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Writing Right:
Wendy Carpenter, DPI Science Instructional Coach
Pam Shive, DPI ELA Instructional Coach
Session Goals
O Teachers will…
O discuss the importance of writing in all subject areas.
O learn how to incorporate short writing assignments in content areas.
O practice writing an extended definition thesis statement.
O practice writing a cause and effect thesis statement.
Quote Discussion
O 1. As a table group, choose a quote from the envelope and discuss your thoughts about writing in all content areas.
O 2. Be sure to incorporate the chosen quote into your discussion.
O 3. Be prepared to share a statement about your discussion.
Writing Instruction: Is There a Need?
O Nearly one third of high school graduates are not ready for college-level English composition courses (ACT,2005).
O Writing remediation costs American businesses as much as $3.1 billion annually (National Commission on Writing, 2004).
O Over half of adults scoring at the lowest literacy levels are dropouts, and almost a quarter of these persons are high school graduates (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005).
O The amount of grammer and usage error’s today is astounding. Not to mention spelling. If I was a teacher, I’d feel badly that less and less students seem to understand the basic principals of good writing. Neither the oldest high school students nor the youngest kindergartner know proper usage. A student often thinks they can depend on word processing programs to correct they’re errors. Know way!*
O Without the Greeks, we wouldn’t have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns - Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in “The Illiad”, by Homer. Homer also wrote the “Oddity”, in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.
The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William
Shakespear. Shakespear never made much money and
is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor
with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and
errors. In one of Shakespear’s famous plays, Hamlet
rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long
soliloquy. In another, Lady Macbeth tries to convince
Macbeth to kill the King by attacking his manhood.
Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet.
Writing at the same time as Shakespear was Miquel
Cervantes. He wrote “Donkey Hote”. The next great
author was John Milton. Milton wrote “Paradise Lost.”
Then his wife dies and he wrote “Paradise Regained.”
ACT Sample Prompt O Educators debate extending high school to five years
because of increasing demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular activities and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high school to five years because they think students would lose interest in school and attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your opinion, should high school be extended to five years?
O In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
Sample SAT Writing Prompt
O Think carefully about the issue presented in the following
excerpt and the assignment below.
O We would like to think that progress causes problems to be
solved completely, and sometimes that happens. For
example, some diseases that once posed a serious threat
are no longer a problem, thanks to modern medicine.
Some problems can be solved, and they go away. But as
often as not, problems exist in a chain of cause and effect:
for each problem solved, a new one develops.
O Adapted from Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox:
How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse
Sample SAT Writing Prompt
O Assignment: Does progress reduce the
number of problems in the world, or does
solving old problems just lead to new ones?
Plan and write an essay in which you develop
your point of view on this issue. Support your
position with reasoning and examples taken
from your reading, studies, experience, or
observations.
Can We Agree…
O that writing is the responsibility of the entire academic community
O that writing must be integrated across departmental boundaries
O that writing instruction must be continuous
O that writing promotes learning
O that only by practicing the conventions of an academic discipline will students begin to communicate effectively within that discipline.
Writing in the Content Area Math
Science
Fine
Arts
Foreign Lang.
English
CTE
P.E.
Social
Studies
What makes a good writing assignment?
O As you think about creating writing assignments, use
these five principles:
O Tie the writing task to specific pedagogical goals.
O Note rhetorical aspects of the task, i.e., audience,
purpose, writing situation.
O Make all elements of the task clear.
O Include grading criteria on the assignment sheet.
O Break down the task into manageable steps.
Writing should meet teaching goals
O Asking questions like these about your
assignment will help guarantee that writing tasks
tie directly to your teaching goals in the class:
O What specific course objectives will the writing
assignment meet?
O Will informal or formal writing better meet your
teaching goals?
O Will students be writing to learn course material or
writing conventions in your discipline or both?
O Does the assignment make sense to you?
Vocab Paragraphs
O Use a list of vocabulary words to write a
paragraph that incorporates the words on the
list.
O Ask open ended questions about vocabulary so
students have a chance to exhibit their
understanding of the term.
Write a response to the following question?
OWhy might a student be
apprehensive about coming to
school?
OWhat is the primary purpose of
photosynthesis?
Corner Lists O In each of the corners of your room, post a number (1
to 4) and place a term/concept/problem.
O As the students enter the room, give each a card with the corresponding number of the corner.
O When you tell them, students should go to that corner and write on their card the term/concept/problem and two or three words that help define it or that reveal a cause/effect.
O Allow about one minute for completion. Students should then return to their desks to write one sentence using the words they have written on their cards.
O Ask students to volunteer to share their sentences.
Hit the Highlights
O If a new student started in this class today, what would you tell him/her about yesterday’s lesson?
O Summarize the mistakes that you made on last night’s homework (quiz, test, etc)
O Write a question related to yesterday’s topic in your second period class.
O What in yesterday’s lesson made it easy for you to understand the topic and why?
Learning Log
O What one idea that we talked about today most interested you and why?
O What was the clearest point we made today? What was the foggiest point?
O What do you still not understand about the concept we've been discussing?
O If you had to restate the concept in your own terms, how would you do that?
O How does today's discussion build on yesterday's?
A Picture is Worth ____ Words
O Open the folder on your table and chose one of the
pictures.
O With a partner, write a caption for the picture on your
own paper.
O When you have finished, post your picture on one of
the pieces of chart paper located on the walls around
the room and write your caption below the picture .
O Gallery walk: As the music plays, visit the pictures and
captions posted around the room.
O When the music stops, return to your seat.
Final Countdown
Ideas to Extend Student Writing
Journal writing (with or without teacher responses).
Have students respond to a quote in writing.
Open-ended questions on assignments/assessments
(in complete sentences).
Think-Write-Pair-Share to do warm-ups or to introduce
new topics before discussing orally.
Have students write a short summary of what they’ve learned from a reading or lesson (in complete sentences).
Ask students for alternative ways to write a sentence (change syntax/word order).
Compare/contrast in complete sentences.
Cause/effect in complete sentences.
Facts/opinions in complete sentences.
Write class notes in complete sentences sometimes (not always in short phrases).
Use word banks and have students then write complete sentences below.
Ideas 6-12 O Quick Writes--These are short pieces of writing designed to focus
students’ thinking.
O Teachers can use quick writes to:
O assess prior knowledge before instruction in order to set the stage for new information. Read these “Entrance Slips” anonymously before instruction to set the stage for new ideas. (create a list of keywords, a list of questions, 3 things I know/don’t know)
O give students time to write briefly on the day’s topic before contributing to class discussions.
O pause in the middle of instruction to check for understanding, or to make connections and predictions. (paraphrase, ask a question)
O summarize main points, form opinions, or reflect on what was learned after instruction. (“Exit Slip” 3-Things I Learned, 2- Things I Wonder About, 1- Thing I Could Teach Someone Else)
Evaluation tips:
First, model “incomplete”, “adequate”, and
“excellent” responses (check minus, check, check
plus). Look for content, quantity, appropriateness,
elaboration, etc.
Assess as complete/incomplete, correct/incorrect,
or trade for peer review.
Ideas 6-12 O Journals or Learning Logs--Journals and logs give students an
informal place to explore and interact with class content.
O Students can:
O summarize newly acquired knowledge.
O write vocabulary terms in their own words.
O define what was most interesting or confusing.
O create a list of questions or possible topics for future research.
O explain math or science problems or terms in writing.
O make connections (between new information and prior
knowledge, experiences, or opinions).
O write their own study or test questions (trade for peer
response).
O Evaluation tips:
O Define grading requirements. Well-kept journals
could be a boost to the final grade or could be
given a test grade status.
O Choose only one part to grade at a time.
O Use notebooks or loose leaf binders to hold work.
O Respond to entries; highlight insights; comment in
margins.
Extended Definitions
An extended definition attempts to define a specific
term. It could try to target the meaning of a specific
word, or define an abstract concept. The analysis
goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition.
Definition Map
Frame of Reference
How to Define
Term Class Traits or
Characteristics
Democracy
Form of
Government
Carries out
wishes of
majority
Respects rights
of minorities
Allows citizens
to participate in
the political
process
Sample Thesis
Democracy is a form of government
that carries out the wishes of the
majority₁, respects the rights of
minorities₂, and allows citizens to
participate in the political process₃.
Opening (Introductory) Paragraph
Opening “Attention Getter”
General Information
Thesis Statement
Body Paragraphs
• Topic Sentence
• Example (Details and Elaboration)
• Commentary
Body Paragraph 1
• Topic Sentence
• Example (Details and Elaboration)
• Commentary
Body Paragraph 2
• Topic Sentence
• Example (Details and Elaboration)
• Commentary
Body Paragraph 3
Conclusion
Restatement of Thesis
Reflect and Relevance
Closing Comment
Let’s Try Defining
Term
Class
Traits or
Characteristics
Definition Thesis Statement Practice
O Courage is a quality which shows self-
discipline, bravery, and selflessness.
O Perseverance is the ability to persist,
overcome obstacles, and attain a goal.
O Poetry is a genre of writing that expresses
emotions, the creativity of the author, and
follows a variety of formats.
.
Definition Thesis Statement Practice
O Respect is a character trait that is
demonstrated in different forms and is
earned through different methods
O Intolerance presents judgments and actions
that demonstrate negative attitudes and the
reaction to people that are culturally (beliefs
and values) or racially different from the
majority of society.
Use Graphic Organizers
O Helps students define ideas.
O Helps students think about information in a new way.
O Helps students clarify and focus their thinking.
O Enables students to quickly edit and revise their thinking.
O Also, can help students analyze written material.
Cause and Effect Writing
Cause #1
Cause #2
Cause #3
Effect #1
Effect #2
Effect #3
Event:
List reasons WHY the event happened (Think: WHY?)
List RESULTS of the event (Think: What was the RESULT?)
Cause/Effect Map
Developing a Thesis Statement
O Mention the topic of the essay
O Show the context/relationship in the thesis (cause,
effect, cause & effect)
O Give a preview to specific ideas you will explain. (Use
your graphic organizer as a guide.)
Models: Causes
_____is caused by ______, ______, (topic) (cause 1) (cause 2)
and ________. (cause 3)
_______, _______, or ______could (cause 1) (cause 2) (cause 3)
cause _______. (topic)
Effects
The effects of _____ are ______, (topic) (effect 1)
_______, and ________. (effect 2) (effect 3)
______ may result in _____, ______, (topic) (effect 1) (effect 2)
and/or ________. (effect 3)
Causes and Effects
____ is caused by _____, which leads
(topic) (cause 1)
to _______ and ________.
(effect 1) (effect 2)
____ which is caused by ____ and ____
(topic) (cause 1) (cause 2)
may result in _____ and _______.
(effect 1) (effect 2)
Thesis Writing
O Create a thesis statement using one of the patterns presented.
Example Writing Assignments
O Health:
Write an article for the school newspaper describing the
benefits of balanced nutrition and physical activity and
the negative consequences of lack of physical activity
and poor nutrition.
O Business:
What are the effects of unethical behavior of
accountants on their own corporation and on the
economy as a whole?
More Writing Topics
O Family and Consumer Science:
Explain the effect improper storage and
handling of poultry may have on customers
who ingest the meat.
O Health Occupations:
Write a letter to the editor explaining the
benefits of hospice care in your community.
Still More Topics
O Marketing:
What are the major factors contributing to the success of a small business?
O Social Studies:
How did the “I Have a Dream” speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. effect the integration of public facilities in the United States?
How did the changing job market on the home front during World War I impact the Women’s Rights Movement after the war ended?
And Yet Again: More Topics
O Science
What are the causes of mutation and how do they
affect evolution?
When working with food webs, how does the addition
of exotic species effect an existing community? How
would removing the producers from a food web effect
the ecosystem?
O Math
Describe the effect of different values of m on the
function y = mx.
Writing Assignments O Biology: How does the introduction of the kudzu vine effect the
native plant populations along roads?
O Physical Science: How do distance, time, and velocity
effect each other?
O Art: What are the effects of mixing primary colors with
secondary colors?
O Drafting: What would the effects be of omitting research of consumer wants and needs when designing a new product?
O Computer Apps: What are the effects technology is having on the everyday lives of students?
Writing Assignments O English I: What are the effects of the similes and
metaphors on the tone of the poem?
What are the effects of personification and similes on the theme of spirituality in Walk Two Moons?
O Algebra I: How do you solve a multi-step equation in words?
Give real life examples of how you would use the distance formulas.
What are the causes and effects of not knowing basic math skills?
O Foods: What are the negative effects of improper storage and preparation of ____?
O Chorus: What are the effects of proper breathing technique on a singer’s voice?
Writing Assignments O English II: What is the effect of imagery on the tone or mood of
the song?
O English III: “Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.” How does ignorance of history have a negative effect on societies?
O English IV: How will your work ethic during research time effect your ability to write your research paper?
O OCS English: What are some reasons for being fired?
O US History: What were the causes of the Civil War?
O C&E: What were the effects of Middle Passage in the Triangular Trade Route?
O World History: How did the rise and development of Christianity lead to the downfall of Rome?
Writing Assignments
O Dance: What are the causes for using the dive-right-in approach when learning social dance?
O Spanish: What was the impact of the Arabic Invasion on the Iberian Peninsula? State 3 main effects and their causes.
O Health Occ: Explain the causes of back injury due to improper body mechanics when caring for patients.
O Parenting: What are the causes of injuries to children due to improper safety techniques?
O Small Business: What are the effects of not preparing a business plan before seeking funding to establish your new business?
Writing Assignments O Geometry: What are the effects of changing the angles of
triangles?
O Algebra II: What are the effects on a system of equations when the slopes of the lines or the y-intercepts are changed?
O ESL: What are the major causes and effects of the high number of Latino high school dropouts?
O Accounting II: What are the effects of an accountant not recording post references during the posting process?
O Prin. Of Business: What are the effects of being an educated consumer and making educated purchasing decisions?
O P.E. What are the effects of decreased time for physical education in the public schools?
Exit Ticket: Please briefly explain on the back of this sheet one activity that you will use in your class this week.
O Plus O Delta
