writing and the common core

Orleans/NiagaraBOCESPro Orleans/Niaga raBOCESProfessionalDevel fessionalDevelopment opment

2011-2012

WritingandtheCommonCore: Whatdoesitlooklikeinyourclassroom?

Vocabulary Strategies

Informal Writing Strategies FormalWriting Strategies

CompiledbyCarolBush NetworkTeamSpecialist Orleans/NiagaraBOCES

VocabularyStrategies Vocabularywords,bothacademicandcontent-specific,arethebuildingblocksof qualitywriting.Withouthavingthewordsyouneedtoconveyyourmessage,it’s possibleyourmessagewillgetlostintranslation.Thefollowingsectionprovides anannotatedlistofresearch-basedvocabularystrategiesthatarecontent-neutral andaresuretohelpstudentsbuildtheirvocabulary.

VocabularyStrategies MagnetSummaries Forthiswritingstrategy,thete Forthiswritingstrategy,theteacherprovid acherprovides“magnet” es“magnet”words(words words(wordsthatrefelect thatrefelectthemain themain concepts,ideas,andskills).T concepts,ideas,andskills).Thestudentsa hestudentsarethenresp rethenresponsibleforlookin onsibleforlookingbackthroughth gbackthroughtheir eir notes,textbooks,articles,etc.tofind notes,textbooks,articles,etc.tofind5-7word 5-7words/phrasesthat s/phrasesthataresomehowa aresomehowassociatedwith ssociatedwiththe the magnetwords.Oncethey’ve magnetwords.Oncethey’vefoundthewo foundthewordsthey’dlik rdsthey’dliketouse,they etouse,theymustwritease mustwriteasentence ntence describinghowallofthewordsconnect.

VocabularyFrames “VocabularyFrames”are “VocabularyFrames”arewrittenonla writtenonlargeindex rgeindexcards.First,the cards.First,thestudentswrite studentswritethevocabular thevocabulary y wordtheyarestudyingin wordtheyarestudyinginthecenter thecenterofthecarda ofthecardalongwiththed longwiththedefinition(usin efinition(usingtheirown gtheirown words).Thenineachcorne words).Thenineachcorneroftheinde roftheindexcard,stude xcard,studentswritesupp ntswritesupportinginformati ortinginformationthatwill onthatwill helpdefinethewordi helpdefinethewordinthecenter. nthecenter.Intheexam Intheexamplebelow,stud plebelow,studentswerea entswereaskedtousethe skedtousethewordin wordin asentence,drawanillu asentence,drawanillustrationofthew strationoftheword,andpr ord,andprovideana ovideanantonymandsy ntonymandsynonym.There nonym.Thereare are severalmodificationsofthisstr severalmodificationsofthisstrategythatre ategythatrequirediffer quiredifferentinformatio entinformationineachcorn nineachcorner,butthe er,butthe ideaisthesame.

VocabularyStrategies WordWallMatch-up Thisisagreatwaytohelp Thisisagreatwaytohelpstudentslear studentslearnnewvocab nnewvocabularywords.Whe ularywords.Whentheyente ntheyentertheroomthey rtheroomthey receiveanindexcard receiveanindexcardthatcontainsa thatcontainsavocabularyw vocabularyword,itsdefini ord,itsdefinition,ORthe tion,ORthevisual visual representationoftheword representationoftheword.Onceinsid .Onceinsidetheroom,stude etheroom,studentsneedto ntsneedtofindtheothe findtheotherstudentsthat rstudentsthat containthematchtotheirvocab containthematchtotheirvocabularyconcept. ularyconcept.Oncethematch Oncethematchhasbeenma hasbeenmade,thestude de,thestudentspin ntspin theirindexcardsonthe theirindexcardsonthebulletinboard bulletinboardandhave andhaveaseat.Atta aseat.Attachedaresom chedaresomesamplecop esamplecopiesofthe iesofthe word/definition/pictureca word/definition/picturecardsstudentsm rdsstudentsmayreceive. ayreceive. 

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NOTE:Thisisthetemplate. NOTE:Thisisthetemplate.Eachsectionwould Eachsectionwouldhavetobe havetobeseparated separatedandglued andgluedonaninde onanindexcard xcard priortohandingouttostudents.

VocabularyCartoons Thisisactuallyavocabularystr Thisisactuallyavocabularystrategytaken ategytakenfromanSAT fromanSAT prepresource.Studentsar prepresource.Studentsareaskedto easkedtocompletethefollow completethefollowing: ing: 1. Statethewordanditsphon Statethewordanditsphoneticspelling. eticspelling. 2. Provideabriefdescription. 3. Providealinkingword Providealinkingwordfromthewordt fromthewordtothecartoon. othecartoon. 4. Drawacartoontorepresentit. 5. Usethewordinasentence.

WordSorting Wordsortscanbeperforme Wordsortscanbeperformedaseither daseitheraclosedsortor aclosedsortoranopensort. anopensort.Closedsortsare Closedsortsarewhen when studentssortvocabularywordsi studentssortvocabularywordsintopredete ntopredeterminedcate rminedcategories.Open gories.Opensortsarewhen sortsarewhenstudents students determinethecategorie determinethecategoriesthemselves.In sthemselves.Inbothsituations,stud bothsituations,studentsarema entsaremakingconnection kingconnectionsand sand beginningtoidentifyre beginningtoidentifyrelationshipsbe lationshipsbetweenthew tweenthewordsbeingstud ordsbeingstudiedunde iedunderthegiven rthegiventopic. topic.  CrosswordPuzzles Crosswordpuzzlesofferafun Crosswordpuzzlesofferafunwaytoenga waytoengageinword geinwordstudy.Foraun study.Forauniqueadap iqueadaptation,tryrev tation,tryreverse erse crosswordpuzzles.Inthesea crosswordpuzzles.Intheseactivitiesthew ctivitiesthewordsinthepu ordsinthepuzzlearegi zzlearegivenandthe venandthestudentsnee studentsneedto dto developthecluesforeachword.

VocabularyStrategies K.I.M.Strategy(Keyword,Information,MemoryCue) K.I.M.Strategy(Keyword,Information,MemoryCue) Thiswritingstrategyrequir Thiswritingstrategyrequiresstudentstop esstudentstoprovidethek rovidethekeywordbe eywordbeingstudied,i ingstudied,informationthat nformationthat explainsandsupportsthat explainsandsupportsthatkeyword,a keyword,andamemory ndamemorycueorsomething cueorsomethingthatwillhelp thatwillhelpthem them rememberthatspecificke rememberthatspecifickeyword.See yword.Seethetemplate thetemplatebelow. below. NAME:_________________________________________________________________DATE:____________________

K.I.M. Strategy Key Word

Information

Memory Cue

VocabularyStrategies MakingMeaning Inthisvocabularystrategy,stud Inthisvocabularystrategy,studentsarepr entsareprovidedapp ovidedapproximately5 roximately5vocabularyword vocabularywordspriorto spriorto learningaboutthem.The learningaboutthem.Thestudentisaske studentisaskedtolistthev dtolistthevocabularywords ocabularywordsandanythi andanythinghe/she nghe/she alreadyknowsabouteach alreadyknowsabouteachword.Oncestud word.Oncestudentshavecom entshavecompletedthei pletedtheinformationconce nformationconcerning rning whattheyalreadyknow whattheyalreadyknowabouttheword abouttheword.Theyenga .Theyengageinthele geinthelesson,lecture,rea sson,lecture,reading,activity ding,activity,, etc.,wheretheywilllearnt etc.,wheretheywilllearnthemeaning hemeaningbehindea behindeachoftheirvocab choftheirvocabularywords.Wh ularywords.Whenthelesson enthelesson isover,studentsrecordthen isover,studentsrecordthenewinformati ewinformationtheyhave ontheyhavegainedin gainedinthefinalcolumn. thefinalcolumn.Seethe Seethe templatebelow. NAME:____________________________________________________________________________________DATE:____________________

Making Meaning Writethevocabularytermsinthe‘new inthe‘newwords’column.N words’column.Next,brainstorm ext,brainstormwhat what DIRECTIONS:Writethevocabularyterms youalreadyknowaboutthe youalreadyknowaboutthewordinthe wordinthe‘beforerea ‘beforereading’column. ding’column.Finally,after Finally,afteryouhaverea youhavereadthe dthe text,completethe‘afterre text,completethe‘afterreading’column ading’columnwithnewinfor withnewinformationyouobtai mationyouobtainedfromthe nedfromthereading. reading.

NEW WORDS

BEFORE READING

AFTER READING

VocabularyStrategies GraffitiWriting/CarouselWriting Inthiswritingstrategy,stude Inthiswritingstrategy,studentsworkingro ntsworkingroupsof3or4 upsof3or4toidentifyth toidentifythecharacteristi echaracteristicsofagiven csofagiven vocabularyword.Usinglarge vocabularyword.Usinglargechartpape chartpapertapedto rtapedtothewall,studen thewall,studentsbegintoarti tsbegintoarticulatethe culatethe conceptbydrawingand conceptbydrawingandwritinganyt writinganythingthatcomesto hingthatcomestomindwhen mindwhendefiningthe definingthevocabulary vocabulary word.Studentshaveonlya word.Studentshaveonlyaminuteorsoto minuteorsotoworkanda workandarethenaske rethenaskedtorotateto dtorotatetothenextposter thenextposter tapedonthewall.They tapedonthewall.Theyreviewtheir reviewtheirclassmateswork classmatesworkandthene andthenelaborateon laborateonthisnewword thisnewwordin in anywaytheycan.Thisp anywaytheycan.Thisprocesscontinues3 rocesscontinues3or4times. or4times.Whenstudent Whenstudentsaredone saredonerotating,each rotating,each studentmustshareoutonede studentmustshareoutonedetailfromthep tailfromthepostertheyen ostertheyendedupon. dedupon.(“CarouselWri (“CarouselWriting”isthe ting”isthe sameas“GraffitiWriting sameas“GraffitiWriting”exceptstud ”exceptstudentsstayseate entsstayseatedandrota dandrotatethepap tethepaperfromgrouperfromgroup-totogroup.)  Acronyms Creatingacronymsforvocabula Creatingacronymsforvocabularywordsand rywordsandconceptsisa conceptsisagreatwayto greatwaytodevelopstud developstudents’ ents’ understanding.Itencoura understanding.Itencouragesstudentstoco gesstudentstocomeupwitha meupwithanumberofdi numberofdifferentrela fferentrelatedideas tedideasthat that areusedtosupportthed areusedtosupportthedefinitionofth efinitionoftheword.The eword.Theyalsoservea yalsoserveasgreatstudy sgreatstudytools. tools. VocabularyConceptChain Thisisanexcellentvocabula Thisisanexcellentvocabularystrategytha rystrategythattrulyrequire ttrulyrequiresstudentstouse sstudentstousetheirhigherle theirhigherlevel vel thinkingskills.Theteache thinkingskills.Theteacherprovidesstu rprovidesstudentswiththe dentswiththeconceptbein conceptbeingstudied.He gstudied.He/shealso /shealso providesstudentswithseve providesstudentswithseveralothervocab ralothervocabularywordstha ularywordsthataresomehowr taresomehowrelatedtothe elatedtotheconcept concept beingstudied.Thestude beingstudied.Thestudentsworkinp ntsworkinpairstodeter airstodeterminethere minetherelationshipcrea lationshipcreatedbetwee tedbetweenthe nthe conceptanditsrelated conceptanditsrelatedvocabularyword vocabularywords.Oncetheyha s.Oncetheyhavecometoa vecometoaconclusion,theysynt conclusion,theysynthesize hesize theinformationintoonesen theinformationintoonesentencethatex tencethatexplainsthere plainstherelationship. lationship.

List-Group-Label Usingtheirtexts,information Usingtheirtexts,informationfromvideos,lectu fromvideos,lectures,onlinere res,onlineresearch,orany search,oranyothermateria othermaterials ls studentshaveaccessto,askthe studentshaveaccessto,askthemtogenera mtogeneratealistofimp tealistofimportantvocabular ortantvocabularywordsand ywordsandtopicsfor topicsfor theunitthey’restudying.O theunitthey’restudying.Oncealisthas ncealisthasbeengene beengenerated,stude rated,studentsshouldthengr ntsshouldthengroupthewords oupthewords inanywaythatmakesse inanywaythatmakessensetothema nsetothemandlabelthe ndlabelthemwithanap mwithanappropriateh propriateheading. eading.

VocabularyStrategies KnowledgeRating KnowledgeRating Select5-10wordsthata Select5-10wordsthatarecriticaltostud recriticaltostudents’compreh ents’comprehensionoftheun ensionoftheunitandask itandaskthemtorate themtorate theirknowledgeofeachw theirknowledgeofeachword.Byaski ord.Byaskingstudentstod ngstudentstodothis,itprovid othis,itprovidestheteache estheteacherwith rwith valuableinformationconcern valuableinformationconcerningwhattofocuson ingwhattofocusonandwhat andwhatnotto.Belowis notto.Belowisanexample anexampleofwhat ofwhat aknowledgeratingsurve aknowledgeratingsurveymightlooklike ymightlooklike. .

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FrayerModel The“FrayerModel”i The“FrayerModel”interpretsvoca nterpretsvocabularylearni bularylearninginadi nginadifferentway. fferentway.Itnotonlyaim Itnotonlyaimstoprovide stoprovide thedefinitionofthevocabu thedefinitionofthevocabularyword/conce laryword/conceptanditssp ptanditsspecificcharacte ecificcharacteristics,butalsosome ristics,butalsosome examplesandnonexamp examplesandnonexamplesoftheconce lesoftheconcept.Indoing pt.Indoingso,studentsgain so,studentsgainadeepe adeeperunderstan runderstandingof dingof thevocabularyword/concept thevocabularyword/conceptbeingstudie beingstudied.Inadd d.Inadditiontothis,stude itiontothis,studentsareask ntsareaskedtorepre edtorepresent sent theirunderstandingusing theirunderstandingusingbothwordsan bothwordsandvisualrep dvisualrepresentations. resentations.Thisstrategyw Thisstrategyworksbest orksbest whenithasbeenmodele whenithasbeenmodeledforthestud dforthestudentspriortoa entspriortoaskingthemtocom skingthemtocompleteiting pleteitingroupsorin roupsorin pairs.

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VocabularyStrategies VocabularyWordWraps Thisstrategyshouldbeused Thisstrategyshouldbeusedtohelpstudent tohelpstudentsmakessense smakessenseofthetopicsthe ofthetopicsthey’restudying. y’restudying. Studentscanusethistooltostudy Studentscanusethistooltostudywordsandd wordsanddefinitions,ar efinitions,artistsandtheir tistsandtheirwork,nationsa work,nationsand nd capitals,andanythingelse capitals,andanythingelseyoucanthink youcanthinkof.Itisagr of.Itisagreatreview eatreviewtoolforstudentsa toolforstudentsalso.Beloware lso.Beloware step-by-stepinstructionsform step-by-stepinstructionsformakingaword akingawordwrapand wrapandavisualtohe avisualtohelpillustrate. lpillustrate. 1.) Foldan8½x11paperintothirds. 2.) Drawlinesstraightacrossboth Drawlinesstraightacrossbothflaps.Cutthoselin flaps.Cutthoselinesuntilreachi esuntilreachingthecrease ngthecreaseofthe ofthe folds. 3.) Recordtheinformationne Recordtheinformationneededon ededoneitherside eithersideoftheflap.U oftheflap.Underneath nderneatheachflapyou eachflapyoucan can recordanexampleofthe recordanexampleofthevocabularywo vocabularyword. rd.

KickMe–www.teachingchannel.org KickMe– www.teachingchannel.org “KickMe”isanintera “KickMe”isaninteractivevocabular ctivevocabularylessonthatre ylessonthatrequiresstuden quiresstudentstomakean tstomakeanalogiesusing alogiesusing wordsthey’vegatheredf wordsthey’vegatheredfromfriends. romfriends.It’sagreata It’sagreatactivitythathas ctivitythathasstudents,moving, students,moving,writing,and writing,and thinkingatahigherleve thinkingatahigherlevel.Thisisavi l.Thisisavideolessonthat deolessonthatisaccompanie isaccompaniedbyallthe dbyalltheresourcestomak resourcestomake e itasuccessfullesson.Pleasevi itasuccessfullesson.Pleasevisitthewebsite sitthewebsitetoviewthev toviewthevideoand ideoandusetheadd usetheadditional“KickM itional“KickMe” e” resourcestoguideyourinstruction.

InformalWritingStrategies: WritingtoLearn Informalwritingstrategiesareintendedtohelpstudentsmakesenseofwhat they’relearning.Studentsare“writingtolearn”.Byengagingintheinformal writingprocess,studentshaveanopportunitytokeeptrackofwhatthey’re learning,organizetheirthoughts,andmakeanattempttounderstandthetopicata deeperlevel.Informalwritingcantakeonmanydifferentformsbuttherearea coupleofaspectsthatalwaysremainconsistent.First,thistypeofwritingis alwayswrittenincasuallanguage,asifyou’retalkingtoafriend.Second,informal writingisrarelyintendedforotherstoread.Inschool,studentsmayshareitwith theteacherorclassmatesforfeedbackbutnormallyitisintendedfortheperson thatwroteit.Finally,itsmainfunctionistohelpstudentslearn.Asaresult, informalwritingusuallyisn’tassessed.Atmost,teachersshoulduseitasa formativeassessmenttoguideinstruction.

InformalWritingStrategies  AdmitSlips/ExitSlips  AdmitSlips/ExitSlips Thisinformalwritingstrategy Thisinformalwritingstrategyisawriting isawritingassignmenttha assignmentthateitherallows teitherallowsstudents“ad students“admission”to mission”to classorgivesthem“permission classorgivesthem“permissiontoleave”cla toleave”class.Whenused ss.Whenusedasanad asanadmissionticket,stud missionticket,students ents wouldbeassignedthewri wouldbeassignedthewritingtaskforhom tingtaskforhomeworktheni eworkthenightbefore.The ghtbefore.Theymaybea ymaybeaskedto skedto summarizetheday’slesson, summarizetheday’slesson,orrespondto orrespondtoaspecificque aspecificquestion.Ineithe stion.Ineithercase,thete rcase,theteachercan achercan brieflyreviewtheadmi brieflyreviewtheadmitslipsattheb tslipsatthebeginningof eginningofclasstodetermi classtodetermineifsomethin neifsomethingneedsmore gneedsmore emphasisornot.Whenused emphasisornot.Whenusedasanexit asanexitslip,teachersa slip,teachersareusuallylookin reusuallylookingtoseeifstud gtoseeifstudents ents understoodthelessonfromthe understoodthelessonfromtheday.Itisuse day.Itisusedtoguideth dtoguidethedirectionf edirectionforthenextd orthenextday. ay. 

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DoNow/QuickStart/Bellringer The“DoNow”writingstrate The“DoNow”writingstrategyisabrie gyisabriefactivitythat factivitythattakesplace takesplaceatthebegin atthebeginningofeach ningofeachclass class (approximately3-5min (approximately3-5minutes).A“DoN utes).A“DoNow”writinga ow”writingactivitymaybe ctivitymaybeabriefr abriefreviewofpre eviewofprevious vious learning,apreviewof learning,apreviewofthelessontocome, thelessontocome,oraself-refle oraself-reflectiononthestud ctiononthestudent’slatest ent’slatest learning/assessment/perfo learning/assessment/performancetask. rmancetask.Thepurpose Thepurposeofa“DoNow” ofa“DoNow”activityistwoactivityistwo-fold.First, fold.First, wewantthestudentswriti wewantthestudentswritingtolearn.B ngtolearn.Byputtingthei yputtingtheirthoughtsintowri rthoughtsintowritingwecan tingwecan immediatelydetermine immediatelydetermineifourstudents ifourstudentsarelearni arelearningwhatthey ngwhattheyshouldbe.Second shouldbe.Second,itgetsstude ,itgetsstudents nts inthelearningmodewi inthelearningmodewithinminutesof thinminutesofstartingclassroomi startingclassroominstruction.Itprov nstruction.Itprovidesanar idesanarrow row focus. StopandJot/TakeaMo StopandJot/TakeaMoment/Reflect ment/ReflectandRespond/Qu andRespond/QuickWrites ickWrites The“StopandJot”writing The“StopandJot”writingstrategyismost strategyismostoftenused oftenusedduringastudent’slearning.Inthis strategytheteacherstopsthe strategytheteacherstopsthestudentsinthe studentsinthemiddleof middleoftheactivityan theactivityandasksthem dasksthemtoreflecton toreflecton theirlearningsofar.This theirlearningsofar.Thisstrategyworks strategyworksgreatforlong greatforlonglecturesorread lecturesorreadingassignme ingassignments,guest nts,guest speakers,andextendedperformancetasks.“StopandJots”shouldbeopen-endedbutmay includeapromptdepe includeapromptdependingonthe ndingontheneedsofyour needsofyourstudents. students. One-MinutePapers “One-MinutePapers” “One-MinutePapers”aresimilar aresimilarto“Stopand to“StopandJots”becausethe Jots”becausetheyaremostofte yaremostoftenuseddurin nusedduringa ga student’slearning.Thema student’slearning.Themaindiffere indifferencebetwee ncebetweenthetwoistha nthetwoisthata“One-M ta“One-MinutePape inutePaper”ismore r”ismore focused.Itspecificallyasksstud focused.Itspecificallyasksstudentstosummariz entstosummarize,question,sup e,question,supportorcountera portorcounteranargument,o nargument,or r toapplynewinformationt toapplynewinformationtonewcircumstan onewcircumstances.Studentson ces.Studentsonlyhaveone lyhaveoneminutetorespon minutetorespondand dand useindexcardstowrite useindexcardstowritetheirresponse theirresponses. s.

InformalWritingStrategies Think-Write-Pair-Share/Think-W Think-Write-Pair-Share/Think-Write-Pair-Squa rite-Pair-Square re Forthisinformalwritingstrate Forthisinformalwritingstrategy,studentsar gy,studentsarepresente epresentedwithawri dwithawritingpromptor tingpromptorspecific specific question.First,theythinkab question.First,theythinkabouthowthey’dli outhowthey’dliketorespond ketorespond.Then,the .Then,thestudentsjotdow studentsjotdowntheir ntheir responsesonapieceofp responsesonapieceofpaperand aperandshareitwith shareitwiththeirpartne theirpartner.Together,stud r.Together,studentsworkthrough entsworkthrough theprompt/questiontodete theprompt/questiontodeterminewhatth rminewhattheywouldlike eywouldliketosharewithth tosharewiththerestofthecla erestoftheclass.Once ss.Once they’vemadeadecision they’vemadeadecisiontheyshare theyshareout.Ifyou’dlike out.Ifyou’dlike,youcanhave ,youcanhaveeachsetofp eachsetofpartnersshare artnersshare withanothersetofpartne withanothersetofpartnersforavaria rsforavariationonthestra tiononthestrategy. tegy. DailyJournals/LearningLogs “DailyJournals”and“Le “DailyJournals”and“LearningLogs” arningLogs”aredesign aredesignatedwritin atedwritingspacesforstud gspacesforstudentlearnin entlearning.Inmost g.Inmost cases,thedailyjournalisthe cases,thedailyjournalistheplacewher placewherestudentsre estudentsrespondtoany spondtoanyoneoftheinf oneoftheinformalwriting ormalwriting strategiestheirteacheruse strategiestheirteacheruses.Theymay s.Theymayhavea“Do havea“DoNow”activityw Now”activitywhentheyen hentheyentertheclass,be tertheclass,be askedto“StopandJot”a askedto“StopandJot”atanygiven tanygiventime,oraske time,oraskedtoreflecta dtoreflectandrespond ndrespondtoagivenp toagivenprompt. rompt. Regardlessofthestrategie Regardlessofthestrategiesimplemente simplemented,thedaily d,thedailyjournaland journaland/orlearning /orlearninglogprovide logprovidea a designatedspacewhere designatedspacewherestudentscan studentscan“writetolea “writetolearn.” rn.” PassingNotes/DialogueJourn PassingNotes/DialogueJournal/PartnerJo al/PartnerJournal/Writte urnal/WrittenConversation nConversation Thiswritingstrategyrequir Thiswritingstrategyrequiresstudentstoe esstudentstoengageina ngageinawrittenconve writtenconversationwitha rsationwithaclassmate. classmate. Theteacherprovidesa Theteacherprovidesawritingpromp writingpromptsuchas“What tsuchas“Whatsurprisedyoua surprisedyouaboutthisexper boutthisexperiment?”or iment?”or “What’sthefirstthingyoushould “What’sthefirstthingyoushoulddoforajob doforajobinterview?” interview?”Allstudents Allstudentsaregiven aregivenoneminuteto oneminuteto writetheirresponseand writetheirresponseandshouldbeen shouldbeencouragedtowr couragedtowritefortheen itefortheentireminute. tireminute.Thentheytra Thentheytrade de answerswithapartner. answerswithapartner.Basedon Basedonwhat’swritten, what’swritten,studentscana studentscanagree/disa gree/disagreeand greeandstatewhy statewhy SummaryCubes “SummaryCubes”areano “SummaryCubes”areanotherwaytoen therwaytoengageinin gageininformalwriting. formalwriting.Foreachside Foreachsideofthecube, ofthecube, studentsmustwritedownspe studentsmustwritedownspecificinformation cificinformationregarding regardingthetopicthey’r thetopicthey’relearning. elearning.Forthe Forthe mostpartstudentsareusually mostpartstudentsareusuallyaskedtore askedtorecordthefollowing: cordthefollowing: Side 1: Side 2: Side 3: Side 4: Side 5: Side 6:

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Thisactivitycanalsobead Thisactivitycanalsobeadaptedtome aptedtomeetthenee ettheneedsofthelear dsofthelearners.Ifthere ners.Iftherearequestio arequestionsor nsor promptsthatwillensuread promptsthatwillensureadeeperlev eeperlevelofstudentun elofstudentunderstandin derstanding,thenthoseshould g,thenthoseshouldbethe bethe questionsorpromptsthatstuden questionsorpromptsthatstudentsrecordonthe tsrecordonthesummarycube summarycube.Oncethein .Oncetheinformationhasbe formationhasbeen en recorded,studentscanasse recorded,studentscanassemblethesumma mblethesummarycube.They rycube.Theynowhavea nowhaveagreatstudy greatstudytool. tool.

InformalWritingStrategies StructuredNote-Taking Researchshowsthatnote-tak Researchshowsthatnote-takingisoneoft ingisoneofthemosteffective hemosteffectivewaystoensur waystoensurestudentsre estudentsretainthe tainthe informationtheyneedtob informationtheyneedtobesuccessful.The esuccessful.Theonlyproblemi onlyproblemisthatmoststuden sthatmoststudentsdon’tdoit tsdon’tdoitand and thosewhodotakenotes,usually thosewhodotakenotes,usuallydon’tdosove don’tdosoverywell.We rywell.Weneedtotea needtoteachourstudentssome chourstudentssome effectivenote-takingstra effectivenote-takingstrategies.Below tegies.Belowaresomeofth aresomeofthosestrategies. osestrategies.Keepinmi Keepinmindthatyou ndthatyou shouldalwaysmodeltheexpe shouldalwaysmodeltheexpectationtoensur ctationtoensureyougetthe eyougettheintended intendedoutcome. outcome. GuidedNotes:Forthiswriti GuidedNotes:Forthiswritingstrategy,stud ngstrategy,studentsarep entsareprovidedwith rovidedwithabasicoutline abasicoutlineofthe ofthe classnotespriortothelesson.The classnotespriortothelesson.Theyarethen yarethenaskedtofill askedtofillinthenotesa inthenotesasthelesson sthelesson unfolds.Theideaistoke unfolds.Theideaistokeepthemactiv epthemactivelyengaged elyengagedinthenote inthenote-takingproce -takingprocesswithout sswithout causingthemtolosethefocusbeca causingthemtolosethefocusbecausetheyare usetheyarewritingtoomuch. writingtoomuch. Note-takingCues:Byputting Note-takingCues:Byputtingkeyideas keyideasandvocabula andvocabularywordsonthe rywordsontheboard,itle board,itlets ts students’knowwhattheyshould students’knowwhattheyshouldbetakingn betakingnoteson.Itisn oteson.Itisnotuncommonforte otuncommonforteachersto achersto stopinthemiddleofthele stopinthemiddleofthelessonandcue ssonandcuestudentstowrite studentstowritecertaininf certaininformationdown. ormationdown. Re-OrganizationofNotes:Aftertakingnotesduri Re-OrganizationofNotes:Aftertak ingnotesduringaread ngareading,lecture,vid ing,lecture,video, eo, demonstration,etc.,askstudent demonstration,etc.,askstudentstore-organiz store-organizetheirinfor etheirinformationintocat mationintocategoriesthat egoriesthat makesensetothem.Itreq makesensetothem.Itrequireshigher-le uireshigher-levelthinking velthinkingtorepresen torepresenttheinformation ttheinformation they’vegatheredina they’vegatheredinanewwayan newwayandwillallowstud dwillallowstudentstodeep entstodeeperundersta erunderstandthemate ndthematerial. rial. SummaryNotes:Thisnote-ta SummaryNotes: Thisnote-takingstrategy kingstrategyisdifferen isdifferentthantherest tthantherest.Forthisparti .Forthisparticular cular strategy,theteacherchunksthe strategy,theteacherchunksthelecture,read lecture,reading,etc.,into5 ing,etc.,into5-10minute -10minutechunks.Atthe chunks.Attheend end ofeachchunkthestudentisa ofeachchunkthestudentisaskedtosummar skedtosummarizewhathe izewhathe/shehasjustle /shehasjustlearned.This arned.This processiscontinueduntilthele processiscontinueduntilthelessonisover.Ke ssonisover.Keepinmin epinmindthatchunking dthatchunkingthelessonlike thelessonlike thiswillslowdowntheclassroominstr thiswillslowdowntheclassroominstructiontremend uctiontremendously.Itwill,howev ously.Itwill,however,increase er,increase studentunderstandingan studentunderstandingandinformation dinformationretention. retention. SkimandScanNote-taking: Thisinformalwritingstrategy Thisinformalwritingstrategyisapre-re isapre-readingstrate adingstrategythat gythat allowsstudentstobuildpriork allowsstudentstobuildpriorknowledgean nowledgeandmakepr dmakepredictions.Work edictions.Workinginpair inginpairs, s, studentspreviewthetextb studentspreviewthetextbylookingati ylookingatitsfeatures(he tsfeatures(headings,subhea adings,subheadings,captions dings,captions,, boldedwords,italicized boldedwords,italicizedwords,charts,tab words,charts,tables,visuals,etc.)a les,visuals,etc.)andcreatet ndcreatetwodifferent wodifferentlists lists usingat-chart:Impressions/ usingat-chart:Impressions/Questionsand QuestionsandQuickFacts.The QuickFacts.Theprocessofwritin processofwritingthis gthis informationdownprepare informationdownpreparesstudentsforth sstudentsfortheintende eintendedlesson. dlesson. RecallNote-Taking:Thisnote-ta RecallNote-Taking:Thisnote-takingstrategy kingstrategyrequiresstud requiresstudentstodivid entstodividetheirpa etheirpageinto geinto twocolumns.Ontheright-handsi twocolumns.Ontheright-handsideofthep deofthepage,theyrecor age,theyrecordmainide dmainideas/keypoi as/keypoints nts gatheredfromthereadi gatheredfromthereading,lecture,etc.T ng,lecture,etc.Then,onthele hen,ontheleft-handsid ft-handsideofthepage eofthepagestudents students recordacluethatwouldhelp recordacluethatwouldhelpthemrecalltha themrecallthatmainide tmainidea/keypoin a/keypointwhennecessa twhennecessary. ry. (Dependingonthenee (Dependingontheneedsofthestude dsofthestudents,theteacher nts,theteachermaychoosetop maychoosetoprovidethek rovidethekey ey pointsandaskstudentstow pointsandaskstudentstowritedownthe ritedowntheclues. clues. CornellNotes:Thisnote-ta CornellNotes:Thisnote-takingstrategy kingstrategyalsorequiressp alsorequiressplit-pagenote lit-pagenotes.Ontheleft s.Ontheleft-hand -hand sideofthepagethestude sideofthepagethestudentliststhemai ntliststhemainideasofth nideasofthereading, ereading,lecture,etc.On lecture,etc.Ontherighttherighthandsideofthepape handsideofthepaper,studentswrite r,studentswritedowndeta downdetails,supportinge ils,supportingevidence,que vidence,questionsthey stionsthey mayhaveorconnectionsthey mayhaveorconnectionstheywereable wereabletomake.At tomake.Atthebottomofthe thebottomofthepagestuden pagestudents ts provideasummaryoftheir provideasummaryoftheirnote-taking note-takingsession.SeeCo session.SeeCornellNotesexa rnellNotesexampleonne mpleonnextpage. xtpage.

InformalWritingStrategies

Cornell Notes Topic:

Name: Date:

Chapter #, Section #:

Questions / Main Ideas / Vocabulary Key Terms

Period:

Notes / Answers / Definitions / Examples / Sentences

* Write the definition for each “Key Term”. Use the “Key Term” in in a sentence or give an example that shows your understanding of the term in correct historical context.

Key People

* Explain the importance of each “Key Person”, the major events they were involved in and the impact im pact they had on history.

Academic

* For any “Academic Vocabulary” words you find in the section, write the definition for the “Academic Vocabulary” word and use it in a sentence to show your understanding of the word

Section

* At the end of each section, answer the section assessment questions. Use complete sentences with sufficient details. Do not complete the “Writing Journal” question.

Additional

* As you read, add additional notes, vocabulary, events, or any information you see as important. Drawing charts, timelines, graphs graphic organizers, etc. may help you understand the content. These notes will be helpful when studying for tests/quizzes.

Summary: * Following each section, use the information you have learned and the notes you have taken to write a complete summary for the section. Be sure to begin each summary with a topic sentence and use quality details and proper grammar to summarize the main topics from the section.

InformalWritingStrategies Whatdoyouthink?/Why Whatdoyouthink?/Whydoyouthinki doyouthinkit? t? Thiswritingstrategyisinte Thiswritingstrategyisintendedtoimp ndedtoimproveinformati roveinformativeand/or veand/orpersuasivew persuasivewriting.When riting.When studentsimplementthisstrate studentsimplementthisstrategy,theyare gy,theyarerequiredto requiredtoexposenotonly exposenotonlywhattheythin whattheythink,butwhy k,butwhy theythinkit.Whenstuden theythinkit.Whenstudentscansupportthe tscansupporttheirthoughtswithd irthoughtswithdetailsand etailsandevidence,the evidence,theybuild ybuild credibilitywiththeirrea credibilitywiththeirreaderandthu derandthustheirexplan stheirexplanationsand ationsandanalysesare analysesaretakenser takenseriously. iously. NOTE:Ifthestudentdoes NOTE:Ifthestudentdoesnotincludethe notincludethedetailsan detailsandevidence devidencetosupportwha tosupportwhathe/sheis the/sheis thinking,troublespotswillbeexposed. Thisisoneparagraphfro Thisisoneparagraphfromastudent’s mastudent’spaper.The paper.Thestudentused studentusedthe“Whatd the“Whatdoyouthink?an oyouthink?and d Whydoyouthinkit?”strate Whydoyouthinkit?”strategytodetermi gytodetermineifthere neiftherewerepoten werepotentialholesinhis tialholesinhisargument. argument.

InformalWritingStrategies Whatdidyouwrite?/Whydidy Whatdidyouwrite?/Whydidyouwriteit? ouwriteit? Thiswritingstrategyisrela Thiswritingstrategyisrelatedtothe“W tedtothe“Whatdoyouthink hatdoyouthink?andWhy ?andWhydoyouthinkit doyouthinkit?”strategy. ?”strategy. Thistimeweaskstudentsto Thistimeweaskstudentstolookateachse lookateachsentenceand ntenceanddetermine determineitsfunctionin itsfunctioninadvancing advancingthe the basicargument.Atfirst,stude basicargument.Atfirst,studentswillhave ntswillhaveadifficulttime adifficulttimewiththisstrate withthisstrategy,butastime gy,butastimegoeson goeson itgetseasierandtheir itgetseasierandtheirwritingimpr writingimproves.Toimple oves.Toimplementthisstrate mentthisstrategy,thestudent gy,thestudentanalyzese analyzeseach ach sentenceintheirwriting sentenceintheirwritingbyaskingthe byaskingthefollowingthree followingthreequestions. questions. 1.) Isthesentenceastateme Isthesentenceastatementordetail? ntordetail? 2.) Ifit’sastatement,doesit Ifit’sastatement,doesitintroducean introduceanidea,transi idea,transitionbetween tionbetweenideas,orcon ideas,orconcludean cludean idea? 3.) Ifit’sadetail,doesita Ifit’sadetail,doesitadvancethe dvancethestoryline,enha storyline,enhanceundersta nceunderstanding,oraccom nding,oraccomplishboth? plishboth? Byansweringthesethre Byansweringthesethreequestions,stud equestions,studentsareab entsareabletoidenti letoidentifysentencest fysentencesthatserveno hatserveno purposeorsentencesthatn purposeorsentencesthatneedtobem eedtobemodifiedtose odifiedtoserveitspurpose rveitspurposebetter. better. Usingthesameparagrap Usingthesameparagraphasabove,h hasabove,hereiswhatt ereiswhatthisstrategymigh hisstrategymightlooklike. tlooklike.

FormalWritingStrategies: Writingto“ShowWhatYouKnow” Oncestudentshavehadtheopportunitytolearnspecificcontent,theyarereadyto engageintheformalwritingprocess.Thisiswhenstudentswritetodemonstrate whattheyunderstandor“showwhattheyknow”.They’vealreadygathered information,generatedideas,andorganizedtheirthoughtsintodiscussionpoints. Nowthey’rereadytowritethemalldown.Sometimesthewritingassignmentswill besemi-formalandsometimesthey’llbeformalbutineithercase,theyaremuch differentthantheinformalwritingwesawearlierandaremostlikelyassessed.

FormalWritingStrategies SocraticSeminar –www.teachingchannel.org –www.teachingchannel.org InthisSocraticSeminar,studen InthisSocraticSeminar,studentshavetheop tshavetheopportunitytore portunitytorespectfullydeba spectfullydebateanissue teanissuepriorto priorto puttingitinwriting.One puttingitinwriting.Onemightconsider mightconsideritthe“roughd itthe“roughdraft”students raft”studentscompleteprior completepriortotheir totheir “finalcopy”.Theteache “finalcopy”.Theteacherhassupported rhassupportedthestudents thestudentsinunderstan inunderstandingtheirr dingtheirroleswhende oleswhendebating bating anissueanditisevid anissueanditisevidentwhenwe entwhenweseeitin seeitinpractice.Note practice.Notethatstudents thatstudentsareconsistent areconsistently ly providingevidencefor providingevidencefortheirclaimsan theirclaimsandcounterclaim dcounterclaimsandthere sandthereisalsoevide isalsoevidencethatthe ncethatthe studentsarereferringb studentsarereferringbacktothegrap acktothegraphicnovelthey hicnoveltheyarereadi arereading.Itisagr ng.Itisagreatstrateg eatstrategytousefor ytousefor settingthestageforwriting. settingthestageforwriting.Pleasegototh Pleasegotothewebsitetov ewebsitetoviewthevid iewthevideoandrefe eoandrefertothe“Socra rtothe“Socratic tic SeminarResourcePacket” SeminarResourcePacket”foradditi foradditionalmateria onalmaterials. ls. TheFormalWritingProcess Engagingintheformalwriti Engagingintheformalwritingprocessisa ngprocessisagreatway greatwaytogetstudentsi togetstudentsinvolveding nvolvedingenerating enerating uniqueideas,capturingthe uniqueideas,capturingthemandorga mandorganizingthem nizingthemintoaformatth intoaformatthatmakessen atmakessense.Italsogive se.Italsogives s studentstheabilitytogetthose studentstheabilitytogetthoseideasdown ideasdownonpaper, onpaper,editandr editandrevisethem evisethembasedonconstr basedonconstructive uctive feedback,andpublishthe feedback,andpublishtheirfinalthoughts. irfinalthoughts.Theformalwr Theformalwritingprocessis itingprocessisafive-step afive-stepprocess: process: Prewriting(brainstorming): Prewriting(brainstorming):Theprew Theprewritingstagei ritingstageisoftenconside softenconsideredoneofth redoneofthemost emost importantstagesofthewritin importantstagesofthewritingprocess.Thisi gprocess.Thisiswhenstuden swhenstudentsdetermine tsdeterminetheirtopicof theirtopicof interestandthepurpose interestandthepurposeforwritingab forwritingaboutit.Theyga outit.Theygatherfactualin therfactualinformationtosupp formationtosupport ort theirtopicandidentify theirtopicandidentifytheaudience theaudiencetowhomtheya towhomtheyarewriting. rewriting. Drafting(composing):The Drafting(composing):Thedraftingsta draftingstageiswhenstu geiswhenstudentsgetthei dentsgettheirthoughtsdownon rthoughtsdownon paper.Themainfocusshould paper.Themainfocusshouldbepresen bepresentingtheinform tingtheinformationinalog ationinalogicalmanner. icalmanner. Studentsneednotbeconce Studentsneednotbeconcernedwithme rnedwithmechanicsorgra chanicsorgrammar,justconten mmar,justcontentandthe tandthe organizationofthatcontent. organizationofthatcontent.Thisstageusually Thisstageusuallyrequiresmultip requiresmultipledraftsba ledraftsbasedonteach sedonteacher er andstudentfeedback. Revising:Thisstageofth Revising:Thisstageofthewritingpr ewritingprocessisanexte ocessisanextensionofthed nsionofthedraftingstage. raftingstage.Students Students usuallysharetheirworkwithm usuallysharetheirworkwithmorethanone orethanoneclassmatetosolicit classmatetosolicitfeedbacka feedbackandcriticism. ndcriticism. Studentscontinuetorethink,a Studentscontinuetorethink,add,substitute,d dd,substitute,deleteand eleteandmovewordsa movewordsandideasa ndideasaroundas roundas theyreworktheorganizati theyreworktheorganizationoftheconten onofthecontent.Therear t.Therearemanystrate emanystrategiesoutthere giesoutthereto to supportthisstageofthewritingprocess. Editing:Inthisstageof Editing:Inthisstageofthewritingp thewritingprocess,studentsb rocess,studentsbeginlookinga eginlookingatthesurface-le tthesurface-level vel mistakes.Theyarefocused mistakes.Theyarefocusedonspelling,gra onspelling,grammar,capita mmar,capitalization,punctua lization,punctuation,sentence tion,sentence andparagraphstructurea andparagraphstructureandmore.Stud ndmore.Studentshavele entshavelearnedthat arnedthatwhenthesety whenthesetypesof pesof errorsexistinourwritingthe errorsexistinourwritingtheyaredistra yaredistractingandca ctingandcancausether ncausethereadertomi eadertomisunderstand sunderstand theintendedmessage. theintendedmessage.Asaresult,iti Asaresult,itisacriticalcomp sacriticalcomponentofthewr onentofthewritingprocess. itingprocess. Publishing:This Publishing:This isthefinalstageofthewri isthefinalstageofthewritingprocess.A tingprocess.Atthispoint,stude tthispoint,studentsaresure ntsaresure thattheirwritingmeetsthe thattheirwritingmeetstheexpectationsa expectationsandproduce ndproducethefinalcopy thefinalcopy.Insomeinsta .Insomeinstances, nces, studentsmaywishtopublishthei studentsmaywishtopublishtheirworkinthe rworkinthefollowingmann followingmanner: er: ~readingaloudtopee ~readingaloudtopeers/youngerstud rs/youngerstudents ents ~readitatanassemb ~readitatanassembly/performit ly/performitasaskit asaskit ~submittocontests/localnewspa ~submittocontests/localnewspapers/magaz pers/magazines/schoolyear ines/schoolyearbook book ~displayonbulletinboar ~displayonbulletinboards/inhallway ds/inhallways s ~recordareadingofitonaudio/video ~sendittoapenpa ~sendittoapenpal/senditto l/sendittoafamilymem afamilymember ber

FormalWritingStrategies What-Why-How The“What-Why-How”strate The“What-Why-How”strategyisanexte gyisanextensionfromone nsionfromoneofourinformalw ofourinformalwritingstrategi ritingstrategies. es. (Whatdoyouthink?andW (Whatdoyouthink?andWhydoyouthink hydoyouthinkit?)Inthisstra it?)Inthisstrategy,thewrite tegy,thewriterensurestha rensuresthathe/she the/she answersthefollowingthreeq answersthefollowingthreequestionsthroughoutthe uestionsthroughoutthecourseofthew courseofthewritingassignme ritingassignment: nt: What:Whatdoyou What:Whatdoyouthink?Thisis think?Thisisyouropinion,m youropinion,mainidea,a ainidea,argument,thesis rgument,thesisetc. etc. Why:Whydoyouth Why:Whydoyouthinkit?This inkit?Thisiswhereyoup iswhereyouputthereasons utthereasonsforyourargume foryourargumentand ntand explainwhyyouthinkorb explainwhyyouthinkorbelieveace elieveacertainway. rtainway. nowyou’reright?Thisiswhe ht?Thisiswhereyouinclude reyouincludespecificexa specificexamplesor mplesor How:Howdoyouk How:Howdoyouknowyou’rerig evidencethatsupportyour evidencethatsupportyourargument.(p argument.(personalexam ersonalexamples,added ples,addeddetails,facts, details,facts,figures, figures, statisticaldata,quotes,artifa statisticaldata,quotes,artifactsetc.)Keep ctsetc.)Keepthe“3Es”i the“3Es”inmindwhen nmindwhenanswering answeringthis this question:“Examples,Explan question:“Examples,Explanations,andE ations,andEvidence” vidence” Thisstrategyworksbestwithw Thisstrategyworksbestwithwritingthatre ritingthatrequiresyoutosusta quiresyoutosustainalogicala inalogicalargumentorcounte rgumentorcounter r anargument.Essays,editori anargument.Essays,editorials,researchp als,researchpapers,and apers,andreportsare reportsareallexamples allexamplesofwriting ofwriting assignmentsthatcanbesupp assignmentsthatcanbesupportedwiththe ortedwiththe“What-Why-H “What-Why-How”strategy. ow”strategy.

Content-Purpose-Audience The“Content-Purpose-Aud The“Content-Purpose-Audience”stra ience”strategycoversthe tegycoversthethreemostimpor threemostimportantpieces tantpiecesofanywriting ofanywriting assignment.Onceyouhavet assignment.Onceyouhavethesemappe hesemappedout,thewritin dout,thewritingitselfwillbe gitselfwillbemucheasier. mucheasier. Content:Thecontent Content:Thecontentreferstothem referstothemainidea ainideaandkeyd andkeydetailsofyourw etailsofyourwriting.Whati riting.Whatisthe sthe mostimportantthingyou’dlike mostimportantthingyou’dlikeyourreade yourreaderstoknow?W rstoknow?Whatkeydet hatkeydetailswillhelpy ailswillhelpyour our readerbetterunderstandthemainidea? Purpose:Thepurp Purpose:Thepurposespeaksto osespeakstowhatyou’retry whatyou’retryingtoaccomplish ingtoaccomplishinyourwriting inyourwriting.What .What isitthatyou’dlikeyourrea isitthatyou’dlikeyourreaderstothink derstothinkwhenthey’re whenthey’redone?Wh done?Whatisitthatyou’ atisitthatyou’dlike dlike themtodo?  Audience:Askingstud  Audience:Askingstudentstoconsciouslythi entstoconsciouslythinkaboutwhom nkaboutwhomthey’rewritin they’rewritingforwill gforwill enhancethestudents’writi enhancethestudents’writing.Italsogive ng.Italsogivesthemtheopp sthemtheopportunitytobrai ortunitytobrainstormquestions nstormquestions theiraudiencemayaske theiraudiencemayaskedsotheycan dsotheycanbetterdev betterdeveloptheirwr eloptheirwriting. iting. The“Content-Purpose-Aud The“Content-Purpose-Audience”stra ience”strategyrequire tegyrequiresaclearlystate saclearlystatedmainid dmainideaandsup eaandsupporting porting details,asenseofpurpose, details,asenseofpurpose,andfocuseson andfocusesontheabilitytoa theabilitytoanticipateh nticipatehowagivena owagivenaudiencema udiencemay y react.Asaresult,thiswritin react.Asaresult,thiswritingstrategywork gstrategyworksbestwithassig sbestwithassignmentsthatar nmentsthatareexpository, eexpository, persuasive,informational,or persuasive,informational,orresearch-base research-based.Keep d.Keepinmindtha inmindthatstudentsdon tstudentsdonothavetowrite othavetowrite theirinformationisthisorde theirinformationisthisorder,theycanre r,theycanrefertotheconte fertothecontent,purpose,a nt,purpose,andaudien ndaudienceinanyw ceinanyway ay thatsuitstheirneeds.

FormalWritingStrategies R.A.F.T.(Role,Audience,Format,Topic) R.A.F.T.(Role,Audience,Format,Topic) The“R.A.F.T.”strategyputs The“R.A.F.T.”strategyputsaspinonthe aspinonthe“Content-P “Content-Purpose-Audie urpose-Audience”strategy nce”strategy.Usingthe .Usingthe “R.A.F.T.”strategy,studentsh “R.A.F.T.”strategy,studentshavetheopp avetheopportunitytofocusthei ortunitytofocustheirwritingthrough rwritingthroughfourmain fourmain categories:theroleofthewriter,theaudience forwhomthewritingisintended,theformat that that willbeusedtopresentthe willbeusedtopresenttheinformation,a information,and,perhap nd,perhapsmostimportant, smostimportant,the thetopicbeingdiscussed. Askingstudentstopresent Askingstudentstopresenttheirinformati theirinformationfrommultiple onfrommultipleperspective perspectivesrequiresa srequiresamuchdeeper muchdeeper levelofunderstandinga levelofunderstandingandalsoallowsf ndalsoallowsforenhanced orenhancedcreativity. creativity. Roleofthewriter:Whoareyou Roleofthewriter:Whoareyouasawriter? asawriter?Amoviesta Amoviestar?Anews-r r?Anews-reporter?A eporter?Aplant? plant? youwriting?Asenator?Y Asenator?Yourself?Acompa ourself?Acompany? ny?  Audience:Towhomare  Audience:Towhomareyouwriting? Format:Inwhatfor Format: Inwhatformatareyouw matareyouwriting?Ad riting?Adiaryentry? iaryentry?Anewslette Anewsletter?Anema r?Anemail? il? Topic:Whatarey Topic:Whatareyouwritingabou ouwritingabout?Whyarey t?Whyareyouwritingabout ouwritingaboutit? it? ThisisasampleR.A.F.Tcha ThisisasampleR.A.F.Tchartforanen rtforanenvironmentalp vironmentalpollutionclass. ollutionclass.

FormalWritingStrategies

FormalWritingStrategies  All-You-Can-WriteAssignme  All-You-Can-WriteAssignmentBuffetTabl ntBuffetTable e Thebuffetassignmenttable Thebuffetassignmenttableisasimple isasimplespinofffromthe spinofffromtheR.A.F.T.strate R.A.F.T.strategy.Assumingtha gy.Assumingthatthe tthe topictobediscussedhasalr topictobediscussedhasalreadybee eadybeendecided ndecided,thebuffetta ,thebuffettablecanbe blecanbeusedasatool usedasatooltoguide toguide studentsinmakingthoseimp studentsinmakingthoseimportantdecisio ortantdecisionsthatensure nsthatensurequalitywriting qualitywriting.Ifthoughtfully .Ifthoughtfully employed,thistoolneverfa employed,thistoolneverfailsinproducin ilsinproducinganauthenti ganauthenticwritingassign cwritingassignment. ment.

Resources CapturingALLoftheRead oftheReaderThroughtheR erThroughtheReadingAssessme eadingAssessmentSystem. ntSystem. Omaha: Billmeyer,Rachel.CapturingALL Dayspring,2001,117. NarrowingtheLanguageG LanguageGap:TheCasefor ap:TheCaseforExplicitVocabul ExplicitVocabulary ary Feldman,Kevin,andKateKinsella. Feldman,Kevin,andKa teKinsella.Narrowingthe Instruction–AScholasticProfe Instruction– AScholasticProfessionalPaper. ssionalPaper.NewYork:Scholastic,2005,1. BuildingBackgroundKnowl roundKnowledgeforAcade edgeforAcademicAchievemen micAchievement:ResearchOn t:ResearchOnWhat What Marzano,RobertJ.BuildingBackg WorksInSchools.Alexandria,VA:ASCD,2004. BuildingAcademicVocabulary: micVocabulary:ATeacher’sMan ATeacher’sManual. ual. Marzano,RobertJ.,andDebraJ.Pick Marzano,RobertJ.,and DebraJ.Pickering. ering.BuildingAcade Alexandria,VA:ASCD,2005. StrategiestoEngagethe EngagetheMindofthe MindoftheLearner:Buildin Learner:BuildingStrategic gStrategicLearners. Learners. Billmeyer,Rachel.Strategiesto DayspringPrinting:Omaha,NE:DayspringPrinting,2003,42-45. ReadingtoLearnintheC LearnintheContentAreas. ontentAreas.Belmont,CA: Richardson,JudyS.,andRaymondF.Mor Richardson,JudyS.,andRa ymondF.Morgan. gan.Readingto WadsworthPublishingCompany,1999,374-375. RealReading,RealW ing,RealWriting:Content riting:Content-AreaStrategies. -AreaStrategies. Topping,DonnaandRobertaMcManus. RealRead Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann,2 Portsmouth,NH:He inemann,2002,73002,73-74. 74.

Websites www.ttms.org StevePeha’scomprehensiv StevePeha’scomprehensivesiteabout“ esiteabout“WritingAcrossth WritingAcrosstheCurriculum.Ma eCurriculum.Manyofthetab nyofthetablesand lesand othersvisualscamefromthissite. www.teachingchannel.org Thissiteisafantasticresour Thissiteisafantasticresourcetoseeclassroom cetoseeclassroominstructionina instructioninaction.Ithouseshun ction.Ithouseshundredsof dredsof videosforallsubjectsareas.