TestTaking

Writing

Study Skills

Next Steps

Writing

Introduction Reading Vocabulary

Does this look Familiar?

Writing Across Content Areas: The Problem

Proficient Writers: Knowledge Transformation– Have the knowledge, skills and flexibility needed to write in a clear and

organized manner for different contexts, formats and purposes using a variety of forms, strategies and tones.

Struggling or Beginning Writers: Knowledge Telling– Lack the high level process strategies needed to: plan, generate and

revise text and “write to learn.”

– Have difficulty with low-level transcription skills such as: handwriting, keyboarding, spelling, grammar, punctuation, word retrieval, vocabulary.

– Have not been explicitly taught writing strategies and language structure.

From: Writing Next

Effective Teaching of Writing

• How-

Give students a Strategy they can utilize

• What is a Writing Strategy?

It is a Framework, or Scaffold, that can be applied across the curriculum and in different situations.

• Why?

It teaches the Process and how to synthesize information into an organized final product.

5

Prewriting & Planning

Drafting

Revising

Editing

Publishing

Stages of the Writing Process

• Reading and Vocabulary Tools to Support Writing

• Study Skills Tools to Support Writing

• Writing Toolbar

•Column Notes•Brainstormer•Writing Templates•Graphic Organizers•Review Checklist•Floating Word Lists•Note Snippets

Kurzweil 3000 Tools to Support Writing

•Word Processing Tools•Speak As Typing•Check Spelling As You Type•Speaking Spell Check•Vocabulary Lists•Word Prediction

Writing Supports

Speak As Typing– Tools/Options/General

Check Spelling As You Type▰ Tools/Options/Spell Check

Speaking Spell Check▰ Tools/Spell Check

(Click Read to hear the word.)

The Writing Path

Start Writing Brainstorm Outline Split Screen Draft Review

Brainstorm

•Mind-Mapping tool to Brainstorm and organize ideas•Alter shape and color for organization and visual cues•Directly connected to Outline View•Use Pre-Made Graphic Organizers or create your own

•Promote, demote, and add topics and subtopics using the Outline Palette•Text-based•Hierarchical•Connected to Brainstorm

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Outline

Split Screen and Draft

Split Screen allows you to see your Outline and Draft at the same time.

Ideas from the outline can be dragged and dropped into the draft.

Draft view for final publishing

Word Prediction

Yellow highlight color indicates word match withHomophone Vocabulary List.

Word choices are based on rules of:• Spelling• Frequency• Recency

Floating Word Lists• Floating Word Lists and Custom Word Lists in Word Prediction are

different views of the same word lists.

• Help prompt students to use content specific words, vary their transitional words, use stronger word choices, etc.

• Words from list can be dragged and dropped into their draft.

Writing Review Checklist

Final Step of the Writing Process•Customizable Review Checklist•e.g. Writing Mechanics, 6+1, others?

To customize list:Tools/Options/Review

When Draft is complete:Write/Review

Writing Templates: Brainstorm, Outline, and Draft

Brainstorm, Outline, and Draft templates are available:

• Write/New/

– Choose: Brainstorm, Outline, or Draft

– Choose: Blank or From Template

Book Report 1 Brainstorm Template

Location of Templates:

Several Pre-made templates to choose from – or make your own!

Column Notes Extracted to Outline: Reading-Writing Connection

File/Extract Column Notes to Outline

Take notes while reading using Column Notes – sendnotes into an Outline and move through the Writing Path.

Note Snippets

Note Snippets allow students to view Column Notes with a hierarchical view in a compact window, while writing in Draft and drag and drop needed notes into the Draft for further elaboration.

When you “save” a Column Note, a Note Snippet is automatically available.

Note Snippets can ONLY be created from Column Notes.

Using Kurzweil for Internet Research

There are 3 options:

1. Use “Read the Web”

2. “Virtual Print” into Kurzweil

3. Activate the Kurzweil Taskbar and Use the “Image Reader”

Wrap-Up

• Teach writing as a process

• Teach strategically

• Motivate students and improve fluency by utilizing content that excites them

• Reinforce your strategies in a variety of ways-create your own Brainstorm and follow the Writing Path & utilize Templates to follow the Writing Path