FRMS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:FOCUS ON WRITING

Amanda Lickteig

alickteig@ksu.edu

February 16, 2015 1:15-2:10

FRMS Media Center Lab

TODAY’S TOPICS:

1. Tools and strategies for students to use as they gather evidence from a text.

2. Peer review and revision methods.

CLAIMS + EVIDENCE + REASONING = EXPLANATIONClaims, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) is borrowed from Scientific

Inquiry

According to the CER model, an explanation consists of:

•A claim that answers the question (can be posed by the teacher or student generated)

•Evidence from students' data

•Reasoning that involves a "rule" or scientific principle that describes why the evidence supports the claim

Your students might suggest the following explanation:

Air is matter (claim). We found that the weight of the ball increases each time we pumped more air

into it (evidence). This shows that air has weight, one of the characteristics of matter (reasoning).

The explanation could be made more complete by including evidence and reasoning related to air

taking up space.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/science-inquiry-claim-evidence-reasoning-eric-brunsell

TE

Strategy

#1

CLAIMS + EVIDENCE + REASONING = EXPLANATIONConsider showing this Audio commercial to introduce students to the components of an explanation by asking them to identify the claim, the evidence, and the reasoning – or rule – that connects the evidence to the little girl's claim that her dad is a space alien.

TE

Strategy

#1

cont.

http://youtu.be/WQTsue0lKBk

Note:Remember that not all texts are

linguistic! Students can practice the

skills of analyzing, critiquing, and

explaining (using “textual

evidence”) with nonlinguistic

content, too—charts/graphs,

painting/pictures, music,

performances, videos, etc.

CLAIMS + EVIDENCE + REASONING = EXPLANATION

TE

Strategy

#1

cont.

As you work with your students on CER, try the

following:

• Use concrete situations, like mysteries, images,

artwork, etc. (Download an example PDF

worksheet)

• Connect to other content areas

• Give students feedback

• Allow time for peer critique

QUESTION-RESPONSE-TEXTUAL EVIDENCETE

Strategy

#2

Remember to

model the task

for students and

use the academic

vocabulary.

Link to Scholastic PDF (article and LP): http://tiny.cc/sp83tx

THE GRADUAL RELEASE OF RESPONSIBILITY

After modeling for the students,

make sure you are providing them

opportunities to practice their skills

in a supportive environment,

building on the complexity of tasks.

GETTING READY TO WRITE: CITING TEXTUAL EVIDENCEElements to notice:• Reinforces the objective at

the start of the lesson

• Reminds students of text-

marking skills (selective

highlighting) before reading

passage

• Models annotating

• Provided students a purpose

for their reading/writing

• Ties in previous structures

discussed (cause & effect)

• Incorporated Kagan

Strategies (all write

consensus) & independent

practice

• Encouraged them to pull in

multiple textshttps://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-about-textual-evidence#

TE

Video

OTHER IDEAS FOR TEACHING “HOW TO CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE”

•Embrace the mini-lesson

•Start smaller and work up in length (both in passage length and writing expectations)

•Aim for interdisciplinary connections

•Layer texts of all types on similar topic

TE

Ideas

NEON HIGHLIGHTINGMany kids don't know what or where to mark when reading another student's work. Neon revision is an approach that can really help. First, give each student or pair of students three highlighters and a set of instructions:

PR

Strategy

#1

Yellow: Highlight the claim in each body

paragraph. Does the author address the question

addressed in their thesis statement?

Blue: Highlight the evidence in each body

paragraph. Does the author pull an example from

the text and provide the citations (where they

found it)?

Pink: Highlight the reasoning in each body

paragraph. Does the author explain how the

evidence applies to their claim?

Yellow: Highlight the first word in every

sentence. Does the author begin most

sentences differently?

Blue: Highlight the period at the end of

each sentence. Does the author vary the

length of their sentences?

Pink: Highlight every transitional word or

phrase. Does the author move smoothly

between ideas and paragraphs?

*Depending on the needs of your students, adjust the highlighting

requirements. This strategy just makes the process visual.

BE THE EDITORSet up six stations around the room. Label each station with one of the following titles:

1. Word Choice2. Ideas and Content3. Organization4. Sentence Fluency5. Voice6. Conventions

Print out Be the Editor task cards for students to use when revising and editing at each station. The task cards provide the students with prompts, making editing/revising easier. By concentrating on one writing trait at a time at each station, students will not feel overwhelmed. Along with the task cards, put out highlighters, sticky notes, colored pencils and other writing utensils to keep students interested.

*This activity may take longer than one class period.

PR

Strategy

#2

BE THE EDITORPR

Strategy

#2

cont.

I HEARD, I NOTICED, I WONDEREDPR

Strategy

#3

I heard...

As a reviewer, first try to summarize what you think the piece was about. This is the easy part. Tell the

writer what you saw as the story or the main idea. As a writer, listen to this section, and try to hear whether

or not you communicated what you were trying to communicate.

I noticed...

As a reviewer, tell the author about some of the things that attracted your attention. What worked well?

What details seemed especially vivid or striking? What will you remember about this paper? As a writer,

think about why the reviewer noticed these things, and how you can make all your writing as effective.

I wondered...

As a reviewer, did you have any questions when you finished reading? Did you not understand what

something meant, or why it was included? Did something bother or disturb you? Did you suspect

something might have worked better another way? This section is your chance to ask the writer all these

questions. As a writer, try to answer the reviewer's questions. Look at your writing again, and see if there

is any way to make those points clearer to a reader.

http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/method.html

BLESS, ADDRESS, PRESS Bless: What do you like about this piece? In other words, "tell me what's working.“

Address (*Author must first pose question or concern): What specific questions or concerns about your writing would you like addressed? Here are some examples of the type of questions you might ask:

What do you hear me saying?

What needs further explanation?

Is there anything that I should leave out?

Is the order of my work easy to follow?

What feeling or mood does this give you?

Where do you feel that this piece best starts or ends?

Press (out the wrinkles): What can be improved and how can it be done? This could include grammar, re-wording, organization, tone/mood, etc.—anything that needs help!

*Adapted from the National Writing Project’s Summer Institute writing and feedback guidelines.

PR

Strategy

#4

“PEOPLE LEARN TO WRITE BY WRITING” -NCTE

Text Textual Evidence Peer Review/Revision

1. “Don’t Hog the Water!” 1. Claim-Evidence-Reasoning 1. Neon Highlighting

2. “The Death Of Emmett Till” 2. Question, Response, Textual

Evidence

2. Be the Editor

3. “The Time-Sweepers” 3. I Heard, I Noticed, I

Wondered

4. Bless, Press, & Address

1. Choose a text and read it

2. Find the question(s) applying to your text

3. Choose a textual evidence strategy and practice it with your text by writing a paragraph

4. Exchange paragraphs and “peer review” a colleague’s piece

5. Return to the author

http://issuu.com/adgraham23/docs/texts

TEXT QUESTIONS (PROMPTS)

EXPOSITORY

“Don’t Hog the Water!”

1. Why is water an essential resource?

2. What are actions students can take to conserve water?

LYRICS/POETRY

“The Death of Emmett Till”

1. What outrageous racial atrocities does Dylan describe in his lyrics?

FICTION

“The Time-Sweepers”

1. What are the time-sweepers?

What do the time-sweepers do?

PADLET RESOURCE SWAP

Using the computers, go to: http://padlet.com/adlickteig/FRMSPD

Enter the password: FRMSPD

To contribute to the resource swap:

•Double click on the corkboard wall

•Title the post with your name

•Share one Textual Evidence (TE) strategy you have used…or have heard about before today and have been wanting to try…and one Peer Review/Revision (PR) strategy you use in your classroom.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Textual Evidence:

Daily articles via Student News Daily: http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/daily-news-article/

Multiple strategies for constructing responses uses textual evidence: http://www.smekenseducation.com/constructed-responses-require-textual-evidence.html

Peer Review & Revision:

Peer Conferencing Strategies: http://tiny.cc/0zq4tx

Revise (ARMS) & Edit (CUPS): http://littlepieceoftape.blogspot.com/2013/12/cups-and-arms.html

NCTE Statement:

Writing Beliefs: http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/writingbeliefs

QUESTIONS?