A Roadmap to K-12 Writing

A Roadmap to K-12 Writing

We are on this road together

Recommendations for The Road Map to K-12 Writing Come From: Writing Next and Writing to Read (Carnegie Corporation) Writing strand presenters at the 2011 University of Oregon Conference for Teaching and Learning (CTL)Columbia Universitys Reading and Writing ProjectWhite Plains Public Schools

Think aboutThe process of writing stimulate your mind, it helps shape your thinking and enlarges your understanding of the world. Just as significantly, writing creates a permanent record-a snapshot of your thinking process at a specific point in time. You can return to your thinking snapshot as often as you wish, evaluate its logic, coherence and use it as a foundation upon which to build a more insightful understanding.

Trip Plan: WritingExit 1: Vista Points (1-4)Exit 2: Oregon State StandardsExit 3: Curriculum MapExit 4: Unit PlanExit 5: Lesson PlanExit 6: AssessmentExit 7: Vista Points (1-4)Exit 8: Exit TicketExit 9: DestinationVista Point 1: Discover ways and plan for success in the writing classroom.Recognize your students needs as well as district-wide/building-wide common core, state and national standardsMap your plan

Overview

Vista Point 2:As of the 2011-2012 school year, Oregon students will be assessed on the OAKS writing assessment once, in the 11th grade. Vista Point 3:To support and prepare our students, it may be advantageous to utilize tools that the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has traditionally supplied for the OAKS writing assessment.We may capitalize off of continuing to use OAKS prompts, graphic organizers and when the student meets 89% Correct Word Sequence(CWS), the State Scoring Guide. Prior to achieving 89% CWS, it may be advantageous to monitor growth using the K-8 District Writing Benchmark Expectations for CWS.

Vista Point 4:Because writing is a process, explicitly teaching students on each grade level may further support their meeting 11th grade OAKS (writing) benchmarks. To do this, it may be advantageous to routinely instruct students on how to write using prompts, graphic organizers and eventually the State Scoring Guide. An explicit routine may promote learning. Such learning in turn may prepare writers to meet the 11th grade OAKS writing assessment expectations.

Exit 1: Oregon State Writing StandardsIn the 2009-2010 school year, grade level teachers were asked to unwrap the state writing standards.Educators were able to simplify and further understand the Oregon State grade level writing standards.It is in this process we began to see what writers are expected to learn and achieve on each grade level

Turn and TalkWhere are you and your building in the unwrapping of state writing standards? Have you completed this process? An Example of Power Standards Share-out Three Rivers K-8 Power StandardsA Blank Power Standards TemplateShare-out Exit 2: Curriculum MapTurn and TalkWhat do you know about a curriculum map?

Curriculum MapWith power standards written for each individual grade level, we are able to support genres of study, assigning them to specific months of the school year and see these expectations as a continuum for developing writers.Curriculum maps are a touchstone. They provide us with a schedule to cover required genres of study.Think of curriculum maps as the skeleton for grade level expectations.Here is an example of a few curriculum mapsCurriculum Map: Grades 6-8 September: Launching the Writing Workshop: Writing With Intensity, Determination, and IndependencePurpose: Teach students to be independent within and across writing process so that theydevelop and deepen their repertoire of strategies for: using the notebook to explore powerfulsubjects from their lives; drafting these subjects as small moments within narrative structure; revising using some of the craft of narrative writing; and editing and publishing within a community of writers. Introduce the study of conventions.

October: Raising the Level of Narrative Writing: Improving Volume and QualityPurpose: Improve the quality and volume of student writing by teaching students how to useeverything they know about narrative writing as they write entries in their notebooks,including elaborating these entries by thinking about craft, structure, and conventions. Teach students to mentor themselves to published writers to improve their writing as they draft and revise. Teach increased control of conventions within narrative writing..Curriculum MapNovember : The Personal Essay or an Essay StudyPurpose: Teach students to plan and writestructured, non-narrative, thesis-driven pieces sothat they can produce fluent, thoughtful, coherent essays about subjects they understand and care about in their lives. Teach them to support their thesis with evidence in the form of reasons, examples, and small anecdotes that illustrate their thesis.

Curriculum Map:December/Early January: Short FictionPurpose: Enhance students passion, stamina, and connections between reading and writingby writing fiction. Teach students to write in story structure, to incorporate story elementsaround the urgent social issues that affect them, to mentor themselves to published writersthrough study of touchstone texts, to use their own experiences to give authenticity and heart to fictional stories they compose, and to study the art of grammar.

End of January /February: Quick Writing, Writing About Reading, and Preparing for the Writing Tasks of the OAKS ExamPurpose: Develop students fluency in responding in writing to texts students read and listento. Teach students to use what they know about non-narrative writing and writing process toplan and write purposeful, quick essays and persuasive pieces about their own subjects and In response to writing prompts. Teach students explicitly the writing tasks of the OAKS exam, the rubrics, and how to write successfully for the OAKS.18Curriculum Map:March: Choice Unit: Literary Essay, Letters/Editorials, Journalism, et. al.Purpose: Return to non-narrative writing, teaching students forms and craft other than whatthey have studied so far or enhancing what they have studied so far. Teach students to lookoutside of themselves to the world of their neighborhood and school for subjects ofcommunity concern.

April: PoetryPurpose: Conjoin students with the work of poets in the city and across cultures by teachingthem the beauty, art, and discipline of poetry. Teach them to mine their lives and theirwriting for subjects. Teach them to craft and revise these as poems by studying publishedpoems. Teach them to perform their poetry aloud with passion.Curriculum MapMay-June Choice Unit: Memoir Writing; Multi-Genre Projects; Independent Writing ProjectsPurpose: Create opportunities for students to make genre choices and/or structural and craftchoices, so they use everything they know about writing to make decisions both about what they want to say and how they want to say it. Reflecting on your Writerly Life & Planning for the future.

Three Rivers K-8 Writing Curriculum MapShare-out A Blank Curriculum Map TemplateShare outExit 3: Unit PlansTurn and TalkWhat do you know about unit plans?Unit PlansUnit plans provide us with key ideas, ensuring standards are implemented into craft as teaching genres of study.Think of unit plans as the meat for grade level expectations.As support specialists, we are supporting unit plans through the use of mentor text and individual mini- lessons designed to scaffold and support student writing.

Unit PlansUnit Plans are the guiding force behind every mini lessons. We use unit plans to collect mentor text that exemplifies the genre of student we hope each writer achieves in their final, published writing sample.As support specialists, we are supporting unit plans through the use of mentor text and individual mini lessons designed to scaffold and support student writing.

An Example of a Unit PlanShare-outAn Example of a Blank Unit Plan TemplateShare-out

Exit 4: Mini-lessonTurn and TalkHow do you use mini-lessons in your classroom?Mini-lessonsMini-lessons provide us with the ability to meet curriculum map expectations while implementing state mandated standards.Think of mini-lessons as the blood flowing through the skeleton or curriculum map and nurturing the meat or unit plan expectations.Mini-lessons are the creative force behind the curriculum map and unit plan. They allow educators to manipulate, differentiate material to meet the needs of a diverse learning community.Mini-lessonsAre a vehicle to support writers and their ability so that we as instructors can assess and develop future mini-lessons to support and grow new learning.

An Example of a Mini-lessonShare-outA Blank Mini-lesson TemplateShare-outExit 6: AssessmentTurn and TalkWhat do you know about writing assessment?AssessmentThe Correct Word Sequence (CWS) and State Scoring Guide provide us with assessment to measure individual student growth.Think of the CWS and the State Scoring Guide as the thermometer, student assessment scores provide instructors with information to implement and scaffold mini-lessons and support to ensure individual student learning.Writing conferences may also be used to support and informally grow individual student writing.

Vista Point: Teacher SupportHow can we find the time to locate and review the writing power standards?How can we find the time to locate and review the curriculum map?How can we find the time to write unit plans, mini-lessons, conference and do all this assessment?We will provide professional development in writing. A series of 4 SPED professional development sessions will be provided in two separate sections(one for K-5 and one for middle/high school teachers .

Vista Point: Professional Development Each individual SPED professional development session will include support/time to:1. Develop a curriculum map 2. Plan a unit of study3. Develop mini-lessons4. Organize and grow conference strategiesAssess student learningModel/share-out learning

Vista Point: Professional DevelopmentTo support this learning opportunity, it may be advantageous to choose one grade level to focus on.For example, I taught grades 6-8, I may focus on grade 6 to support and grow my learning.In the meantime, if you have any questions with regard to the writing road map contact me.Vista-Point: ToolsA packet of handouts has been provided to support the design of a Roadmap to K-12 Writing.Those handouts include:Examples of Power Standards and blank templatesExamples of Curriculum Maps and blank templatesExamples of Unit Plans and blank templatesExamples of Mini-lessons and blank templatesExample of a Conference ChecklistExample of Conference Record Sheet

Exit 8: Exit TicketTurn and TalkWhat, so what, now what?

Destination: K-12 WritingState standards are a tool to support writing the curriculum map. The curriculum map is the skeleton that organizes genres of study at a glance so that educators can collaborate to meet student needs through a unit plan. Unit plans are the meat for ensuring we teach grade level expectations. Mini-lessons are the blood flowing through the skeleton or curriculum map that nurtures the meat/unit plan expectation. Conferences are the thermometer we use to read student strengths and needs. Assessment provides objective measures on student growth.