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In a presentation by Natalie Wexler, How Writing Instruction can Narrow the Knowledge Gap, she says, "When students learn to use conventions of written language, they are better able to understand them when reading. Writing can help compensate for building the kind of knowledge that fuels reading comprehension and compensates for gaps in background knowledge that can interfere with reading comprehension."
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Click Here for Glossary of Terms
Click Here for Glossary of Terms
Protégé Effect or "Elaborative Rehearsal"
explaining something to another person, in your own words, to help understand and retain information
Retrieval Practice or "Testing Effect"
Recalling information that has been slightly forgotten which then helps you to remember it
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Writing At-a-Glance:
Writing At-a-Glance:
Handwriting practice (not tracing or typing) leads to cortical changes that make it easier to identify letter shapes and correctly map them to sounds
(James & Englehardt, 2012; Longcamp, Anron, & Velay, 2005; Mayer, 2020)When students learn to use conventions of written language, they are better able to understand them when reading.
(How Writing Instruction Can Narrow the Knowledge Gap, Natalie Wexler, Amplify Virtual Symposium, 2021)Writing can be a powerful lever for building the kind of knowledge that fuels reading comprehension. Writing can help compensate for gaps in background knowledge that interfere with reading comprehension.
(How Writing Instruction Can Narrow the Knowledge Gap, Natalie Wexler, Amplify Virtual Symposium, 2021)
Approach to Writing:
Approach to Writing:
There is a Simple View of Writing
Two Critical Processes:
Transcription: mechanics + conventions
Ideation: planning, drafting, editing, word choice, structure, genre,
Mediated by attention and working memory
(Berninger et. al. 2002)
Sentences are just the beginning
Sentences are the the building blocks for ALL writing (doesn't matter content area).
Sentences make it easier to teach grammar conventions
Sentence level skills can be stored in long-term memory, through, practice, which then frees up working memory to focus on content and building knowledge.
This brief 1:30 minute video gives an overview of The Writing Revolution methodology.
"Teach kids to write about what they are learning. Writing is potentially such a powerful lever for building knowledge that it can compensate for that missing 'Velcro'." (Natalie Wexler, Literacy Academy 2020: Knowledge Gap)
"Learning to perceive letters and read words is facilitated by producing them by hand. Handwriting is more effective in establishing automatic recall and recognition than simple visual, auditory or keyboarding input."
(Li & James, 2016; Longcamp et al., 2005)
The Writing Revolution
Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler
The Writing Revolution
Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler
"Sentence-level work is the engine that will propel your students from writing the way they speak to using the structures of written language....And sentence-level work will lay the groundwork for your students' ability to revise and edit when they tackle longer forms of writing." (p. 24)
When you begin introducing sentence activities in your classroom keep these things in mind:
When you begin introducing sentence activities in your classroom keep these things in mind:
When you introduce a new activity, model it for students first
Have students practice sentence-level activities orally as well as in writing, even if you are teaching older students
Embed the sentence activities in the content you're teaching
Differentiate the activities for students at different ability levels while covering the same content
When planning activities, write out the responses you anticipate getting from students and make sure your directions and questions are clear
plan your instruction so that your students will have the content knowledge they need to practice the activity successfully.
As you progress through the sequence of activities, have students keep practicing TWR activities you've already covered to build on the skills they've acquired.
(The Writing Revolution, p. 26)
This 9:00 minute video showcases the Summary Sentence technique, utilizing the worksheet resource found on page 248 in The Writing Revolution book, see how these 3rd graders created outstanding summary sentences using this technique.
This 8:35 video showcases the 'Power of Basic Conjunctions: Because, But, and So' method discussed on pages 40-43 of The Writing Revolution book.
For example:
The ocean is an important natural resource because...
because tells the 'why'
The ocean is an important natural resource but...
but indicates a 'change in direction'
The ocean is an important natural resource so...
so tells us the 'cause and effect'
Joan Sedita has created the “Writing Rope.” In Sedita’s words, “ … significant attention is paid to the multi-component nature of skilled reading, while writing tends to be referred to as a single, monolithic skill. I’d like to suggest a model that identifies the multiple components that are necessary for skilled writing—a similar ‘rope’ metaphor can be used to depict the many strands that contribute to fluent, skilled writing. It should be noted that instruction for many skills that support writing also support reading comprehension.”(International Dyslexia Association)
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