Consider: What should I know about writing and be

able to do, as an English language arts teacher?

Leahs notes
[Discuss with your peers about what teachers need to know about teaching
writing, based on your readings so far in the text and your own thinking and
experiences.]
(from text) maintaining students postie attitudes towards
writing
be writers themse!es, competent
know the process of writing and be ab!e to teach it.
"now di#erent approaches
"now di#erent kinds of writing (genres, purposes)
"eep current with new curricu!a, research, techni$ues
%se writing as a too! for !earning
&e aware of what you a!ready know and what works
for you and your students
'hey need to proide time to write
(hoice
)uthentic writing assignments
) ariety of assessment too!s
'he power of writing
* Di#erent authors and !iteratures
'here are + main components to a good writing curricu!um, with process and
product,
Personal Writing Literary Writing Expository Writing
)ppoint a recorder to write your -ndings, a topic convenor, to set that a!!
$uestions are discussed, a time keeper, and a speaker to represent ora!!y
what the group ta!ked about.
%se the programs of studies, .estern protoco!, new curricu!um documents,
c!assroom experience**anything you hae to assist your work on writing
curricu!um.
(onsider the fo!!owing categories for your /rade !ee!s,
0 .hat shou!d teachers know about writing and about teaching writing at this
grade1
0 .hat shou!d students know and be ab!e to do at this grade !ee!1
0 .hat does the curriculu guide say about writing at this grade !ee!1
0 .hat strategies2acti!ities for teaching writing are e#ectie2appropriate
at this !ee!1
0 .hat resources are aai!ab!e2he!pfu! at this !ee!1 3f not known, where cou!d
you !ook1
0 .hat ariety of too!s are best for e!aluating student writing1
"he Curriculu o# Personal Writing:
4stab!ishing a community of writers, (onfessions 5f a writer, teaching writing
process, fun forms of writing, functiona! forms of writing out of need, writing for
persona! reasons, 6ourna! writing and !earning !ogs, dee!oping and maintaining
positie student*teacher re!ationships through persona! writing (dia!ogue 6ourna!s)
'he goa! is to enab!ing writing (conditions, process, the writer and the writing)and
he!ping peop!e set goa!s for their persona! writing to dee!op 7uency and oice.
.eek 'wo 'he (urricu!um of 8iterary .riting,
4ngaging students in creatie writing, !iterary writing of arious genres
inc!uding poetry,compe!!ing them to write within a !arger writing community and to
take themse!es serious!y as authors writing in the wor!ds about narraties, using
poetic, descriptie, and discip!ined writing with attention to thought and detai! and
conentions used in the pub!ic domain. .e shou!d be teaching them to write as
readers responding to !iterature, giing them opportunities to entertain and be
adept with arious forms and functions that contain human themes and cu!tura!
know!edge. 'hey shou!d hae the opportunity to study and approximate other great
writers and exp!ore the writing process through to a product and know of and try
pub!ishing sites. 9ou can a!so teach them book making and c!ass periodica! pro6ects.
&asic 4!ements of :tory :tructure to :tudy with 9our :tudents as .riters,
;!ot* &eginning, <idd!e, 4nd, con7ict, p!ot dee!opment
:etting mood2atmosphere, tone=time, weather, !ocation, historica! context
(haracter appearance, action, dia!ogue, mono!ogue, growth, motiation...
'heme under!ying truth or meaning of the story> a centra! concept of some
human truth (friendship, responsibi!ity, courage, oercoming oerwhe!ming
odds, di?cu!ty of
the human rites of passage, the conse$uences of human actions on others,
history)
;oint of @iew, .ho ho!ds the pen1 Airst (eg. innocent eye), B5mniscientC,
8imited
5mniscientC, B 5b6ectieC, who is the narrator, te!!ing the story
:ymbo!ism (signs, extended metaphors, !ayers of interpretation)
/uided -ction writing prompts, [3 -nd using timed writing spaces he!p]
D. ) se!ection of music* di#er the mood...
E. @isua! prompts of painting or ob6ect cartoons, sketches, -!m c!ips,
photographs...
+. writing BstemsC from which to Bgrow writingC
0 3t was 6ust out of reach...
0 3t was the !ast time....
0 .ish 3 hae known then, what 3 know now...
0 3t was a dark and stormy night> an ordinary day unti!, high noon...,*)
0 'he thing 3 !earned is from the who!e story is...
0 .hen the !ights went out...
0 <y (her, his, their) !ife a!tered foreer when...
0 'here was no way out....(unti! 3 noticed) (but when the...)
or any others you can construct with your students you think they may en6oy.
F. /uided prompts from the e!ements of short story=!ike the one we do in
c!ass.
'hink of your faorite p!ace in the wor!d.....detai!s....as much as you
can in G min.
'hink of your faorite person ***detai!s> what + best traits, one main
fau!t, what do they want, physica!, socia!, psycho!ogica!, spiritua!
descriptions
'hink of the enemy for this person=same...and .H9 are they enemies.
;ut your peop!e and the p!ace and !ead up to a big con7ict and then
dea! with a
be!iee*ab!e (or not) reso!ution to the con7ict=and next time1.
G. 8iterary prompts, read fo!k ta!es, fairy ta!es, fab!es, poems, story
beginnings, etc.
I. 3nteriews with someone...then inent a story
J. 8ist the con7icts and things that happen to peop!e....
K. Dia!og outtakes.
(an start with character, theme, con7ict, setting, narrator mono!ogue about
why the story is being to!d...
"he Curriculu o# Expository Writing:
'his teaches students to write to exp!ain, inform, persuade, ana!yLe, argue,
discuss. 'hey a!so !earn about form, purpose, audience, !anguage structure of
aious forms. :tudents need to use expository writing to !earn and to share
information.
$raphic organi%ers can he!p students identify the patterns of non*-ction or
expository writing. 'each your students the cue words to he!p identify the form,
because each has a certain purpose for the audience. Aie of the most common
structures (patterns) of expository text we need to teach are,
&escription: .rite about a topic !isting characteristics, features, and examp!es.
(o!our, shape, siLe, number, -e senses, are a cue of this kind of writing
'e(uence )process*: .rite !ists or eents in numerica! or chrono!ogica! order. %se
words !ike -rst, second, next, then, -na!!y eg. math prob!ems, !ife cyc!e, biography
Coparison )contrast*: 4xp!ain how two or more things are a!ike or di#erent, !ike
a book and a moie, two accounts of an historica! eent, insects with spiders, etc.
Cause and E+ect: .rite to exp!ain one or more causes and the resu!ting e#ects.
Measons why, if, then, as a resu!t, therefore, and because are words that signa! this
structure. .hy did dinosaurs become extinct1 .hat are the e#ects of po!!ution on
the enironment and on peop!e1 How did (anada become a country1
Proble and 'olution: .rite a statement about a prob!em and proide one or
more so!utions to the prob!em. .ords inc!ude, the prob!em is....puLL!e, so!e,
$uestion, answer. .hy was money inented1 %sed in writing adertisements (got
dandru#...use...) and other persuasie writing (.hat you shou!d support )mnesty
3nternationa!).
Expository ,ors or "ypes to "each -our 'tudents:
$i!e the opportunities to write non./ction about the world:
D. 01ll about22223 9our students write entire booklets on a sing!e topic.
(%sua!!y one piece of information and a corresponding isua! on the page.=
sometime a!one or with partner or the who!e c!ass, with each student
contributing a page.
Nourna! or c!ass magaLine2research periodica! or newspaper for o!der
students
E. Collaborati!e 4eports :hared writing of information often make
c!uster and then diide up the work and bring it together again. [Oote, watch
for the copying prob!em=simp!e answer is separate the reader from the
source. they can return to the source any time, but they need to carry the
information in their head and write it down on the paper or keyword
somewhere e!se.]
+. Indi!idual 4eports authentic research done by a student from a choice
of topics that interest them or to hunt for answers to $uestions that puLL!e
them. (He!p them -nd a radiant $uestion=How do anima!s surie the
winter1 the answer aries depending on the anima!, and there are mu!tip!e
answers.) /ood to hae your students writers do an author page on
themse!es too=who they are, why they are interested in their topic and
future pro6ects=!ike a rea! researcher !ocating themse!es in their in$uiries.
F. 15C books %se !etters of the a!phabet to organiLe information about a
topic. :tudents write the !etter (sometimes !arge and ornate) in the corner,
draw an i!!ustration, and write a sentence or paragraph to describe the word
or fact. /ood for ocabu!ary bui!ding=again this cou!d be an indiidua! or
co!!aboratie pro6ect.
G. 4iddles )sk a di?cu!t $uestion with a series of c!ues (DP c!ues with
Bwhat am 3C ending) and then trade them with others in the c!ass. /ood for
prob!em so!ing and critica! thinking exercises.
I. Posters, &iagras, Charts %se to !earn and share information...use
the -e types,
** description, se$uence, comparison, cause and e#ect, prob!em2
so!ution
J. Cubes (with a topic on six sides of a cube) /reat for ocabu!ary or
concept work **Qhubris, hermeneutics, pedagogy, curricu!um, grief, empathy,
6urisprudence, !epidoptra, candyQ
benthic Lone, myth, democracy, peace, eco!ogy, microchip, tornado, drama,
!aw....
D. Describe it * co!or, shape, siLe1 $ua!ity1=use sensory
ad6ecties if you can
E. (ompare it. ** .hat is it simi!ar to=simi!e, metaphor or
di#erent than...
+. )ssociate it. ** .hat does it make you think of1
F. )na!yLe it. 'e!! how it is made or what it is composed of, structure,
function
G. )pp!y it. ** .hat can you do with it1 How is it used1 :igni-cance1
I. )rgue for or against it. 'ake a stand and !ist reasons supporting...
"eaching 'tudents about Expository Writing:
D. 3ntroduce the organiLationa! pattern.
E. )na!yLe examp!es of the pattern in trade books.
+. .rite sentences or paragraphs using the pattern
F. Mepeat for each pattern, teach them to choose the topic and patterns and
write.
G. 8earn to recogniLe the most appropriate pattern to communicate
e#ectie!y=and goR
:tudents need to know how to -nd out about the wor!d, answer their own
$uestions, and share the know!edge and information they !earn. &asic writing
ski!!s and basic !iteracy is dee!oped in context for rea! purposes and rea!
audiences, so they are part of a researching, !earning and engaged
community of scho!ars. 3t opens the wor!d.
* * * * * * *
Writing is an act o# hope2 3sabe!!e )!!ende
Poetrys work is the clari/cation and agni/cation o# being2
Nane Hirsh-e!d
Teaching Writing in Grades 10-12 Leah notes
Teachers should know:
-functional things such as structure, grammar, and conventions of writing.
-the three types of writing- personal, literary, and expository.
-the different purposes and udienced for writing, and when to use each one.
-how to identify an individuals potential.
-that there are different groups in the classroom (ex. those who like to write and those who dont;
those who find writing easy and those who find it difficult) and how to work with each group.
Students should know:
-how to use technical and functional writing.
-how to write a good outline; how to pick a thesis; how to build an essay; how to
target and address an audience.
-appropriate tone and style (the little nuances of writing).
-the self-discovery that comes from writing.
-how to use metacognition.
Curriculum: The curriculum for grade 10-12 has a focus on analysis. It states that students should:
-experience a variety of genres -be able to compare texts.
-be able to recognize and analyse word choice -understand forms and techniques.
-evaluate plot, character, and setting.
-have a willingness to live with ambiguity (to see more than one side of a story).
Strategies and Activities:
-students want to write something that is relevant to them.
-make something relevant by making it controversial, and then examine the student responses.
-use all three types of writing (personal, literary, expository)
-bring in guest authors.
-have a collection of prompts
-do interviews of writers, storytellers, family members, etc.
-use autobiographies, or have them write them.
-use metaphors for characters in literature.
-do workshops on technique and style.
-publish student work (on a class website, in a class book, etc.)
-use songs and advertising, current events and pop culture.
-do co-operative writing activities.
-do activities where writing seems to be the secondary aspect, such as draw a title
page and write a paragraph explaining how it links to the book.
-use themes to link the language arts curriculum elements together.
Resources:
-a variety of good literature -dictionaries of mythology and symbols.
-style manuals; grammar books. -books on teaching strategies.
-student and teacher exemplars. -writing prompts (music, photos, etc.)
-copies of year end exams. -works by Canadian authors.
-textbooks -parents and community
Evaluation:
-peer evaluation (teach the proper way to use it) with checklists and rubrics.
-mark differently for each type of assignment (ex. focus on length in one assignment, focus on
organization in another, mechanics in another.)
-inform the students of what you are specifically looking for in each assignment.
-develop and hand out unit syllabuses.
-include very specific comments in marking, and give all students an equal amount.
-have students keep portfolios.
STYLE, EXPRESSION, AND EVALUATION IN ESSAYS
Notes from Dr. Wendy Donawa
Style and expression at a ! le"el#
In the book Lyra has a daemon that goes everywhere with her and shows her moods.
Style and expression in t$e %!s#
In Lyras world, each character has a daemon, a soul-like animal companion. In childhood,
the daemon changes its form to reflect its humans feeling and needs; with puberty, the
daemon begins to settle!, to take on its permanent form, an animal that e"presses its
humans basic nature #like the evil Lord $oreal and his daemon serpent%.
Style and expression in t$e A!s#
&ullmans 'arth #geographically recogni(able as ours, but historically, technologically, and
biologically skewed% is one of a potentially infinite string of worlds%. Like each inhabitant
of this 'arth, Lyras humanity is completed by her opposite-gender animal daemon.
Daemons etymological roots #)r* deity% suggest a soul-like companion; the reader may also
interpret it as conscience, as alter ego, as animal familiar, as +ungian anima/animus, as
shadow. ,hat becomes clear, however, is that each human is only made whole by its
accompanying daemon, and that forced separation of the two is a monstrous violation, a
horror more unthinkable than death.
Aot$er Exa&ple o' (radin)!
Some hypothetical essay sentences:
a C sentence:
Out of the dust is a book that has a kind of unusual style. It is kind of poetic and different so
you dont get it right away. It is real sad when her mother dies.
a B sentence:
The style of Out of the Dust is unusual but expressive; it is written in free verse. The novel is
told from the point of view of a young girl growing up during the 1930s Dustbowl. Billie Jos
poetic narrative conveys both her inner journey as she comes to terms with personal tragedy,
and the harsh realities of the Depression.
an A sentence:
Karen Hesses multiple-award-winning Out of the Dust conveys a young girls coming of age
during the ravages of the Depression in Dust Bowl Oklahoma. The external devastation of the
farm environment echoes the inner trauma of the imaginative and articulate Billie Jo, who
copes with bereavement, guilt, and rage as she struggles towards understanding, healing, and
forgiveness. Written from Billie Jos point of view, the unusual free-verse narrative is
structured by the rhythm of her thoughts and sensations; the apparent simplicity of her
language is by turns lyrical, poignant, and shocking.
ASSESSING YOUR OWN ESSAYS:
Try to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. Be aware that there is no substitute
for careful, thorough work (this probably means a systematic re-writing of early drafts, and
attentive editing and polishing). Its a good idea when you think youre finished, to read your
work aloud, and see if your ear will pick up what the eye misses. Essays in the As and B+s
show clear evidence of this re-thinking and re-working.
On a basic level of mechanics, be aware that your spell-check is not enough, except for your
first rough draft. Spellcheck will not pick up the confusion of their/there, its/ its, whos/
whose, for/ four (all of which I find). Nor does it pick up errors of usage: real bad, a fun
person. Go back to a style guide or composition book if you are not clear about where to use
punctuation, especially
It is expected for anything B and above that sentence and paragraph structure are correct and
effective, and that an appropriate level of usage is employed.
Here are some of the positive comments I like to write on well-written essays. Go over yours
and see if you could apply them:
clear, thorough, well-developed argument... clear, logical analysis...
ideas enhanced by appropriate examples and illustrations...
interesting development of ideas discussed in class...
well-chosen quotations...
shows evidence of outside reading and discussion...
thoughtful and perceptive comments...
good integration of text, theory, and your own ideas...
good transition/ introduction / closure...
information-rich... expressive and articulate...
Always have a dictionary and a thesaurus within reach. A word that sorta gets the meaning
aint good enough!
________________________________________________________________________
Tips for writing good: [That would be well]
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Contractions arent necessary.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Prepositions are not the words to end sentences with.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Oneword sentences! "liminate.
#ho needs rhetorical questions!
"$aggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
courtesy of %eaders &igest' (ebruary )**+