creating meaningful writing opportunities for your students
TRANSCRIPT
WRITING TASKS TO ENGAGE
STUDENTS & PROMOTE
TEXT COMPLEXITYCreating Meaningful Writing
Opportunities for your students
NEW UTAH CORE KEY POINTS
Balance of literature and informational texts
Greater focus on text complexity
Argumentative and informative/ explanatory writing, using evidence to inform an argument.
Reading, writing and literacy across the curriculum
Literacy becomes a shared responsibility across educators
WHAT DOES THE NEW UTAH CORESAY ABOUT WRITING?
STUDENTS SHOULD…Assert & defend claims using evidence
Consider audience & purpose when choosing words and format
use technology strategically Gather, evaluate, and analyze sources
write daily to promote fluency Produce high quality products over both short & long time frames
WHAT IS TEXT
COMPLEXITY?Qualitative :Levels of meaning
Quantitative :Readability
Reader & Task:background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned
SO…By assigning meaningful & complex writing tasks you promote text complexity
Click icon to add picture
Reader & TaskQ
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tati
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Qualitative
We will show examples today!
LOW LEVEL TASKS =LOW LEVEL RESPONSES Plagiarism is a common problem Why do students plagiarize?
Text too difficultLimited vocabularyLack of motivationLack of research skillsLack of understanding of taskNon-stimulating taskPROMPT REQUIRES REGURGITATION OF
INFORMATION Why, What, Who, How… Explain, Summarize, Describe
Something to think about
QUALITY TASKS= QUALITY RESPONSES Give students an audience & a purpose More creativity = more retention Engage students in collaborative
discussion, debate, and persuasion about text & writing
Use prompts that require analysis and synthesis of information rather than simple regurgitation of information
The following examples are Level 1, single sitting writing activities. They could easily be expanded into Level 2 writing activities Responding to informational texts
This promotes text complexity!
“USE CONTENT VOCABULARY WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES TO LINK RELATIONSHIPS ABOUT A TOPIC”
Letter Task Assign student or
groups of students a letter of the alphabet
Students read informational texts about a chosen topic
Task: Students must generate words or phrases about the topic that begin with their assigned letter
Benefits Easy to differentiate
based on letter assigned
Forces students to infer & evaluate information
Great collaborative activity to encourage listening & speaking
Encourages use of vocabulary skills
“USE PRECISE LANGUAGE AND DOMAIN SPECIFIC VOCABULARY TO INFORM OR
EXPLAIN A TOPIC”
Mystery Task Assign student or
groups of students a topic in your content area
Students research/read text about their topic
Task: Students put together clues telling about the topic without disclosing what the topic is. The class tries what their topic is
Benefits
Forces students to infer & evaluate information in order to generate clues about their topic
Gives students an audience & purpose for their writing
Promotes collaboration & discussion
“DEVELOP TOPIC WITH WELL CHOSEN, RELEVANT FACTS, EXAMPLES, AND CONCRETE
DETAILS”
Fact or Fiction? Students research/read text
about their topic
Task: Students generate fact and fiction comments about their topic, other students try to guess which is which. Following the comment
is a written commentary explaining why the comment is fact or fiction with supporting details from their research/reading.
Benefits
Forces students to evaluate information to generate fiction comments that seem plausible.
Gives students an audience & purpose for their writing
Requires students to support their claims using evidence from the text
“DISTINGUISH THE CLAIMS FROM ALTERNATE OR OPPOSING CLAIMS, AND ORGANIZE THE REASONS AND EVIDENCE
LOGICALLY.“
Fortunately…/Unfortunately… Find text(s) showing
varying viewpoints on a topic
Students read and discuss pros and cons
Task: Students create a graphic organizer and/or write a fortunately/unfortunately essay using data & reasons to support their claims.
Benefits Great way to look at
history or Scientific discoveries through multiple perspectives
Forces students to infer and look at both sides of an issue using claims & counterclaims
Encourage collaborative discussion & debate
“DRAW EVIDENCE FROM INFORMATIONAL TEXTS TO
SUPPORT CLAIMS”
Classified Students read/research
about a content area topic
Imagine they are trying to sell the item/experience (must be convincing!)
Task: Students try to convince someone to buy an item or engage in an experience using persuasion and logical reasoning.
Benefits Forces students to
maintain a formal style
Encourages students to support their claims with good evidence
Gives students an audience & purpose for their writing
“CREATE AN ACCURATE SUMMARY OF A TOPIC INCLUDING KEY
POINTS”
Wanted Students
read/research about a content area topic
Task: Students write a wanted Ad describing their topic. Using concise, descriptive, language.
Benefits Great way to
synthesis information
Forces students to pick out the most important information
“INTRODUCE A TOPIC CLEARLY AND DEVELOP THE TOPIC WITH RELEVANT, WELL-CHOSEN FACTS, DEFINITIONS,
CONCRETE DETAILS, QUOTATIONS, OR OTHER INFORMATION”
My Attributes Students
read/research about a content area topic
Task: Students use first person point of view to describe the topic. “I am…”
Benefits Forces students to
synthesis & evaluate information in order to change perspectives
Can not simply regurgitate information
“DEVELOP CLAIM(S) AND COUNTERCLAIMS SUPPLYING DATA
AND EVIDENCE FOR EACH”
Top 10 Students read/ research
about a content area topic
Task: Students pick out the top 10 most important facts about their topic. Or the top 10 best key
points to support a claim or counterclaim.
Benefits
Students must evaluate information to pick out most important points
Promotes speaking & listening skills
Great collaborative task
“WRITE INFORMATIVE/ EXPLANATORY TEXTS, INCLUDING THE NARRATION OF
HISTORICAL EVENTS, SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES/ EXPERIMENTS, OR
TECHNICAL PROCESSES”
Comic Students
read/research about a content area topic
Task: Students put the information into a comic strip.
Benefits
Students must use sequencing & inference skills
Students must apply content vocabulary
Combines art with literacy
“EXTEND DEFINITIONS ANDORGANIZE IDEAS, CONCEPTS, AND
INFORMATION TO MAKE IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS AND DISTINCTIONS”
If… But… Students
read/research about a content area topic
Task: Students identify problem/solution or cause/effect relationships in a text and write If… but… narratives
Benefits Great collaborative
task
Students can use data & reasoning to support their claims
Encourages students to look at multiple perspectives
COLLABORATION IS KEY LITERACY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY Would you like help finding informational texts
that are leveled appropriately for your students? Your librarian can help!!
Would you like to find sites other than Google that your students can use to research a topic? Your librarian can help!!
Would you like to collaborate on writing lessons similar to these examples? Your librarian can help!!
Would you like research lessons taught to your class on evaluating information, citing sources, determining bias, etc…? Your librarian can help!!
THE LIBRARIAN IS YOUR FRIEND!
New Utah Core StandardsLibrary Media Desk
Standards Read to Build Knowledge in all
subject areas Evaluate and Synthesis
information while reading read complex informational
texts in these fields with independence and confidence
Assess author’s point of view & Interpret meaning
Evaluate content presented in a variety of formats and media
Research topics and cite work correctly
Use a variety of media sources to access and present information
Read for information from a variety of formats and genres.
Define an information problem. Formulate essential questions to
expose problems, explore issues, make inferences and draw conclusions.
Identify information needed to support research.
Locate information in a variety of formats.
Evaluate information for relevancy, accuracy, credibility and bias.
Present research in a variety of formats Compile a proper works cited or bibliography for print and digital sources.
Use parenthetical references correctly
Cite sources Follow intellectual property rights,
copyrights and legal guidelines
Let us help you!
REFLECT, BRAINSTORM, DISCUSS
REFERENCES America Diploma Project Network, . "Understanding the
Common Core Standards." March 2012. Address
Common Core States Standards Initiative, . "Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, ." Common Core State Standards. N.p., 2012. Web. 2 Aug 2012. <http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA Standards.pdf>.
Davis School District, . "Desk Essential Skills & Knowledge." Davis School District. Davis School District, 2010. Web. 2 Aug 2012. <http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/213810329151925803/lib/213810329151925803/Combined_Elementary_and_Secondary_DESK_2011-12.pdf>.
ISTES, “How to keep Students from Plagiarizing.” ISTES Conference . San Diego California 2012. Breakout Session.