Keys to Content Writing
Response Notebook
Use this document to capture your responses during the online course.
Type in your wording after the “Your response” prompt.
The page is set up using the “table” feature, so the boxes will expand as you type into them.
Module 1: Writing Basics
1.2
1. Is there a formal curriculum or published program used in your school to teach
writing during English Language Arts instruction? Briefly describe what is used.
2. To what degree is writing instruction incorporated during content teaching (i.e.,
science, social studies, math, etc.)?
3. Is there a consistent approach to content writing instruction across grades and
subjects?
4. Is this scenario describe above typical of the way writing is addressed in content
classrooms such as science and social studies in your school? Explain.
5. What instructional practices mentioned in the scenario do you or other colleagues
in your school use on a regular basis?
Your response: 1. We use the Keys to Writing, Keys to Vocab as well as Orton-Gillingham.
2. I use writing during reading and science, but barely during math.
3. We use this program and OG across the board.
4. I think so. This is my first year at this school.
5. I’m not sure. I know that I use modeling to show what a good piece of writing looks like.
1.3
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
What types of writing tasks do you regularly assign students?
Describe a recent writing task you have assigned students. Which of the three types
of writing tasks best describes the task (i.e., Quick Write, Content Learning Task,
Formal Writing Task)?
Your response: Written comprehension, frayer models, narratives. Today, we did a
reflection on Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It’s a Content
Learning Task.
1.4
Using the Writing Beliefs examples above, respond to the following questions:
1. Which writing belief resonates the most with you? Why?
2. Can you see writing beliefs being useful with your students? Explain.
3. What writing beliefs would you add?
Your response: 1. Writing is a struggle. Most of my kids struggle with and then hate writing.
I think normalizing this feeling for them would be great.
2. Yes. The belief that writing can be taught and learned will hopefully make students feel
less hopeless.
3. Writing is connecting.
1.5
In addition to the items noted above, what else do you notice about your students who
have difficulty writing?
Your Response
My students often have trouble self generating a sentence and remembering what it is they
wanted to write.
1.6
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What percent of your students do not have grade-appropriate spelling and
handwriting skills?
For your students who have difficulty with writing, is spelling and/or handwriting a
factor?
What accommodations might you provide to support students with spelling and/or
handwriting skills?
Your response:
I’d say 50% of my students do not have grade appropriate spelling and handwriting.
Handwriting and spelling is MOST DEFINITELY a reason these kiddos struggle to write. I’ve
been providing letter formation paper and word banks.
1.9
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
Think of a time in your personal or professional life when you imitated the
structure, style, or language of mentor text for a writing task. Describe the task and
the mentor text.
Identify at least two writing skills, strategies, or techniques that you want you
students to learn for which mentor text can be used as a model.
Your response: In college, we were told to write child development profiles. I had never
written one before, but a mentor text was provided. This helped me figure out what I was
supposed to include in the text, the style in which the text should be written, how much
detail was needed, and how to use proper headings.
I want students to learn writing titles and expanding sentences.
1.13
Reflection #1
In 200 words or less, describe the difference between learning to write and writing to learn.
Your response: Learning to write has to do with the conventions of writing such as spelling,
grammar, and punctuation. Writing to learn is deepening your understanding of subjects
by writing.
1.13
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: 1. Writing is difficult for students. 2. How do I engage students in writing
when I’m still working on conventions? 3. Quick writes can be used every day. Kids can’t
focus on building writing skills without conventions down pat. Mentor texts are everything!
Module 2: Quick Writes
2.2
Describe some quick write tasks that you or colleagues at your school already assign
students.
Your response: I do exit tickets in Renaissance. We do graphic organizers and short
responses.
2.8
In your response notebook, list the 3 quick write tasks you generated in the training
manual.
Your response: 1. React to the book we just read. Scaffold would be a word bank.
Responses used to just get them writing and see what kind of books they like. 2. What’s
one question you have about the lesson today? Scaffold would be having question words
up on the board. Responses used to inform instruction. 3. Name the three classes of
Renaissance people. Scaffold could be a graphic organizer. Responses used to inform
instruction.
2.9
Reflection #1
In 300 words or less, write an explanation to students that describes quick writes and their
purpose related to learning content and improving writing skills.
Your response: Quick writes are short writings that get your mind going every single day.
Not all quick writes will be graded or even looked at, but I will glance at most of them. We
may share them sometimes and not share other times. These quick writes are used to help
me see what you know and to help you flesh out your own understanding of our work
together.
2.9
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: 1. Kids should write everyday. 2. Will students develop bad syntax and
grammar habits if I don’t correct them? 3. Scaffolding can be used. Share! Kids should do a
quick write very often.
Module 3: Sentences and Paragraphs
3.4
Generate two sentence scramble activities related to your content area that you can use
with students. Write the sentences in your response notebook.
Your response: renaissance was The period time a of. Famous a Da Vinci was artist
3.5
Using your content and related reading material, create a sentence-combining activity you
can use with your students. In your response notebook, record the simple sentences and an
example of a combined sentence.
Your response: The Renaissance was a time with many great artists. Da Vinci was a famous
Renaissance artist. The Renaissance was a time with many great artists including Da Vinci.
3.6
Create a sentence combining activity using two sentences that includes an underline cue or
a key word in parentheses cue.
Your response: Most peasants ate vegetables every day. Peasants had a healthier diet than
royalty. Most peasants ate fresh vegetables every day, so they had a healthier diet than
royalty.
3.7
Generate a sentence elaboration activity for your students using the “W” questions or
kernel sentence expansion. Include the original sentence and examples of how the
sentence expands.
Your response.
Da Vinci painted. Where? Italy. When? The Renaissance period. What? The Mona Lisa
Da Vinci lived most of his life in Italy during the Renaissance period where he painted
masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa.
3.8
1. Identify 2 to 3 sample paragraphs from mentor text. Describe or copy the paragraphs in
your response notebook.
The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic,
political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally
described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the
Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature
and art. Some of the greatest thinkers, authors, statesmen, scientists and
artists in human history thrived during this era, while global exploration
opened up new lands and cultures to European commerce. The Renaissance
is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day
civilization.
The Renaissance was a revolutionary time in history that helped the
world greatly. The works of this time had demonstrated examples of
Humanism and Secularism. It had coincided with a surge in trade,
exploration, marriage, war, and diplomats. Each new innovation had set
the stage for new advancements. One of the things going on in Europe at
the time was The Black Death. The Black Death had a tremendous
impact on the world due to the staggering amounts of deaths associated
with the plague. This had set the stage for the Renaissance, as the people
who survived were primarily of higher social status, which means they
were more likely to have more education and knowledge of the arts. Italy
was inundated with massive amounts of ancient works from around the
planet, and artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo,
Raphael and Donatello were inspired by it.
2. Generate a paragraph practice activity using any of the suggestions on this assignment
page. Explain the activity in your response notebook.
Your response: Students will color code a paragraph, high lighting the introduction, key
details, and concluding sentences.
3.9
Find the 8 sample paragraphs from grades 5, 6, 8 and high school in Chapter 3 in the
training book. Read each paragraph and identify the pattern(s) of organization and any
transitions that signal that pattern. Make a list of each paragraph pattern in your response
notebook.
Paragraph 1 Pattern: Cause and Effect
Paragraph 2 Pattern: Sequence, Chronology
Paragraph 3 Pattern: Compare and Contrast
Paragraph 4 Pattern: Cause and Effect
Paragraph 5 Pattern: Description, Explanation
Paragraph 6 Pattern: Problem and Solution
Paragraph 7 Pattern: Description, Explanation
Paragraph 8 Pattern: Cause and Effect
3.11
Reflection #1
In 400 words or less, 1) describe the sentence and paragraph writing abilities of your
students, and 2) explain how explicit instruction for writing sentences and paragraphs
might help your students.
Your response: 1. My students have begun constructing their own sentences and are
progressing in their ability. They are self editing using a checklist I made. My students have
not started writing paragraphs yet, but they are beginning to add a supporting detail to
their main idea sentence.
2. Explicit instruction helps my students know what writing is and the process to begin it.
They are in Kindergarten, so modeling the thinking process is essential.
3.11
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: - Students need to have good sentence writing and need to be explicitly
taught how to build paragraphs.
-How do kids with poor reading skills work to add in vocabulary?
- 1. sentence scrambles! 2. W questions to add details. 3. patterns of organization
Module 4: The Writing Process
4.1
1. Do you already teach the stages of the writing process? If so, what labels do you use to
describe each stage?
2. Describe what you do to explicitly teach the stages of the writing process and to
encourage students to follow them when they write.
Your response: 1. Kind of. We usually verbalize ideas out loud with a “thinking bubble” and
use a checklist to edit.
2. I model and use mentor texts. I think out loud.
4.4
1. Do you explicitly teach students about TAP? If yes, explain how you do this. If no,
describe how you would introduce TAP to students.
2. Generate a writing task for your students that includes an authentic audience.
Your response:
.
1. No, I have not explicitly taught this. I think having students write for different audiences
by having different examples would be a good idea.
2. We will write thank you cards for the fire fighter that came by yesterday.
4.8
Do you think some or all of your students might benefit from a writing template or a set of
steps? Explain why or why not.
Your response: I think templates will help a lot with my kids to learn to add in the specific
skills I’m teaching. I already use a sentence template that has reminders.
4.11
1. Do you provide opportunities for students to collaborate for writing? If yes, describe
the stage(s) of the writing process where they collaborate. If no, describe a
collaborative writing activity you might assign your students.
2. Do you provide a feedback tool that students use to provide feedback to peers about
their writing? If yes, describe the tool. If not, explain how you might use or modify the
feedback checklist provided above.
Your Response:
1. I have not provided opportunities for my Kindergarteners to work collaboratively. I’m
honestly not sure how it would go. I might assign us a piece to write together and we could
go through the process together and add in different ideas. I personally find it difficult to
release control to the kids.
2. I actually just started providing feedback with a feedback tool today. It’s just a star
rating system with a star for each item I’m looking for in a writing.
4.13
Putting It All Together: You Try It
In your Response Notebook, state the writing task, the audience and purpose, the length,
directions and requirements, and writing supports.
Be prepared to share your writing assignment details with peers if you are taking this
course with other educators.
Your response: Writing task: write about germs and how to prevent them from spreading.
Length: 3 paragraphs. Directions and requirements: must address how to prevent germs
and illnesses from spreading. Key words to include: germ, biology, illness. This piece will be
peer reviewed and then graded once revised. Writing supports: two column notes and
thinking map.
4.14
Reflection #1
Can you use the Think, Plan, Write, and Revise framework to teach your students to follow
the writing process? If yes, describe how you might introduce it to students. If no, explain
how you could adapt it for your students.
Your response: Yes, I would like to use this framework. I would like to introduce it to
students by introducing a thinking map, a template, and then having them write that way. I
would also begin including basic criteria with checklists they can use to edit.
4.14
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: -templates are helpful for struggling writers. -how do I successfully let
kindergarten kids peer review. - 1. TAP 2. Rubrics 3. more modeling!
Module 5: Summary Writing
5.3
Review the two examples of student-written summaries below. The first is a summary of a
two-page article, and the second is a summary of a section in a textbook. Make a list of the
skills these students had to integrate in order to generate these summaries.
Your response: 1. Main idea and details. 2. Organization and deletion 3. transcription 4.
syntax 5. comprehension
5.4
Using the classroom examples as a resource, make a list of 3 summary tasks you can assign
to students.
Your response: 1. summarize the importance of patrons in the Renaissance era. 2.
Summarize the story we read. 3. List the characters in the story.
5.7
Part 1:
Do you think the Set of Steps for writing a summary will be helpful for your students?
Explain why or why not.
Your response: Yes, my students often have trouble coming up with a main idea and have
not written summaries before. The set of steps will give them a checklist to use when
writing their summaries.
5.7
Part 2:
Briefly describe the article you chose for your summary assignment. Then describe how you
annotated the article.
Your response: The article I chose was about the Renaissance period and the different
aspects of it including art and technology. In order to annotate this for a student, I would
break the writing into different parts as it is a rather large piece. The main ideas are stated
explicitly.
5.8
Generate a set of two column notes aligned to the article for your summary
assignment. Describe the two-column notes and write the main ideas from the left column
in your response notebook.
Your response: Main ideas: Henderson island is filling with trash. Even though it is not lived
on, it still has a lot of trash. Animals are in danger because of all the plastic. There’s so
much trash that it shows up on Google Earth. The plastic comes from all over the world.
5.9
Generate a summary for your article. Copy the summary in your response notebook.
Your response: Henderson Island is overrun with trash. Henderson Island is an island in
North Carolina that no one currently lives on. Even then, there is so much garbage that
even Google Earth has picked up on it. Animals and wildlife are in danger because of the
large amounts of trash. Researches have found through studying ocean currents that the
plastic that is at Henderson Island is from all over the world from places like Japan, China,
and America. The best way for people to help places like Henderson Island is to stop using
so much plastic.
5.11
Copy the wording from these parts of the WAG into your response notebook: Directions &
Requirements and Writing Supports
Your response: Read the article and take two column notes. 2.After reading the article, use
the “How to Write a Summary Checklist” as a guide to complete the assignment. 3.You
must include an introductory statement and all main ideas. 4.You must include at least 3
transitions. 5.Before turning it in you will be exchanging your summary with a peer to
provide feedback to each other using a summary peer checklist.
Writing Supports: Two column notes, Checklist, Mentor Text, examples of transition
words
5.12
Reflection #1
Generate a summary of between 300 and 500 words of the topics covered in this module.
Include information about what a summary is, why it should be taught, and some of the
instructional practices suggested in the module.
Your response:
A summary is a tool used by all kinds of teachers to enhance comprehension and to help
students learn how to think on paper. Research across multiple studies list the ability to
summarize as a way to improve writing ability and reading comprehension. Summarizing
includes many skills of reading comprehension and writing. Some of the writing skills
necessary to master a summary are: mastery of writing conventions, mastery of word
choice, spelling, handwriting, and other basic writing skills. Without mastery of these skills,
any type of writing is difficult for students, but summaries may be especially difficult for
students who lack skills in those areas. This difficulty arises from students needing to
combine not only those writing skills previously listed, but also the comprehension skills
that are necessary to form a summary. Many people confuse summarizing and retelling,
but the main difference is that retelling is remembering as much as possible and can be the
same length or even longer than the original text while summarizing requires deleting
information, identifying main ideas, and relaying those in a shorter and more concise
format. These reading comprehension skills are essential and should be explicitly taught.
Identifying and rephrasing main idea is an essential skill for summarizing. Summarizing is
often overlooked, but should be explicitly taught in order to help students understand the
process of making a summary. Some common instructional strategies used to teach
summarizing are: mentor texts, the gradual release of responsibility, having students
identify and rephrase main ideas, having students generate titles for already written
paragraphs or essays, and using two column notes to organize thoughts. Scaffolding can be
added into any assignment, even summaries. Some common scaffolds include: two column
notes, checklists, examples of transition words, and mentor texts. Summarizing is a difficult
and complicated skill that can be intimidating to teach and learn, but if following the steps
and using the scaffolds that are demonstrated in Keys to Writing, it can be accomplished
with time.
5.12
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: - Summarizing and retelling are different skills. - Do students needs to spell
correctly in two column notes? - 1. rubrics can be very helpful 2. students should cite why
they chose yes or no on a rubric. 3. two column notes can sometimes be accepted at
summaries
Module 6: Three Types of Writing
6.2
Consider the types of writing tasks you assign your students. Estimate the percentages of
each type of writing you assign during a typical school year.
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Opinion/Argument:
Informational:
Narrative:
Your response: 80% opinion/informational 20% informational 0% narrative at this point
6.2
Read the three paragraphs in the passage below. Identify the type of writing used in each
paragraph in your response notebook.
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

Paragraph 1:
Paragraph 2:
Paragraph 3:
Your response: 1. narrative 2. informational 3. opinion/argument
6.3
Generate two writing tasks related to your content that require a writing form that will be
engaging for your students.
Your response:
1. Write a tweet or facebook status from the point of view of a Renaissance figure.
2. Respond to the book we just read.
6.4
1. INTRODUCTIONS: How do the requirements for writing introductions change as
students move through the grades? What are the similarities and differences regarding
introductions for argument, informational, and narrative writing?
2. TRANSITIONS: How do the requirements for using transitions change as students move
through the grades? What are the similarities and differences regarding transitions for
argument, informational, and narrative writing?
3. CONCLUSIONS: How do the requirements for writing conclusions change as students
move through the grades? What are the similarities and differences regarding
conclusions for argument, informational, and narrative writing?
Your response: 1. The introduction is supposed to get clearer and more precise. It moves
from introducing just the main idea to introducing the claims. The narrative is vastly
different as it’s job is to establish characters and setting versus the jobs of the other two are
to state claims or main ideas.
2. It changes from linking ideas to linking major sections of the writing pieces. The
narrative pieces is more about making a coherent whole writing narrative. The opinion
writing has an extra piece about clarifying counter arguments.
3. As the kids move up in grade level, their conclusions are expected to restate or reflect
upon the piece as a whole instead of just summing it up. In the beginning, the criteria is
just to have a conclusion. The biggest difference between the three types is: informational
and opinion support the ideas in the text and have supporting statements whereas the
conclusion in a narrative is a reflection on the text.
6.4
Part 1: Identify a topic for an informational writing piece you might assign your students.
Generate a sample introduction for that topic that states the topic, includes a lead, includes
some background information about the topic, and previews subtopics or central ideas.
Part 2: Next, generate a conclusion that incorporates the techniques suggested above.
Your response: 1. Topic: famous renaissance painters. Sample Introduction: The
Renaissance was a time period in which many advances in art work were made and many
beautiful pieces produced. The artists who created these pieces mastered their crafts,
created new techniques, and produced artworks that are still viewed today. Some of these
famous painters included Leonardo Da Vinci, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Each
of these Renaissance men shaped art, sculpture, and culture in a way that is still noticeable
today.
2. Renaissance art and the artists who created it are still spoken about and revered today.
Artists such as Donatello, Raphael, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo are still extraordinarily
relevant to modern culture over 500 years after their pieces were produced. Without
Renaissance artists, art may never have progressed so quickly and with such flourish. Our
world today is beautiful and we have Renaissance artists to thank for it.
6.7
Select one of the student text samples at the end of Chapter 6 in the training book.
Generate a top-down topic web that reflects the structure of the writing piece. Use the
generic examples of topic webs on assignment page 6.5 as a guide, but add specific words
related to the text in the shapes.
Your response:
Overall Topic: Deer are able to stay out of trouble in a multitude of different ways --→
Introduction --→ deer can run, hide, fight, or swim to get out of trouble, lead with a
question
Body-→ predators and hiding → camo for different seasons → running and signaling --→
swimming --→ zigzag running --→ antlers and the difference between horns and antlers
Conclusion-→ Deer stay safe by running, swimming, hiding, or fighting
6.8
1. Do you use checklists or rubrics to provide feedback to your students about their
writing?
2. Can you use the sample checklists and rubrics provided above with your students?
Provide an explanation.
Your response: 1. Yes, I use a syntax checklist at this point because they are still in
Kindergarten. I have added a rubric for my Renaissance students.
2. I think the checklist could be helpful for exit tickets in my Renaissance class. I’ll definitely
have to modify them for an exit ticket, but I still think it would help kids see exactly what
they need to get a level 4.
6.9
Reflection #1
In 300 to 400 words, summarize the differences among the three types of writing.
Your response: Narrative writing is a type of writing that includes a character, setting,
conflict, and a general plot. This type of writing is heavier in elementary grades. A
narrative involves telling a fictional or nonfictional story to an audience. Students will need
to identify from which point of view they are telling the story to create a narrator. A
graphic organizer breaking down the parts of the story can be particularly helpful for
students when they are writing narratives, whereas the other topics will mostly use two
column notes. The second type of writing is informational which includes an overall topic,
subtopics, and supporting details from other sources. Two column notes are particularly
helpful in this type of writing. This type of writing should not contain opinions and can
include graphics such as infographics, charts, and pictures. The third type of writing is
argument/opinion and includes a claim, supporting details, a counter claim, and supporting
details of those. This third type of writing can also include graphics such as infographics,
charts and pictures. The main difference between an argumentative writing and an
informational writing is that the argumentative writing should include an opinion along with
the facts used to back up the claims and may include a counterclaim or counter argument.
A counterclaim can also be used in an argumentative writing and it is the only type of
writing to include a counterclaim. The counterclaim should always also be supported by
facts and can be included on the two column notes. All types of writing include an
introduction and conclusion. Introductions and conclusions should become more precise as
students move through their education. A piece of writing will always be in at least one of
the categories, but MAY cross in to different categories of writing. The percentage of
writing should even out to equal thirds in upper grades.
6.9
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: -Children should write all three types of writing -How do I help Kindergarten
students learn to peer edit? -1.Rubrics and checklists would probably be a great tool for my
kids of all grades. 2. The five paragraph set up is not the end all be all. 3. Narrative
introductions are very different and should be explicitly taught.
Module 7: Writing From Sources
7.4
Part 1:
How do the sample classroom prompts become more challenging from grade 3 to high
school? How do the demands on comprehension and/or writing skills increase?
Your response: The first few prompts in the lower grades are all informational and the
upper grades move to having an opinion and backing it. The directions become clearer with
higher expectations of how many facts a students needs to use from a source. More
sources are added as they get older as well. The demands on writing/reading
comprehension definitely increase as students are asked to read and synthesize
information from more than one text and to find main ideas and themes.
7.4
Part 2:
Generate two writing prompts related to your classroom instruction that require students
to write a response based on more than one source. Add the prompts to your Response
Notebook and describe the sources students will use.
Your response: 1. Using your experience cooking and the recipes we have read from the
Renaissance period, describe what foods were common for peasants to eat and what
nutrition they would receive.
2. Using the paintings from the Renaissance era and paintings from the Medieval era,
analyze and explain three differences in technique.
7.5
1. Do you or others in your school use a routine for helping students write responses to
prompts?
2. Do you think having a routine such as the ANSWER Routine would be helpful for your
students? Why or why not?
Your response: 1. I do use a routine similar to the ANSWER routine (Scaled down for K), but
I’ve never explicitly taught it to my students. I’m not sure about others.
2. I think explicitly teaching the routine to my students would be helpful and help them
learn how to self edit without prompting.
7.6
Annotate the two prompts you generated on assignment page 7.4 that are in your
Response Notebook by underlining key words. (go back to 7.4 above to annotate)
1. Using your experience cooking and the recipes we have read from the Renaissance
period, describe what foods were common for peasants to eat and what nutrition they
would receive.
2. Using the paintings from the Renaissance era and paintings from the Medieval era,
analyze and explain three differences in technique.
7.7
Set up two-column notes for the two prompts you generated on assignment page 7.1.
Describe in your Response Notebook what you wrote across the top of the notes and in the
left column.
Your response: 1. Overall topic: food in the Renaissance Left hand column: what foods they
ate, nutrition gotten from foods
2. Overall topic: analyze and explain differences in Renaissance paintings and Medieval
paints. Left hand column: perspective, proportions, light
7.10


Describe your reaction to using the notes to generate paragraphs for the activity.
Would this process of taking two-column notes and using them to write a response to a
prompt be helpful for your students? Why or why not?
Your response: It made typing a response a much smoother process and allowed me to
focus more on writing conventions like word choice versus searching for information. I do
think it would be helpful for students to take two column notes. I would definitely have to
modify the template to add lines and more boxes so my kids could visually see the
separation between main ideas.
7.12
Reflection #1
In 300 to 400 words, write a reflection about the ANSWER Routine. Address how you might
incorporate the strategies and scaffolds in your teaching.
Your response:
I love that the routine is explicitly taught so that students can begin taking ownership of
their own writing process. I do like the idea of two column notes and helping students
organize their thoughts. I understand the importance of getting the main ideas and major
thinking of content done before being able to focus on conventions and word choice. I
think it will definitely need to be modified for kindergarten, but it can be done. I do think it
would be helpful in Kindergarten, but in a very concentrated and shorter way. I also think
it’s very difficult for Kindergarten kids to edit their own pieces or other students. I’m
honestly not quite sure how to teach editing to young children. I understand that students
need to understand that editing is an important if somewhat boring part of writing (I’m
currently editing this summary), but I’m not sure how to actually get them to be able to do
it in a meaningful way. Most of my students have difficulty reading their own writing after
finishing, never mind reading it the day after or reading another student’s work.
7.12
Reflection #2
Add wording for each of the following:
•
•
•
Something I learned that squares with my beliefs:
A question going around in my head:
Three points I will remember:
Your response: -It’s difficult for students to write good content and focus on conventions at
the same time. -Which assignments do not require the ANSWER routine? -1.explicitly teach
the routine 2. two column notes make writing easier even for kids who are adept 3.
annotating prompts