This document summarizes strategies used to help 11th grade history students improve their writing skills, particularly in writing paragraphs and essays using evidence from historical documents. It describes scaffolding techniques used, including graphic organizers, paragraph skeletons, modeling exemplar paragraphs, and having students list the steps of writing a paragraph. Student work samples demonstrate progress made over time as different strategies were implemented. The strategies were largely successful in helping students organize their writing and incorporate evidence to support their claims. Going forward, the focus will be on solidifying the steps for writing paragraphs and building up to longer essay writing.

1. Pazia Miller
Presented January 14, 2015
11th Grade U.S. History

2. Nathaly
Sabitree
Erick
Peter
Joseph
Mycol
Jennifer

3. Photo Strengths Areas of
Improvement
Nathaly • Vastly improves with
strategies that allow
her to organize her
thoughts before she
writes
• Appropriately
applies content to
her writing
• Struggles to organize
her thoughts
• Avoids writing
• Struggles with
content and often
has little to write
about
• Speech/language
processing issue
Sabitree • Dedicated student
• Always hands work
in complete and on
time
• Will opt for harder
or longer
assignments
• Always attentive and
engaged in class
• Often misuses
content information
in writing
• Struggles to organize
her thoughts
• Struggles with
grammar and writing
fluency

5.  Finding the main idea
 Understanding a graphic organizer
 Critical writing

6. Students will be able to establish claims with appropriate
supportive evidence by practicing writing paragraphs using
documents
 Paragraph chosen because most students found writing full-length daunting and
needed it broken down
 Each paragraph that practices making claims and providing evidence is its own
building block to writing a thesis statement
 Practiced specifically DBQ writing

7. Level 4 (91-100) Level 3 (80-90) Level 2 (65-79) Level 1 (Below 65)
Clear, relevant
introduction and
conclusion
Identifies a clear
introduction topic
sentence and a
summarizing concluding
sentence
Establishes a relevant
introduction and
conclusion, but does not
directly respond to the
prompt
Introduction and conclusion
is not accurate to the
prompt and topic sentence
lacks key elements
Nonexistent topic
sentence/conclusion
Content Paragraph directly and
correctly responds to all
aspects of prompt and
uses outside knowledge
Paragraph directly and
correctly responds to
prompt and uses some
outside knowledge
Paragraph may be missing
aspects of prompt and does
not use outside knowledge
Paragraph does not
respond to prompt and
uses no outside
knowledge
Use of Evidence Evidence is thoroughly
explained directly after it
is stated with 1-2
clarifying sentences. Uses
and correctly cites at
least 1 document.
Evidence is explained
after it is stated with 1
clarifying sentences. Uses
and correctly cites at
least 1 document.
Evidence is vaguely
explained with 1 clarifying
sentence. Document used
may not be cited correctly.
Evidence is not
explained. No
documents are used.
Organization Response includes topic
sentence, evidence and a
document, and conclusion
Response is missing one
component
Response is missing two
components
Response is missing
three or more
components
Conventions Always uses precise
language and tone
consistently appropriate
to the task. Demonstrates
a command of standard
English conventions with
no errors.
Mostly uses language and
tone appropriate to the
audience and purpose.
Demonstrates a command
of standard English
conventions with
occasional minor errors.
Sometimes uses language
and tone generally
appropriate to the
audience and purpose with
minor lapses. Includes a
number of minor errors
that may interfere with
audience’s understanding.
Uses basic language and
uneven tone with some
improper usage of words
and phrases. Includes
numerous major errors
that interfere with
audience’s
understanding.

8. Organization
Claim and evidence
Content

9. Graphic organizer (Task, Documents Used, Outside Information)
Paragraph Skeletons
• Constitution DBQ (October)
• Manifest Destiny DBQ (November)
• Newspaper Article For/Against Abolition (December)
Memorize, list steps, write
• Abolition of Slavery DBQ (December)
• Monopolies DBQ (January)
Modeling
• Constitution DBQ (October)
• Abolition of Slavery DBQ Revisions (December)

13.  Students struggled with organizing their thoughts and finding evidence that matched
their claim
 Work sample: Nathaly and Sabitree
 Steps forward: Paragraph skeletons and limiting size of assignments to more
specifically focus on skills

14. Optional scaffolding using paragraph skeletons
Students given three documents and asked to write a
paragraph
Work samples: Sabitree, Nathaly

17.  Scaffolding for some students can’t be “optional”
 The sentence starters help students:
 organize their paragraphs and their ideas
 Provide claim and evidence given that they understand the content
knowledge
 Drawbacks:
 These are difficult to remove without students understanding what the
skeletons are doing for them
 Following steps: need to explicitly teach steps to writing a paragraph

18.  Students continued to improve upon their claim/evidence writing using an opinion
piece
 Students were given documents to work into their writing
 Student work sample: Sabitree on Newspaper article

20.  Strategy 3: students work towards increased independence (no more skeletons)
 Explicitly taught steps of a paragraph
 Listing steps before writing
 Topic Sentence, Claim, Evidence (includes document), conclusion/transition
 Modeled an exemplar paragraph
 Students worked to write and revise their paragraphs
 Student work examples: Nathaly

24.  It works!
 Students think about following the steps as they write
 The steps require students to provide claims and evidence
 Students need more practice to remember all of the steps to do it independently

25.  Students tested were required to list steps and then write paragraph
 Students overall did exceptionally well
 The accumulation of strategies, especially listing steps, aided
students in organizing their paragraphs and making successful claims
supported by evidence

30. Short Term:
 Solidify and practice students’ memorization of four steps to writing a paragraph
 Topic sentence, establish claim, provide evidence, conclude/transition
Long Term:
 Transition to building stamina to write full-length essays
 Practice and compare/contrast DBQ essays with thematic essays
 Learn and memorize structure to five paragraph essays