reading for the love of it writing
DESCRIPTION
Strategies for engaging all students in writing. Grades 4-6. Focus on pre-writing, co-creating criteria, developing goals, enabling all to write and write as thinkers. Delivered in Toronto, Feb., 2010.TRANSCRIPT
Writing for Everyone – Strategies for Diverse Kids & Teachers
@ Reading for the Love of It
Feb. 11 & 12, 2010 Faye Brownlie
Learning Intentions
• I will uncover ways to remember the joy of writing
• I will add new strategies to my repertoire that include all students in writing
• I acknowledge the power of oral language, modeling, building criteria, practice, engagement and sharing in building writers
Managing the Workshop • Work with large chunks of time • Build criteria with students • Teach one/two specific criteria at a time, over
time • Model, model, model • Practice, practice, practice • Focus on pre-writing and oral language • Establish clear expectations for writing • Coach students as they are writing • Goal-set with students
Model Guided practice Independent practice Independent application
Pearson & Gallagher (1983)
Quick Writes • Give a word to students • Give 15 seconds to think about the word, then 3
minutes to free write, using the word • Students reread (mumble) their writing • Students choose a phrase, sentence, powerful
word to share – if they choose • Share the ‘treasures’ • Describe ‘what works’ • Repeat the process
Building Criteria
• Whip around • What struck you? What worked? • Categorize • Choose a focus criteria • Model • Practice • Highlight and seek advice
Response Journals
double-entry journals
initially, written in class, together develop criteria for powerful responses
Double-Entry Journal
• An event My thinking about the event
• A quotation My thinking/interpretation
Found Poems • Read a text to the students • Students listen for phrases that they love –
powerful phrases – phrases they want to remember
• By birthdays, students stand and say their ‘found poem’
• Mix the order to hear different variations of the poem
• Students write their own ‘found poem’
Clustering from Text • Read a passage to the students • Students cluster phrases/words that strike
them during the reading • Each student adds a word/phrase to a class
cluster, indicating where on the cluster it should be placed - ‘because’
• Reorder/reconnect the phrases to deepen understanding, develop vocabulary
• Students write in response to the passage
Canada was freedom long ago. That was something that Julily and many other slaves in the USA did not have. Masa Ross from Canada came to the Riley PlantaGon to free some of the slaves. The ones that went were Julily, Liza, Adam and Lester. Lester was the leader of the group and when they went for meeGngs at night he would weave between the trees so that the bloodhounds would have a harder Gme to find the slaves. The group knew to go when they heard the call of a whiporwill 3 Gmes The call was sort of like a password for the secaret meaGngs. The blood hounds were scary for the runaways because as soon as Masa Riley found out that his slaves were gone he would send the dogs to find them. When the group of slaves leP for freedom the girls had their hair cut and wore boys clothes so that if people saw them they would not think they were the runaways. Julilly and Liza were real friends and promised that no maQer what they would always sGck together. Liza thought that ‘this Gme she had the lord on her side’. – by Chloe
When M. Simes whipes it’s scary. The bloodhounds are waiGng for something to track. Liza and Julily will allway sGck together. Julily got taken away from M. Sally. Liza thinks the Lord is on her side. Liza, Julily and Lester are running away from the bloodhounds. They have to go threw twists and turns in the forest fast so they could get to Canada. They also need to follow the North Star. Julily, Liza and Lester are Gred because they have been running a lot. M. Ross is helping Lester, Julily and Liza to get to Canada and to be free. Lester is leading Julily and Liza to Canada nad he is really proud. There is lot of pressure on Julily and Liza.
By David
Escaping Running Faster and faster Bloodhounds fierce and fearful They’re tracking me down.
Huge, dark and gloomy forest Wind howling like a wolf Faster and faster The bloodhounds are coming
And I’m running….
By David
Squiggles
• Draw a line on the board • Encourage students to transform this into a
picture, talking as they do so • Have several students demonstrate • Students draw the same squiggle in their
writers’ notebook and write in response to the squiggle
• Ideas are meant to be shared!
• As the sun dropped behind the mountains, they turned their steps toward home. Their day of peace and tranquility glowed in their hearts.
• Samantha, grade 7
Online literacy videos
• www.sd72.bc.ca Literacy Videos • Clustering from Text
• Squiggles • It’s All in the Bag
References
• Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses – Brownlie (2005). Portage and Main Press.
• Student Diversity, 2nd ed (2006) – Brownlie and Schnellert. Pembroke Publishers
• It’s All about Thinking – Humanities, Social Studies and English (2009) – Brownlie and Schnellert. Portage and Main Press.