JI+Projects+2011-2012

J/I Projects Responding to a text on writing

**Integrating Write-to-Learn into the Sciences**
CURTIS A. K. WANG

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This presentation showcases an emerging trend in science education whereby efforts to integrate curriculum material across disciplines focus more on modality and less on scientific content. Namely, science departments are becoming more open to the notion of collaboration with English teachers to develop informed pedagogy in expressive writing, formerly deemed too removed or irrelevant to be valuable in a science course. Students are increasingly taught to question the validity of their scientific observations or interpretations in, rather than to explain cause-and-effect of isolated phenomena. While the mechanisms involved in promoting deep understanding through expressive writing are still unclear (i.e. what are the criteria that constitutes an effective literary context, and what are the targets for improved cognitive performance), evidence supports that classroom writing practice boosts students’ logical argumentation not just in science, but across the curriculum.


 * 1. Bangert-Drowns et. al (2004). The effects of school-based writing-to-learn interventions on academic achivement (A Meta-Analysis). //Review of Educational Research//, (74)1, 29-58 **

This meta analysis evaluates 48 writing-to-learn programs in various contexts (not just in science) from the 1960s to the present day. The notion of integrated writing has existed for a long time, but proposed mechanisms (and thus its usage in the classroom) have been under dispute. They have now shifted from perspectives that prioritize high intensity and frequency to ones that support increased metacognition.


 * 2. Mitchell, D. (1996). Writing-to-learn across the curriculum and the English teacher. //The English Journal//, (85)5, 93-97 **
 * 3. Yore, L. D. (2000). Enhancing science literacy for all students with embedded reading instruction and writing-to-learn activities. //Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education//, (5)1, 105-122 **

Mitchell and Yore both provide a comprehensive list of effective writing activities that encourage students to question, analyze, and evaluate content. The organization of Mitchell’s argument suggests that the modality of assessment (i.e. expressive writing) should be primary, and curriculum content is simply a medium. The assessment isn’t content; the assessment is writing //about// a given content. Yore’s examples focus on STSE (science, technology, society and environment) contexts.


 * 4. Rowell, P. M. (1997). Learning in school science: the promises and practices of writing. //Studies in Science Education//, (30)1, 19-56 **

Rowell argues that there is a (previously underappreciated) intrinsic relationship between science and language, and it is more pervasive than students (and even teachers) typically care to think about. Thus, it “warrants a prominent position in our attempts to understand the interactions of the classroom.” These “interactions” focus on the intent of the teacher and their assessment, and point toward a social-constructivist model of learning whereby students aren’t explicitly taught material, but are primed to facilitate their own learning. Teachers should monitor their own assessment tools and ensure quality in features ranging from the types of questions asked to the mode of delivery.

Calkins, Lucy (1986) //The Art Of Teaching Writing.// The book //The Art of Teaching Writing//, by Lucky Mccormick Calkins discusses many aspects of teaching writing. For this assignment, I have decided to focus on student-teacher conferencing and the writing workshop.

In her book, Calkins explains how teachers must give the power back to the students so they can regain control over their writing. Otherwise, they will continue to seek out teacher’s “right answers” regarding writing choices. Lucy Calkins explains that there are three types of writing conferences that will help students in the writing process. The conferences include the subject conference, the design conference, and the process and evaluation conference. During these conferences, the teacher and student will sit together and discuss writing choices. These conferences will enable the teacher, as well as the student, to focus on the process of writing rather than the final product. Combining the aforementioned conferences, along with writing mini-lessons that consist of a mixture high-teacher and high-student input, students will learn how to take control of their writing and make wise choices.

My Prezi Presentation


 * 1) Lane, Barry (2008). //But How Do You Teach Writing? – A Simple Guide for All Teachers.// New York, N.Y: Scholastic.

There is a problem in our public school system (among others), with an emphasis on assessed results rather than whether the learner is actually learning. Publicly funded writing programs, which emphasize profit, make preplanned scripted lessons, which can deemphasize the creativity that teachers need to express in their lesson planning. Teaching writing has become less of an Art form rather than a Science. While test scores may have been on the rise in low performing schools adopting these programs, students’ attitudes towards writing take a nosedive. “When kids groan at writing time, it’s usually the sign that they don’t have enough opportunities to choose what they want to write about. They don’t see writing time as their time to explore. It is lesson-driven, teacher-driven, and assessment-driven. Escaping this paradigm is the first order of business”. Barry Lane, in his book “But How Do You Teach Writing?” offers an alternative writing program, based on years of experience as a teacher and student, a wealth of progressive pedagogy, and classroom-proven lessons, meant to put the expression and thinking back into student’s writing and writing process. He explains reasons for starting a writing workshop with your class, and how to do so. He also provides the glue to hold the workshop together until it takes a life of it’s own. The book is divided into three sections: “Out of the Gate” outlines ideas to help get a writer’s workshop up and running, “More Reasons to Write” shows how to teach across different genres, and “Refining Writing” shows what you will need to know about revision, grammar, and assessment. Each chapter is divided into two sections, which include “Try This”, practical mini-lesson ideas, and “Yeah But…” where frequently asked questions from teachers are answered and clarified. “Lane’s Top 21 Forms”, which are reproducible, are also found at the back of the book to help organize a writer’s workshop.

Here is the PowerPoint presentation I put together:

Enjoy!

By: Lucas Kuzma

Wheatley, J. P. (2005). //Strategic Spelling: Moving Beyond Word Memorization in the Middle Grades.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association. In Strategic Spelling (2005), Jonathan Wheatley discusses spelling instruction in the classroom. He explains what works, what doesn’t work, and why. He talks about his own experiences and what the research shows about spelling instruction. Students will not naturally become great spellers by reading and writing a lot, nor will they become great spellers through explicit spelling instruction and spelling tests. Spelling instruction needs to be a balance between explicit instruction and authentic reading and writing. Students need to be able to use strategies and recognize spelling patterns in order to be great spellers. Wheatley provides a compilation of games and activities that he believes reaches this balance if used appropriately. They stress five main spelling strategies (rhyme, syllables, word-in-word, spelling-meaning connection, different spellings) and five main spelling patterns (phonetic, vowel, consonant, syllabication, affix) which, as the research shows, are typically used by good spellers. His research based methodology stems from four main principles: 1) instruction should be fun and engaging; 2) instruction should increase student discussion, analysis and thought; 3) instruction should be explicit and allow practice time with various spelling strategies; and 4) instruction should increase student awareness and use of important language patterns. It’s easy to see these influences in the games and activities provided in the resource. Games, naturally, are engaging and will pique student interest along with fostering a motivation to succeed. Many of the activities promote open discussion and collaboration as opposed to independently memorizing a list of words. The resource is very helpful and allows teachers to implement spelling instruction in very engaging ways. The games and activities provided toward the back of the resource are very well written. They include all the information one would need: overview, materials, advanced preparation, time required, lesson objective, step-by-step procedure, teaching tips, scoring tips, special needs considerations, ELL considerations and extensions. All worksheets, diagrams, organizers and other such materials are ready made and provided at the very end of the resource. Assessment is also discussed. Wheatley urges for less assessment //of// learning, and more assessment //for// and //as// learning. He describes ways to scaffold students into self-assessing and self-editing their work for spelling errors.

Here is a link to the Google Presentation I made: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uU1oiId1xEdVvOSzABNhj6Ha_atbmstwsZKGre7tguU/edit By the way, Google Presentation is an awesome tool! Look into it. Joseph Alamshah

Differentiated Instructional Strategies for Writing in the Content Areas Chapman, C., & King, R. (2003). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

**Synopsis:** All teachers are writing teachers. Every writer is unique. All teachers need to understand how to differentiate writing assignments in the content areas. Writing is nurtured by recognising and celebrating the uniqueness of every student in a supportive community, so that students’ self-satisfaction, enjoyment, and empowerment are increases as their writing skills improves. The book provides an overview of the writing process, different profiles of writers, assessment strategies to diagnose writers, and varied strategies to creatively integrate writing assignments in content areas and adapt the processes or outcomes to the learner’s needs.

Zack Matorin

Fletcher, R. (1993). //What A Writer Needs.// Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (//An amazing writing resource to check out!)//

**Book Synopsis: “What a Writer Needs”**

Ralph Fletcher’s “What a Writer Needs” delivers on its title and shares interesting and powerful insights with readers on what makes a writing teacher truly successful, both in spirit and in strategy. Fletcher, who personally narrates the book, approaches the topic not only as a veteran writing teacher and writing researcher, but also as a writer himself. While teachers have faced no shortage of books on writing workshops and writing processes in recent years, Fletcher’s work goes beyond and gives readers (teachers) insights on how to help students improve their writing and writing habits or practices, and how to help students further extend and challenge themselves as writers. In part one of his book, he outlines his journey to becoming a writer and writing teacher and he gives an overview of what a writer truly needs through the chapters “Mentors”, “Freezing to the Face” and “A Love of Words”. In part two, Fletcher gives in depth insights on specific aspects of writing or writing conventions that he feels students should receive mentorship on such as character, voice, beginnings, endings and tension. Fletcher’s core beliefs about writing ring clearly throughout the book as he weaves powerful exemplars from young writers with his own stories. “You don’t learn to write by going through a series of preset writing exercises. You learn to write by grappling with a real subject that truly matters to you.” (Fletcher, pg 4) And Fletcher certainly does not take his readers through preset writing exercises in his book. Going beyond, he subtly and explicitly encourages and invites readers to become mentors to young writers, by focusing on the real situations and circumstances of students’ lives and fostering a love of writing in all classrooms before tackling the conventions and specifics that all too often become the focus of writing instruction. Throughout his book, Fletcher frames his journey as a writer genuinely and authentically, in a way that encourages readers to reflect on their own journeys as writers or writing teachers, as well as that of their students. While “What a Writer Needs” is over flowing with useful anecdotes, examples, tips and strategies, I believe its greatest strength is the overall message it imparts on readers. His inspirational (though subtle) message encourages readers to develop a personal love of writing before trying to influence students professionally.

In addition to his books, Ralph Fletcher has published //Dude Listen to This!// - a DVD that I consulted for this project and used as my digital technology in my presentation. I found it in the OISE library and learned a great deal from seeing clips from a boys writing club that Fletcher studied and found a positive writing environment. Check it out! To see a clip of it, click on the link below: []

Heather Farragher

//** Write Beside Them **** : Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing **//
 * By Penny Kittle (2008) **

When I heard Penny Kittle speak at a workshop during the “Reading for the Love of It” conference (Toronto, 2012) I knew that I wanted to learn more from this engaging, passionate teacher. That led me to “Write Beside Them,” her work on directing a high school writing program.

As a writer and as a teacher, Kittle is devastatingly honest. Her overarching message is that writing is risky business, and encouraging students to take risks involves accompanying them along the way. Specifically, being a fellow writer, showing drafts in progress and not simply polished products, inviting students along that writing journey. Write Beside Them! (exclamation mark my own) feels more like a command, an imploration; her vast experience in middle school and high school writing class shines through this book and leaves one convinced that it can be done and it needs to be done. I’m actually surprised she didn’t use an exclamation mark – she is emphatic about teaching punctuation alongside voice and genres, inducting writers into the uncompromising currency of written language.

Her honesty as a teacher includes the reality about how so many of the difficulties in her students lives bubble forth in their writing subjects, but it is in giving them choice that they find topics that will cause them to put in the time developing their piece, and it is that time that is critical to their development. A large amount of topic and form choice, therefore, become another cornerstone of her program.

The inclusion of a DVD showing Kittle and her students in action moves this from just another inspiring (but difficult to implement) book, into a concrete how-to for a high school writing teacher struggling to inspire and instruct writers of all levels.

Nikki Forfar