover ways to remember the joy of
writing
• I will add new strategies to my repertoire that
include all students in writing
• I acknowledge the power of oral language,
modeling, building criteria, practice,
engagement and sharing in building writers

3. Managing the Workshop
• Work with large chunks of time
• Build criteria with students
• Teach one/t wo specific criteria at a time, over
time
• Model, model, model
• Practice, practice, practice
• Focus on pre-writing and oral language
• Establish clear expectations for writing
• Coach students as they are writing
• Goal-set with students

4. Model
Guided practice
Independent practice
Independent application
Pearson
&
Gallagher
(1983)

5. Quick Writes
• Give a word to students
• Give 15 seconds to think about the word, then 3
minutes to free write, using the word
• Students reread (mumble) their writing
• Students choose a phrase, sentence, powerful
word to share – if they choose
• Share the ‘treasures’
• Describe ‘what works’
• Repeat the process

6. Building Criteria
• Whip around
• What struck you? What worked?
• Categorize
• Choose a focus criteria
• Model
• Practice
• Highlight and seek advice

7. Response Journals
 double-entry journals
 initially, written in class, together
 develop criteria for powerful responses

8. Double-Entry Journal
• An event My thinking about the event
• A quotation My thinking/interpretation

12. Found Poems
• Read a text to the students
• Students listen for phrases that they love –
powerful phrases – phrases they want to
remember
• By birthdays, students stand and say their
‘found poem’
• Mix the order to hear different variations of
the poem
• Students write their own ‘found poem’

13. Clustering from Text
• Read a passage to the students
• Students cluster phrases/words that strike
them during the reading
• Each student adds a word/phrase to a class
cluster, indicating where on the cluster it
should be placed - ‘because’
• Reorder/reconnect the phrases to deepen
understanding, develop vocabulary
• Students write in response to the passage

15. Canada
was
freedom
long
ago.
That
was
something
that
Julily
and
many
other
slaves
in
the
USA
did
not
have.
Masa
Ross
from
Canada
came
to
the
Riley
PlantaGon
to
free
some
of
the
slaves.
The
ones
that
went
were
Julily,
Liza,
Adam
and
Lester.
Lester
was
the
leader
of
the
group
and
when
they
went
for
meeGngs
at
night
he
would
weave
between
the
trees
so
that
the
bloodhounds
would
have
a
harder
Gme
to
find
the
slaves.
The
group
knew
to
go
when
they
heard
the
call
of
a
whiporwill
3
Gmes
The
call
was
sort
of
like
a
password
for
the
secaret
meaGngs.
The
blood
hounds
were
scary
for
the
runaways
because
as
soon
as
Masa
Riley
found
out
that
his
slaves
were
gone
he
would
send
the
dogs
to
find
them.
When
the
group
of
slaves
leP
for
freedom
the
girls
had
their
hair
cut
and
wore
boys
clothes
so
that
if
people
saw
them
they
would
not
think
they
were
the
runaways.
Julilly
and
Liza
were
real
friends
and
promised
that
no
maQer
what
they
would
always
sGck
together.
Liza
thought
that
‘this
Gme
she
had
the
lord
on
her
side’.
–
by
Chloe

16. When
M.
Simes
whipes
it’s
scary.
The
bloodhounds
are
waiGng
for
something
to
track.
Liza
and
Julily
will
allway
sGck
together.
Julily
got
taken
away
from
M.
Sally.
Liza
thinks
the
Lord
is
on
her
side.
Liza,
Julily
and
Lester
are
running
away
from
the
bloodhounds.
They
have
to
go
threw
twists
and
turns
in
the
forest
fast
so
they
could
get
to
Canada.
They
also
need
to
follow
the
North
Star.
Julily,
Liza
and
Lester
are
Gred
because
they
have
been
running
a
lot.
M.
Ross
is
helping
Lester,
Julily
and
Liza
to
get
to
Canada
and
to
be
free.
Lester
is
leading
Julily
and
Liza
to
Canada
nad
he
is
really
proud.
There
is
lot
of
pressure
on
Julily
and
Liza.
By
David

17. Escaping
Running
Faster
and
faster
Bloodhounds
fierce
and
fearful
They’re
tracking
me
down.
Huge,
dark
and
gloomy
forest
Wind
howling
like
a
wolf
Faster
and
faster
The
bloodhounds
are
coming
And
I’m
running….
By
David

18. Squiggles
• Draw a line on the board
• Encourage students to transform this into a
picture, talking as they do so
• Have several students demonstrate
• Students draw the same squiggle in their
writers’ notebook and write in response to the
squiggle
• Ideas are meant to be shared!

21. • As
the
sun
dropped
behind
the
mountains,
they
turned
their
steps
toward
home.
Their
day
of
peace
and
tranquility
glowed
in
their
hearts.
• Samantha,
grade
7

22. Online
literacy
videos
• www.sd72.bc.ca
Literacy
Videos
• Clustering
from
Text
• Squiggles
• It’s
All
in
the
Bag

23. References
• Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses –
Brownlie
(2005).
Portage
and
Main
Press.
• Student Diversity, 2nd ed (2006)
–
Brownlie
and
Schnellert.
Pembroke
Publishers
• It’s All about Thinking – Humanities, Social
Studies and English (2009)
–
Brownlie
and
Schnellert.
Portage
and
Main
Press.