2. ESL 4-8 Generalists
Session 5: Writing
Wednesday, November 3, 2010

3. Parking Lot

4. • DEFINE writing as it relates to the ELA content domain.
• RECOGNIZE predictable stages in the development of writing
conventions.
• APPLY developmentally appropriate, research-based instructional
strategies and sequences to teach writing to all students, including
ELLs.
• USE diagnostic tools and ongoing assessment to gauge student
performance in writing and to inform future instruction.
• RECOGNIZE opportunities to teach writing across the content
domains.
• ARTICULATE the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. PLAN
concrete lessons convey this reciprocity to students.
• RESEARCH strategies proven effective to teach writing and plan to
implement new strategies in the classroom.

5. Writing Defined

6. Defining Writing
• Refer to HO 5.2 (pg 201), the article you read prior to
class & underlined/highlighted/circled key info.
• Share your insights/thoughts with your table group as
they reference the following questions:
• How does this definition help you understand writing
and its connection to the content domain in a deeper
way?
• When and how will you discuss writing with students
to help them understand its connection to the ELA
content domain or other content domains?

7. Defining
Writing
• Now pair up…in your group you should have
someone who teaches self-contained, ELA, or
social studies…where writing is traditionally
taught & someone who does not traditionally
teach writing.
• Complete HO 5.3 as a group
• Be sure to refer to the TEKS (standards) and the local
curriculum resource

8. transition
•Student and teacher attitudes toward writing
play a KEY role in the development of writing
competencies across the content domains.
•Remember that reading and writing are
reciprocal processes. Strategies from Sessions 3
and 4 apply to successful teaching of writing.
•ELA teachers ARE NOT the only ones
responsible for teaching writing. Students
should write in every content domain. You are
responsible for communicating with your
colleagues about the progress of students in
writing in all of their classes.

9. • DEFINE writing as it relates to the ELA content domain.
• RECOGNIZE predictable stages in the development of writing
conventions.
• APPLY developmentally appropriate, research-based instructional
strategies and sequences to teach writing to all students, including
ELLs.
• USE diagnostic tools and ongoing assessment to gauge student
performance in writing and to inform future instruction.
• RECOGNIZE opportunities to teach writing across the content
domains.
• ARTICULATE the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. PLAN
concrete lessons convey this reciprocity to students.
• RESEARCH strategies proven effective to teach writing and plan to
implement new strategies in the classroom.

10. Gallery Walk
• We will count off 1-2-3…creating 3 groups.
• Group One will read quote 1, Group Two-
Quote 2, and Group Three-Quote 3
• These quotes are from 2 seminal books on literacy
instruction:
• The Art of Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins
• In the Middle by Nancie Atwell.
* seminal (adj.): containing seeds of later development

11. Gallery Walk
• STEP 1: After reading your assigned quote, use the
sticky notes provided to: write your reactions to the quote
(or to the comments left by previous participants), write
connections to YOUR students, connections to what
YOU have learned so far in this course.
• STEP 2: Repeat step 1…but this time you are
referencing the next quote (Group 1 reads Quote 2,
Group 2 reads Quote 3, Group 3 reads Quote 1)
• STEP 3: Repeat above…but now you are on the last
quote.
3 minutes foreach step – lights will flicker

12. Gallery Walk
• Easy way to have groups respond to text
and to each other.
• How will you use this in your class?
– Add to HO 1.13 strategy sheet!

13. • Writing past the elementary level has traditionally
involved a great deal of academic writing—writing for the
teacher as the sole audience. Think of the essays and
research papers you probably wrote in high school.
• A teacher’s job is to create systems and structures that
allow students to master the standards while at the same
time writing for varied and authentic audiences on
personally relevant topics.

14. Key Points
14
• Students need to pay attention to their own lives
to get ideas for writing
• Students need to have real audiences for their
writing
• Students need a repertoire of strategies to use
when writing for different purposes, and
TEACHERS must provide these strategies!

15. Comparing Criteria for
Different Genres of Writing
Good early-adolescent writing is characterized by
several common traits:
1. Ideas & Content
2. Organization
3. Voice
4. Word Choice
5. Sentence Fluency
6. Conventions

16. K-12 Writing Continuum

17. The 6 Traits Scoring Guide
• The top row of each column defines each
trait.
• Note that the scoring guide uses a five-
point scale to rate each element of student
writing.
• A 5 represents proficiency (which is
defined for each element) and a 1
indicates the writing is poor (also defined
in the scoring guide) in relation to that
element.
Handout 5.4

18. 18
• Note that the scoring guide uses a 5 point scale to rate
each element of student writing
• This is a tool to measure effective writing.
• If you teach other content domains, you can use this in
combination with other tools that measure proficiency in
other skills. (i.e. problem-solving in math, experimental
design in science, etc.)
• The 6 Traits Scoring Guide should be used in addition to,
or in connection with, other scoring tools, and
participants should be careful not to confuse student
proficiency or lack of proficiency in other areas with
student writing level.
The 6 Traits Scoring Guide

19. •Fourth Grade
•Seventh Grade
•Tenth Grade
•Exit Level

20. TAKS Writing Rubric

21. TAKS Writing Rubric Matrix

22. Kid Friendly Rubric

23. Genres of Writing
• See HO 5.2 (pg 202)
• Expository/Research
• Literary Response
• Persuasive
• Narrative

24. • Make sure you are clear on what YOUR
content standards require….as well as what is
required in the ELA standards at your grade
level, the previous grade level, the next
level…in order to support students have
learned, should be learning and what they
will be learning.
24
Genres of Writing

25. 25
• Review the criteria charts on HOs 5.5-5.5c (pg 206-209)
• In your table group discuss the similarities and differences
and complete the Venn diagram on HO 5.6 (pg 210) to show
criteria they share.
• You have 10 minutes to complete the activity.
Genres of Writing

26. Genres
• What surprised you about the diagram?
26

27. 27
– Noticing where there is overlap among genres can
help eliminate reteaching the same idea; immersing
students in reading and analyzing the features of a
genre can dovetail with students writing in that genre;
reinforcing what students are learning in ELA in other
content areas can create more authenticity for
students and make writing instruction feel more
consistent for students.
•Looking at the ELA content domain poster and the Venn
diagram, how might you structure your planning to teach for
master of each standard?
•If you teach another content domain, how can instruction in
your content support students’ writing development in the
genres?

28. Why is it important to know and to help
students see similarities and differences
among genres?
• We can help students connect by looking back
at the same criteria in a previous text we read or
in their own writing before they get ready to write
in a new genre. This could impact our pacing as
well: We can focus on narrative before asking
students to write literary analysis, for example,
or expository writing before persuasive writing.
28

29. • Criteria charts list the standards to be met, while rubrics
describe various levels of mastery of the standards.
Criteria charts like the descriptors for the highest score
on a rubric, guide us by giving specifics on how to be
successful. Rubrics help students and teachers to
quantify progress and growth over time and to defi ne
how close to the standard a piece is.
29
What is the difference between a criteria chart and
a rubric? What is the value of each?

30. Why are criteria charts and rubrics an
important aspect of writing instruction?
• Criteria charts help students internalize the elements of a particular
genre about which they are writing and see what is unique to the
genre. As we have discussed in previous sessions, adolescents are
developing more self-regulation and control in monitoring their own
strengths and areas for growth academically. Using criteria charts
and rubrics with students is a helpful way to help them assess their
own writing and growth areas as writers.
30
How might they help with student
motivation?

31. transition
•Throughout the rest of the course, we will look
for opportunities in the curriculum to integrate
the different writing genres with instruction.
•The criteria charts we examined could be used
to assess student writing or published text, and
we can show students how to strengthen their
writing instruction by helping them pay
attention to what makes good writing good as
they are reading.
•We will now look at the how to diagnose and
assess writing in the classroom in an authentic
way.

32. • DEFINE writing as it relates to the ELA content domain.
• RECOGNIZE predictable stages in the development of writing
conventions.
• APPLY developmentally appropriate, research-based instructional
strategies and sequences to teach writing to all students, including
ELLs.
• USE diagnostic tools and ongoing assessment to gauge student
performance in writing and to inform future instruction.
• RECOGNIZE opportunities to teach writing across the content
domains.
• ARTICULATE the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. PLAN
concrete lessons convey this reciprocity to students.
• RESEARCH strategies proven effective to teach writing and plan to
implement new strategies in the classroom.

33. 33
Diagnosing and
Assessing Writing
“The single biggest barrier to improving classroom
assessment has nothing to do with the physical aspects of
assessment at all (such as selecting the correct assessment
method, making sure that there is only one correct
answer, etc.). The biggest barrier is not having clear
learning targets for students. One can’t assess (or teach)
something if one doesn’t know with crystal clarity what it
is they are trying to assess (or teach).”
Education Northwest, http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/toolkit98/Act1-2.html

34. 34
Take notes on 5.7 as you listen to the following information…you may
work with a partner

35. 35
When doing an activity like
this with your class, what
might you do to make sure
they get all of the
information they need?
In what ways could you use
graphic organizers and pair
summarizing to increase
effectiveness of note taking
in your classrooms?
Add this note-taking strategy
to HO 1.13.

36. 36
Publishing Student Writing
• Notice that publishing has NOT been included in the
previous graphic organizer about writing assessment.
• What is the purpose of publishing student writing?
– It is our goal to guide our students to be writers. Writers need to
feel that their voices are being heard. Too often, students only
“publish” their writing after a month or two of going through the
revision process, and only for the goal of it being formally
assessed by the teacher. The purpose of publishing is not
assessment—it is a way to continuously help students feel
motivated to write.

37. What are some informal ways for students to
publish their writing?
• sharing a draft out loud,
• sending a letter
• posting their writing on a blog or Web
page
• posting an excellent line on the bulletin
board
37

38. Is there any role that publishing might play in
a content area other than ELA? What
might it be?
• Students in science class might benefit from publishing their
experimental data so that a dialogue might take place among
students.
• Persuasive essays in social studies could reveal student thought
processes and reasoning that were not obvious through class
discussions and/or exams.
• Publishing written explanations to complex math problems could
demonstrate to students that there are multiple methods and/or
solutions to a given problem.
38

39. • Refer to HO 5.8 (pg 212) Go Public!
Ideas for Publishing Student
Writing…Circle 2 of the ideas you would
like to try this year.
• Though not a formal assignment for this
course, you should keep in mind the aims
of publishing and the role of publishing in
motivation as you teach writing.
39

40. 40
Using Initial Diagnostics in Writing
• Remember that you should be almost finished collecting
baseline fluency data for your students using the ORFs.
This data should be collected, recorded on the data
tracker, & brought to class for Session 6, November 17th.
• We will also do a writing diagnostic component to the
inquiry process. You will be administering a “cold write”
initial diagnostic to your students. Purpose: Collect data
on the present level of performance of your students in
writing.

41. • Unlike the ORF, YOU will develop your own writing
diagnostic & rubric
• Remember the 6 Traits Scoring Guide (HO 5.4 pg 204) and
TAKS Rubric
• Remember the genre criteria on HO 5.5 (pg 206)
• Sample expository and narrative rubrics can be found on HO 5.10
(pg 215)
• Refer to HO 5.9 (pg 214)
• Look at the LONG TERM…stay ahead…don’t wait until
the last minute!
41

42. transition
•You have now had an overview of how
writing fits into the content domains,
what types of writing middle grade
students are expected to do, and how
this writing might be assessed.
•The next section will provide strategies
for teaching writing that have been
proven effective for boosting student
achievement in writing.

43. • DEFINE writing as it relates to the ELA content domain.
• RECOGNIZE predictable stages in the development of writing
conventions.
• APPLY developmentally appropriate, research-based instructional
strategies and sequences to teach writing to all students, including
ELLs.
• USE diagnostic tools and ongoing assessment to gauge student
performance in writing and to inform future instruction.
• RECOGNIZE opportunities to teach writing across the content
domains.
• ARTICULATE the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. PLAN
concrete lessons convey this reciprocity to students.
• RESEARCH strategies proven effective to teach writing and plan to
implement new strategies in the classroom.

44. 44
Strategies
 The strategies on HO 5.12 (pg 221-228) are part of a
meta-analysis that was done by The Center for
Comprehensive School Reform & Improvement (2007)
as part of a project called Writing Next. A meta-analysis
combines the results of several related research studies;
in this case, the studies were all about the effectiveness
of writing instruction for adolescents.
 The results highlight the top 11 strategies that were
shown to have the largest impact on student
performance in writing. This means that even the last
strategy on the list had a significant impact because only
PROVEN effective strategies were highlighted in the
meta-analysis.

45. strategies
 What writing strategies have WE practiced in
this course so far?
Free writes
Pre-writing in graphic organizers
Written reflections
Formal writing (your course assessments)
Writing to demonstrate knowledge of a
concept

46. strategies
• Refer to HO 5.11 (pg 220)
• Complete the 1st column of the journal
listing strategies and activities YOU have
used with YOUR students at school (3
minutes)
• Share with a neighbor (Pair-sharing is an
effective pre-writing strategy)
• Share with the big group

47. strategies
• This double-entry journal is an instructional strategy
that helps students reflect on their own learning…as it is
happening (HO 5.11)
• A good way to develop metacognitive processes that
students will need to self-monitor as they advance in
school
• The way you implement writing may differ if you are
using a scripted curriculum.

48. strategies
• Which strategies shared would only be
appropriate/relevant for ELA content
domain…which could be used in any
content domain?
• Now work with your partner to list what
characteristics of column 1 make the
strategies appropriate for grades 4-8.

49. strategies
• Your next Strategy Implementation Plan (HO 5.13 & HO
5.14, pg 229-233) is due by Session 6, November 17th.
• Reminder---in selecting a strategy, you should consider the
objectives and TEKS/standards toward which you are currently
working, as well as your students’ needs

50. strong examples

51. The Bluest Eye
“Our house is old, cold, and green. At night a kerosene
lamp lights one large room. The others are braced in
darkness, peopled by roaches and mice. Adults do not
talk to us -- they give us directions. They issue orders
without providing information. When we trip and fall
down they glance at us; if we cut or bruise ourselves,
they ask us are we crazy. When we catch colds, they
shake their heads in disgust at our lack of consideration.
How, they ask us, do you expect anybody to get
anything done if you all are sick? We cannot answer
them. Our illness is treated with contempt, foul Black
Draught, and castor oil that blunts our minds.”

52. Liftinglinesfrom
shared writing, interactive writing, guided writing, independent writing

53. Liftinglinesfrom
shared writing, interactive writing, guided writing, independent writing

54. transition
• Students should be receiving systematic instruction in
writing—as well as reading—across the content
domains.
• Writing instruction should also be individualized.
Some students will need intervention in order to meet
the requirements of their grade-level standards in
writing.
• Work with colleagues to gather ideas and
purposefully plan to incorporate writing instruction
meaningfully into various content areas. Student
achievement in writing should be a shared
responsibility.

55. • DEFINE writing as it relates to the ELA content domain.
• RECOGNIZE predictable stages in the development of writing
conventions.
• APPLY developmentally appropriate, research-based instructional
strategies and sequences to teach writing to all students, including
ELLs.
• USE diagnostic tools and ongoing assessment to gauge student
performance in writing and to inform future instruction.
• RECOGNIZE opportunities to teach writing across the content
domains.
• ARTICULATE the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. PLAN
concrete lessons convey this reciprocity to students.
• RESEARCH strategies proven effective to teach writing and plan to
implement new strategies in the classroom.

56. 56
Closing
Choose 2 goals from the Session Goals
and write (in your exit folder) one thing you
learned about each in tonight’s session.
Share your key learning.
Any lingering questions?

57. 57
HO 1.13 additions
Learning carousel/gallery walk
Graphic organizer with paired
summarizing
Previewing long-term assignments in a
structured way
Double-entry journal
Closing

58. 58
For Next Time
Bring completed ORF data & data tracker with
appropriate sections completed
Read all of Session 6 information…highlighting
& making notes where appropriate
HO 5.12 & 5.13 are due (use strategies from
session 5)
Closing