When Pencils Don’t Write. . .
Tamara Jo Rhomberg,
National Literacy Consultant
tammy.rhomberg@zaner-bloser.com
Objectives
1. A look at writing –the writing
process and 21st century
writing skills.
2. What does it look like when
the writing process breaks
down for students?
3. Five classroom writing
strategies you can really use.
The Writing Process in the 21st Century
• Common Core State Standards change the
demands on student writing
• Consider the role of materials and pacing.
• Drafting, revising and editing- a fresh look into
their role in the writing process
• To publish or not to publish ….
The Breakdown
• I don’t know what to write about…
•I wrote all that I know …
•I filled my three pages…
•I need more time…
•I’m done …
•You want me to do what…
The Writing Process Unpacked
based on the work of Mark Overmeyer
• Think about where you grew up
• Create a map of your childhood
neighborhood/home
• Think of a fond memory or event that took
place in that home or neighborhood
•Share a fond memory/story with a partner
•Write for 10 minutes
•Share your writing product, an excerpt,
or your process as a writer
•Group debrief experience
The Mini-Lesson
based on the work of Lucy Calkins
• Connect - revisit the previous teaching
point/mini-lesson, share relevant mentor texts,
share student writing samples, tie teaching
points together
• State Goal – use clear and concise language,
encompass all students, make transfer visible
• Teach – show/don’t tell, model, guide, active
engagement
• Link –establish closure, generalize, transfer
Classroom Strategies
•ABC Brainstorming
•Funnel Activity
•RAFT
•This Word Not That
•Ratiocination
The Great Depression
ABC Brainstorming
A____________
B____________
C____________
D____________
E____________
F____________
G____________
H____________
I____________
J____________
K____________
L____________
M___________
O_____________
P_____________
Q____________
R____________
S____________
T____________
U____________
V____________
W___________
X____________
Y____________
Z____________
Alpha Boxes
Linda Hoyt
Template with letter related boxes
Put things you need to remember in the letter box it starts with.
A
B
C
D
E
G
H
I
J
L
M
N
O
bike
Babe Ruth
apples
F
father
K
Great
Depression
money
P
Q
R
newspapers
S
T
secret
U
V
W
Wall Street
work
Z
X
tough times
Y
Events of World War II
World War II
Untold Stories
The Sugihara Story
Internal Conflict
Passage
to
Freedom
Environmental Issues
RAFT
Role- the river, the Nashua people Audience- the industrialists
Format- an obituary, a letter Topic- the environment, the future
This Word Not That
Semantic Gradient
terrific
wonderful
good
seized
tugged
grabbed
Ratiocination
With the eye patch, Charlotte looked a little like a
pirate and folks around the livery started calling her
One-eyed Charley. She didn’t mind because people
accepted the eye patch much easier than they did a
crooked, deformed eye. What she did mind was not
being able to drive. As much as she tried to be
grateful for her job, her heart wasn’t in it. She ached
to get out and ride the countryside. She had learned
to love the freedom of driving as much as she loved
her animals. The feeling of being in charge. Of folks
trusting that she knew the way. And of knowing her
team. When she drove , her horses seemed to
almost to know what would be expected of them
without a word being spoken. Sometimes, it seemed
like magic. (from Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan)
“Every good reader my not be a
good writer,
BUT
every good writer will be a
good reader.”
James Patterson
Thank You
Tamara Jo Rhomberg,
National Literacy Consultant
tammy.rhomberg@zaner-bloser.com