Reading without reflecting is like eating

without digesting.Edmund Burke

No Time to Write?

Dawn Paulson

Why Teach Reading & Writing Together?

According to Shanahan & Tierney( 1991)• 5 Major Reasons

1. Reading & writing are constructive processes.

2. Reading & writing share similar processes and kinds of knowledge.

3. Reading & writing when taught together improve achievement.

4. Reading & writing together foster communication.

5. Reading & writing combined develop critical thinking skills.

Similar Kinds of Knowledge

• They should be taught together because they develop together, and they share many of the same processes and types of knowledge.

(Tiernay & Shanahan, 1991).

Developing reading and writing together has many social

benefits.

Two Equally Important and

Valuable Kinds of Writing

Writing to Learn (WTL)• Notes

• Brainstorming

• Jottings

• Lists

• Pro-Con Lists

• To-Do Lists

• Sketches/Doodles

• Free writes

• Diagrams

• Concept Mapping/Clustering

• Outlines

• Journaling

Public Writing• Research Papers

• Lab Reports

• Mathematical Proofs

• Proposals

• Biographies

• Historical accounts

• Legal Analyses

• Articles

• Editorials

• Essays/persuasive

• Reviews

• Letters/Thank you Notes

• Plays

WTLWriting to Learn

• Short-lists, notes brief in length and in composing time. Writing done in quick bursts. Often use index cards or small pads of paper

• Spontaneous-just get ideas down

• Informal-casual language-use shorthand

• Unedited-correcting grammar is not the main goal

• Ungraded-no red ink!

• Personal-mostly for the writer may be shared with a small audience

Why incorporate WTL strategies into your classroom?

• Many WTL activities require very little teacher preparation and take as little as 2-5 minutes of class time.

• Students are engaged with the subject matter and develop a better understanding of the writing process.

• Students writing can lead to more powerful discussions.

• Writing is the key to differentiation.

• Strengthen students’ writing muscle.

• Writing can be fun!

Why WTL is So Powerful

• In order for learners to understand and remember ideas they must act upon them. Just hearing or reading words is not enough. Hence, writing to learn (WTL).

• Note taking does not require students to act upon the material it usually involves copying.

• For learning power kids need to grapple with ideas and put them in their own words.

Admit Slip(WTL)

How to Use Admit Slips

• Students are admitted to class with the slip.

• Typically they are required to reflect on homework assignment.

• Need an open-ended prompt.

• As kids enter the room, you collect the Admit Slips.

• Teacher quickly scans them and chooses 1-3 as discussion starters.

• Find two with different opinions.

• Do not collect, ask volunteers to read theirs aloud to class.

Let’s Practice!

• Handout Admit Slips

• Should kids writing always be graded and corrected? Thoughts?

• Pass your slip to the third person. Then the receiving student writes a comment on the slip and passes it to the next student. Try to get three responses on each slip.

What Could Go Wrong?

Click icon to add picture

Students:

Forget their slips-left them at home

Did not do their homework or complete their slips. Don’t admit students to class-have them sit outside the

door and complete the Admit Slip. As the

teacher, you stand at the door and hurry

them along.

AlternativeStrategy

Admit Slips• Set aside the first 5

minutes of class and have students write their admit slip.

• There is NO forgetting

• Students are IN class

• You can guide and monitor the students as they work.

Sponge Activity• When kids walk in to the

classroom they see the prompt on the power point and go to work.

• These become the focus activity for the days lesson.

• Bookend Admit Slips with Exit Slips

Follow the Directions

• Use note cards

1. Write 3 sentences

2. Write 4 words in each sentence (5,6,7,8,9)

3 Use end punctuation:

! . ?

4. CAPITALIZE

5. N2SSWTSW

6. Use the word Book

7. Add: No “Be” verbs, Avoid: a lot, very, so

8. Use an “ing” word

9. Use a preposition

Let’s Practice!

Writing Break What is it? How do you use it?

• Writing breaks are a reminder to be quiet and let kids think.

• Less content can be more if it is retained.

• Before beginning your instruction decide when you will take a break. (10-12 mins) For a film (15-20 mins).

• Create writing prompts.

• Students need blank paper.

Writing Break!

• Take out a piece of paper and answer this question:

• What have you learned at the conference that you are going to try in your own classroom?

Writing Break!

• Once the writing time is up have students trade their paper with elbow partner and read silently.

• After “partner talk” call on a few students to share.

• The large group part is important because it creates accountability.

• Clarify any questions.

• Besides writing prompts, students could look at diagrams, illustrations, drawings or charts.

What Can Go Wrong?

• Writing Breaks require students to put down thought quickly.

• Make your prompts specific.

• After you have done this a few times, have students evaluate their writing with just a few criteria.

• Did I write the entire time?

• How well did I support my ideas with specific details

• How well did my writing create some interesting discussion with my partner?

• Sometimes collect the Writing Breaks and give students a check, stamp, or a few points, a comment-something to show that writing is important to this class

Hot Dog Bun!

• Fold a 8x10 paper long ways (hot bun)

• On half list 10 nouns ( take “the” in front)

• On other half list 10 action words (not “Be”verbs)

• Create 2 sentences using the nouns in list 1 and the verbs in list 2

• Write 2 sentences each day for a week

• Have students pick an occupation

Let’s Try!

• Get out a piece of paper

• Fold it in half (like a hot dog bun)

• Write 10 nouns describing a “teacher.”

• Write 10 action verbs that describe what teachers do daily!

• Now take the first noun and put it with the verb and write a sentence. Can do as a DOL

Thinking Cube

Provide Handouts

Write using the Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Domain

Focused Free Write

What is it? Why use it?• Timed writing ( 3-5

mins)

• Students are asked to respond to a prompt

• Students respond in sentences and paragraphs

• Write quickly and continuously. The pencil never leaves the paper.

• Focus on ideas not how to spell a word.

• Goal is to get lots of thoughts down!

What to do? When to use it? • Start with 1 -2 minutes

and get to 3-5 minutes.

• Let students brainstorm ideas with a partner.

• Let students know what you will do with their papers.

• Will you collect to read? Will they read them aloud to their partner?

• Will their small group pool the important points for a final share?

• Use it as an Exit Slip

What can go wrong?Some kids will shutdown and those who don’t write

enough or know enough will have problems with the focused free write.

Have kids complete these 3 steps.

1. On a scale of 1 to 5, rate how quickly you got off the mark and started writing.

2. On a scale of 1 to 5, rate how well youkept writing for the entire time.3. Count the number of words.

4. Tell them at first to rewrite what they already wrote until they think of something.

5. From now on full credit is given for non stop writing with at least 150 words.

To get true learning power; kids must put ideas into their own

words.

Public Writing

• Short WTLs could become the ingredient for a more polished piece.

• Putting words before the public, composing texts to be read by classmates, the teacher or other readers.

Public Writing Traits

• Substantial-longer than an admit or exit slip.

• Planned-intentional, organized, arranged into sections.

• Edited- spelling, grammar punctuation checked.

• Compose-several drafts with revisions.

• Conventional- meet all expectations for tome, style, and write for audience.

• Graded

Progressive Writing(Public Writing)

Similar to a Progressive Dinner

Progressive WritingPublic Writing

Directions: Great to use with Group Projects

• Works best with 4 members in a group (can do with 3-5)

• Each member of the group begins writing the first paragraph of the paper.

• At a designated time –(usually 5 minutes) teacher Says Pass! and each person passes their paper to the right.

• Now each group member reads what the person before has written and then continues writing.

• This pattern is repeated until every member of the group has written a portion of the paper.

• Then the group discuss the contents of each paper they have written and they nominate the best paper to submit to the teacher.

What Could Go Wrong with Progressive Writing?

• This is a fast paced strategy and students must have shared the experience to be discussed (read the same article, listened to the same lecture, watched the same film).

• Teacher needs to create groups.

• Topic needs to be interesting.

• Progressive Writing on work done out side of class will probably include some unprepared students.

• Do not have unprepared students participate in the Progressive Writing activity or a group will have to work with a student who is a blank writer.

• Unprepared students can share what they know for their first entry and then write insightful and intelligent questions about other student’s entries.

• Warn against poor penmanship-Write legibly!

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Provide students access to text

Students choose a picture and caption

Students write a story

Share with class

GIST(Public Writing)

Generating interaction between schemata and text.

• Supports comprehension of informational text (expository text)

• Effective for ELL students

Teachers Must:• Identify text to be read and summarized

• Group students: each group needs a strong reader

• Explain the strategy

• Discuss the summaries

• During Reading Strategy

Let’s Practice

Read the handout: Why is Round Robin Reading or

Popcorn Reading an Ineffective Strategy?

Directions For the GIST Activity

• Read handout & write a 35 word summary of what you read.

• Get with elbow partner and using both summaries paragraphs, rewrite a 25 word summary.

• On the large post it paper write the 25 word summary.

• Do not put your name on the paper

• Read each summary and Vote for the BEST two.

What Could Go Wrong?

• Students may get writers block.

• You might have a student struggle with writing the acquired amounts of words.

• Differentiate if needed.

• Pair students up with a student that is a pretty good writer and it will help the struggling writer.

References

References

• Daniels, H., Zemelman, S. & Steineke, N. (2007). Content-area writing: Every teacher’s guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fisher, D & Frey, N. (2014). Close reading and writing from sources. Newark, DE. International Reading Association.

Forget, M.A. (2004). MAX teaching with reading and writing: Classroom activities for helping students learn new subject matter while acquiring literacy skills. Victoria B.C. Canada: Trafford Publishing.

Frey, N, Fisher, D., & Everlove, S. (2009). Productive group work: How to engage students, build teamwork, and promote understanding. Alexandria , VA: ASCD.

• Merrill, M. (1996). Helping your struggling students be more successful readers and writers. WA: BER

• Van Allsburg, C. (1984). The mysteries of Harris Burdick. NY: Houghton Mifflin.