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Writing Frameworks Silver Creek CSD October 30, 2006

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What is “good” writing?

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Rubric Compare NYS ELA Rubric 6 + 1 Traits Rubric Step Up to Writing Rubric Your thoughts on “good” writing…

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“ This I Believe…” "Never has the need for personal philosophies of this kind been so urgent.“ - Edward R. Murrow

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“This I Believe Guidelines” <ul><li>Tell a story </li></ul><ul><li>Be brief </li></ul><ul><li>Name your belief </li></ul><ul><li>Be positive </li></ul><ul><li>Be personal </li></ul>

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Using the 6 Traits as Our Framework <ul><li>Ideas </li></ul><ul><li>Organization </li></ul><ul><li>Voice </li></ul><ul><li>Word Choice </li></ul><ul><li>Sentence Fluency </li></ul><ul><li>Conventions </li></ul>Step Up to Writing

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How are we doing? Conventions Sentence Fluency Word Choice Voice Organization Ideas X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

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Analysis of Student Work <ul><li>Select two traits to focus on in examining the student work samples provided. </li></ul><ul><li>Select three strengths of the student work and three areas for development – list them on post-it notes. </li></ul><ul><li>In round-robin fashion, beginning with tallest person and moving to the right, place the post-its on the chart describing the reasons for your placement. </li></ul>

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Examining Student Work <ul><li>Rank the strengths and areas of improvement. </li></ul>Approaching Proficiency Exceeding Proficiency

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Good Excuses!

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Ideas! <ul><li>“ Where do you get your ideas?” That’s the question most often asked of writers by non-writers. My ideas come from memories, images, dreams, stray happenings, but they all have one thing in common. I got the ideas because I was looking for ideas. A person who has it uppermost in his mind that someone is trying to poison him will often enough find that his food tastes a bit peculiar. The anticipation is all….. </li></ul><ul><li>- Richard Kennedy, </li></ul><ul><li>Richard Kennedy: Collected Stories (1987) </li></ul>

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Ideas <ul><li>Jane dressed in an unusual way. </li></ul><ul><li>Jane came to school today in pink and white polka dot leggings and a blue and green paisley skirt. The twelve inch purple feather sticking straight up her orange hat almost kept me from noticing the army boots on her feet. </li></ul>

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Ideas (from Now, let the excuses, begin!) <ul><li>I didn’t feel like writing. </li></ul><ul><li>I'll tell you something else: the weather wreaked havoc on my performance. I'm just not accustomed to executing in these kinds of conditions. The venue wasn't quite right. The details were off. And then there's my body. My body totally let me down. Bad body! I had a cold. No, it was a respiratory infection. I had a cramp. I had a buildup of lactic acid. I had the flu -- IVs coming out of both arms. If I had a third arm, I would have had an IV coming out of that one, too. The doctor told me so. Well, he said it in Italian, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. </li></ul>

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Building Blocks <ul><li>The dog howled. </li></ul><ul><li>WHEN: </li></ul><ul><li>SIZE: </li></ul><ul><li>PLACE: </li></ul><ul><li>NAME: </li></ul>

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With Non-Fiction… <ul><li>The Dust Bowl caused health threats. It created the dust pneumonia. In 1935, deaths in Kansas were a result of this dust pneumonia. People headed west to find new jobs. They could not live in this dangerous region. </li></ul>

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Putting Words in Their Mouth <ul><li>Select one black and white postcard </li></ul><ul><li>Examine the photo carefully for details </li></ul><ul><li>Make inferences about who this person might be and create a character sketch </li></ul><ul><li>REMEMBER: </li></ul><ul><li>Our focus is on IDEAS – </li></ul><ul><li>show us, don’t tell us! </li></ul>

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Link to Step Up <ul><li>These are the “E’s”!! </li></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Elaboration </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Explanation </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Evidence </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Examples </li></ul></ul></ul>

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Scoring Sample Papers <ul><li>Focus only on IDEAS rubric </li></ul><ul><li>What score would you give it? (Individual) </li></ul><ul><li>With a partner – share your scores. </li></ul><ul><li>If you are more than one point apart – share why you gave it that score. </li></ul><ul><li>What advice would you give the author of one of the pieces to improve their writing? (Use the language of the rubric!) </li></ul>

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A Rip in My Pants! <ul><li>Read the story. </li></ul><ul><li>Add details to make this paper stronger in the IDEAS rubric </li></ul>

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Ideas in Summary <ul><li>Any activity that allows: </li></ul><ul><li>Pre-writing </li></ul><ul><li>Generating ideas from thought/experience </li></ul><ul><li>Borrowing ideas from other writers </li></ul><ul><li>Knowing the purpose for writing </li></ul><ul><li>Moving from broad topic to focused theme </li></ul><ul><li>Learning to observe carefully </li></ul><ul><li>Developing thinking skills (comparison, analysis, inference) </li></ul>

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Writing Frameworks Silver Creek CSD October 30, 2006

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“Hands On” Activity

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Organization

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<ul><li>Organization is what you do </li></ul><ul><li>before you do something, </li></ul><ul><li>so when you do it, </li></ul><ul><li>it’s not all mixed up. </li></ul><ul><li>- A.A. Milne aka Winnie the Pooh </li></ul>

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Organization: Definition <ul><li>Writing the introduction – a lead that hooks the reader </li></ul><ul><li>Developing the middle of the paper – a core that is logically organized and contains clearly linked details (transitions!) </li></ul><ul><li>Writing the conclusion – an ending that leaves the reader satisfied </li></ul>

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Scavenger Hunt <ul><li>Find a “Great Lead” </li></ul><ul><li>Find a “Great Ending” </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Be ready to share your find with colleagues. </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Be ready to explain what made it “great” – what strategies did the writer use? </li></ul></ul>

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Introductions

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The Invisible Lead <ul><li>“ Think of a friend. Now say to him or her, “Hey! You’ll never guess what just happened!!” That’s your starting point... your Invisible Lead. Now you’re ready to write the story with some energy, because when you begin this way, it’s impossible to follow with something boring like, “Suspected mass murderer Joe Blow was arraigned today”. No way. More likely the next line will be, “The man accused of massacring his family swears he didn’t do it.” Start with “Hey! You’ll never guess what just happened!” and it’s impossible to continue with, “Another interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.” Rather, the energy flow will pour out something like, “That home you want to buy just got more expensive!” </li></ul><ul><li>- Newswriting.com </li></ul>

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<ul><li>“ I look at leads as my one frail opportunity to grab the reader. If I don’t grab them at the start, I can’t count on grabbing them in the middle, because they’ll never get to the middle. Maybe 30 years ago, I would give it a slow boil. Now, it’s got to be microwaved. I don’t look at my leads as a chance to show off my flowery writing. My leads are there to get you in and to keep you hooked to the story so that you can’t go away.” - Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press &quot;Best Newspaper Writing 1996,&quot; Sports Writing </li></ul>

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Good lead? <ul><li>&quot;The remains of Thanksgiving dinner sat like an abandoned wreck on the dining room table: she had eaten it all and the guests hadn't even arrived yet. This would have to stop.&quot; </li></ul>

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Using Mentor Text <ul><li>&quot;'Where's Papa going with that axe?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.&quot; </li></ul><ul><li>- E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web </li></ul>Got a good lead?

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Step Up to Writing: Topic Sentences <ul><li>Occasion/Position </li></ul><ul><li>Power Statements </li></ul>

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Message in a bottle… <ul><li>Snapple Cap! </li></ul>

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Step Up Strategy: Two Column Notes <ul><li>Big Idea </li></ul><ul><li>Detail </li></ul><ul><li>Detail </li></ul><ul><li>Detail </li></ul>Topic =

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More Step Up to Writing… <ul><li>I-V-F Summaries </li></ul><ul><li>“ Blocking” the Paragraph </li></ul>

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Recipe for Writing <ul><li>Three Cheese Fondue </li></ul><ul><li>Ingredients: 1 cup white wine 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 7 ounces Gruyere cheese, cubed 7 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cubed 7 ounces Emmentaler cheese, cubed </li></ul><ul><li>Instructions: </li></ul><ul><li> 1 Bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan. </li></ul><ul><li>2 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking and burning. </li></ul><ul><li>3 Once the flour is cooked, stir the wine into the flour mixture slowly. Use a whisk to smooth the mixture. Slowly add cubes of Gruyere, Cheddar, and Emmentaler cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot. Keep warm over low flame. </li></ul><ul><li>Makes 24 servings </li></ul>

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Recipe for Writing <ul><li>Using the style and format of a real recipe, create an UNLIKELY RECIPE for something you feel an urge to be critical of. </li></ul><ul><li>Decide what in the world can be intelligently criticized by you, then work your criticism in the format of a recipe. </li></ul><ul><li>Do this by first listing all the ingredients that would need to be present to create a situation worthy of your criticism. </li></ul><ul><li>Then, write out the instructions that would explain how to mix and use your ingredients. </li></ul><ul><li>As you write your instructions, be sure to use lots of cooking verbs to make it even more recipe-like. </li></ul>

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Conclusions

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Scoring Sample Papers <ul><li>Use the rubric for ORGANIZATION first to score the sample papers </li></ul><ul><li>If you finish early, score for IDEAS as well </li></ul><ul><li>Share your scores with your partner </li></ul><ul><ul><li>If you are more than one point apart – discuss the specifics you saw in the writing to come to consensus </li></ul></ul><ul><li>What feedback would you give this student to improve in organization (use rubric language!) </li></ul>

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Organization Summary <ul><li>Any activity that allows students to practice… </li></ul><ul><li>Writing a lead that hooks the reader </li></ul><ul><li>Sequencing in a logical and interesting way </li></ul><ul><li>Identifying the turning point </li></ul><ul><li>Connecting ideas to a larger theme </li></ul><ul><li>Linking ideas together for the reader </li></ul><ul><li>Setting up a problem – then solving it </li></ul><ul><li>Crafting a conclusion that ties up loose ends </li></ul>

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HEARING VOICES!

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Whose voice is it? <ul><li> “ In the Bible it says they asked Jesus how many times you should forgive, and he said 70 times 7. Well, I want you all to know that I'm keeping a chart.” </li></ul>

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Whose voice is it? <ul><li> “ Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” </li></ul>

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Whose voice is it? <ul><li> “ The thing that's wrong with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur.” </li></ul>

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Voice: Definition <ul><li>A sense of the writer behind the words </li></ul><ul><li>A “flavor” or tone – appropriate for both the purpose of the writing and the audience </li></ul><ul><li>Involvement and enthusiasm in the piece </li></ul><ul><li>Commitment to the topic – no beach trips! </li></ul>

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Photo by Dorothea Lange (1936)

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More student work…. <ul><li>Read the samples provided </li></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Do they compel you to want to read more? </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Are they flat or full? </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><li>What score might they get on the VOICE rubric? </li></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>How would you help these writers improve? Use the language of the rubric to frame your feedback </li></ul></ul></ul>

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Voice in Summary <ul><li>Any activity that allows students to practice… </li></ul><ul><li>Helping writers feel safe and accepted </li></ul><ul><li>Noting moments of voice in writing and pictures </li></ul><ul><li>Valuing and requesting diversity </li></ul><ul><li>Rewarding risk – even over success </li></ul><ul><li>Providing opportunities to hear the voices of others </li></ul><ul><li>Looking for voice everywhere </li></ul>

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DUST!

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The Most Boring Topic Ever! Think of a topic that does not interest you at all and that if asked to write about it – you would run shrieking from the room, never to return.

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Finding the right angle <ul><li>Pass your 3x5 card to the person on your LEFT </li></ul><ul><li>Read the topic on the card you just received and write ONE question that might lead to a more interesting angle on that card’s topic. </li></ul><ul><li>Pass the card to the left and write ONE more question. </li></ul>

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Finding the right angle <ul><li>BACK AT THE BEGINNING: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Read the questions your colleagues provided </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Highlight ONE question that intrigues you the most – be prepared to share it aloud </li></ul></ul>Write it!

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RAFTS!! <ul><li>R ole </li></ul><ul><li>A udience </li></ul><ul><li>F ormat </li></ul><ul><li>T opic </li></ul><ul><li>S trong Verb </li></ul>

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The Most Incredible Knife: An 85 blade Swiss Army-style knife from Wenger.

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Word Choice <ul><li>“ I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one.” - A.E. Houseman </li></ul><ul><li>“ The race in writing is not to the swift, but to the original.” - William Zinsser </li></ul>

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Word Choice Summary <ul><li>Any activity that allows students to practice… </li></ul><ul><li>Building vocabulary through reading anything and everything </li></ul><ul><li>Brainstorming “How else could you say it?” </li></ul><ul><li>Putting tired words to rest </li></ul><ul><li>Playing with language, dialects, formal and informal word usage </li></ul><ul><li>Building power in verbs </li></ul><ul><li>Practicing precision – more for less </li></ul>

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CLARITY IS THE GOAL! “Wise words in the mouth of fools do oft themselves belie.”

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I go out walking……

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Phil WENT down the road.

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Sentence Fluency

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Grapes of Wrath <ul><li>&quot;And then the dispossessed were drawn west- from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless - restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do - to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut - anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, for food, and most of all for land.&quot; </li></ul>

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Sentence Fluency Summary <ul><li>Any activity that allows students to practice… </li></ul><ul><li>Developing an ear by reading aloud </li></ul><ul><li>Practicing free-write to make writing flow </li></ul><ul><li>Using choral reading to hear phrasing </li></ul><ul><li>Writing poetry </li></ul><ul><li>Playing with sentences </li></ul>

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The Long and Short of It! <ul><li>Find one of your favorite books (please mark it so we can return it!) </li></ul><ul><li>Find the longest sentence on a random page </li></ul><ul><li>Find the shortest sentence on the same page </li></ul>

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The Relatives Came (Cynthia Rylant) <ul><li>The relatives weren’t particular about beds, which was good since there weren’t any extras, so a few squeezed in with us and the rest slept on the floor, some with their arms thrown over the closest person, or some with an arm across one person and a leg across another. </li></ul><ul><li>It was different, going to sleep with all that new breathing in the house. </li></ul>

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Gus and the Dog <ul><li>Yada, yada, yada </li></ul><ul><li>BANG, BANG </li></ul>

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A,B,C ReWrite! <ul><li>Look back at your reflection on a piece of writing that moved you. </li></ul><ul><li>Rewrite the reflection so that the first word in each sentence begins with a different letter </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Choose A, B, C order or spell out a related word </li></ul></ul>

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Looking at YOUR student work <ul><li>Using the rubrics for WORD CHOICE and SENTENCE FLUENCY – read two pieces of your student work. </li></ul><ul><li>What do you see as strengths? Things you want to work on? </li></ul>

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Conventions

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Conventions Summary <ul><li>Any activity that allows the student to practice… </li></ul><ul><li>Identifying reasons for editing </li></ul><ul><li>Understanding the difference between revision and editing </li></ul><ul><li>Keeping editing in proportion – ideas come first! </li></ul><ul><li>Learning and using editing symbols </li></ul><ul><li>Thinking like an editor </li></ul><ul><li>Being their own editor! </li></ul>

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Dear John: <ul><li>I want a man who knows what love is all about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior you have ruined me for other men I yearn for you I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart I can be happy forever will you let me be yours </li></ul><ul><li>Gloria </li></ul>

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Making a Plan