Opinion Writing – More Than Just Your Favorite Ice Cream

Writing an opinion essay is an expectation of all elementary students.  Opinion writing is also a very effective genre to use when teaching students the different parts of a written essay:  planning, topic sentences, big ideas, details, and conclusions.  However, it can be challenging for teachers to engage students in this genre for an extended period of time.  Having students write about their favorite restaurant, animal, or dessert lesson after lesson becomes redundant.  While this is an effective way to introduce opinion writing to students, neither teachers nor students want to write about one favorite thing after another.

Additionally, teachers have an extensive amount of curriculum to cover in a year.  As you teach opinion writing, consider writing prompts which reflect curriculum and events in your classroom. Students will be learning and practicing the parts of an essay while responding to actual classroom situations.

Examples:

Our class has earned a reward for great behavior. Think about what you would like our class to do to celebrate.  The two choices are having a “wear pajamas to school” or “go out for an extra recess.”  Write a Team Complete Sentence explaining which choice you like best. Include a reason you made this choice.

At our school, we are only allowed to have fish as class pets.  Write an essay explaining whether or not we should get an aquarium for our classroom.  Include two reasons to support your opinion.

We have just finished reading Charlotte’s Web. Would you recommend I read this book aloud to next year’s third graders?  Write an essay explaining whether I should or should not read this book for next year’s class.  Include two reasons to support your opinion.

Our class has been studying the planets.  Imagine you have been given an opportunity to travel to one of the planets. Write an essay describing which planet you would choose to visit. Include reasons why you chose this planet to visit.

The PTA wants to purchase a new piece of playground equipment. They are deciding between a tube slide, a platform swing, and monkey bars.  Think about which piece of equipment you would like to have in the playground.  Write an essay explaining why you believe the PTA should purchase the equipment you chose. Include reasons to support your opinion.

We have been learning about rural and urban areas.  You can choose to vacation in an urban area or a rural area. Write an essay describing the area you would choose to spend your vacation.  Include two activities you would like to do in the area you chose.

The school administration is deciding the schedule for school lunch and recess.  They are deciding whether students should go to recess and then eat lunch or eat lunch and then go to recess.  Think about which schedule you prefer. Write an essay explaining which schedule you would prefer and why it is beneficial to students.

In school, students are asked to walk single file in a line whenever they are in the hallway.  Do you think this is a necessary rule for fifth graders?  Write an essay, explaining whether or not you believe older students need to walk in a single file line.  Support your opinion with reasons.

At the school library you are allowed to check out one book at a time. The librarian is considering changing this rule.  Think how many books you believe students should be able to check out at a time.  Write an essay expressing your opinion.  Include reasons to support your point of view.

Opinion writing doesn’t have to just be about a student’s “favorite” something.  Finding ways to incorporate the genre within your curriculum or current events helps students’ motivation and enthusiasm on a topic.

Start At The Very Beginning

“Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”  This famous line, sung by Maria to the children in Sound of Music, was part of our early music education. 

The start of school is a time of beginnings.  The first days are filled with introducing students to the beginning of new classes, new routines, new expectations, and new classmates. Eager to jump into curriculum, it is easy for us to forget the importance of taking the time to start at the very beginning.

In writing, the very beginning is sentence writing.  Too often, the focus becomes on students writing complete paragraphs without mastering this fundamental building block.  Analyzing standards shows that sentences are considered an integral part of writing instruction.

So, what do students need to know about a sentence?  Prior to writing complete sentences, students must be able to recognize and speak in complete sentences. From kindergarten through 6th grade, students should be expected to respond in complete sentences at school, both orally and in writing.

Next, students need to know the components of a complete sentence.  While most children can tell you a sentence contains a capital letter at the beginning, punctuation at the end, a subject and a verb, they also need to know that a sentence must make sense.  (This is where handwriting and spelling come into play.)  Teach, apply and practice finding these sentence components with your students.  As a group, take a basic sentence and practice changing the subject.  For example:  The dog ran at the park.  The children ran at the park.  Repeat this changing the verb.  The dog barked at the park.  The dog jumped at the park. Provide students ample time to check their own writing to make sure their sentences are complete!

Teach students that not all sentences are created equal.  Playing with sentence structure helps students improve their sentences in a natural way.  Include time to experiment with language both verbally and in writing. Vocabulary can be increased when students explore varied word choices in completed sentences.  For example:  The turtle sat on a rock.  The turtle basked on the rock.  The turtle lazed on the rock.

Finally, reinforce that writing complete, interesting sentences is a requirement in class.  In primary grades, Write Now – Right Now uses colors when working on editing sentences.  Older students should be expected to write complete, correct sentences at all times. Provide time in class for students to correct their writing and then make it a habit in your classroom.

Sentence writing is a building block for all writing.  Please reach out for ideas on how to encourage more complete sentence writing in your classroom.  We love to talk writing!

Preparing for Successful Writing Instruction

The new school year is upon us, a time filled with anticipation, excitement, and a very long to-do list.  A quote from Benjamin Franklin always comes to mind in August:  By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.  Here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful year of writing instruction, resulting in your students becoming confident, strong writers.

Tip #1

Plan a time in your schedule for writing instruction.  At Write Now – Right Now, we recommend primary teachers plan direct writing instruction for 20-25 minutes a day, 4 days a week.  Intermediate teachers should extend that time to 35-40 minutes a day, 4 days a week.  This instructional time should be spent teaching, modeling, practicing, sharing, and fine-tuning writing skills.  Additional practice of skills takes place in other curricular areas, such as Science and Social Studies.

Tip #2

Create a collaborative and supportive classroom community.  Writing does not take place in a silent vacuum.  Teach your students how to actively listen to one another.  Compliments need to be specific:  My ears perked up at the words you chose to describe the sluggish turtle.  Critiques should be given in a respectful manner.  I noticed you did not support your first big ideas with any details. 

Tip #3  

Build an organization system that works for you and your students.  As students are learning and practicing new skills, they need to collect their work to use during the next step of the writing process.  For example, students will practice planning to a variety of prompts and will need to collect those plans.  Later, they will use the plans to practice writing topic sentences. Composition books, spirals, and three -ring notebooks all work well.  Reach out to us if you’d like further organization tips. Darlene-and-terry@writenow-rightnow.com

Tip #4

Teach skills in a sequential manner.  Too often, we expect students to create a product before they understand the process and skills necessary to be successful.  Students need to be taught necessary skills before they can complete writing tasks. For example, students must be able to write a complete sentence, read a prompt, and organize thoughts before they are asked to write an essay.

Tip #5

Provide feedback on the go! Every time a student practices something incorrectly, that incorrect practice becomes a habit.  As students are working, continually circulate the room, providing feedback in real time. Students should frequently be hearing good writing, sharing their own writing, and listening to feedback on their writing.

Direct writing instruction is essential for all elementary students, no matter their age.  Research continually points away from the “just let them write” philosophy and recommends the use of direct instruction in the classroom.  Taking the time to plan the writing instruction in your classroom, and making it a priority, prepares you and your students to succeed in this important curricular area.  For more information on the research, click here.  http://www.writenow-rightnow.com/research

Happy Writing!

Writing Instruction - What the Research Shows

Spend time with a toddler, and you will find yourself answering the question “Why?” dozens of times an hour.  Spend time with teachers hearing about a new program or initiative to be introduced into their school, and you will hear the same question.

Understanding the why behind any change helps us both assess the relevancy of new ideas, form our own opinions, and determine the priority we will give to the initiative. One of the least understood areas of elementary standards falls under the area of writing.  Research is helping educators understand the importance of teaching writing, the most effective ways to teach these skills, and the surprising benefits writing has on reading comprehension.

Why spend time teaching writing?

For information on research in writing, click here.  http://www.writenow-rightnow.com/research

Teaching students to write does more than instructing students in composing an essay and writing a story.  Writing about content material increases students’ comprehension, fosters deeper level thinking skills, and improves communication skills. Students’ literacy skills are improved when they are asked to write about what they have read.

Students must be able to communicate clearly.  As we become increasingly more technology focused, the need for students to communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly is even more essential.

What is quality writing instruction?

Most students do not inherently know how to write well. Direct, strong instructional guidance is necessary for developing writers to recognize, practice and internalize the skills needed for effective and creative written communication.  Writing is not just writing down what we say but is rather a form of communication that is extremely important in the work force.

Writing skills must be taught explicitly.  Before writing an essay, students must be able to both speak and write in complete sentences.  Understanding the writing task, determining what needs to be learned from a text, and then taking the appropriate notes are all essential skills which need to be taught and practiced. Organizing any writing genre, from paragraphs, to essays, to narratives is a skill which benefits both the writer and the reader. Experts agree that asking students to write without proper instruction is one reason that writing scores across the country are so dismal.

Can writing instruction be engaging?

Students become excited about learning when their teachers are excited about teaching.  The writing classroom should be interactive, with many opportunities for students to share and receive feedback.  Instruction should be focused, with students engaged in practicing the taught skills.  While practicing writing, students should be frequently encouraged to stop and listen to peers’ work, listening to quality writing and providing feedback.  Teachers should be engaged with students during writing instruction, providing immediate feedback to students.

Writing is an essential component of literacy instruction.  Thoughtful writing instruction must be a part of every elementary students’ school day.  If we can help in any way, please reach out.

Happy Writing!

It's Almost Time

It’s the beginning of August and the start of school is right around the corner. While still enjoying these last days of summer, many teachers are beginning to plan for the upcoming year.  As you begin to contemplate your writing instruction, consider these variables.

We all need a friend. 

In order for students to be able to work cooperatively and compassionately together, they must feel invested in other people. Building relationships between teachers and students, and students to students, takes time and effort.  One of the best sources we have found is The Morning Meeting Book by Davis and Kriete.  https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/product/morning-meeting-book/  The book provides hands-on ideas for building positive classroom relationships.  A fifteen minute morning meeting provides students time to share ideas, complete a cooperative activity and prepare themselves emotionally to have a positive day.  Plan ideas/activities for the first few weeks of school prior to the start of the year.  What do you want this time to look like?  What must be included in your classroom meetings? Building a classroom community will benefit your writing instruction as you ask students to share their writing while giving and receiving constructive feedback.  The time spent in Morning Meeting  will help alleviate student anxiety as they already feel they are a part of the group.

Review of skills and expectations is essential

Each year students need to learn the expectations of a new teacher and grade level.  Think through your expectations for writing.  What behaviors do you expect to see from students during writing?  What will feedback look like in your classroom?  What essential skills must students master?  What non-negotiables will you put in place in your writing classroom?

Make a schedule

Stephen Covey has said, “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”  A set time for writing instruction is key to students’ success.  We recommend primary teachers schedule 20 – 30 minutes a day, 4 times a week for writing instruction. Intermediate teachers should schedule 30 – 40 minutes a day, 4 times a week, for writing instruction. In order for students to become successful writers, they must consistently practice what has been taught.

Create an organizational system for students to keep their work

One of the biggest challenges we all face is creating an organizational system where our students can keep their writing.

Primary Students:

Primary students will benefit from an organization system for their writing. Primary teachers often use one of the two following organizational methods.

Composition Notebooks:

Composition notebooks work well as writing notebooks for primary students. Primary students will benefit from using the composition books which have the space at the top for an illustration. When using composition notebooks, students will need to be taught to use the pages in order, not skipping around from page to page. When students begin to use their notebooks for planning, be sure to have students write their plan on the left page of the notebook, so they can view their plans while writing their draft on the right page of the notebook. Putting a dot on the left-hand page will help organize students. Students will need a new composition notebook each semester.

Pocket Folders:

These work well for young writers, especially when they are using primary paper. One way to organize is to use two different colored folders depending on their purpose. Red Folder: This folder is for brainstorming, plans, sentence stretching, and any other new learning. Blue Folder: This folder is where students keep drafts that are in progress. For example, if students are working on topic sentences to go with a plan, these would be kept in the blue folder. In this way, students easily keep track of what they are currently completing in writing. In primary grades, we recommend cleaning out these folders once a quarter.

Intermediate Students:

You may choose for intermediate students to use either a spiral notebook or a 1 ½”  3-ring notebook. Students will divide the notebook into sections: ideas, planning, rough drafts, and anchor charts. Students will have an easy system for storing, and then finding, their writing while it is in process. It is imperative students learn to store their writing in the appropriate place. Some teachers find spiral notebooks, divided into the same four sections, a successful choice for their students.

As you begin planning your writing instruction, remember writing is a process

Students must be sequentially taught each writing skill and then be given the time to practice that skill. Students need to master writing complete sentences before they can successfully and independently write a paragraph.

 In the same way, teachers should only be assessing what has been taught. For example, you may be teaching planning to your students. Provide students multiple opportunities to plan for writing. After they have completed the practice, students will then choose which plan they would like their teacher to assess. This helps students gain skill and confidence, while streamlining the amount of grading which needs to be completed. Having students write a complete essay before they have learned or reviewed each component of a paragraph will lead to frustration for both you and your students.

Enjoy teaching writing

If you enjoy writing with your students, your students will enjoy writing. Creating a supportive environment where students feel safe sharing their writing provides a platform for students to learn from one another.  Provide students time to practice writing skills and to master the basics. This helps build confident writers, making writing enjoyable for both you and your students.

Please reach out if we can support you in your writing instruction in any way.  We love to talk writing!! 

Getting Back to Basics – Starting the School Year

As children across the country are headed back to school after months filled with starts and stops, teachers are eager to begin the school year strong.  Once again, we are meeting with teachers as they look to create better writers in their classrooms.  We all know that students learning has been interrupted and impacted.  We need to address the situation, but the real question is “How?”

We recently read an article about Kobe Bryant.  A sports psychologist had come to do an article on Kobe leading a youth sports camp.  The psychologist asked Kobe if he could carve out some time to meet. Kobe’s response, “I can meet you at the gym at 4:00.  4:00 AM, not 4:00 PM.”  When the psychologist arrived, he found Kobe practicing the basic basketball moves he would teach the children a few hours later.  Asking Kobe why he would need to practice such basic moves, he was amazed at the answer.  “It’s the basics that make one great!”

That’s also the key to being great in the classroom – carving out time to teach the basics.  In writing, like every other curriculum, in order to soar, children need the basics.

Writing in Complete Sentences: Too often, we believe that children need to write a paragraph/essay at the start of the school year.  However, students must be able to write in complete sentences before moving on to longer pieces.  In Write Now – Right Now, this is called Team Complete. Speaking in complete sentences and writing in complete sentences is essential prior to writing essays.  Take the time to teach and review this skill, and then provide students an opportunity to practice, practice, practice.

Writing Short Answers: In Write Now – Right Now, these are called Shining Star Answers.  Once students are competent and confident in writing complete sentences, it’s time to learn to write quality short answers.  Students must be taught how to understand what a question is asking, find supporting evidence in text, and write a quality short answer.  All the rules for writing a complete sentence apply.  To reinforce this skill, require students to answer 1 or 2 questions to a specific text, not answer 15 questions!  Use all curricular subjects to practice, practice, practice.

Providing students quality prompts: It is a teacher’s responsibility to provide students with an objective for learning. This includes writing prompts for students that clearly state what you want students to know and be able to do.  Providing students with well-defined prompts helps students plan, gather appropriate details, and write on topic.  Use all curricular subjects to practice, practice, practice.

Teach Planning:  Teaching planning is key and well-worth your time and effort. Like a map, a plan helps students write clearly from beginning to end.  Plans provide students a structure to organize ideas, take notes, and use as a guide when they move to the drafting process.  Students can create plans for all curricular areas. This is an essential skill and students must be given time to practice, practice, practice!

Look for Part II of Getting Back to Basics . . . coming soon!

Successful Research Skills

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.

Zora Neale Hurston

Spring is the season of research projects!  Students have been learning writing skills all year, and it is time to put those skills to use.  Unfortunately, research projects often turn into students either directly copying information they find online or simply writing a list of unconnected facts.  Like all learning engagements, preplanning and structure helps guarantee student success!

Benefits of learning research skills abound.  Researching a topic helps students learn valuable time management skills.  Students need to structure their time in order to successfully complete the research.  Individual research projects allow students to explore their personal interests, with choice being an integral research component. Finally, research can be easily differentiated.  Based upon the choice of topics and resources, teachers can provide experiences based on students’ ability levels.

The following steps help ensure successful research projects:

Choosing a topic:

·       The topic should be understandable to the student.  Students cannot do research on sustainable energy sources if they do not understand the topic.  Providing students background knowledge on a topic prior to assigning research helps guarantee success.  Students must understand the necessary vocabulary before beginning research. For example, if primary students are researching an animal, they should understand terms such as habitat, adaptations, life cycle prior to beginning.

·       The topic should be interesting to the students.  Choice is an essential component of research.  Allow students choice of a topic inside the larger concept.  For example, after completing a unit on community helpers, primary students may choose one person/career to research in depth.  On the completion of a unit on the American Revolution, students may choose to research one person who impacted the outcome of the war.

Narrow the topic:

·       Students cannot learn everything about one topic. They need to focus on a few main points or areas.  At Write Now – Right Now, we call these main points under a topic the Big Ideas.  You may choose the big ideas for students to research, or students may be given a choice of two to three big ideas.  Big ideas for research on community helpers might be:  job responsibilities of the community helpers, tools needed to complete the job, impact of the community helper on the community.  Big ideas for research on a person of the American Revolution might be:  person’s background / motivation, person’s actions, impact of person’s actions.

·       If students are choosing their own Big Ideas, have them ask themselves the following questions:

o   Do my big ideas relate to my topic?

o   Are my big ideas different from one another?

Find Sources:

·       Time management is an important research skill.  With the vast amount of information available, students can often get lost in the search for information.  We often hear from students, “I’m still looking for an article!”   It is often advantageous to provide students with a list of acceptable sources they can use, rather than just sending them out on the internet. 

·       Three questions to ask about sources are:

o   Does the source contain relevant information?

o   Is the source written at an appropriate level?  Providing students lower level reading material when starting research helps them easily understand new concepts.

o   Are the sources varied?  Sources can be print-based, web-based and video based.

Teach Note-taking Skills:

·       Note-taking is an invaluable skill for students to master.  Prior to assigning research projects, provide extensive instruction on note-taking skills.  Students must learn how to take notes to avoid copying sentences from the resources. They need to find key words and organize them on a writing plan. Taking notes on the same graphic organizer used for writing helps students organize their thoughts. Write Now – Right Now provides extensive lessons on this important skill.

·       You will need to put a time limit on this process. Students should use the sources provided earlier to gather information and take notes. Students cannot spend so much time perusing sources that they do not find the important information. 

Presenting the Information:

·       We always have a writing component to our research projects.  However, this is another opportunity to provide choice to students.  Some ideas might be:  written essay, notes for a speech, digital presentation such as google slides, captions and pictures, etc.  Students must apply the writing skills they have learned all year to this project.

·       It is common for students to want to spend more time on the presentation than researching the information.  A recommendation is to require students complete their notes prior to beginning any presentation.

Evaluation:

·       Students will have spent many hours on their research.  At the completion of the research, provide students time to reflect on this process.  Asking specific questions will help guide students’ reflections.  For example:

Was your topic interesting to you?  Give a specific example.

What did you find difficult about finding sources? 

What advice can you give someone about searching for sources?

What did you enjoy most about this research?

How might I change this project for next year’s students?

Research projects are a great way to engage students in their learning. They can research either a topic they are passionate about or a topic about which they would like to learn more. Either way, the end of the year is a perfect time to research topics and integrate all the writing skills acquired throughout the year.

Learning Something New

“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” – Marvin Minsky

During the past year, we have been forced to change.  Our life has been altered many ways – from how we work, play and spend time with others.  With our time typically spent socializing or traveling taken away, many of us have turned to learning a new skill or hobby.

Learning a new skill this past year was a good time for me to reflect on myself as a learner.  Having received some older furniture, I wanted to learn how to chalk paint the old wood. While learning to paint, I was reminded of what my students need in order to be successful learners.

A Purpose

The motivation to learn comes from having a purpose or need for that skill.  The antique dresser taking up space in the basement gave me a reason and a desire to learn this skill.  I wanted to do it for me!  In the classroom, how do we give our students a purpose for their learning?  Can we create an atmosphere where students develop their own purpose for learning?

We must continually look for ways to develop a sense of purpose in young students.  For example, why is written communication essential?  The youngest of our students can understand why they want to communicate with those around them. Helping students to find a personal link in the task and then creating their own goals is essential.  Brainstorm with students the purpose or need for them to learn new concepts.

For example:

I am learning to write a sentence so others can understand my ideas.

I am learning to defend my opinion so I can share my thoughts with others.

I want to tell this story so my friends can enjoy it.

I am writing these steps/directions clearly so someone can also play this game.

Small Steps

When taking on a project, I like to get right to it!  However, just opening the paint can and slapping on the paint was not going to help me achieve the results I wanted.  Before painting, I needed to sand, clean the wood, repair the cracks and prepare the work surface.  Although eager to begin on the “real” project, completing these steps was essential.

Understanding the smaller skills needed to successfully complete the bigger goal is necessary for students.  Writing a complete sentence correctly is essential before tackling a paragraph. Taking effective and correct notes must be done in order to write a research report.  Students are much more engaged in learning these skills when they are tied to a larger learning goal.

Direct Instruction

Direct instruction takes many forms.  Embarking on the painting project, I first read directions online and took notes. To make sure I understood what I was reading, I followed up by watching a video to see the process in action. As I completed each step, I went back and double checked my notes, making sure I was not leaving anything out.

This reminded me of the learning needs of my students.  Written directions are a valuable learning tool for many students. Others need to see the process in action, whether through videos or teacher examples.  Anchor charts and notes are a valuable resource for all students, helping them double-check their own work.

Feedback

Feedback is essential for improvement.  Whether it be calling a friend to view our handiwork or comparing our project with a post on Pinterest, feedback is important.  In the same way, our students need frequent feedback from a variety of sources.  Sharing writing and providing feedback from both peers and the teacher improves students’ writing skills.  Sharing helps provide a purpose for writing, and hearing each other’s writing improves the skills of all students.

It was time well spent to first reflect upon my own learning needs and then plan how to transfer this learning to my students.

Using Picture Books

No matter your age, picture books retain a strong appeal to readers.  Older elementary students often need an excuse to return to childhood favorites.  This year we have been spending time reading and rereading the book The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett.  This creative and visually stunning retelling of the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears will appeal to students of all ages.  Along with being a delightful reading experience, the book can also be used to practice some essential reading and writing skills.

You may choose to read the book aloud to your class, provide students copies of book, or watch and listen to a video of the book being read aloud.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr1r09JFOUA

 Primary Students

Sequencing:  Understanding the sequence of a story is an important comprehension and writing skill.  As with many of Jan Brett’s book, the main story is told in the text, while a secondary story takes place in the drawings in the margins of the book.  Using the text first, have students identify the beginning of the story, the middle events in the tale, and the conclusion of the book. Students will complete a flow chart for the book, using either pictures, words, or a combination. 

Students will then repeat the process, using the story about the dogs and the bears told in the margins in pictures.

Compare and Contrast:  Read an original version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to students.  Brainstorm with students the components of a fictional story: setting, character, problem, events, solution.  Create a class chart, listing these components and the title of each book.    List the components for each story.  Using the chart as a reference, make a second t-chart listing similarities and differences.  Students can complete that chart either as a class or independently.

Cause and Effect:  Review the definition of cause and effect. A cause is why something happens, and an effect is what actually happened.  Using the pictures, look for the effects of the following causes:

·       The ice where the dogs are sleeping breaks off.

·       The dogs float off to sea.

·       The bears spy the dogs floating in the distance.

·       The bears reach the ice flow.

Continue looking for the cause-and-effect relationships throughout the book.

Older students

Character Attributes:  The characters in many fairy tales are somewhat one dimensional.  Brainstorm with students attributes that Aloo-ki exhibits. Encourage students to think beyond basic words such as nice, kind, busy, etc.  Students will choose a character trait exhibited by Aloo-ki. 

Remind students of the expectations of a well-written short response.  In the Write Now – Right Now program, these are called Shining Star Answers.  Expectations should include:

-          The answer is correct.

-          The answer completely answers the question.

-          The answer incorporates evidence from the text.

-          The answer is edited for correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

With these expectations in mind, students will respond to the following question:

What character trait does Aloo-ki exhibit in this story?  Defend the choice of this trait with specific examples from the text.

Students will share their responses with one another.  Encourage students to provide specific feedback to their peers.  Examples include:  Was the character trait exhibited?  Can the character trait be better defined in the answer?  Were specific examples provided to support the character trait?  Is the written work edited to make the answer easy for the reader to understand?

Repeat the process with the following question:

What character traits do the three bears exhibit in this story?  Defend the choice of this trait with specific examples from the text.

Story Elements: Read students a traditional version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Snow Bears.  Students can respond to the following questions either verbally or in writing.

How does the setting of The Three Snow Bears impact the story?  How does this compare to the impact of the setting of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?

In stories, the characters are motivated to take action.  What motivates Aloo-ki’s actions?  What is the motivation of Goldilocks?

Think about the conclusion of The Three Snow Bears.  How is it similar to the ending of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? What differences are found in the two stories?

What is your reaction to the character of Aloo-ki?  Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Using picture books is an engaging way to teach and review skills with all age levels. Provide students the time and motivation to revisit these tales.

New Year's Resolutions

I want to lose weight. I need to go to the gym more often.  This year, I am determined to learn to play the piano.

Many of us begin the New Year with great hopes of making significant changes or improvements, only to slip back into old habits. This is true for our students. Starting the New Year with the following lesson ideas on making and keeping New Year’s Resolutions will engage your students and help them choose resolutions of their own.

Primary Students

Read the attached story: Taking Care of Buttons. Discuss the following questions with students. You may choose to do this orally or in writing using the question sheet.

1)      What problem does Joey have in the story?

2)      Why is it hard for Joey to take care of Buttons?

3)      What is the difference between a wish and a plan?

After discussing the story, students will choose a New Year’s Resolution of their own.  This resolution can apply to school, home, sports or recreation.  To help struggling students, brainstorm a list of possible resolutions as a class.  Remind students their choice should be something they would like to improve.

It is now time to make the New Year’s Resolution Wish into a plan.  To help this process, students will respond to the following questions.

1)      What do I wish to change?

2)      What small steps can I take to make this resolution happen?

3)      How can I keep track of my progress?

Reflection is an important part of any plan or goal.  Make a resolution to check back in with students on the success of their New Year’s Resolution.

Intermediate Students

You may choose to have students read Taking Care of Buttons as you introduce the concept of New Year’s Resolutions. For a humorous take on resolutions, share the poem New Year’s Resolutions by Bruce Lansky.  The poem can be found at https://www.kidsgen.com/rhymes_and_poems/ny_resolution.htm

Students will quickly see the irony in the poem.  Discuss the following questions with students, either orally or in writing. A copy of these questions is at the end of the blog.

1)      What is the author’s purpose in writing this poem?

2)      Who do you think is speaking in the poem?  Provide evidence to support your answer.

3)      What tricks do you think the author may try next?

4)      How would e-learning or remote learning change the tricks the author might try?

The speaker in this poem has done many rotten tricks in the past. The speaker’s resolution is to create new tricks for the upcoming year. After discussing the poem, students will choose a positive New Year’s Resolution of their own.  This resolution can apply to school, home, sports or recreation.  To help struggling students, brainstorm a list of possible resolutions as a class.  Remind students their choice should be something they would like to improve.  Encourage students to create a plan for this resolution which will help them be successful.

To help this process, students will respond to the following questions.

1)      What do I wish to change?

2)      What small steps can I take to make this resolution happen?

3)      How can I keep track of my progress?

Reflection is an important part of any plan or goal.  Make a resolution to check back in with students on the success of their New Year’s Resolution.

Taking Care of Buttons

By Write Now – Right Now

Joey and his parents were having a family meeting.  “Joey,” said Mom. “I need you to take better care of your gerbil, Buttons.  If you can’t, we will have to find a new home for her.”

Joey began to cry. “I will do better,” he said. “I don’t want Buttons to go to a new home.”

Joey really wanted to take good care of his pet.  However, he often forgot to give Buttons food and water and would let the cage bedding get dirty and smelly. 

“I wish I could do better,” he told his Mom. “I am not taking good care of my pet.”

“Right now, you are wishing you could remember to take care of Buttons.  You do not have a plan, you just have a wish,” responded Mom.  “Tomorrow is New Year’s Day.  Let’s make a New Year’s Resolution that you will be a better caregiver for Buttons.  We will make a plan so you will be able to keep your New Year’s Resolution.”

Together Mom and Joey wrote out his New Year’s Resolution.  First, they made a schedule to help Joey remember to feed Buttons. He would give Buttons food and water every morning right after breakfast.  To remind him, Mom set Buttons’ food right next to the breakfast cereal.  Before he brushed his teeth at night, Joey would give Buttons his dinner and check to make sure his water bottle was full.

Joey also needed a plan to clean Buttons’ cage. Mom printed off a monthly calendar to hang in Joey’s room. Together, she and Joey chose days that Joey would clean Buttons’ cage and circled the dates in bright red marker.

Joey felt better.  He followed his New Year’s Resolution plan carefully, remembering to feed and clean Buttons. He had turned his wish to be a better pet owner into something real.

Questions for Taking Care of Buttons - Primary

1)     What problem does Joey have in the story? 

2)     Why is it hard for Joey to take care of Buttons?

3)     What is the difference between a wish and a plan?

Planning a New Year’s Resolution

1)     What do I wish to change?  

2)     Why small steps can I take to make this resolution happen?

3)     How can I keep track of my progress?

Questions for New Year’s Resolutions - Intermediate

1)     What is the author’s purpose in writing this poem?

2)     Who do you think is speaking in the poem?  Provide evidence to support your answer.

3)     What tricks do you think the author may try next?

4)     How would e-learning or remote learning change the tricks the author might try?

Planning a New Year’s Resolution

1) What do I wish to change?

2) Why small steps can I take to make this resolution happen?

3) How can I keep track of my progress?

Making It Better

Students often spend the beginning of the school year reviewing complete sentences and learning to organize their writing. As students’ confidence grows in these skills, it is time to help them learn to revise their writing – making it more interesting for the reader.

Sentence fluency and word choice are writing skills that must be specifically taught. We cannot merely tell students to “add more details” or “paint a picture with your words” and expect student writing to improve.  Students need specific strategies to help them improve their writing. The following is an engaging way for students to practice writing fluent sentences. This can be done with students in person, in a hybrid model, or fully on-line.

Choose a topic that is appropriate for the age of your students.  The topic should be broad enough that students can write 5-6 sentences which relate to the topic.  Examples include: holidays, parties, animals, curricular areas, etc. Students will expand these sentences by including a when, where, why or how to each basic sentence.   Be sure that students are only expected to add one item to a sentence at a time.

Basic Sentence #1:

A mouse ran.

Add a describing word – an adjective.

A brown mouse ran.

Add a where to the sentence.

A brown mouse ran across the grass.

Basic Sentence #2

A squirrel climbs.

Add a where to the sentence.

A squirrel climbs up the tree.

Add a why to the sentence.

A squirrel climbs up the tree to search for nuts.

Basic Sentence #3

A snake crawls.

Add a when to the sentence

Early in the morning a snake crawls.

Add a why to the sentence.

Early in the morning, a snake crawls to bask in a sunny spot.  

Some students may be ready to add a how to their sentence.  Words that describe how something happens are adverbs and go either before or after the verb.

Early in the morning, a snake slowly crawls to bask in a sunny spot.

Sentence #4

The bee flies.

Add a where to the sentence.

The bee flies to the flower.

Add a describing word that is not a size or color word (adjective)

The busy bee flies to the flower.

Add a why to the beginning of the sentence.

Looking for honey, the busy bee flies to the flower.

Continue with as many sentences as you would like.  Primary students can then edit these sentences, rewrite them on separate pieces of paper, and illustrate their sentences. The stretched sentences then follow, creating a book for young writers. Brainstorm with students a topic sentence that would help link the sentences together.  Complete the writing with a conclusion. For example:

My backyard is filled with different creatures.  A brown mouse ran across the grass.  A squirrel climbs up the tree looking for nuts. Early in the morning, a snake slowly crawls to bask in a sunny spot. Looking for honey, the bee flies to the flower. My back yard is a busy place.

Intermediate students can continue to add information and details to expand the one sentence into 4-5 sentences on the topic.

For example:

A brown mouse scurried across the green grass. Hiding behind a tall tree, the mouse carefully watched the neighbor’s cat sprint by and then come to a halt. The soft mouse quietly moved towards the open field hoping to avoid coming face to face with the feline who is searching the backyard for him. Slipping under the fence, the mouse picked up speed as he put space between him and his enemy until he knew he was out of danger.

As we enter the holiday season, students can write about their own holidays while practicing their sentence fluency. Imagine a holiday table which has been visited by some rather rambunctious guests and write a basic sentence.   

The turkey sat on the plate.

Follow the same procedure as above, adding descriptors to the basic sentence.

Sitting on the silver platter, the leftover turkey is laying in a forgotten puddle of gravy.

Repeat the process with the following sentences.

The mashed potatoes dripped.

After dripping down the side of the bowl like an avalanche, the mashed potatoes settled on the tablecloth and hardened into rocks.

The whipped cream melted.

The cranberry sauce spilled.

The sweet potatoes overflowed.

Students can compile their revised sentences into a piece of writing.  Introduce the writing by describing the festive table prior to dinner and then write a concluding sentence explaining the hosts’ reaction to dinner.

Examples:

Introduction:

Before the holiday dinner, the turkey was warm and the table was brighter than a knight in shining armor.  After dinner, the table looked completely different. 

Conclusion:

It took us hours to clean up the mess.  We are never inviting those people to dinner again!

Students will need continual practice in writing descriptive and fluent sentences. Bring this lesson out whenever you notice your students’ writing needs a spark!

The Essentials

Hiking in Colorado’s rapidly changing mountain weather teaches hikers the importance of taking essential equipment. While carrying any more weight than necessary is not appealing, neither is being stuck on a mountainside without the necessary supplies.  On a recent hike, we experienced sunshine and 80-degree weather, along with snow flurries and a 20 mile per hour wind. I was very thankful to have thrown in my essential headband and mittens for the cold weather.

Teachers have always been essential workers – but this has never been truer than this school year. Flexibility, always a teacher requirement, is more important than ever.  Teachers are teaching in person, in a hybrid format, or totally online. Routines and schedules that were part of the school day of the past have been shattered. Time, always a precious classroom commodity, is now being used for necessary safety protocols.

With all these demands on teachers and students, instruction goals have to be altered.  With that in mind, teachers are focusing on essential lessons.  What is essential in writing instruction?

Students need purposeful and targeted writing instruction. We do not want our students to continually practice bad habits. Assigning students questions to answer or paragraphs to write without providing them the necessary skills is detrimental to students and frustrating for teachers. The following are essential skills students must have to become successful writing.

·       Recognizing, speaking and writing complete sentences. 

We continually speak with 5th grade teachers who are concerned their students do not write in complete sentences. This foundational skill should be introduced at the beginning of every school year – from kindergarten through 5th grade.

Introduce students to the components of a complete sentence. In Write Now – Right Now, we call this concept Team Complete.  Kindergarten students can learn to recognize complete sentences and orally respond in a complete sentence.  Make speaking in complete sentences an expectation of your classroom, whether you are in person or meeting virtually.

Intermediate students need to review the components of a complete sentence. As with primary students, speaking in complete sentence should be a classroom expectation. Spending time practicing sentence fluency and word choice is essential at the start of the school year.  Insisting on correct conventions at the start of the school year is essential. Encourage students to play with language, experiment with word choice and create interesting writing. When that is done, students will then double check their work for correct conventions. While this is a challenging process for teachers, it is well worth the time.

·       Use planning tools prior to writing.

In the past, we often told students we write like we talk. This is not true, for our speaking is often random and spontaneous, jumping from topic to topic.  Students’ writing will be significantly better if they are taught to organize their thoughts prior to writing. At Write Now – Right Now, we encourage teachers to use only one graphic organizer for all expository writing and a single organizer for narrative writing. Time is better spent teaching students how to use the plan effectively than spending time learning an array of plans.  Students must know the difference between the terms: topic, big ideas and details. Teaching students how to add interesting and relevant details is a skill which leads to effective and  interesting writing.

·       Only assess what you are teaching.

It is difficult for all of us to let go of errors we see in students’ writing.  However, grading will become less frustrating and more productive if you only assess what you have taught. If you are working on complete sentences, only assess that. Once students have mastered that skill, it can then be assessed in every piece of writing.  Planning is an essential skill and can be assessed on its own.  Writing is a process and each part of the process can be assessed separately.

·       Give grace to both your students and yourself.

This year is not like other school years. You may not cover the same amount of curriculum and standards as in past years. Teaching schedules and requirements have changed. Provide grace for yourself and your students and celebrate your successes, big and small.

We are here to support you. Please reach out if we can be of service in any way.

Starting the School Year, but How?

Oh, my goodness! As we look to prepare for the upcoming school year, we find ourselves waiting every day for ever changing news.  No matter how school may look for you next year, we all will do whatever is best for our students. As we begin to plan writing instruction– however that may look – here are some things we need to consider.

We all need relationships. 

In order for students to be able to work cooperatively and compassionately together, they must feel invested in other people. Building relationships between students takes time and effort.  One of the best sources we have found is The Morning Meeting Book by Davis and Kriete.  https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/product/morning-meeting-book/  The book provides hands-on ideas for building positive classroom relationships.  Whether the meetings be in-person or virtual, the time invested in Morning Meetings proves invaluable.

Students will need review time.

The school year ended under very difficult circumstances.  Many students will begin the year deficient in skills. We will all need to adjust our expectations. Students may need more time for review than in previous years.  Provide students the time they need to adjust to the new school routine. Take writing slowly at first, allowing time for students to review/relearn past skills. More than ever, we will need to slow down and carefully determine students’ strengths and areas of need.

Build skills step by step.

Just like math, writing skills need to be broken down step by step. Before students can write paragraphs, they must be able to write a sentence.  Depending on grade level, sentence writing can be either a new skill or a review. Sentences need 5 components to be complete: a subject (who or what the sentence is about,) a verb (what the subject is doing, feeling, or being,) a capital at the beginning, a punctuation mark at the end, and it must make sense.  Look for opportunities to practice these skills with students. Students can recognize complete and incomplete sentences, orally respond in complete sentences, answer questions in morning work in complete sentences, etc.

Create an organizational system for students to keep their work

Students will need to keep their writing and anchor charts to use throughout the year. Organizational systems vary. Composition notebooks, with blank space at the top for drawing, work well for primary students. Students will need to be shown to write on the right-hand page, leaving the left-hand side available for planning. Students will need a composition book for each semester.

A 3-ring notebook works well for intermediate students. Students will divide the notebook into sections: ideas, planning, rough drafts, and anchor charts. Students will have an easy system for storing, and then finding, their writing while it is in process.

If you begin the year teaching virtually, students will need to create folders in the on-line platform you use. Taking the time to teach and practice putting writing into a folder is a must. Click on a past newsletter for more information. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5609f7afe4b02872f51f680b/t/5d5339bfe1f15f00014fa7ff/1565735361916/September+-+October+2017+Newsletter.pdf

Remember writing is a process

Students must be sequentially taught each writing skill and then be given the time to practice that skill. Teachers should only be assessing what has been taught. For example, you may be teaching planning to your students. Provide students multiple opportunities to plan for writing. After they have completed the practice, students will then choose which plan they would like their teacher to assess. This helps students gain skill and confidence, while streaming the amount of grading which needs to be completed. Having students write a complete essay before they have learned or reviewed each component of a paragraph will lead to frustration for both you and your students.

Use available resources.

Student contact with books will be limited, no matter how you are teaching.  Use YouTube and other online resources for videos of picture books being read out loud. This engages students with text. On our website, you will find a tab labeled Home Learning Ideas.  There you will find a collection of lessons which combine books and writing. http://www.writenow-rightnow.com/home-learning-ideas

No matter how you go back to school this fall, teachers have always put their students first and sought out the best way to reach their students and meet their needs. Happy Writing!

Taming the Grading Monster

“I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack at once.”

-  Ashleigh Brilliant

This quote can be applied to grading! It’s happened to all of us.  We start school Monday morning feeling all caught up – papers graded, lesson plans made, life in control.  By Wednesday, we have a teacher bag full of papers to grade.  The bag comes home with us in the afternoon, spends the evening in the car or on the family room floor, returns to school the next day, and repeat!  The pile of papers is a constant nagging in the back of our minds, but never rises to the top of the to-do list.  Finally, after two or three weeks, the papers are no longer relevant or needed, and are quietly buried in our home recycle barrel.

As we talk with teachers across the country, we continually hear teachers confess they neglect teaching writing as the grading can be overwhelming.  The following are some tips for keeping the “Writing Grading Monster” under control.

·       Grade writing after students have an opportunity to practice each skill.  For example, students are practicing composing topic sentences.  Provide students instruction, modeling, practicing and sharing while they are learning this skill. After students have had ample practice time, students will then choose the sentence they find most interesting.  Students can edit and recopy that sentence and turn it in as an assessment.  You are only grading one sentence per student (28 sentences), instead of 8 sentences per student (224 sentences.)  You can use this assessment for both a writing and a conventions grade.

·       Grade each part of the writing process.  Writing is a process, not a product. Let me say that again, “writing is a process, not a product.”  Each part of the writing process can be used as a valuable writing assessment.  For example, you may be sorting ideas into categories in your primary classroom.  As sorting is a part of organization, you can use this as a valid writing assessment.  If you are teaching planning, use students’ independent plans for writing grades.  Not only does this simplify grading, but you are able to discover students’ weaknesses and remedy them before they become an ingrained habit.

·       Grade only what you have taught.  If you are teaching planning, assess only planning.  Do not feel you need to grade students on items you have not taught, and they have not mastered.  As you are practicing speaking in complete sentences with your primary students, ask your students what they did at recess as they return to class after lunch.  As students respond, take note on who cannot respond in a complete sentence.  An assessment on speaking in complete sentences is done and graded!

·       Grade on the move.  Post a class list to a clipboard and keep it with you during writing instruction.  Perhaps you are practicing using transition words in big idea sentences.  As you circle the room, read students’ writing.  If a student is confused, stop and help him correct his work and write “NH” (Needs Help) next to that student’s name.  If a student has the skill, check in briefly with positive feedback.  At the end of your writing time, you have a completed assessment.  Any student without an “NH” has passed that skill, while your “Needs Help” are also noted.  You also have a ready-made small group created, showing students with whom you need check in with the next day.

·       Keep an ongoing list of skills students have mastered.  A Kindergarten teacher we visited used the following list of skills students needed to master, with the first letter of each month in the corresponding box.  As students demonstrated mastery of the skill, she marked the corresponding month.  At a glance, she could see who still needed to be assessed.

·       Combine writing across the curriculum.  As you teach writing short answers (Shining Star Answers), students should practice the skill in all curricular areas.  As students learn to take notes, look for practice opportunities in Social Studies and Science.  Notes taken in Social Studies can be used for a Social Studies, Reading and Writing grade.

Writing instruction and assessment should not feel that it “attacks all at once.”  Continually be on the lookout for ways to improve and streamline your assessment practice.  Remember that timely, specific and productive feedback is the very best for students and for you!

Well Begun Is Half Done

Well begun is half done.  My grandmother used to recite this phrase at the start of any project we did together.  Whether it was collecting ingredients for her favorite bread recipe or gathering garden tools when we transplanted flowers, she believed that starting well was a good guarantee of future success.

As teachers, we know this to be true.  We spend countless hours setting up our classrooms, choosing the perfect read-aloud for the start of the year, and planning activities for teaching routines the first week of school. When you think of designing your writing instruction, you may want to consider the following ideas in order to be “well begun.”

Supplies

Students will need easy access to paper and writing utensils.  Think about how you want students to store their needed supplies.  You don’t want students to have to get up or wait for paper to be passed out to them when they are ready to write.

Colored pencils are an important tool when improving writing.  Students will need easy access to colored pencils when they are revising and editing their writing.

Organization

Writing is a process.  Students need a way to store their in-process writing.  Think about what works best for you and your class.  Do you want primary students to keep their writing in composition notebooks?  Do you prefer pocket folders?  You may choose for intermediate students to keep their writing in either spiral notebooks or 3-ring binders.  If you are having students compose on the computer, have a designated space to store their writing.  For more information, read the previous Write Now – Right Now Newsletter.: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5609f7afe4b02872f51f680b/t/5d5339bfe1f15f00014fa7ff/1565735361916/September+-+October+2017+Newsletter.pdf

Provide students ample opportunities to practice their organizational skills at the start of the year.  Keeping items in order is an acquired skill.

Sharing Student Ideas and Writing

Writers learn from other writers.  We all want a classroom community where members feel safe to share their ideas and receive constructive feedback.  A classroom where students can both give and receive feedback should be a goal of teachers everywhere.  Think about what routines will need to be put in place from the first day of school which will support this goal. Some ideas:

-          Have students stand and face the class when they are sharing their writing.  Have that student wait until they have their classmates’ attention before they read their piece.  Practice having students look away from the speaker and then quickly focus in on the speaker.  See how quickly students can complete this step.  They may choose to thank a student who shows they are actively listening. 

-          Students can listen for specific items in each other’s writing.  For example, students may raise their hands when they hear an interesting word in a classmate’s written piece.  Have students share why they found the word interesting.

-          Model specific constructive feedback. Feedback which focuses on one specific aspect – “Your detail sentences helped me understand why you enjoy being on a team.” – is much more powerful than a simple “I like your writing.”

-          While there should be a time for quiet writing, allow students time to share and learn from one another.  Provide them a specific purpose during this time. For example, “Read your partner’s paragraph on their favorite sport.  Think of one thing you would like to learn more about from the writer.”

Assessment

Students and teachers can be overwhelmed with the number of assessments at the beginning of the year.  While a writing assessment at the start of the year can provide you with important information about your students, carefully consider the assessment’s purpose and the time it requires.

-          Choose a prompt that you can also use for your mid-year assessment.  Provide students with a prompt that is accessible for all students.  Opinion writing will work best for your students.

-          Provide students a specific amount of time to respond to the prompt.  When the time is over, gather everyone’s assessment.  Note students who didn’t complete the assessment during that time.

-          Assess writing using end-of-year standards.  This is the goal for which you are striving.

-          Streamline your beginning-of-the-year writing assessment grading.  It may not be necessary to use a detailed rubric for each piece of writing.  We recommend grading by piles:  Outstanding Writing, Average Writing, and Low Writing.  This is enough information about students’ skills for teachers to start the year.

-          Keep the beginning-of-the-year writing to share with students later in the year.  Both you and your students will be amazed at their progress!

Enjoy Writing!

Your students will reflect your attitude towards writing instruction.  Reach out for ideas when you are struggling.  We love to talk writing with teachers and are always available for questions!

Have a wonderful start to your school year!

Please, Not One More Assessment

As the final weeks of school approach, teachers and students alike may feel overwhelmed with assessments. From naming letters to writing essays on state assessments, children are being asked to demonstrate what they have mastered throughout the school year.  The number of assessments continues to rise. As a result, during this busy time of year, too often assessments are given, graded and then filed away, with no thought to either their purpose or the information they provide.

Before asking students to complete an end-of-year writing assessment, pause and consider the task’s purpose.  Assessment is defined as a gathering of information about student learning. While formative assessments are given frequently and used to adjust instruction, a summative assessment is given to judge the quality of student work. This quality judgement can and should be helpful for both student and teacher.

As writing is a process, students’ progress should be assessed on the process.  Most importantly, students should be able to assess themselves on each part of the process and recognize their progress. Before giving students a final written assessment, consider these factors:

1)       What do you want students to be able to do?

Clearly define the skills you want students to exhibit:

-          Are you wanting students to write in complete sentences?

-          Are you assessing students’ ability to gather ideas and create a plan?

-          Are students expected to read a text and gather appropriate information?

2)      How will your students know they have met their learning goal?

Provide students clear expectations and targets.  This can be done through:

-          Complete prompts

-          Specific rubrics

-          Anchor charts

-          List of skills being assessed

3)      How will you help students accurately measure their own writing growth?

Encouraging students to measure their own learning growth is a powerful tool.  Provide students with their original beginning of the year writing assessment.  Identify specific writing skills for students to evaluate in their own writing.  Some possible skills include:

Primary Students

-          Are my letters formed correctly?

-          Did I put spaces between my words?

-          Did I write in complete sentences?

-          Did I plan my writing?

-          Is my writing on topic?

-          Did I choose interesting vocabulary?

Intermediate Students

-          Did I plan my writing?

-          Is my writing on topic?

-          Did I include interesting details to support my big ideas?

-          Did I use details from the text to support my writing?  (If this is a requirement.)

-          Did I vary the structure of my sentences?

-          Did I make interesting word choices?

-          Did I carefully edit my writing for conventions?

- Did I carefully edit my writing for spelling?

As students write their new piece, they can refer to their beginning of the year writing, looking for ways to improve.  After their writing is edited and revised, they can self-assess their end of year writing, using the same criteria they used to evaluate their beginning of the year writing.

4)       Make the writing assessment useful to you and/or next year’s teacher.

Determine which type of writing will provide you with the most useful information.

·       What personal writing goals did you have for the school year?  How can you organize the assessment to analyze those goals?  Perhaps you are wanting to use your curriculum more when teaching content material.  You may want students to respond to a prompt such as the following:

We have just finished reading the book What To Do With A Problem.  As a group, we have brainstormed various strategies people can use when they have a problem.  Write an opinion essay, stating which three strategies work best for you.  

·       Perhaps your school has a writing improvement plan for all grade levels.  This plan may include writing informational essays, writing in response to text, writing narratives, etc.  Design an end-of-year assessment which will provide the next year’s teacher important information.

Think about the information you want to gather about your students’ writing skills.  Design a prompt that will best give you that information.  Whether you want to compare writing using the same prompt from the start of the school year, determine how well students can write a narrative, or analyze your students’ ability to respond to text, create a writing task which addresses your assessment needs.

Whatever choice you make, think about ways to make the assessment manageable, informative and useful to both you and your students.

The Importance of Feedback

We all need people who will give us feedback.

That's how we improve.

- Bill Gates

Many of us make New Year’s Resolutions in January.  By February, some of those resolutions are beginning to wane. The difference between keeping and forgetting a resolution can often be traced to the amount of feedback we receive on our goal.  Whether it be the number on the scale, a count of books read, or the steps taken on our fitness app, timely and meaningful feedback helps all of us stay on track.

Writing and speaking in complete sentences is a classroom expectation.  Including a reason or detail within that sentence is part of our daily routine.  Imagine my chagrin when a student once asked me if that rule included me. Was I expected to write in complete sentences when I commented on their work, including a reason to justify my comment?

Not soon after, I received an appreciation note from a parent. The parent expressed specific examples of why their student enjoyed being part of our classroom community. The note meant so much more than a card that stated I was the world’s greatest teacher!

In the same way, our students need and deserve specific and timely feedback from us in order to grow. An article in a 2014 issue of Edutopia lists 5 Research-Based Tips for providing students meaningful feedback.  (edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger)

1. Feedback should be Specific—A star or “Good Job” on a paper does not tell a student what they have done well. Instead of “Nice Writing” on a paragraph, point out a specific strength. “You placed a transition word in every big idea sentence. These words help the reader understand your reasons in this paragraph.”

Providing students a skill to focus on and improve in their next piece of writing is also important. For example: “You did a great job writing complete sentences. Many of your sentences start with the word “I”.  Let’s work to have a variety of sentence starters in your writing next time.”

2. Feedback should be Immediate—The more immediate the feedback, the more powerful it is for student learning. Look for ways to streamline your grading process. Think about grading writing as students complete each portion of the writing process. For example, provide feedback on topic sentences as students complete them.  “This topic sentence clearly explains what the paragraph is about. I understand your topic!”

3. Feedback should reflect a student’s progress towards a Goal—Perhaps a student is working on editing their writing, including correct punctuation and capitalization in sentences. Comment on a student’s progress towards that goal.  “Wow, I can see that you worked diligently to put a punctuation mark at the end of every sentence.”

4. Feedback should be given Gently—Know your students. Feedback must be given knowing the receiver.  Choose words you would appreciate receiving if someone was giving you feedback.

5. Feedback should involve the Student– Students should be involved in choosing what is assessed. This may be as simple as asking students what writing they would like you to assess. “What would you like me to look at in this piece of writing?  We’ve been revising sentences. Put a check next to the revised sentence on which you would like me to comment.”

Feedback is essential for everyone. The growth you will see in your students is well worth the effort!

Opinion Writing - More than just "Favorites"

“You have been given the opportunity to choose two after-school activities per week.  Think about what you would enjoy doing during this time. Write an essay explaining what two activities you would choose.  Include reasons which support your choices.”

We begin to teach students the writing process through the genre of opinion writing, using prompts such as the one above. Through the use of opinion writing, students learn the writing process – gathering ideas, planning, and writing a rough draft.  Prompts which focus on opinion writing provide students the advantage of knowing the topic. They do not need to gather information about the content of their writing, as opinion writing can focus on personal preferences or favorites. 

However, we do not want to stay with these limited topics.  Opinion writing is so much more than simply writing about a favorite restaurant or TV show.  How can we expand this writing genre to include both curricular areas and responding to texts?

One suggestion is to consider curricular areas. What is happening in the classroom that can be expanded to writing?  Here are some examples:

After a unit on Space:

You have been invited to participate in a two-year space mission. During that time, you will travel throughout space without returning to earth.  Write an essay explaining whether or not you would choose to take part in the mission.  Include three reasons why you would accept the position or three reasons why you would decline the invitation.

Or. . .

After completing our unit on space, think about what you have learned about each planet. Choose the planet you find most interesting and write a letter to a friend describing what they would see if they were to visit this planet. Make sure you use evidence from the texts to support your response.

After a field trip:

The Third Grade just completed our first field trip to the City Council as part of our unit on local government. Would you recommend that next year’s teachers take their students on the same field trip?  Write an essay which explains your thoughts on the field trip. Include two reasons why you think the trip is valuable or two reasons why you would not recommend repeating the trip.

After a read-aloud:

Our first read-aloud this year was because of mr. terupt.  I am deciding whether or not to begin next year reading the same novel aloud.  Do you think this is a good choice to begin the year?  Write an essay explaining whether or not you believe this is a good selection for next year.  Include two reasons to support your opinion.

As a classroom community:

As 6th graders, the freedoms and choices you have at school are increasing.  Write an essay explaining to your teacher two choices you would like to be able to make in your classroom.  Be sure to give reasons to support your choices.

Primary Classrooms

Although many primary students are not yet planning, teachers can still introduce the concept of prompts and planning to young students.  As you experience concepts with students, be thinking of ways to introduce students to planning. Create a chart with students, listing the topic and big ideas on the left side. Fill the t-chart in together, adding details to the right side of the chart.

Student Community

We have been working and learning all semester.  We will celebrate our accomplishments with a party.  Think about activities you enjoy participating in at a party.  What three activities do you believe we should definitely include at our celebration?

Social Studies

We have been learning about people who help our community.  We can invite one community helper to visit our classroom.  Using the information we have learned, think about whether you would like to learn more about firefighters or police officers.  Together, we will make two t-charts.  The first chart will list three reasons you would like to invite a firefighter to visit our classroom and the second chart will list three reasons you would like to invite a police officer.

Science

 We have been learning about three different habitats: the ocean, the jungle, and the desert.  As a table group, choose one habitat you would like to visit.  Using what you have learned, think of reasons why this habitat is unique and interesting. Together we will make a chart organizing reasons why people might travel to each habitat.

Or . . .

We have been learning about habitats.  We have just completed a book on jaguars.  Using what you have learned, which habitat do you believe would be the best place for a jaguar to live?  Give reasons to support your answer.

Applying Opinion Writing To Responding to Text

Students are now ready to write an opinion paragraph in response to text.  The skills needed to write the paragraph are the same, but students will need instruction on using those skills in forming an opinion in response to text.

1.)     Choose a topic which relates to either content area curriculum or a shared classroom experience. Write a prompt which clearly addresses the topic and format you want students to use.

A class of third graders was ready to write an opinion paragraph in response to text.  They had been studying local government in Social Studies and taking care of the earth in Science. The teacher combined these two curricular areas with the following prompt:

Read the article on recycling. Write an opinion paragraph stating whether or not you think recycling should be mandatory in our city.  Be sure to include three reasons that support your opinion using information from the text.

2.)    Choose a text which is easily accessible to the majority of your class.

Provide students with text which is easy to comprehend. The focus for this lesson should be learning how to respond to text, not how to read a difficult text.

3.)     Teach note-taking skills 

Instruct students in specific note-taking skills. If students are being asked to respond to a text, they need strategies for locating the required information. 

4.)     Model planning with students

Students need to know that the skills they learned and used for writing an opinion paragraph are the same skills they use to write an opinion paragraph in response to text.  Their opinion will be based on the information they have read in the text.  The teacher will model taking the information found in the text and placing it in a t-chart plan. 

5.)    Go slow to go fast

As you write the first paragraph together as a class, encourage students to share their writing as they complete each step of the writing process. This helps ensure the students are on the correct path.

Opinion writing can be so much more than writing about “favorites.”  Continually look for opportunities to encourage students to express their opinions in writing.

We love to talk writing with teachers.  Please let us know if we can be of service to you in any way.

Assessing Assessments

In the last few weeks, I have had two “away from school” interactions regarding the concept of assessments.  The first experience came while visiting a new gym. Prior to taking the complimentary class, I was asked to fill out a goal and health assessment. The instructor said the information would be used to help me plan an appropriate exercise program and chart my progress as I attend classes.

A few days later I was with my 13-month old granddaughter at an ophthalmology appointment.  After performing multiple tests, the doctor determined she needed glasses to strengthen one of her eyes. While making a two-month follow-up appointment, the doctor told us that we would check her progress based on the initial tests he had performed that day.

Teachers may find themselves overwhelmed with student assessments at the start of the school year.   We, at Write Now – Right Now, are often asked if we recommend that teachers have their students complete a writing assessment at the beginning of the year.  If you are debating this question, consider the following questions:

·       Is a baseline, or beginning of the year, writing assessment a requirement at your school? 

·       Do you have a reason or plan for using the assessment results?

·       Can you give the assessment in a reasonable amount of time?

The answers to these questions will help you answer the assessment question.  The following are some tips to make a beginning of the year writing assessment positive for both you and your students.

Determine the assessment’s purpose

Why are you giving the assessment?  Keep this purpose in mind through-out the process. 

A Note to Kindergarten Teachers:  You may choose to do the initial assessment when you believe your students are ready to begin writing instruction.  Consider when the purpose of the assessment will be most appropriate.

Standardize the assessment

This is especially important if you are working with a grade level team.  Prior to giving the assessment, choose a prompt for all students to follow, along with the time constraints provided.  Use or develop a standardized grade-level rubric.

Write a prompt which provides students guidance in what to write

Do you want students to write an expository or narrative piece?  We recommend providing an opinion prompt on a topic which students already know.  In this way, you will be able to assess students’ writing, not their knowledge on a subject area. Include in the directions the number of big ideas or details students should provide in their writing.

Provide enough time for most students to complete the writing task

Teachers give pre-assessments as an indication of skills students already possess.  In a writing assessment, it is not necessary for every student to complete the writing task.  When time is up, simply collect students’ writing.  It is helpful to note both students who rush to completion and those who will require extra time.

Record non-writing behaviors / trends

Do you have students who immediately break their pencil or go to the bathroom as soon you mention writing?  Are there students who stare into space the entire writing time, “thinking about what to write about?”  Do you have students who need constant feedback and reinforcement during the writing time?

Use the “piles” grading method

We recommend first reading each paper and then putting students’ initial writing samples in piles – Good Writing, Writing in Progress, and Need Extensive Help, or whatever category works for you.  As you read students’ work, put the papers in one of these three piles. Remember, you are assessing writing using end of year writing standards.  As these beginning of the year assessments are not used for a grade, this generalized assessment protocol will provide you with all the information you need.

Look for patterns

As you read students’ writing, do any patterns become evident?  Do students use a similar plan?  Are conventions an area of strength or concern?  Are students excited or reluctant to write?  Is student writing organized, did students stay on topic, etc?

Keep writing samples to show students later

We all need to see progress. Keep these initial writing samples to show students later in the year. We recommend showing them to students prior to a midyear writing assessment. It is encouraging for students to see where they have been and how far they have come as writers.

Teachers are busy people!  Taking a moment to assess your assessments, making them relevant, useful and efficient is time well spent.