Session #6 - Teaching Writing

Learning Outcomes:

CLO 5253.2 - Identify a clear instructional goal that is related to the English content of the standards.

CLO 5253.3 - Provide the learning in each instructional year that lays the necessary groundwork for success in subsequent English courses.

CLO 5253.4 - Identify the most successful and efficient approaches within a particular classroom so that learning is maximized.

Essential Question:

- How will you teach writing in an engaging and developmentally appropriate way?

Agenda:

● Methodologies, Strategies and Practical Lessons

5 Paragraph Essays (and similar models - see Strategies folder for templates) (see below)

- usefulness and limitations of formulaic writing systems

● The Big 3: Argument, Narrative, Informational/Expository

● Commentary

● Integrating Technology and Writing

● Process Writing

● Timed writing strategies (in-class, CAASPP, SAT, AP)

● Informal writing (journal, quick-write, note-taking, personal response - see Writing Across the Curriculum)

● Rubrics: Use & design (Yale's rubric design)

● Self-assessment

● Student portfolios

● Publishing/displaying student work

● Managing the grading (see Feedback Session 8)

● Scaffolding techniques/ other strategies

▪ analyze the prompt

▪ thesis development

▪ teaching citation & text incorporation

▪ “They Say, I Say” (download pdf)

▪ incorporating grammar/language development (see below)

Information:

Teaching Mechanics: Grammar and Vocabulary

According to research, the best way to learn vocabulary is in context of listening and reading. Listening and reading are input language skills. These skills come to us; they are inward directed. Output skills are speaking and writing. Of course, these skills are much harder. That's why learners of a second language can understand far more than what they can generate in output. It is far easier to read and understand than it is to write or speak. Soooooo... how should we teach vocabulary? The SAT regularly employs 5000 words that are on their "frequently appears" list. If students only learned vocabulary words from reading, they would get only at portion of these words (around 2000 of these words). Thus high performing schools often employ vocabulary lists or books to assure that their students are exposed to all 5000 words.

Similarly, some schools do not teach grammar except as it occurs naturally in writing. The criticism that results is that most American students do not know that there are six tenses used in the English language. When I ask my seniors in AP English Language and Composition, 'how many tenses are there in English?" The only ones who can answer the question accurately are the foreign students who studied English as a foreign language.

Similarly, I mark papers that have mechanical errors. If a student were to write student, "If I was going to ascertain an answer, I would say 'Yes.'" - This is an error because the student wrote in the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive.

Yep - I'm kinda old school when it comes to mechanics. I do appreciate the school of thought that states that fluency of thought is more important than mechanical correctness. And perhaps in certain writing, like journaling, we can let mechanics go. But in essay writing, I hold the line and insist on observing the conventions of standard English.

Thus my freshman students have a vocabulary book from which we learn words. We do "Daily Oral Language" from which they write a personal grammar. And I insist that they correct their mechanical errors in the essays that they write.

Youtube is full of Grammar Videos however, they are not very systematic unless you use the ESL ones.

Here's a list of online grammar lessons.

Readability calculator for student writing or text.

The 5 Paragraph Essay

View Video

Formula Writing as a place to begin. Jane Schaffer's 5 paragraph essay.

What kind of argument are you making?

Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Telos, Kairos (an OWL introduction)

Assignments:

DUE Today: LMU Lesson Plan 2 - Reading Lesson - Post on your web site

Below you see the Rubric for your lesson plan. After you post your LMU Lesson Plan, do a self-evaluation of your Lesson Plan. I will also be providing feedback on your lesson plan via email.

· Read and Discuss: Burke, chap 8: "Assessing and Grading Student Learning and Work (pp.293-330)

Next Steps:

Next week - LMU Lesson Plan #3 is due. Create a lesson plan using the LMU template. The focus of next week's lesson is on Writing. Please create or use a writing strategy and use it for this lesson.