Collins’ Writing
Writing Across the Curriculum
To develop successful, life-long
writers, students must have:
• Opportunities to:
• write in many environments
• experiment with voice and audience
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Purpose beyond just a grade
Some choice in topic and form
Consistent structure/framework
Contextual instruction
Purposeful feedback
Five Types of Writing
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Type 1 – Capture Ideas
Type 2 – Respond Correctly
Type 3 – Edit for Focus Correction Areas (FCAs)
Type 4 - Peer Edit for FCAs
Type 5 – Publish
Type 1 – Capture Ideas
• Writing that has no correct answer, or is OK to
guess.
• Quick
• One draft
• Effort or Participation grade only
Example: Please Do Now!, free write, journal entry
Type 2 – Respond Correctly
• Writing that makes a point
• It has a correct answer or content
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One draft
Quick
Can be used to assess student knowledge (quiz)
Promotes active learning – students required to
produce rather than identifying information
TYPE 3 WRITING
Focus Correction Areas (FCAs)
• Provide specific information about the criteria
used to evaluate an assignment
• Selective approach to correcting writing
• Means of structuring a writing program
• Focuses instruction and feedback
• Consistency across curriculum
• No OVERcorrecting
• “Focus correcting saves grading time and helps
students consider the quality of the paper in
relationship to a few clearly specified criteria
rather than an infinite number of highly subjective
criteria.”
~ John Collins
For Best Results
FCAs should be:
• Systemic (vertically articulated/ grade levels)
• Limited
• Use an FCA only after explicit instruction in that skill
• Mix of criteria
• Organization, content, style and mechanics
Type 3 – Edit for FCAs
• Most authentic academic writing
• Read out loud
• Reviewed by the author using 3 critical questions
• Does it complete the assignment?
• Is it easy to read?
• Does it fulfill the focus correction area?
• One Draft
• Efficient and easy to grade
• It can take any form: essay, letter, story, etc.
FCAs for Expository Writing
STYLE
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Appropriate word choice/audience
Active, not passive voice
Concise, complete sentences.
Powerful verbs
Mix of sentence lengths
FCAs for Expository Writing
CONTENT and Critical Thinking
• Accurate, factual statements
• Technical vocabulary used correctly
• Facts and relevant details to support thesis
FCAs for Expository Writing
ORGANIZATION
• Introduction draws reader in
• Conclusion reinforces thesis
• Transitions help reader move from point to point
Differentiation
Struggling
Writers
Average
Writers
Less specific FCA
More specific FCA
Three examples from the
text
Advanced
Writers
Use examples from the text
Give sufficient support
Write one short sentence (10
Include short, medium and
or fewer words )and one
long sentences (21 or more
medium sentence (11-20
words)
words)
Use sentence variety
Underline three vivid verbs
Use vivid verbs
Use at least 5 vivid verbs
For Content Area Teachers
• What’s most important to your area?
• How can you help reinforce skills being taught at
your grade level?
• Example:
• 3 clearly stated reasons: 30 points
• 2 relevant examples from text to support each reason:
60 points
• Correct use of capitalization: 10 points
Type 3 Example:
Title: Explaining the Periodic Table
Purpose: Practical/Informative
Writer’s Role: Write as if you were a
science textbook writer
Audience: students in grades six, seven, or
eight
Form: Multi-paragraph textbook selection
Example cont.
Focus Correction Areas:
1. Describe what the Periodic Table is and
why it is important. (45pts)
2. Explain how to use the Periodic Table
(45pts)
3. Capitalization and end marks (10 pts, 5
off each error)
Type 4 – Peer Edit for FCAs
• Writing that is Type Three writing AND has been
read out loud and critiqued by another
• Two drafts
• Produces fair and objective evaluations
• Promotes sharing of ideas, insights, information
• Produces most improvement in writing and
thinking skills
Type 5 – Publish
• Type Three writing
AND
• has been read out loud and critiqued by another
• Two drafts
• Real World Standards