Center for Writing in College, Career and Community Blog

Tell your “Pixar” Story

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Tell you and your students CODERS story. Tell a Pixar Story.

Try out this form and share a draft of your story. Use this link with your students as well. 

Once upon a time there was ___.

Every day, [the students, the teacher, whoever the story is about].

One day ___.

Because of that, ___.

Because of that, ___.

Until finally ___.

After you write your story, take a few minutes to edit. Jen and I used this template to write her spotlight. She told the story, I took dictation for her, and then edited out the “once upon a time.”

This could be a partner exercise to begin or end a class. Tell the students they will be published! Send your stories in. We will edit, send back to you, and publish.

First Lesson Reflection Due on September 30

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The first lesson(s) should be focused on either:

Career Connections and Computational Thinking

Careers in CS and STEM: Representation Matters

Introduction to Computational Thinking

Here’s who to talk to for questions:

Contact Dr. Franklin @KFranklin@MissouriState.edu for help with Career Connections.

Contact Dr. Iqbal @RIqbal@MissouriState.edu or Dr. Piccolo @DPiccolo@MissouriState.edufor help with Computational Thinking.

Link to reflection 

 

 

CODERS Kit Ordering Information Year 1-3

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  1. DJI Drone
  2. CoDrone
  3. Robot Dog
  4. Smart Home Kit
  5. I found these club packs (as of now, it is showing 12 available) on Amazon. Each of these packs has 10 microbits and the price of the pack is showing $285. BBC MICRO:BIT Micro:bit v2 Go Club 10-Pack – Batteries and USB Cables Included https://a.co/d/bPvjYHL
  6. Cutebot (ASIN B081ZSCZTV)
  7. Vilros BBC Micro/Bit v@ Basic Starter Kit (ASIN B08WR4X7P9)
  8. NIMH AAA batteries ASIN B0915GQKVD
  9. Tenergy Premium PRO Rechargeable AAA Batteries, High Capacity 1100mAh NiMH AAA Battery, 4 Pack Rechargeable Batteries. Amazon Listing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0915GQKVD Regular Price: $6.99. Business Volume Discounted Price: $5.59  (20% discount). Important note: this listing and price is for a pack of 4 AAA batteries. If customer needs 2,000 AAA batteries, then the customer only needs to by 500 units of this ASIN B0915GQKVD.
  10. Battery Chargers for AA & AAA Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries (Ni-MH) With USB Port ASIN B07TGT9D98
  11. Tenergy TN474U 4-Bay NiMH/NiCD Battery Charger with LCD Display and USB Input, Portable Charger for AA/AAA NiMH and NiCD Batteries. Amazon Listing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TGT9D98. Regular Price: $12.99. Business Volume Discounted Price: $10.99  (15.4% discount). Quantity: 500 chargers

Cutebots

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Micro:bit cutebot is a small programmable Bot designed for educational purposes for teaching programming. Go on the wonderful learning session with Dr. Iqbal where he covers hands-on Cutebots activities to teach programming, logic, and computational thinking. Teach your cutebot to stop its motion when an obstacle is in its way. Then build on the radio lessons from the Micro:bit session to make the cutebot a full-fledged remote-controlled vehicle with turn signals and horns. Woo-hoo!!

Link of makecode: MakeCode for Micro:bit

Session Slides:  Summer-2023-Cutebot

Cutebot information: https://www.elecfreaks.com/learn-en/microbitKit/smart_cutebot/cutebot_car.html

Freewriting is . . .

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Freewriting.pptx

  • is non-stop writing.​
  • can move from topic to topic.​
  • is writing more than you think you can. ​
  • is not censored; that means don’t worrying about spelling, grammar, and mechanics.​
  • is not worrying about how good the writing is.​
  • is keeping your pen on the paper and writing even if you do not know what to say.​
  • is writing that is not judged or graded.​
  • is a way to explore.​
  • is a way to improve thinking. ​
  • builds fluency.

I was really fortunate to work closely with Peter Elbow since 2010. His impact on the teaching of writing is more impactful than words can say. Here is an excerpt about Freewriting if you would like to read more.

Bones, Muscles & Skin: Purpose and Revision in All Kinds of Writing

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Name:____________________________Date:______________Block:___________ 

Ms. Franklin English IV 

Revision occurs after you have a complete piece, although revisions occurs at all stages. 

Match what you have already written with what you now wish to say.  

Create out of the two a new piece that suits their present purpose 

Revision never stops 

 The First Draft: Reseeing or Rethinking: changing what a piece says, the paper’s “bones.” 

  • You may realize it doesn’t say what you want it to say.  
  • You may crumple up what you’ve written and want to throw it away (actually keep in your portfolio but you don’t have to use it)  

 The Second Draft: Reworking or reshaping: changing how a piece says it, or changing the paper’s “muscles” 

  • You are satisfied with what you are saying, but not with how you said it.  
  • Working on “how” tends to mean thinking about readers: thinking about how your thoughts will be read or understood by people other than yourself. 
  • Feedback from readers is very useful at this level. 
  • One of the most common kinds of reworking is to improve clarity—clarifying sentences or transitions or whole paragraphs or changing the order of things, adding an introduction or conclusions and some transitions or getting rid of ideas or suggestions that seem unnecessary now.  
  • You may need to leave out parts that you like but that just don’t belong anymore.  

 The Third Draft: Copyediting or proofreading for mechanics and usage: checking for deviations from standard conventions, or changing the paper’s “skin.” 

  • This is what you do right before you hand something in.  
  • At the least, it is finding typographical errors. 

You probably need to do these three levels in this order.  

**borrowed from Elbow and Belanoff’s Being a Writer 

**Natalie Goldberg makes a similar reference to in Writing Down the Bones.  

 

Careers in CS and STEM: Representation Matters

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The IF/THEN® Collection is the largest free resource of its kind dedicated to increasing access to authentic and relatable images of real women in STEM. The Educator Hub helps you align standards and choose videos for your classroom. Show two videos as week as a bellringer or an exit pass for six weeks.

Here in this digital library, you will find thousands of photos, videos and other assets that authentically represent women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  The content features careers as diverse as shark tagging, fashion design, and training Olympic athletes, and nudges public perceptions in a more realistic direction that illuminates the importance of STEM everywhere.

The Collection is part of the IF/THEN® Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies® to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift in how the world perceives women in STEM.  The Collection features 125 female STEM innovators selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Lyda Hill Philanthropies® to be AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors, all serving as high-profile role models for girls.

 

Teacher Spotlight: Abbi Coy

Introduction to Computational Thinking

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Computational thinking is the step that comes before programming. It’s the process of breaking down a problem into simple enough steps that even a computer would understand. Dr. Iqbal explains the analogy between design and computer programming. Have a journey with him where he explains binaries, bits, coding, and many more things related to computers and teaches how to think like a computer.

Link to Presentation: Summer-2023-Computational Thinking

Video: What Most Schools Don’t Teach via Coder.org

Video on Computer Languages: Introduction to Binary

Teacher Spotlight: Jennifer Jackson

Teacher Spotlight: Brandy Retasket 

 

 

Writing to Learn

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Here are writing strategies that are evidence-based. We hope that you integrate some of these writing strategies in your lessons.

Write to Learn Strategies 

Daily writing, from freewriting to KWLS to creative forms like Haiku, is a thinking tool for learning in all disciplines. Below is a list of research-based writing strategies that we would like you to try writing to learn activities like the ones below or like the ones you like to use in class. We encourage you to read what students write without correcting spelling or grammar. We encourage you to read for disciplinary content and to see what your students are getting the hang of and what students may need clarification on. 

 

Strategy 

Description 

Objective / Notes 

LOE 

Grades 

Page 

POW 
  • Pick ideas (i.e., decide what to write about) 
  • Organize notes (i.e., brainstorm and organize possible writing ideas into a writing plan) 
  • Write and say more (i.e., continue to modify the plan while writing) 

A prewriting strategy. Supports students in planning what they will write. 

Strong 

1-6 

16* 

TREE 

As students write: 

  • Tell what they believe (i.e., state a topic sentence) 
  • Provide three or more Reasons (i.e., Why do I believe this?) 
  • End it (i.e., wrap it up right) 
  • Examine (i.e., Do I have all my parts?) 

Supports student ability to write persuasively and analytically, as well as think critically. Scaffolds thesis writing. 

Strong 

2-3 

26* 

TREE 

In older grades, expand the strategy as follows: 

  • Replace the Examine step with Explain reasons. Students should say more about each reason. 

Supports student ability to write persuasively and analytically. This adjustment pushes students to communicate more about what they are thinking. 

 

Strong 

4-6 

26-27* 

K-W-L Chart 

Before and after a lesson, students complete a K-W-L chart: 

  • What I Know (i.e., brainstorm and reflect: what do I know about the topic?) 
  • What I Want to know (i.e., extend brainstorming: what do I want to learn? What information would be helpful to know?) 
  • What I Learned (i.e., reflect: what have I learned? Did I list anything during brainstorming that was inaccurate and needs to be crossed off the chart?) 

Supports metacognition and reflective report writing. 

Strong 

2-6, 6-12 

26*, 

8** 

Sensory Details 

Using your five senses, write about the following: 

  • What did you see? How did it look? 
  • What sounds did you hear? 
  • What did you touch? How did it feel? 
  • What could you smell? 
  • What did you taste? 

Students can reflect on the STEM activities they witness. Supports observation, metacognition and reflective report writing. 

 

Strong 

K-3~ 

26* 

Imitation 

Select a sentence, paragraph, or text excerpt and imitate the author’s form (see Recommendation 2b, examples 2 and 3). Example text: Charlotte’s Web. 

This strategy would pair well with sensory details. For example, students can read an excerpt with strong observational details. With the teacher’s help, students can identify examples of sensory details in the text before attempting the five senses prompt. 

Strong 

1-6 

16* 

Peer Revising 

Students place a question mark (?) by anything they do not understand in their writing partner’s paper, and a carat (^) anywhere it would be useful for the author to include more information. 

Students will benefit from a directed approach to discussing and assessing what they are writing.  

Strong 

2-6 

16* 

DARE 

Students dare to check their paper to be sure they have: 

  • Developed their thesis. 
  • Added ideas to support their ideas. 
  • Rejected arguments on the other side. 
  • Ended with a strong conclusion. 

Students will strengthen their critical thinking skills by, for example, learning to support their claims and observations. This strategy will require scaffolding for thesis, supporting ideas, counter-evidence, and conclusions. 

Strong  

4-6, 

6-12 

26*, 

12** 

Inform 

Students study one purpose of writing, which is to inform, by examining previously learned information or providing new information. Students are exposed to the following genres: 

  • Summaries of new or previously learned information 
  • Instructions or directions 
  • Letters 
  • Newspaper articles 
  • Science reports 

Teachers must expose students to various purposes and contexts for writing. This list of evidence-based genres can be used to develop additional activities.  

Strong 

N/A 

21* 

Venn Diagram 

Use a Venn diagram as a planning tool when writing a compare/contrast essay. Each circle can represent a different topic or position. The parts that overlap represent similarities, while the parts that do not overlap represent differences.  

A strategy to explicitly teach the stages of planning and drafting in the writing process.  

Strong 

6-12 

8** 

Do/What 

Create a Do/What chart to thoroughly examine a prompt or instructions before beginning an assignment. 

  • Circle all verbs in the writing prompt that describe what you are being asked to do.  
  • Underline the words that describe what the task is. 

This strategy is recommended for any genre of writing to help students synthesize what they are being asked to do. 

Strong 

6-12 

10** 

Set Goals 

Provide students with a list of writing goals that represent qualities of good writing and the criteria on which they will be evaluated. Examples include: 

  • Maintaining control of the topic 
  • Organization 
  • Voice 
  • Vocabulary 
  • Varied and complex sentences 

Students should choose one or more goals to work on as they write. 

This prewriting strategy is recommended for any genre to support students in the planning and drafting phase of writing.. 

Strong 

6-12 

11** 

Mini Arguments 

Begin by drafting a claim and identifying two to four pieces of evidence to support that claim. This will serve as the first draft for the essay. Write a second draft after using “Rank the Evidence” strategy. 

This drafting strategy supports hypothesis writing, critical thinking, and persuasive thinking. It can support students as they establish cause/effect relationships. 

Strong 

6-12 

12** 

Rank the Evidence 

After students write their Mini-Arguments, instruct them to: 

  1. Trade drafts with peers 
  1. Peers rank the evidence from 1 to 4 based on how logical and relevant each piece is. Peers will discuss the ranking prior to writing a second draft. 

Students collaborate in identifying cause/effect relationships. This encourages diversity of thought, which will support the writing process. 

Strong 

6-12 

12** 

3-2-1 

Students write: 

  • 3 things they learned 
  • 2 things they would like to learn more about 
  • 1 question they have on the topic  

This drafting strategy is an alternative to the K-W-L chart. 

Strong 

6-12 

12** 

Color Coding 

Use different colored fonts or highlights in a word processing program to categorize different concepts, thoughts, and writing elements. 

This strategy supports students as they make sense of the world and ideas around them.  

Strong 

6-12 

13** 

CDO 

Compare, Diagnose, & Operate by reading through the paper and asking if any of the following example diagnoses apply: 

  • There are too few ideas 
  • Part of the paper doesn’t belong with the rest 
  • Part of the paper is not in the right order 

Then, students decide how they will rectify each situation identified. 

This strategy is for all writing genres, but it is also listed as particularly beneficial with informative writing. 

Strong 

6-12 

13,16** 

PLAN 

Please see the diagrams on pages 17-18**: 

  • Pay attention to the writing assignment by identifying what you are going to write about. 
  • List your main ideas. 
  • Add supporting ideas (e.g., details, examples, evidence, elaborations) to each main idea 
  • Number the order in which you will present your ideas. 

This strategy could be modified to help students process and report their observations. 

Strong 

6-12 

17,18** 

Exemplar Texts 

Expose students to exemplar informational and technical texts that have the following features: 

  • A topic or theme (may be repeated) 
  • Present tense 
  • Technical vocabulary 
  • Descriptive attitudes and characteristic events 
  • Definitions or explanations of terms 
  • Visual elements such as diagrams, tables, and charts 
  • Specialized topics 
  • Instructions on how to do something 

Ask students to highlight text features before asking them to practice emulating these features in their own writing. 

Exemplar texts will help model appropriate information and scientific writing for students. Teachers can also use past student writing as examples. 

Moderate 

Elem/ Mid 

36-38** 

Graphic Organizers 

Teach and use graphic organizers (e.g., venn diagrams, cause-and-effect, properties and examples) to support students’ understanding of patterns and relationships among facts, terms, and concepts. Before asking students to create graphic organizers, model how to “read” a one by walking through a completed one. 

This strategy expands on the “Venn Diagram” activity. 

Strong 

Elem/ Mid 

33-36, 44^ 

Inquiry Box 

To teach technical vocabulary terms, identify example items and show them from the IB. Consider pairing an exemplar text with box items, telling students that items represent a concept in the text.  

 

(E.g., exemplar text about solids, liquids, and gases. Box items include pencils, erasers, backpacks to exemplify solids.) 

This strategy is meant to extend student learning and understanding of new terminology. 

Strong 

Elem/ Mid 

42-43^ 

Mini- Vocabulary Lessons 

In a brief 10- to 15-minute mini-vocabulary lesson: 

  1. Introduce the term, and ask students to practice saying its individual syllabus. 
  1. Define the term (e.g., instructions help us understand how to make or do something) with verbal examples (e.g., for ex., a teacher gives instructions to students so they know how to do their assignment) 
  1. Provide three written example sentences that illustrate the word’s range of use. 
  1. Ask students to write these sentences in their vocabulary journal and/or write the word on a vocabulary card. Can also be paired with a graphic organizer, pictures, and video clips. 

This strategy builds vocabulary and language skills. 

Moderate 

Elem/ Mid 

65, 18^ 

 ~Could be appropriate for K-8. Missouri State ENG 110 instructors regularly assign a sensory association essay with similar prompts to first-year students. Across ages and experiences, this assignment helps students make sense of their observations. 

Addressing Stereotype Threats in Curriculum^^ 

Female students need intentional support and intervention during STEM/CS instruction to improve their chances of pursuing a career in these fields. Beginning in elementary and middle school instruction of math and science, girls and women begin to: 

  • Underestimate their abilities (6) 
  • Have less confidence (6) 
  • Show less interest in these subjects (6) 
  • Perform worse on standardized tests (especially when told they are being evaluated or when male students outnumber female students) (19, 20) 
  • Choose unchallenging problems to solve (19) 
  • Lower their performance expectations (19) 
  • Devalue a career choice in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (19) 
  • Avoid asking for help with assignments (16) 

This is because female students face stereotype threats in the fields of STEM/CS, which are assumptions that they will perform negatively; and, these negative assumptions directly affect a student’s performance. Evidence from one small, cross-sectional observational study suggests that elementary school aged girls are aware of the stereotype that men are considered to be better at math than women; however, they still view girls and boys to be equally good at math (20). By the time girls reach middle school, stereotype threats can fully become a problem (20). 

These stereotypes are operative (or default) unless measures are taken to counter them (20). Thus, teachers must be made aware of these barriers to learning so they can address them directly and proactively. The WWC offers the following recommendations to proactively address stereotype threats (6-7^^): 

Rec. # 

Recommendation 

Level of Ev. 

1 

Teach students that academic abilities are expendable and improvable. 

Moderate 

2 

Provide prescriptive, informational feedback. 

Moderate 

3 

Expose girls to female role models who have succeeded in math and science. 

Low 

4 

Create a classroom environment that sparks initial curiosity and fosters long-term interest in math and science. 

Moderate 

5 

Provide spacial skills training. 

Low  

WWC: Recommended Strategies and Practices 

The following teaching strategies come from What Works Clearinghouse, which are collections of evidence-based practices published by the U.S. Department of Education. WWC reviews existing research on various programs, products, practices, and policies in education so that educators are equipped to make evidence-based decisions in the classroom (IES, 2020). 

The WWC presents the following recommendations after examining studies showing positive effects on writing quality across diverse populations and settings (WWC p. 13). These recommendations focus on self-regulated strategy development (SRSD), an approach in which teachers instruct using specific techniques and gradually release the responsibility for the writing process to students (WWC, p. 13). Studies of SRSD show they provide uniformly positive effects on writing outcomes, including the overall quality of students’ writing (WWC, p. 13).  

The WWC rates recommendations according to the following levels: 

Level of Evidence 

Description 

Strong 

Positive findings are demonstrated in multiple well-designed, well-executed studies, leaving little or no doubt that the positive effects are caused by the recommended practice. 

Moderate 

Well-designed studies show positive impacts, but there are questions about whether the findings can be generalized beyond the study samples or whether the studies show definitive evidence that the practice is effective. 

Minimal 

There is not definitive evidence that the recommended practice is effective in improving the outcome of interest, although there may be data to suggest a correlation between the practice and the outcome of interest. 

 The following table of teaching strategies have been assigned strong and moderate levels of evidence. Additionally, these strategies have been listed because of their anticipated compatibility with teaching STEM/CS concepts.  

References 

* 

Graham, S., Bollinger, A., Olson, C. B., D’Aoust, C., MacArthur, C., McCutchen, C., & Olinghouse, N. (2018). Teaching elementary school students to be effective writers [PDF file]. United States Department of Education, 1-112, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs /PracticeGuide/WWC_Elem_Writing_PG_Dec182018.pdf.  

** 

Graham, S., Fitzgerald, J., Friedrich, L. D., Greene, K., Kim, J. S., & Olson, C. B. (2016). Teaching secondary students to write effectively [PDF file]. United States Department of Education, 1-90, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/WWC_Elem_Writing _PG_Dec182018.pdf.  

^ 

Baker, S. B., Geva, E., Kieffer, M. J., Lesaux, N., Linan-Thomson, S., Morris, J., Proctor, C. P., Russell, R. (2014). Teaching academic content and literacy to English learners in elementary and middle school. United States Department of Education, 1-115, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/19.  

^^ 

Halpern, D. F., Aronson, J., Reimer, N., Simpkins, S., Star, J. R., Wentzel, K. (2007). Encouraging girls in math and science. United States Department of Education, 1-55, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/5.  

 

The Evidence

On January 18, 2017, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) delivered a webinar on evidence-based practices for improving secondary students’ writing skills. The webinar focused on the three recommendations in the recently released practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively.To support educators’ efforts to develop effective writing skills for students in grades 6–12, the WWC conducted a review of existing research and worked with an expert panel of practitioners and researchers to identify recommended practices that educators can implement in their classrooms. Presenters discussed the guide’s three recommendations and gave teachers in all disciplines actionable guidance on how to implement them in the classroom. They also discussed potential challenges educators may face when implementing the recommended practices, as well as advice from the experts on how to overcome those challenges. Administrators, professional development providers, program developers, and researchers may also find this information useful.

Click to access wwc_secwrit_summary_053117.pdf

Lesson Reflections: What Stories Do They Tell?

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After completing a CODERS lesson, you will reflect on those lessons. We collected reflections last year. Some of you may remember Dr. Davis asking for those. Take a moment to review the lesson reflections. Click through and view the reflections for each of the lessons/concepts.

This link will be available through June 16. If you would like access after that, please email Keri Franklin.

Career CX: Computer Science Demand Grows Exponentially

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Interesting article on the increasing demand for degrees in Computer
Science. While UC-Berkeley has over 2,000, Missouri State University has nearly 300. Talk with Dr. Iqbal for any questions. 

Demand for computer science classes has overwhelmed many US campuses in recent years, with growth in student numbers not matched by similar expansions in faculty or facilities. UC Berkeley has nearly 2,000 graduates a year in computer science and data science, up from just 200 a decade ago; prompting the elite institution to create its first new college in more than 50 years. 

The College of Computing, Data Science, and Society is seen as a way of helping the campus cope by consolidating the deluge of demand and then better distributing it. Where Berkeley leads, others often follow, so could this be a model for coping with the field’s surging and often unmet demand?

Welcome 2023 CODERS Colleagues

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Congratulations on your selection to participate in the CODERS Summer Launch Experience. Tammi, Razib, Andrew, Diana, Judith, and I are excited to see you Monday-Thursday, June 5-8 on the campus of Missouri State University in Cheek 151. This is a change from four to five days. We hope you are okay with this! We will meet from 8:30-4:30. Coffee, conversation, and supply pick-up starts at 8:00 am in Cheek Hall 151. For those of you who are new, CODERS stands for Computer Science Opportunities, Development & Education in Rural Schools. This is a grant funded by the US Department of Education’s program called Education, Innovation &
Research. We are proud to be able to bring the latest technology to you and your schools.

  • Parking passes will be emailed a week ahead of time. By agreeing to participate, you are agreeing to do the following:
  • Attend the five-day summer launch or equivalent of 30 hours
  • Implement five CODERS lessons that we will teach you.
  • Attend four professional development days (~25 hours) or equivalent during the academic year. Year 2 and Year 3 returning CODERS will have a menu of options
  • Write reflections regarding each of those lessons and include exit passes from students.
  • Work with your district to collect standardized test data with support from our colleague, Callie Dean, from The Evaluation Group. (easier than it sounds)
  • Complete a pre and post survey.
  • Have your students who receive the CODERS lessons complete a pre and post-survey
  • By agreeing to participate, you will receive
  • 10 CODERS kits for your classroom. [We love the fact that you are inviting your colleagues from your schools. 4 teachers in one schools district in one year will have 40 Coders kits. 4 teachers participating for two years will have 80, and it goes on. You will be getting a substantial set of CODERS tools that have been tested by Dr. Razib Iqbal, a professor of Computer Science with much industry experience.
    Cutebot, drones, robots, and more!
  • A $2,600 stipend for participating in the summer, the data collection, and the days during the year.
  • Provide you data evaluating the impact of your work on students.
  • Opportunities to teach teachers
  • Opportunities to present at conferences
  • Participate in a community of learners in an interdisciplinary experience that combines computer science, writing, music, literacy, and mathematics.
  • Opportunity for course credit at a reduced cost to support salary ladders
  • Certificate of completion
  • A letter to your principal and superintendent commending your participation and partnership with Missouri State University

See you on Monday, June 5. 

 

STEM Scholarships

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New STEM-specific scholarships ignite students’ ability to attend college. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Missouri State University $1.5 million to provide scholarships to students interested in science, technology, engineering and math over the next six years. Submit your scholarship applications today. 



Why I Write: A Presenter Workshop for the Youth Writing Conference

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Today we met to prepare presentations for the Youth Writing Conference on May 8. Teacher-consultants Laurie Sullivan from Hillcrest High School and Tanya Hannaford from Mt. Vernon High School facilitated. The morning started with an excerpt from Terry Tempest Williams called “Why I Write.” After listening to the reading, the 25 teachers from areas schools shared why they write:

I write to encourage and cheer those that are young and old.

I write because any time we have freewrite time and I don’t write I feel the eyes of Debbie Jones burning into me.

Writing is a away of adjusting the BS meter.

I write to make music just for me.

I write to bring new things into existence because I am an inventor of imaginary worlds.

I write for the surprise at the end of a poem.

I write to clarify my thoughts and better understand my self and my books.

lI I write to capture a moment everlasting ever strong every moment.

I write because I don’t know how else to get my thoughts across.

I write to heal.

I write to singlehandedly keep the post office alive

I write to keep my mouth from getting me into trouble.

I write to make lists and plans that I may never get through but I feel better.

I write to let my inner child scream.

I write to remember and to forget.

I write to consider the beauty around me.

I write for future generations to hear my voice.

I write because I think when I don’t write I don’t know what I need to know.

I write to leave a record of my thoughts for myself and others.

I write my messages on the mirror when it is fogged up.

I write to belong to people who write.

 

Writing on Demand: A Plan for Professional Development

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Colleen Appel, Teacher-Consultant of the Ozarks Writing Project, describes professional development and student writing activities to teach on demand writing.

Teachers across the disciplines are increasingly seeing themselves as teachers of literacy and understand the literacy practices in the content areas are distinct but overlap in a student’s daily literacy learning experience–”a key reason why time for joint planning is critical (NCLE).” This post discusses background and activities that teachers can do with students and with other teachers related to writing on demand. Writing on Demand

Monett Middle School teachers, having already established an environment for collaboration in grade level content area teams, are moving forward in school-wide collaborative efforts. The focus of January’s professional development session will be helping teachers understand the rhetorical moves of testing prompts in order to design assignments with greater rigor and prepare students for summative assessments.

The National Center for Literacy Education, an alliance of 29 leading education organizations, has studied “what works” in capacity building for literacy. Their key findings are as follows:

  • Literacy is not just the English teacher’s job anymore.
  • Working together is working smarter.
  • But schools aren’t structured to facilitate educators working together.
  • Many of the building blocks for remodeling literacy learning are in place.
  • Effective collaboration needs systemic support.

The authors of Writing on Demand for the Common Core State Standards Assessments, Kelly Sassi and Anne Gere, offer professional learning activities based on the following classroom-tested assumptions:

  1. Changes in assessment help shape instruction.
  2. Writing prompts employ rhetorically shaped language.
  3. Writing skills should be developed by content area teachers as well as language arts teachers.
  4. A vertical approach fosters writing improvement.
  5. Text-dependent writing requires focused instruction.
  6. Criteria for evaluation belong in the classroom.

Activity One – Surveying the Shifts

  1. List the kinds of writing your students currently do in your class.
  2. Compare the kinds of writing you currently do with the kinds of writing emphasized in “Pedagogical Shifts.”
  3. Share as a group with one person tabulating the results.
  4. Ask the group: What kinds of literacy needs are we successfully meeting? Is there any kind of literacy we should be spending more time on? For example, should students be reading more informational texts? If so, which course(s) can meet this need?

Activity Two – Inventory of Literacy Skills

Select an item from the CCSS assessments. Write a detailed explanation of how you arrived at an answer. (Also a classroom move.) Working together, make a list of all the literacy skills students will need to succeed on this item. Brainstorm ideas for instruction that will address the items on the list. (Page 40 of Writing on Demand offers a sample list.)

Classroom Moves – Understanding the Language of Assessment

Students can use the following form when called to read complex text:

  • In three sentences summarize the main points of the passage.
  • What was confusing or difficult to understand?
  • What words are unfamiliar?

Activity Three – Developing Curriculum

One curriculum change teachers can make on their own is to simply increase the amount of writing that students do. The majority of writing should take place at Level 1 – personal, informal and ungraded. Level 2 writing is for an audience, more formal, and graded. Writing skills are best developed at these two levels. Level 3 writing is public, formal, and high stakes. “Maxwell’s Levels of Writing”

Brainstorm Level 1 writing activities for one of the units of study you have developed. Discuss how the writing activities can both help students increase the amount of writing they do and learn content material. Remember that Level 1 writing is ungraded.

(Processes supporting curriculum development: checking for text complexity, considering big ideas and essential questions, aligning with standards)

Activity Four – Internalizing the Writing Process

“For writing transfer to take place, students need to be in charge of and to manipulate their own process.” Students who do well on writing-on-demand tests can easily describe their thinking process. To initiate a conversation about writing process, start by writing. Each teacher, picking the last piece he or she wrote, does a quick-write describing his or her own writing process. Share with a small group. It is likely no two people share the same process. Share the kinds of process strategies that work well for the grade level and subject taught.

Classroom Moves – The Writing Process

Sassi and Gere offer ideas for prewriting, drafting, and revising. They also state that “Motivation is key when it comes to starting the writing process,” and offer some ideas to motivate students.

Activity Five – The Performance Task

Teachers will examine in depth an 8th grade performance task. With reading selections from their subject areas, members of content area teams can work together to develop questions that will help students identify the key points in each selection, comparing how this process differs across the disciplines. Teachers can refer to “Bloom’s Taxonomy Applied to CCSS” to prepare questions.

Teachers will use “Prompt Analysis Questions” to address the rhetorical features of the prompt. “Rhetorical Strategies” further explains Question 4. Teachers will apply these questions to prompts and assignments in their own disciplines; they are a lens through which assignments can be examined in order to diminish student confusion. “Prompt Analysis Questions for Creating Rhetorically Based Assignments”

Activity Six – Criteria for Evaluation

Examine a generic rubric and describe what would be different between a piece of writing that receives all 4’s and one that receives all 1’s. Then examine an assignment-specific rubric and compare it to the generic one. Creating a rubric that either students help write or that they can view while they are writing helps them understand the assignment more clearly.

See the article “Using the Rhetorical Situation to Inform Literacy Instruction and Assessment across the Disciplines” for more information. The authors describe

a framework for approaching how teachers across the disciplines discuss what students are expected to know and how students are assessed.

(An additional chapter in Writing on Demand focuses on the demands of a timed assessment.)

Sassi, Kelly and Anne Ruggles Gere. 2014. Writing on Demand for the Common Core State Standards Assessments. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.