Parents’ Role

You are here You care Your kid is already ahead of the game

I feel about writing the way this guy feels about his team

I want your kids to feel that way too.

Finding “Inner Peace” while helping your child write……a tough challenge for both of you.

Tonight’s Goals

To overview the writing process and types of writing we will do this year

To give you guiding questions to ask—not answers to give

To help you and your child feel less stressed about writing

Student writing needs to be authentic

Seeing their weaknesses and strengths helps

teachers identify gaps and help them grow.

WR

ITIN

G G

ETS

HA

RD

ER

More independent

More pages

More complex

MO

RE E

MPH

AS

IS O

N

TEC

HN

OLO

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NEW STANDARDS REQUIRE

Teaching students to blog

Teaching how to use the internet for research

WE W

ILL WR

ITE… A Lot!!!

To prepare for MCAS in March LONG COMP AND ORQ(3 Days of ELA testing)

And High School, and College…

and LIFE

3 Basic Formats and Purposes

Argument

• Highly structured• Some research

involved, Needs significant and sufficient support

• Generally formal tone

• Purpose is to persuade

Narrative

• Emphasis on sensory description, significant detail

• Unique insights, analysis, creative

• Tone may be less formal

• Purpose is to entertain/provoke thought

Research

• Requires sifting sources for CREDIBLE information

• Emphasis on supporting fact

• Draw conclusions; find organizing categories

• Formal tone• Purpose is to

inform; compare/contrast

Open Response Questions vs. Essay Writing Format

ORQs show comprehension and close reading—be a lawyer-give

“just the facts, ma’am”

Get to the point (1-3 paragraphs-no opening or

closing)

Show close reading—direct quotations and at least 3 significant details

Explain significance/meaning of

selected details

Formal tone

Essays show critical thinking and mastery of richly developed language—be a philosopher

Content must be richly developed—go deep—

5+paragraphs

Strong lead/hook essential

Vocabulary MATTERS- be vivid and precise, elevated

Smooth flow, complex and varied sentence structure

The 5 C’s of 7th Grade WritingCorrectCompleteClear

Compelling

Complex

The 5 C’s of 7th Grade writingCorrect

Complex

CompellingComplete

Clear???

Tracking ALL the elements of writing at once…..

o Focus on topico Answering ALL parts of prompto Meeting Format/Purposeo Targeting Audienceo Significant and relevant supporto Unified paragraphso Organizationo Vocabularyo Sentence Flowo Transitional phraseso Grammaro Spelling/Capitalizationo Strong openings/hookso Insightful conclusionso Creativityo Accuracyo Deptho Appropriate Tone

Can be VERY frustrating getting it right takes practice

Different Plates will drop while they learn to balance others

Correct, complete, clear—NOT complex

More complex—less clear

Our Writing Process

1. Pre-write

2.Compose

3. Evaluate

4. Revise

5.Edit

6.Publish

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE QUESTION

1. Read The QUESTION and FCAs CAREFULLY!

2. Use TNT—TOPIC words

NUMBER of Items to includeTASK or TASKS to complete

Describe AND Explain? Identify AND Describe? Compare AND Contrast?

FAP MATTERS!!

Format

Audience

Purpose

Most kids HATE prewriting

LACK of Prewriting is the MAIN reason students dead-end with “Nothing to say”

Plan to Fail

Fail to plan and you

Types of Brainstorms T charts for

pros and cons compare contrastfact/elaboration

Webs

Bulleted Lists

PREWRITEBrainstorm

Group/Develop/Delete

***Order/Organize

Brainstorming

• Just WRITE

•Gets the gears moving

•Gets thinking beyond the surface level

•Fills the Scary Blank PAGE

GROUP…related details/find cause and effect connections—(Color-code)

DELETE…less significant-Ideas you have few facts for

DEVELOP…ADD to details if you get MORE related ideas as you work

ASK your writer: Did you….

OTHER words for “details”

What IS a supporting detail?

Facts Evidence Support

Numbers Names Time frames (before what, after what)

Places Actions What Actions Lead to

Put Ideas in ORDER BEFORE beginning

Just Number Items

OR

Formal Outline

Basic Outline for Argument EssayOpening Paragraph: Hook, Claim, Reason 1, Reason 2 Reason 3/Counterclaim, Conclusion

Body R1: Topic Sentence

3-4 supporting details/elaboration connecting detail to main point of paragraph

Body R2: Topic Sentence

3-4 supporting details/elaboration connecting detail to main point of paragraph

Body R3: Topic Sentence3-4 supporting details/elaboration connecting detail to main point of paragraph

Conclusion: Repeat MAIN point in NEW way; recap main categories of support; extend idea

Problems with PLANNING Stage? Ask : WHY???HOW??SO WHAT?How does that relate to the main topic or question?

COMPOSE

PAGE FRIGHT? JUST WRITE!Encourage the writer to form sentences out of the planner.

JUST a DRAFTDoes not have to be Shakespearean…Just gets bullets into full sentences.

TIPS for Drafting

1. Write body paragraphs FIRST!

The opening and closing CAN be the hardest part—

Conclusions and BIG IDEAS come through after working with topic for a while

TIPS for Drafting

2. Just write Topic Sentences for each paragraph

Then go back and fill in details and elaborate on why the details matter/prove the point IN the topic sentence

TIPS for Drafting

3.Talk it through…..Sometimes we speak in a more direct way than we write

•Have your child explain what they want to say without writing. •Scribe any phrases that seem to capture the ideas that they were “stuck” on•Your child can clean up the phrasing later.

TIPS for Drafting

4. CHUNK IT

Take a break—walk away after a body paragraph is complete.

Then revisit the planner to begin the next

TIPS for Drafting

5. First Draft is a SKELETON

Keep the writer CALMFirst draft is JUST a Skeleton—

You can add some muscle to the ideas and dress it up in more appropriate style during revision.

BACKWARDS PLAN TO HAVE TIME TO REVISE!!

FDR had time to revise his famous INFAMY speech after Pearl Harbor—

If the leader of the free world on the brink of war had time to revise—YOU better make time to revise!

REVISE

AFTER a break –

Before Rewriting—REREAD THE QUESTION/PROMPT/FCAs

Review FCAs

Reconsider Format Audience Tone

REVISE

Reread DRAFT OUT loud—mark any sections student LOVESCelebrate success!

Mark areas to come back to—what seems fuzzy? Incomplete? Wrong Tone? Insignificant?

REVISE using COWSChunk Revision into 2-4 separate read-throughs: Chunk by:

CONTENT

ORGANIZATION

WORDCHOICE

SENTENCE FLOW

CONTENT check-in questions

What do you you think were your strongest points? Try to duplicate approach in weaker sections.

Do you directly answer the prompt? Use topic words from question in opening?

Are details persuasive? Logical? Any INSIGNIFICANT details to delete?

CONTENT more check -in questions

Do you clearly EXPLAIN HOW the details prove or relate to the main claim/point of the paper? Of each paragraph?

Do you show “cause and effect” relationships using words like “because” “which shows” “which led to…” “this resulted in…Do details skim the surface or ZOOM in close—go deep?

CONTENT more check -in questions

Does your opening HOOK the reader? Bring a moment to life with sensory details? Relate a familiar quote to the topic? Make the reader THINK and FEEL?

WHAT line in the opening shows you have thought deeply and come to a clear conclusion about the topic? Do you have a POINT? OR just a topic?

ORGANIZATION check-in questions

Does the opening LEAD the reader through the claim and the main point you will make in EACH body paragraph.

Are there details in the opening that you should MOVE to a body paragraph?

Does a clear TOPIC SENTENCE open each body paragraph? Do ALL the ideas in each paragraph clearly relate to that topic sentence?

ORGANIZATION more check in questions

What is the reason for the ORDER you presented your body paragraphs in? Did you save strongest point for last or lead with it?

What transitional phrases did you use to show how the order flows? “The most important factor…” Even more significant is the fact that…”

ORGANIZATION more check-in questions

CONCLUSION: DID you wrap up with a FULL paragraph (not just a sentence.)

Does the conclusion rephrase the main points—not just repeat the opening?

Does the conclusion EXTEND the ideas in the paper to offer a “call to action”, find a deeper meaning/lesson to apply outside of the specific topic in the paper?

Advanced writers reach independent conclusions and insights beyond recalled facts from class and reading

“Why Didn’t I think of

that?!”

WORD CHOICE – STYLE MATTERS check-in questions

Which words are the most precise and vivid? Upgrade in “flat” paragraphs.

Can you find a powerful, active verb or two in EVERY paragraph? (especially the opening)

Look for pronouns (he, she, it , they…) and words like “thing” – replace them with a name, a noun, a specific!

WORD CHOICE – STYLE MATTERS check-in questions

Too many “third-grade” words? Scan for “good” “bad” “nice” “thing” a lot” and replace!

Can you use synonyms for some of the topic words from the prompt?

Did you include any recent vocabulary words that would fit well?

WORD CHOICE – STYLE MATTERS check-in questions

Do you have appropriate TONE? Formal for research or aguement—less formal if purpose is to entertain..

If Tone is formal—do you see any inappropriate conversational words to cut …”Well, you…” “So now you”

Is “I” or “you” appropriate or is this a formal piece of writing?

WORD CHOICE – STYLE MATTERS check-in questions

WHEN it sounds “flat” Try ZAPS!

ZOOM in on detailsACTION verbs bring life to a

sentencePERSONIFY SENSORY language—use details

that make the reader SEE, HEAR, FEEL. SOUND is often MORE effective than visual description in creating mood

SENTENCE FLOW check-in questionsRead each topic sentence—do they have varied sentence structure or do they sound too similar. “The first reason…the second reason… another reason…

Are there run-ons that make stringy sentences? More than two and s? You probably should break into shorter sentences.

Too many uses of So= so-so stringy!

Fragments? Short choppy phrases that don’t tell a complete thought? ADD necessary subjects or predicates.

SENTENCE FLOW check-in questionsCan you find transitional words and phrases to link ideas

“Not only, but also”“In contrast to” “On the other hand”“In addition” “Another…” “In the same way..”“For example” “As a result of”

SENTENCE FLOW check-in questions

What parts of this paper are FUN to read?

Have you bored yourself?

REVISE check in questions

What parts of this are FUN to read?

Have you bored yourself?

EDIT check-in questions

SpellingAre words/terms/ names from prompt spelled correctly?

Circle words you are not sure of—check them with a dictionary/ spell check

Use Find/replace function on computer for commonly confused words—their/there, too/to then/than

EDIT check -in questions

CapitalizationProper nouns? Character names, places, languages, titles…

COMMASAfter introductory phrases, between items in a list

APOSTROPHES- for contractions and possessives NOT plurals

EDITING TRICK

READ paragraphs out loud in REVERSE order

Fool the brain into NOT filling in missing words and missing endings of words

EDITING TRICK

LEAVE time to walk away and come back for ONE last review of the question/prompt and the final.

SAVE EARLY and OFTEN on computer. Print interim drafts.

YOU can’t learn to juggle all the plates at once

Select 2-4 areas for revision per paper

Unsteady Writers:

Concentrate on CONTENT and ORGANIZATION questions

No Kardashian essays—SUBSTANCE matters over style

Ready to Roll Writers:

Concentrate on WORD CHOICE and SENTENCE FLOWquestions

Someday the training wheels DO come off!!