Angela PeerySenior Professional Development Associate,

The Leadership & Learning Center

Lisa CebelakProfessional Development Associate,

The Leadership & Learning Center

The “Core” Gets Us Back to Our Roots: Academic Writing

The impact of nonfiction writing on student achievement is manifested not only in

language arts but also in math, science, and social studies.

Dr. Douglas Reeves,

The Learning Leader

Nonfiction Writing

Writing Is Related to Higher Math Achievement r = .88

Writing Is Related to Higher Social Studies Achievement r = .87

Writing

Writing Is Related to Higher Science Achievement r = .86

Sci

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Tes

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From the Work of George Hillocks

• Argument is the core of critical thinking• Working through an argument is the process of

inquiry• The way most teachers teach research is

pedagogically unsound

“Generous amounts of reading, writing, and argument are essential to the development of truly literate and educated students.”

Mike Schmoker, Results Now

Hillocks, Schmoker, and the Common Core

• Argument is at the heart of critical thinking and academic discourse. It is the kind of writing students need to know for success in college and in life—the kind of writing that the Common Core State Standards puts first.

“There is a literacy stampede bearing down on our students, yet the skill of writing – a cornerstone of literacy – is being badly shortchanged in our schools. To make matters worse, this neglect of writing is coming at a time when the writing demands required in the real world are intensifying. Students are writing less when they desperately need to be writing more. A lot more.”

Kelly Gallagher, Teaching Adolescent Writers

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE STANDARDS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

Shared Responsibility

The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school.

NAEP Framework

Persuade Explain Convey Experience(Narrative)

Grade 4 30% 35% 35%

Grade 8 35% 35% 30%

Grade 12 40% 40% 20%

Three Types of Writing

• Argumentative • Informative/explanatory• Narrative

Argumentation Persuasion

Writing Process and Writing on Demand

Range of Writing

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Rethinking the Writing Process

It is important to share the characteristics of the writing process, but to ultimately let the

student decide what works best for him or her.

Rethinking Writing on Demand

UNWRAPPING TO FIND ACADEMIC RIGOR

Use the “Unwrapping” Process to Reveal What Lies Beneath

“Unwrapping” reveals the concepts and skills embedded within the standards which serves to guide both instruction and assessment design.

Unwrapping

• “Unwrapping” is a process to analyze and deconstruct grade-specific standards to determine exactly what students need to know (concepts) and be able to do (skills).

• How each skill is applied to a particular concept determines its corresponding level of cognitive rigor.

Larry Ainsworth, Rigorous Curriculum Design

Bloom’s Old and New

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4Recall

and Reproduction

Skills and

Concepts

Strategic Thinking

and Reasoning

Extended Thinking

Revised Bloom’s Cognitive Process & Knowledge DimensionsCognitiveProcess Dimension

Knowledge Dimension

Factual Conceptual Procedural Metacognitive

To Remember List Describe Tabulate Appropriate Use

To Understand Summarize Interpret Predict Execute

To Apply Classify Experiment Calculate Construct

To Analyze Order Explain Differentiate Achieve

To Evaluate Rank Assess Conclude Compose

To Create Combine Plan Compose Actualize

Unwrapping helps the teacher design rich tasks!

TRY UNWRAPPING!

Grade 2

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the

topic or book they are writing about, state an

opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Grade 7Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant

evidence.

a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Using “Unwrapping” as a Guide for Instructional Sequencing

Conducting Short and Sustained Research Projects

Short Research Projects

Short Research Projects

Short Research Projects

Sustained Research Projects

Sustained Research Projects

Answer a Question Answer a QuestionAnswer a Self-Generated Question

Answer a Self-Generated Question

Solve a Problem Solve a Problem Solve a Problem

Answer a Question Broaden Inquiry Narrow Inquiry Broaden Inquiry Narrow Inquiry

Broaden Inquiry Synthesize Sources Synthesize multiple sources

Synthesize multiple sources

Synthesize multiple sources

Demonstrate Understanding

Demonstrate Understanding

Demonstrate Understanding

Demonstrate Understanding

Demonstrate Understanding

Time

Common Core Common Sense

• Writing-to-learn should be used frequently and consistently in all subjects, at all grade levels.

• Product writing, both in “on-demand” situations and in process-writing situations, should occur in all subjects and at all grade levels.

• Teachers of all subjects must make time for authentic research and the writing process.

Common Core Common Sense

• At grades K – 5, students should be stating their opinions (verbally and in writing) and giving reasons for those opinions– “I like this character best because…”– “I believe ___ because …”

• At grades 6 – 12, students should be stating claims (verbally and in writing) and citing evidence– “The clear theme of the work is…” – “Gum should be banned at our school because…”

More from Mike Schmoker

• Recommends several formal papers starting in 2nd grade (age 7), about one per month or about 9 per year, written in at least two drafts

• Recommends two presentations per semester, about 10 minutes long in the upper grades

• “The erosion of literacy is one of the most profound but insidious developments in modern schooling.”

Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning, Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2011.

- Team-based PLCs/Data Teams- Guaranteed and viable curriculum- Radical changes in literacy instruction

CELEBRATE every “SMALL WIN” in these areas at EVERY staff meeting

35 - 50 percentile gain

in

3 years

More from Mike Schmoker

“What is essential for schools? Three simple things: reasonably coherent curriculum…, sound lessons…, and far more purposeful reading and writing in every discipline, or authentic literacy…

The status quo has to change.”

Mike Schmoker, Focus