WRITTEN DOCUMENTS Communication Options

Typically, the idea of ‘report’ brings two things to mind: a written report, suchas a term paper, and an oral presentation where students stand in front of theclassroom and read their paper. Obviously, PBL brings a whole newperspective to this idea, but it does not imply that writing should no longer berequired. Language arts national standards mandate that students developexpository writing skills. PBL is an excellent approach to developing writtencommunication skills, and there are a wide variety of written productsstudents can develop that allow them to practice their writing skills, but also ina context that is considerably more motivating and authentic.

Novice writers may wish to use the PLAN writing strategy when developingany of their written documents. These two strategies are briefly describedbelow. Following the explanation of these two strategies is a sampling ofvarious types of written documents students might prepare as part of theirpresentation.

The PLAN Writing StrategyThe PLAN writing strategy is designed to help novice writers use self-instruction to plan and produce expository text. The PLAN strategy focuseson four key steps associated with planning and producing writing:

Preview the audience, goals, and words to use

List main ideas & details on a think-sheet

Assign numbers to indicate order

Note ideas in sentences by following your plan.

PreviewOne of the first things effective writers do is to consider the audience who willread the document to be developed and why they will be reading it. Since theonly authentic reason for developing a written document is to communicate,authors also consider the specific communication goals they hope ataccomplish. Example writing goals include...

To entertain...To inform...To persuade or convince...To evoke some kind of action...To attain permission...To express an idea, emotion, or attitude...To create art...

Likewise, another effective strategy is to preview words to use whenproducing the writing. Here, students brainstorm a list of as many key wordsrelated to the topic as they can identify.

List main ideas & details on a think-sheetNovice writers often attempt to think of what to say, organize the ideas, andactually express the ideas in writing, as well as edit their work -- all at thesame time. While expert writers can often do these four processessimultaneously, novice writers usually cannot. As a result, novice writers oftenproduce dysfluent writing (using a minimum of words) that is poorly organizedand full of mechanical writing errors. By separating these cognitive processesinto distinct phases of writing, even novice writers tend to produce a muchhigher quality document. In short, most writing goals can be attained moreeffectively and efficiently if the author, before actually ‘putting pen to paper’(or turning on the word-processor), invests some time first identifying some ofthe key ideas they plan to express, and then organizing these ideas into alogical order .

Think-sheets can serve as excellent tools to facilitate this planning process.An effective ‘beginners’ think sheet is the “three main-idea” Frame illustratedbelow. To use this frame, the author first identifies the topic of the document,and then in the space associated with the words, ‘is about...’ on the frame,writes a brief explanation of the topic.

Next, the author lists the various major topics, or main ideas, they plan towrite about without concern for the order in which each will eventually beexpressed in the written document. These are noted in the boxes labeled‘Main idea.’ Although the example below illustrates three main ideas,sometimes there may be only two, and sometimes there may be considerablymore than three. In this case, multiple-main idea frames can be used to planthe writing. To complete this step of the writing strategy, the author identifiesvarious specific points, essential details, or facts they plan to discuss whendiscussing the each of the main ideas.

Last, the author notes at the bottom of the think-sheet in the space labeled‘Key Idea’ a summary statement about the overall topic of the paper.

Information listed on the think-sheet should be considered ‘preliminary’ mainideas and details. The author is certainly not limited to discussing only thosenoted on the think sheet.. More can be added at any time later when actuallyproducing the written document.

KEY IDEA (What is important to understand about this?)

Essential details Essential details

Key Topicis about...

Using the PLAN writing strategy with a frame think-sheet

Step 1: List topic and briefly describe what

the topic is about

Step 2: Note the main

ideas

Step 3: Note essential details that will be used when discussing each main idea

Step 4: Note the order in which each main

idea will be discussed

12 3

1

2

3

4

Step 5: Note the order in which each detail will be presented when discussing

the main idea

Step 6: Note ideas for a

summary

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

Assign numbers to indicate orderOnce the author has completed the process of listing main ideas and detailson the think-sheet, the next phase is to indicate order in which each of thevarious ideas will be expressed when writing.

The first main idea the author initially listed on the think-sheet may notultimately be the most logical main idea to begin discussing when writing thedocument. Thus, the author now considers the order in which the list of main

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ideas will be expressed. To do this, the author indicates numbers in the smallbubbles in the upper right-hand corner; these numbers indicate the order inwhich each main idea will be discussed later when producing the document.Once the order of main ideas has been established, the author then repeatsthis process for each set of supporting details for each main idea.

The order indicated by the numbers in the bubbles on the think-sheet shouldbe considered only as a preliminary plan for the order in which ideas will beexpressed. Naturally, the order can be changed anytime it makes sense to doso.

Once the author has indicated the order for expressing all of the ideas on thethink-sheet, the process of actually producing the written document canbegin.

Note ideas in sentences by following yourplan.

The last step of the basic writing strategy is to produce the written document.The author should introduce the topic in the opening paragraph using the (i)the ‘is about’ information expressed at the top of the think -sheet; the openingparagraph should also introduce each of the main ideas of the document.

Each subsequent paragraph focuses on one of the main ideas noted onthe think-sheet. The author follows the order indicated on the think-sheetwhen addressing each main idea. Thus, the first main idea addressed in thedocument is the one the author indicated on the think-sheet with a ‘1’ in theupper right-hand corner of the main idea box. As the main idea is discussed,the author follows the order for expressing each detail as indicated on thethink-sheet. Once the author has completed the discussion of the first mainidea and its supporting points, they begin a new paragraph to discuss thenext main idea on their think-sheet.

The following is a sample of a brief essay about the Titanic that was writtenbased on the ideas outlined on the above think-sheet. Notice how the orderof the ideas expressed in the essay correspond with the order indicated onthe think-sheet.

Lessons from the Titanic Disaster

Although the sinking of the Titanic was a disaster because so manypeople died, the eventtaught us some important lessons. The first lesson was that it is important that safety not be sacrificed justso somebody can make more money. Unfortunately, that’s what happened with the Titanic. For example,the White Star Line wanted people to think it was the most luxurious ship in the world. To make the decksseem more open and spacious, the designers eliminated many lifeboats. They figured that since the shipwas unsinkable, they really didn’t need the lifeboats anyway. Another thing they did to make more profitwas not spending the time or money needed to train the crew for what to do in case the ship started tosink. Also, because they wanted everyone to think it was the fastest ship in the world, they went too fastwhen going through ice berg areas in the ocean. The owner thought it was more important to try and breaka speed record so more people would want to buy Titanic tickets in the future. Needless to say, these arejust a few examples of how safety was sacrificed just to make more money. Bad idea!

The second important lesson the Titanic provided is that we should never rely too much ontechnology -- you still have to use common sense and make good decisions to be safe. For example,people thought that because the Titanic was the largest and fastest ship ever built, it couldn’t sink. Inreality, the ship was poorly designed. It only had one layer to the hull, and it was made of steel that wastoo thin and brittle. Also, the size of the rudder was miscalculated, so it was unable to turn the ship verymuch. They ignored the ice warning because they didn’t think they needed to worry about ice bergs. Inother words, the White Star Line relied on technology to keep them safe instead of using their own heads.They should have slowed down when going through the ice berg area.

The third lesson is a very different one. It’s about the class system. The very rich hadrooms on the upper decks. Middle class people had rooms in the middle of the ship, and the poor peoplehad to ride way down in the bottom of the ship. When the ship started sinking, the rich were consideredmore important, thus more ‘valuable.’ The crew let them get into the lifeboats first. Since the rich paidmore for their luxury tickets, the crew though they had more of a right to be saved than people who boughtcheaper tickets. The crew even locked doors and gates to keep the middle class and poor people fromgetting spaces on the lifeboats. The lesson here is, when it come to human life, it should not matterwhether you are rich or poor. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to have their life saved. Tosummarize, although the disaster was huge, it did teach society some important lessons.

Very novice writers should be encouraged to write a minimum of onecomplete sentence for each box on the think-sheet that has an idea listed init. Later, as the authors become more fluent and knowledgeable, they shouldbe encouraged to write an entire paragraph about each idea that was listedon the think-sheet.

The think-sheets have been found to be effective for use by a wide array ofskill levels of writers. For example, they can be been used by extremelynovice writers (e.g., first or second grade level students), and they can beused by relatively sophisticated writers in high school or college to produceexpository text. They have also been found to be very effective for use bymany students with mild cognitive disabilities such as those identified aslearning disabled.

Students can use the PLAN strategy when engaged in a variety of writingtasks. Examples of written products students can develop as part of thepresentation of their project are provided below.

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Examples of written products that can be developed as part of a presentation

Expository reports

While few students find report writing a fun, engaging, and authentic task,learning to apply expository writing skill effectively in a ‘report’ format isparticularly important for those students who will be attending college. Thus,while the other options for developing expository writing skills describedfurther below are important to incorporate into presentations, report writingskills should not be completely ignored.

An expository report is a written explanation of a topic and its various mainideas and supporting facts. Often a written report provides an introduction,and then addresses the basic ‘Ws+H’ questions (Who, What, When, Where,Why, How), and the report typically ends with a summary. The graphicorganizers depicting information structures (i.e., hierarchic, cause/effect,compare/contrast or sequence) can be used as think-sheets to plan andorganize the information for the report.

The sample essay, ‘Lessons from the Titanic’ provided above is an exampleof a basic written report.

Research reports

A research report follows a specific organizational format designed to reportresults of an experiment. The components of a research report are: (a)overview of the topic or problem, summary of what is known about it, andexplanation of the question that was addressed by the experiment; (b)methodology or description of the experiment and how it was implemented;(c) results of the experiment; and (d) interpretation of the results or discussionof what the results mean and what was learned from the experiment inrelation to further understanding the topic or solving a problem.

As one of their options for conducting an investigation, the Titanic team

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choose to apply the TEST research strategy. They planned to develop a‘Truth or Myth’ survey to find out what male vs. female students knew ormisunderstood about the Titanic. Although the team didn’t choose toincorporate this particular writing option, they might have chosen to write aresearch report about their findings from their survey.

Histo-fiction Story

To compose a histo-fiction story, students first investigate the major ideas andessential facts associated with a historical event. They then compose afictitious story about an imaginary character or real historical figure; the storyincorporates actual historical facts into the fictitious story. Students shouldcomplete both an outline (or think-sheet) identifying the historical informationthat is to be incorporated into the story.

If the Titanic team choose this option, they might develop a think-sheet likethe example below. The sample shows factual information about several keyfigures associated with the Titanic. Students might then write a fictitious storyabout these

Business letter

As a result of what was learned from their research, students can compose abusiness letter related to the topic and actually mail it to an authenticaudience.

The Titanic team could address a letter to the state tourism commission(every state has one) encouraging them to explore the possibility of bringingto their state the Titanic exhibit of actual artifacts brought up from the wreck.

Personal letter

As a result of the investigation, a personal letter can be composed and sent toan authentic audience. The recipient might be a relative, friend, or even astranger. Students might investigate an event or period of time associated

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with some personal connection to a parent. For example, a student’sgrandfather may have been stationed in the Philippines during World War II,and as a result of an investigation into this aspect of the war, the studentwould write a letter to the grandfather discussing what was learned that thestudent found particularly interesting because of his/her grandfather’sconnection to the event.

Several articles have appeared in magazines that include interviews of livingrelatives of Titanic victims. The team might write a letter to one of theseindividuals, describe their project, and request a phone interview. If theindividual’s address is not known, then the letter can be sent to the person‘c/o’ (care of) the magazine in which the article appeared.

Newspaper articles

Students can compose a newspaper article reporting the important ideas andessential details associated with an event. The article can be simulated for atime period. For example, as a result of their investigation into eventssurrounding the Boston Tea Party, students can compose a newspaper articlethat might have appeared in a Boston newspaper immediately following theevent. Likewise, nearly all local newspapers contain an ‘Ed Ops’ section thattypically reports something of local interest to the community. Editors ofteninclude articles addressing local school related events, and some editorsreadily welcome and publish student-composed submissions.

The Titanic investigation team could compose a simulated newspaper article

about the hearings that took place following the disaster; article might discusswhat witnesses or experts said at the hearings. Likewise, they might alsowrite and submit a real article to either the school paper or local communitynewspaper about their project. They can describe how they are investigatingthe Titanic, interesting facts they have encountered, and so forth.

Grant proposal

As a result of their investigation into an issue or problem, students cancommunicate important ideas about the problem and propose a project thatmight be implemented to address the problem. Ideally, the grant is written andactually submitted to a funding agency. Some agencies provide guidelines

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regarding length and organization of the proposal. Typically, a grant proposalincorporates the following format: (a) statement of the problem and pertinentissues or facts associated with it; (b) description of proposed project and howit will address the issue or problem. This description should include thepurpose of the project and basic steps for implementing it; (c) description ofhow the effectiveness of the project will be evaluated; and (d) purposedbudget and explanation.

An important question is, ‘Who might fund the project?’ Almost all largecompanies provide philanthropy, particularly to the local community. Theteam can include as part of their investigation the identification of a potentialfunding agency. Often, all that is required is a phone call. Typically, thecompany’s receptionist will direct the call to the appropriate person (usuallythe ‘public relations’ department) where the idea for the grant can bediscussed. Because youth-initiated proposals are so novel and the fundsbeing requested are so modest, companies often readily fund these projects.In addition to their philanthropic motivations, companies recognize thatfunding a youth-initiated project will likely be reported on local television andin newspapers, and they receive consider public relations benefit from it.

As part of their presentation, the Titanic team might develop a mini-museumof community artifacts from the Titanic era. The articles displayed might beclothing, pictures of the local community taken in during that time, children’stoys of that area, and so forth. The team might write a grant proposal andsubmit it to the owners of a local shopping mall. The grant could propose thata display of the mini-museum be set up in the mall, and that funds would beused to develop the display.

ScriptAnother type of written product can be a script for either a commercial or

play. Similar to developing a poster, students first investigate a topic and thenuse the important ideas learned from the investigation to compose acommercial designed to inform and/or persuade the audience to take somefrom of action. A script for a play can be a dramatization developed in asimilar manner to a histo-fiction story. Important ideas from the investigationare incorporated into the script. The team should produce an actual writtendocument for the script.

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The Titanic team planned on writing a script dramatizing a witness whotestifies at a hearing following the disaster.

Comic book

Comic books can be designed by students to illustrate the important ideasand essential facts that emerged from their investigation. The book can beeither histo-fiction or non-fiction written and illustrated via a series of picturesin the tradition of comic books.

The investigating team might develop a comic book designed to tell the storyof how poor immigrants were the least valued as human beings and thus theleast likely to find a seat on a lifeboat.

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