writing instruction for sife-6+1 - bridges to academic...

24
Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 1 Writing Instruction for SIFE: 6+1 Traits in all Classes 1 http://www.bayshorecommunityacademy.net/uploads/1/9/0/2/19023377/1670818_orig.jpg All Bridges teachers share the responsibility of teaching language and literacy through content. Bridges uses 6+1 Traits as the approach to writing, regardless of the content area or type of writing. The traits apply to all types of writing, whether students write stories in ELA, informational paragraphs in Science, or claim-evidence paragraphs in Social Studies. All of the Common Core Standards for Writing are embedded in the 6+1 traits, as well as some of the language standards (see chart on page 3). The types of writing that students will do in Bridges classes over the year include the following:(the corresponding CCS are in parentheses): Opinion (W.1) Claim-Evidence (W.1) Information (W.2) o Description/ Elaboration o Compare/ Contrast o Cause/ Effect Narrative (W.3) Response to Literature (W.11) Summary 1 Several activity ideas are taken from Culham & Coutu, 2009 . Information has been synthesized from sources on traits for K2 and grades 35, and lesson ideas have been adapted as needed for Bridges students. I have added other activities as well for each trait. There are also several lesson ideas for each trait on the link for Overview: 6+1 Traits (http://educationnorthwest.org//resource/503 ).

Upload: duongque

Post on 13-May-2018

219 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

TRANSCRIPT

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 1

Writing Instruction for SIFE: 6+1 Traits in all Classes1

http://www.bayshorecommunityacademy.net/uploads/1/9/0/2/19023377/1670818_orig.jpg

All Bridges teachers share the responsibility of teaching language and literacy through content. Bridges uses 6+1 Traits as the approach to writing, regardless of the content area or type of writing. The traits apply to all types of writing, whether students write stories in ELA, informational paragraphs in Science, or claim-evidence paragraphs in Social Studies. All of the Common Core Standards for Writing are embedded in the 6+1 traits, as well as some of the language standards (see chart on page 3). The types of writing that students will do in Bridges classes over the year include the following:(the corresponding CCS are in parentheses): • Opinion (W.1)

• Claim-Evidence (W.1)

• Information (W.2)

o Description/ Elaboration

o Compare/ Contrast

o Cause/ Effect

• Narrative (W.3)

• Response to Literature (W.11)

• Summary

1  Several  activity  ideas  are  taken  from  Culham  &  Coutu,  2009.  Information  has  been  synthesized  from  sources  on  traits  for  K-­‐2  and  grades  3-­‐5,  and  lesson  ideas  have  been  adapted  as  needed  for  Bridges  students.    I  have  added  other  activities  as  well  for  each  trait.    There  are  also  several  lesson  ideas  for  each  trait  on  the  link  for  Overview:  6+1  Traits  (http://educationnorthwest.org//resource/503  ).  

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 2

The 6+1 traits give Bridges teachers a common language with which to talk about writing on the team, with each other and with students. Although the traits are deigned for writing, the more students speak using the traits in Bridges, the more they will be able to write using the traits. In addition, the more students are asked to attend to the traits when listening and reading, the more they will be able to write using the traits. Students are more likely to be invested in writing when they write about topics that interest them. Writing in Bridges carries both cognitive demands and English language demands. Ideally, students are writing in a language that they know. This will mean language that is familiar from the content, or sometimes the home language. Beginner ELLs need to begin working on the writing traits, even if they cannot yet write in English. An additional resource on writing in two languages will be uploaded separately. The Bridges goal is for students to write little bits each day in all classes, first at the word and sentence level and then eventually at the paragraph level. The traits take years to develop, but with some targeted instruction, practice and feedback across classes, we can better understand how much we can accelerate students’ writing in the Bridges year. Although good writing integrates all of the traits in all assignments, the Bridges approach is to layer the traits over the year. The chart on the page 3 shows the recommended progression of traits across classes over the year.2 Begin assessing each trait as soon as it is taught, using the Writing Rubric. With each new unit, continue to reinforce and assess the traits from before, while introducing the new ones. By Unit 4, students will have learned and practiced all traits and should be assessed on all. Each trait is described in more detail on the pages following the chart. The pages for each trait include: • The title of the trait

• Questions for the writer

• A brief description of the trait

• The Writing Rubric band (from the Interdisciplinary Writing Rubric) that corresponds

to that trait. The code in the lower left of the band shows the alignment to the CCSS standards. (See the Curriculum Introduction, Section 3 for more details on the CCSS.)

• A menu of activities to teach and practice this trait

2  The  introduction  of  traits  in  this  order  is  in  a    pilot  phase.    The  order  may  be  revised  in  future  drafts.    

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 3

6+1 Traits of Writing

Unit to Introduce

Trait Alignment to CCSS

Symbol to represent this trait for students

IDEAS

W.1,2,3 or 11 a. b.

SENTENCE FLUENCY3

L.1, 2, 3

____________.

Unit 1

CONVENTIONS L. 2

. ? B b ORGANIZATION

W.1,2,3 or 11 a.b.c.d.

WORD CHOICE

L.3, 4, 5, 6

beautiful

Unit 2

PRESENTATION4 NA

Unit 3 VOICE W.1,2,3

d.

Unit 4 Integrate all

3  See  the  Bridges  definition  of  Sentence  Fluency  in  that  section.      4  “Presentation”  refers  to  the  use  of  writing  on  the  page,  not  oral  presentation.    This  is  called  ‘Handwriting  &  Formatting’  in  Bridges.    

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 4

Begin Unit 1

IDEAS The meaning, development and clarity of the message.

Questions for the writer:

• Does my writing show that I understand my topic?

• Does my writing make sense?

• Is my writing interesting?

Outcome5 1 3 5 W1 Ideas

W.1,2, or 3 or 11 a. b.

Writes phrases and simple sentences about a topic. May not be clear.

Several ideas support the topic. Ideas are clear but there are few details.

More than three key ideas developed with details. Ideas are clear.

Development in the IDEAS trait does not need to wait until students learn English. Students will have ideas about different topics across classes, which can be expressed in any language. In early writing, students should be encouraged to brainstorm and develop ideas in the home language. Students need to choose topics that interest them and develop the main message with relevant details.

5  Outcomes  and  criteria  are  adapted  from  the  Bridges  Writing  Rubric  developed  by  Nancy  Cloud  and  Suzanna  McNamara.    The  rubric  uses  6+1  traits  for  writing,  which  overlaps  with  CCS  for  Writing.    

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 5

Activities for the IDEAS trait: Find a Topic: Students are more motivated to write if they have some choice of topic.

• Give a choice of ‘roles’ related to the content topic (polar bear, Tuareg trader,

etc.).

• Brainstorm a list of ‘favorites’ in ELA (places, foods, songs) and choose one to

develop.

Add Details: Develop the topic with interesting and relevant details.

• Label a picture with as many words as possible to support writing a paragraph.

• Draw a picture and label, then write a caption or paragraph to describe it.

• Using a sort activity, match details to their topics.

• Using a sort activity, find the detail that does not match the topic.

• Brainstorm words related to a topic or experience using a semantic map.

• Project an interesting photograph or piece of art. Students list as many details as

they can. Ask: “what is happening?” After writing this main idea, students support it

with details using words from the labels.

• Each group gets a picture related to a topic from class, but they do not show the

picture to the rest of the class. Each group lists as many details as they can about

the picture and writes sentences. Each group reads a paragraph and the rest of the

class must identity the correct picture.

• Sit somewhere and observe. Draw and write everything you can about it.

• Play the game ‘I’m making dinner and I need…’ Students repeat this sentence,

using all the letters of the alphabet. Students then choose a food and write three

details about it.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 6

Begin Unit 1

SENTENCE FLUENCY6

The way sentences are constructed, their variety and grammatical accuracy.

Questions for the writer:

• Can I read my writing aloud?

• Do my words and phrases go together?

• Have I used different kinds of sentences?

• Have I used standard grammar?

Outcome 1 3 5 W3 Sentences

_______. L.1, 2, 3

Ideas are mostly in fragments or run-ons or all simple sentences.

Complete and clear sentences, very few fragments/ run-ons. Writes compound sentences.

Variety of sentence lengths and types. Writes complex sentences.

W5 Grammar L.1, 2, 3

Limited ability to use taught forms. May not use signal words.7

Some ability to use taught forms. Signal words used correctly.

Consistent ability to use taught forms. Range of signal words used correctly.

In Bridges sentence instruction focuses on listening, speaking, reading and writing clear sentences that communicate ideas, using accurate grammar. Students will move from words and phrases, to simple sentences, to compound and possibly to complex sentences by the end of the year. They will expand their language knowledge as they learn the vocabulary and syntax of each content class. While sentence frames will support oral and written sentences, students will also write sentences without frames, as they become creative producers of different types of sentences.

6  The  6  +  1  Traits  definition  of  sentence  fluency  is  more  about  rhythm  and  pacing  of  the  piece,  i.e.,  how  the  words  and  phrases  flow  in  the  piece,  whereas  the  Bridges  definition  of  sentence  fluency  highlights  aspects  unique  to  ELL  writers’  development  in  sentence  variety  and  complexity.  This  is  more  in  line  with  WIDA’s  concept  of  language  complexity  and  language  control.  6+1  puts  grammar  in  Conventions,  but  for  Bridges,  grammar  is  in  the  Sentence  trait.      7  Signal  words/  transitions  will  be  moved  to  ‘organization’  in  the  next  draft,  to  be  consistent  with  the  Bridges  writing  rubric  used  for  pre-­‐  and  post-­‐assessments  of  student  writing.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 7

Activities for the SENTENCE trait: Sentence Scramble: Students reconstruct sentences that follow a pattern.

• Students receive an envelope of cut-up words that they must combine to make

sentences that follow a grammatical pattern, you are teaching. Ask students to

identify the pattern. Students copy these sentences in writing and generate new

sentences that follow the same pattern.

Selina wants to read.

Anansi wants to eat.

Rabbit wants to win.

wants to

Short or long: Build students’ awareness of sentence length through listening.

• Prepare a paragraph with familiar language to read aloud to the class. Give each

student a slinky or strip of paper than has been cut and folded into an

‘accordion.’ Read aloud and stop after each sentence. Students adjust their

accordion in the air to show how sentences move from short to long and back

across a paragraph.

Fragment, Sentence, Run-On: Distinguish between these three.

• First model and teach these three types, using the annotation symbols on page 9.

Read several sentences aloud as students follow in print. Students annotate using

symbols and sort sentences into three groups: run-ons, sentences and fragments.

Students must justify their responses as they share. Partners work on another sheet of

paper to make the fragments into sentences and the run-ons into two or more

sentences.

Expanding Sentences: Add one element of complexity (from beginning to advanced).

There are four different ways below to develop sentence expansion skills:

• Build a Series: Begin with a simple sentence, adding one item at a time to make

a series. Include commas and the word ‘and.’

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 8

I love mangoes.

I love mangoes and papayas.

I love mangoes, papayas and bananas.

• Add a Descriptor: Begin with the sentence scramble activity using sentences

with familiar language. Hand out an additional set of cards with descriptive

words to place before the nouns. Students create space in their reconstructed

sentences to insert the adjective. Draw attention to the placement of the

adjective before the noun.

Polar bears have thick fur to survive in the tundra.

Selina is a strong woman.

• Combine into Compound: Partners receive a set of sentences. In each set, two

sentences can be combined to make a logical compound sentence. Students

match and join using conjunctions (we also call these ‘signal words’ because

they signal a relationship between the ideas): and, or, but, yet, so. Students first

sort to combine them in writing, to show how conventions change the

sentence’s meaning.

I speak Spanish and Maria speaks Spanish.

I am from Mexico but Maria is from Ecuador.

• Combine to make Complex:

Because I woke up late, I missed the bus.

I missed the bus because I woke up late.

Although I am tired, I cannot fall asleep.

I cannot fall asleep, although I am tired.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 9

Annotate Sentences: Mark sentences with symbols to build awareness of parts of

speech.

Begin with sorts that teach parts of speech. Include a 3-way sort where students classify different nouns as people, places, or things. Then move on to sorting nouns and verbs, then nouns, verbs and adjectives. Once students know the parts of speech, give students familiar sentences to annotate parts of speech. This gives students a common language to better understand syntax. Model and practice as a class how to annotate using the symbols below. Then move on to annotating in groups and with partners.

verbs

adjectives

signal words

nouns

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 10

Begin Unit 1

CONVENTIONS The mechanical correctness of the writing.

Questions for the writer:

• Do I use capital letters correctly?

• Do I use periods and question marks correctly?

• Do I spell words correctly?

Outcome 1 3 5 W6 Conventions

. ? Bb L. 2

No capital letter at the beginning of sentences or for names. No periods at the end of sentences.

Uses capital letters at beginning of sentences and for names of people. Periods at end of sentences, question mark if needed.

Uses capital letters at beginning of sentences and for names, days, months and countries. Period at the end and comma if compound/ complex sentence.

W7 Spelling L.2

High frequency words are not spelled correctly.

Some errors in spelling but they do not interfere with meaning.

Few to no errors in spelling, except with words not taught.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 11

Activities for the CONVENTIONS trait: Find the capitals:

• Project sentences without capitals. Think aloud as you capitalize words, showing

one rule at a time, e.g., “Ok, Suzanna is a name so I need a capital S.”

After several examples, ask students to tell you the rule, e.g., capitalize the first

letter of a person’s name. Students then practice each rule with partners, using

written sentences that have no capitals.

• Each time students learn a new rule, and they have practiced that rule in

isolation, hand out a paragraph using familiar language. Students apply all the

rules they know so far. When you review as a class, students must explain what

they capitalized and why.

Note: Sentences in isolation are good for students to practice individual rules.

However, students must also apply these rules to sentences in paragraphs.

Listen for the Period: Students identify periods from a read-aloud.

• Teacher reads aloud a paragraph that students have in front of them. Student

copy has no periods. The first time the teacher reads straight through, he or she

does not stop because there are no periods. Teacher asks what the problem is,

and explains that sentences need periods to tell the reader to ‘stop and breathe.’

Students follow the text as the teacher reads, and raise hands when they hear

where the teacher pauses. Everyone writes the period.

• Students then practice reading text to each other, stopping to breathe at periods.

Decide the end punctuation: Read sentences aloud to determine punctuation.

• Once students have learned how to end sentences with periods, teach the

question mark and then the exclamation point. Emphasize the change in voice

when we ask a question (rising at end) and when we exclaim something.

Contrast this with the voice when we make a statement.

• Students listen to a series of sentences you read aloud, and they follow. Students

identify the ending punctuation and explain why. They write the punctuation and

then practice reading the sentences in partners, emphasizing their voice to match

the punctuation.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 12

Spell words that matter: Use references to spell.

• Build references for students to use as they spell when they write. These include

notebook lists and word walls. When students misspell words they have learned, do

not correct the error. Simply circle the word, which signals to the student that they

must use a reference to find the correct spelling (word list in notebook, word wall,

dictionary, etc.).

• Lists (in notebooks and on walls) to support spelling include:

Type Examples

High frequency sight words the, because, girl

Word families man, can, pan, ran

Confusing words (similar pronunciation) little/ letter, hot/ hat

Homophones (same pronunciation) meat/ meet,

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 13

Add in Unit 2

ORGANIZATION The internal structure of the piece.

Questions for the writer:

• Do I start off strong?

• Is everything in the right order?

• Are similar thoughts grouped together?

• Is there a strong ending?

Outcome 1 3 5 W2 Organization

W.1,2 or 3 or 11 a.b.c.d.

Related ideas but no sense of beginning, middle or end.

Clear beginning and middle but no clear end; end is abrupt.

Topic sentence begins the paragraph, details support the middle and the conclusion ends.

Organization is like the skeleton of the writing. All ideas are developed around this frame. There is a clear purpose, events proceed logically and the big picture is always clear to the reader. Different types of writing have different ways of organizing, so students will always need to read models. This way, the student can recognize the organizational structure before he or she has to produce it. Students best learn how to organize through means other than writing, like sorting.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 14

Activities for the ORGANIZATION trait: Sorting to Build Concept of Organization: Sort to internalize categorizing skills.

• Have students sort objects into categories. (In a closed sort you provide the

categories. In an open sort, they group similar words and then name the

category.) Groups justify why they grouped things together. Show different ways to

organize. Do the same with words, then sentences. Explain that writers group similar

ideas together to make ideas clear; how they organize depends on what they

write.

• After students read a paragraph, give partners the text now on sentence strips.

They must work together to reorganize into a logical structure.

Beginning, middle and end: Students sort pictures and sentences into a sequence.

• Find three pictures that show a sequence. Students sort into beginning, middle and

end. Groups explain how they knew.

• Show three sentences that show a sequence. Sort and explain.

• Give paragraphs that have a beginning, middle or ending sentence missing.

Groups or partners write the missing sentence.

Start with a bold beginning: Help students see strong introductions.

• Show examples of paragraphs with strong beginning sentences. Develop criteria for

strong beginning (clear, interesting, helps reader visualize).

• Give two paragraphs with a beginning sentence missing. Give a choice of two

sentences for groups/ partners to choose from. Students explain their choice.

Develop the ‘meat’ in the middle: Create and order details in the middle of the writing.

• ‘Your Turn’: Begin by telling a story. Stop, and say “Your turn” to the class. Partners

must think about the next sentence by talking. Point to a pair, and they share

orally. Write their sentence, and continue with a few more ‘middle’ sentences.

• Give partners a sheet of paper that has a beginning sentence and an end

sentence. Provide strips of paper with three middle sentences; pairs sort them into a

logical order. The paragraph must be about a familiar topic. Partners explain their

order.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 15

Finish with an excellent ending: Begin wrap-up in basic ways.

• Knot Metaphor: Bring in two strings with beads. One string has a knot at the end.

Explain that the beads are your ideas as a writer, and that the knot at the bottom

holds the ideas together. Show the string with no knot, and that the beads fall off

without a knot. Writers need a strong knot at the end to tie their ideas together.

• Show students a list of weak endings e.g., The end, I hope you like my story, Thank

you for reading. Explain what makes them weak, and keep these in the room on a

chart to remind students NOT to use these as endings.

• Show strong endings to familiar paragraphs and discuss the criteria for a string

ending (wraps up in clear way, tells the reader why this is important, leaves the

reader thinking, etc.).

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 16

Add in Unit 2

WORD CHOICE The specific vocabulary used to convey meaning.

Questions for the writer:

• Do these words sound and feel right?

• Have I used a range of words?

• Do I use academic words?

• Have I painted a picture with words?

Outcome 1 3 5 W4 Vocabulary

beautiful L.3, 4, 5, 6

Limited vocabulary. Uses common or highly practiced words.

Some variety with words with little repetition.

Range of academic words. Precise words to show meaning.

Finding ‘just right’ words is key to good writing. ELLs need to use familiar words accurately and to take risks with new words. They need to integrate everyday and academic words to communicate their ideas. To make their writing precise and varied, students need to learn different words to express the same idea and to learn nuanced meanings or words. ELLs need to be exposed to academic words as they write about content topics. Teachers must not only teach words directly, but also create a culture of word consciousness and excitement about learning new words. Teachers model this when they share their favorite words, learn words in students’ languages, celebrate students’ learning and trying out new words, and encourage them to share new words with others. The more attention that is drawn to words during listening and reading, the more students will be curious about and attend to new words.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 17

Activities for the WORD CHOICE trait: Word detective: Students select personal words to learn and share with class.

• Students will learn many words through whole class instruction. But part of building

word consciousness is teaching students to pay attention to new words they

encounter on TV, on the bus or in texts they are reading. Students will add new

words to their personal dictionary each week, and share the words and their

meanings with others. Ideally, each room has a space on the wall where students

can add new words they are learning on index cards. Cards can be illustrated and

in marker so the class can use these as a reference.

Everyday and Academic Match: Students learn to express content terms both ways.

• Provide students with pairs of everyday/ academic words to match. Use the title

cards ‘everyday’ and ‘academic’ so that students can associate new words they

learn with these categories. Think of academic words you want students to

incorporate into their speaking and writing, and find an ‘everyday’ match. Partners

work together to match the words and to use each academic word in a sentence.

Words in Social Studies might include: carry/ transport, way/ route, place/ location

Words in Science might include: change/ adapt, live/ survive, part/ structure

Active verbs: Students use precise verbs to be specific in their speaking and writing.

• Keep lists of verbs students learn through content. Encourage students to use verbs

to discuss and write about content. Verbs play a powerful role in communicating

actions of characters in ELA, actions of people in the world today and in history in

Social Studies and the actions of animals and humans in Science.

Show Don’t Tell: Students learn to ‘show’ instead of ‘tell’ using sensory language.

• Model for students how to use descriptive words that appeal to the senses.

Students learn adjectives to describe how things look, smell, taste, sound and feel.

Have students do this by closing their eyes and thinking about a place they love,

describing it using the five senses.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 18

Rice Cake and Salsa Words: Create a list of overused boring words and ‘spicy’ ones.

• Make a chart with students with ‘rice cake’ words on the left, which are overused,

imprecise words (nice, good, bad). Add ‘salsa’ words to the right to express the

same idea in a more interesting, precise way (gentle, excellent, foul). Make the

‘rice cake’ list ‘off limits’ when students are beyond the earliest stages of learning.

Encourage students to add new and precise words to the salsa list.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 19

Add in Unit 2

PRESENTATION (Handwriting & Formatting) The overall appearance of the work.

Questions for the writer:

• Is my handwriting neat?

• Is my spacing appropriate?

• Do I use the page appropriately?

Outcome 1 3 5 W8 Handwriting and formatting8

Spacing and handwriting are irregular and/or hard to decipher.

Spacing is consistent and handwriting is easy to interpret. Paragraphs are indented or block formatted.

Spacing and handwriting are conventional and consistent. Paragraphs are indented.

Presentation is an important trait for SIFE. Its focus is the overall look of the writing on the page. Teaching presentation means teaching to keep the holes of the paper on the left, to move from left to right, to leave margins, to include a heading on top, to center a title, to leave space between a title and paragraph, to use correct letter formation, to write letters and words that have consistent slant, to leave appropriate spaces between letters and words, to indent paragraphs and to balance visuals with text on a page. While most students learn the presentation trait early in elementary school, the presentation features will be new to many SIFE.

8 Not addressed in CCSS.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 20

Activities for the PRESENTATION Trait: Handwriting: Form letters and words correctly.

• Some students will need explicit instruction and regular practice in handwriting

and others will not. Only work on handwriting with students who need it. We have

found that it is easier to improve handwriting skills for students who are new to

writing altogether, than for students who have poor handwriting but have been

writing for several years.

• Custom handwriting worksheets can be easily created and downloaded using:

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com

Capital and lower case letters: Know how to form and when to use both.

• Begin with an activity where students match the lower case letter to its capital

‘partner.’

Then ask students to identify letters in a sequence as lower case or capital.

When students have mastered this, teach the rules of when to capitalize (see

conventions). Teach students to write using lower case for most of their letters, and

the capitals will be the exception.

Spacing: Leave appropriate spaces between letters in words and words in sentences.

• Appropriate spacing happens with a lot of writing practice using familiar words

and sentences. Scaffold spacing tasks by providing:

o One blank for each letter in a word: ____ ____ ____ ____

o One space for each word in a sentence: ____ _______________ _____________

Formatting: Use margins, indent and connect sentences.

• Beginning writers can be supported by first writing each sentence in a block, then

connecting it into a paragraph.

My name is Maria.

I am from Ecuador.

My name is Maria. I am from

Ecuador. I speak Spanish. I live in

New York. I am a student.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 21

Add in Unit 3 VOICE

The way the writer brings the topic to life.

Questions for the writer:

• Can you hear me in the writing?

• Can you tell I care about this idea?

• Have I added some sparkle?

*A rubric band for voice has not yet been developed, but it will be developed in the next draft. Voice is the personal tone, flavor or feeling of the piece. It is the emotional connection and engagement of the writer with the topic. Through the voice trait, we can see and feel the individual writer in the piece. While many people associate voice with narrative writing, good writing of all types has voice. Voice is the last trait introduced in Bridges because it is less concrete than the others and because students have more language by Unit 3 to communicate their unique selves through the written word. Understanding voice requires readers to identify voice when they read, and to find and use their own voice as they write. Students develop their voice as they move from formulaic language to original language with ‘sparkle.’

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 22

Activities for the VOICE Trait: Finding Voice in Songs: Listen to songs to hear the artist’s voice.

• Find a few different versions of the same song (Waters of March, Hey Jude, etc.) or

different songs on the same topic. Explain where the song comes from and the

topic of the song. Students listen to and write the words that describe how the song

makes them feel. Share and identify this as the voice of the singer. This is more than

just the concrete ‘voice’ but also the inner feelings and connection of the singer to

the topic expressed through the words and the music.

Finding Voice in Art: Use images to show students artistic voice.

• Find a few pieces of art that deal with the same topic, but in very different styles.

Have students compare how the artists show the topic and what in the picture

communicates the voice of the artist (color, symbols, etc.). Explain this as voice,

and that ‘voice’ can come through pictures and not only words.

Show voice using Emoticons: Analyze email or text messages for clues about voice.

• Project text messages or emails that use emoticons (e.g.,, ). Ask students what

the voice of the message is and how they know.

Discovering new voices: Matching new ‘emotions’ words to pictures.

• By Unit 3, expand students emotions vocabulary by acting out and naming new

emotions. These may be nuanced versions of ones they know (happy> ecstatic,

joyous; angry> furious) or new emotions (frustrated, stressed). Students match

pictures to words. Then give a set of sentences that describes a scenario, e.g., I

have to take a test next period; My mother took my IPod. Partners read sentences

in different voices of the emotion words/ pictures.

Opposites Attract: Read lines using opposite voices.

• Prepare word cards that have a pair of opposite emotions: happy/ sad, calm/

tense, silly/ serious. Prepare a set of statements (‘I am going to my Grandma’s

tomorrow;’ My dad comes home early tonight.’) One partner has the emotions

card and a sentence. The partner reads the sentence twice, in the voice of each

emotion. The other partner must identify the emotions.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 23

Sharing your voice: Write a letter to someone you know, using voice.

• Share models of two letters you wrote to someone that communicate the message

in very different voices. Ask students to describe the voice of the piece (using

emotion words) and point to how they know. Then have students write a short letter

to someone to communicate a message. Other students listen and identify the

voice.

Identify Voice in Text: Use pictures books to determine the voice of the author.

• Students analyze color, pictures and word choice to describe the voice of the text.

Teacher Toolbox Bridges to Academic Success Draft, Fall 2013 24

Bibliography

Culham, R., & Coutu, R. (2009). Getting started with the traits: K-2: writing lessons, activities, scoring guides, and more for successfully launching trait-based instruction in your classroom. New York, NY: Scholastic Teaching Resources.