Explicit Instruction for Writing in
Grades 1 - 8
Effective and Efficient
Instruction
Webinar Series
Session 2
Anita L. Archer, Ph.D.
Author and Consultant
archerteach@aol.com
1
Schedule
February 7, 2013
Topics: Sentence Writing
February 21, 2013
Topics: Big Ideas-Writing
Instruction; Scaffolding with
Writing Frames; Scaffolding with
Strategies, Think Sheets
(Summary, Compare and
Contrast)
March 7, 2013
Topics: Think Sheets for
Products that Inform, Convince,
and Convey an Experience
• Time
3:45 to 5:45 (Alaska)
• Materials needed
– PowerPoint Handout
– Paper
– Writing Tools
• Follow-up Resources
– Examples
– Articles
2
Participation
1.
Structured Choral Responses:
If the answer is short and the same, you will say an answer together.
2.
Structured Partner Responses:
If you are viewing this with fellow educators, divide into partners and
give each partner a number (either #1 or #2).
3.
Written Responses:
Record written responses on the handout or on plain paper.
4.
Recorder: Select one person in your group to be the recorder of
“best answers” when asked. Type into “Chat Box.”
5.
Best Practices: On a separate piece of paper, maintain a list of best
practices.
3
Participation
• Passage Reading
– Choral Reading
– Cloze Reading
– Partner Reading
4
Questions
If you have a question, type it into the “Chat
Box”. At intervals during the session, I will
respond to the questions.
5
Topics
• Overview of Foundation Skills
• Sentence Refinement
– Sentence Formation - Patterns
– Sentence Expansion
– Sentence Combining
– Word Choice
– Sentence Starters
• What
Why
How
6
Teaching Skills and Strategies
Design of Instruction
Modeling Guided Practice Check Understanding -
I do it.
We do it.
You do it.
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Sentence Instruction
1. Structured initial instruction
Model
I do it
Guided Practice
We do it
Check Understanding
You do it
2. Judicious practice
3. Transfer skill to daily writing and editing
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Sentence Formation - Patterns
What
- Students generate sentences that match a
specific pattern
Why
- Students gain:
- Sentence sense
- Ability to manipulate words within
sentences
- “Sentence Vocabulary” allowing
discussion of sentences and feedback
on sentences
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Sentence Formation - Patterns
How 1) Teacher presents pattern and explains the
sentence parts
2) Teacher models generation of parallel
sentences using stem
3) Students generate sentences by supplying
missing element to stem
4) On subsequent days, students practice the
same pattern with new stems
5) (Repeat with other other sentence stems.)
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Sentence Formation -Patterns
Who
Action
What
My friends
watched
a movie.
My friends
My friends
My friends
My friends
watched
watched
watched
watched
a play.
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Sentence Formation -Patterns
Who
Action
What
My friends
watched
a movie.
Example Student Paper
Acti on
watched
watched
watched
watched
watched
What
a movie.
zoo animals.
a small dog.
a video.
television.
o
Who
My friends
My friends
My friends
My friends
My friends
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Sentence Formation - Patterns
(See Examples for additional sentence stems)
Additional sentence stems
Who
Max
Ms. Jones
Pauline
Thomas
Mr. King
The
children
Action
created
lifted
drew
fixed
baked
cleaned
What
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Sentence Expansion
What
• Students add words or phrases to sentences
expressing time (when), place (where), manner (how)
or reason (why).
• Students add adjectives to modify nouns.
Why
• Useful if students sentences are short, incomplete, or
stilted (Moats, 2001)
• Students gain:
– Sentence sense
– Greater precision in sentences (Cudd & Roberts, 1993)
– Sentences rich in vocabulary and detail
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Sentence Expansion
How
1.
2.
3.
Teacher models how to add words or phrases to
sentence stem to answer one or more of the
following questions: who, what, when, where,how,
why.
Teacher guides students in adding words or
phrases to sentence stem to answer.
Students edit sentences in the same manner.
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Sentence Expansion
Example - Focus on when and where
Susan scampered.
Susan scampered down the forest trail.
After lunch, Susan scampered down the forest trail.
Susan scampered.
Susan scampered into class.
As the bell rang, Susan scampered into class.
Susan scampered.
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Sentence Expansion Writing “meaningful sentences” for vocabulary
who √
what
relieved
Maria was relieved.
when√
where
why√
how
Maria was relieved when the music
contest was over and her worrying
could end.
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Sentence Combining
What
Students make one smoother, more
detailed sentence out of two or more
shorter sentences.
Why???????
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Sentence Combining
Why
– students gain
• increased sentence sense
• ability to write more sophisticated
sentences
– when writing text, sentence combining reduces
repetition and monotony
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Sentence Combining
Why
– Recommended in Writing Next
(Graham & Perin, 2007)
– Has positive effect on students’ writing.
(Evans, Venotozzi, Bundrick, & McWilliams, 1988; Howie, 1979;
Kanellas, Carifio & Dagostino, 1998; Pedersen, 1977; Saddler &
Graham, 2005; Stoddard, 1982)
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Sentence Combining
1. Teacher provides a series of short
sentences.
2. Teacher models sentence combining
process.
3. Students practice combining short
sentences into longer, more effective
sentence.
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Sentence Combining
Students ask themselves:
(clarity)
Is the sentence clear?
(meaning) Does it express the desired
meaning?
(coherence)Do the parts of the sentence fit
together?
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Sentence Combining
• Sentence-Combining Activities (Rewards Writing Sentence Refinement published by Sopris Learning )
• Students start with a stem sentence and combine it
with one to four other sentences.
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Sentence Combining
(Examples from REWARDS Writing -Sentence Refinement
published by Sopris Learning)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Start:
Add:
Add:
Add:
Add:
Create:
Linda grabbed a seat.
Bobby grabbed a seat.
The seats were adjoining.
The seats were on the bus.
The bus was crowded.
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Sentence Combining
• Start:
•
•
•
•
•
As the cubs grow fur, they spend
periods of time outside the den.
The fur is thicker.
The periods of time are short.
The den is warm.
The den is protective.
Add:
Add:
Add:
Add:
Create:
___________________________________
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Sentence Combining
• Start:
Jared will finish shopping for
school supplies.
He will shop this afternoon.
He will shop at the mall.
• Add:
• Add:
• Create:
_____________________________
___
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Sentence Combining
•
•
•
•
•
Start:
Everyone ate birthday cake.
Add:
The birthday cake was chocolate.
Add:
Everyone ate vanilla ice cream.
Add:
Everyone ate candy.
Create:
_________________________________
___
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• Porcupine caribou are large mammals.
• Add:
Porcupine caribou are hoofed
mammals.
• Add:
They live in northern Canada.
• Add:
They live in eastern Alaska.
•
(Use that to make one sentence.)
• Create:
_________________________________
___
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Word Choice
What
Students replace overused words with
stronger, more precise words that better
convey meaning. .
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Word Choice
• He walked into the big building.
• (Better)
He wandered into an enormous
department store.
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Word Choice
• We had a nice holiday. Our nice relatives
came to visit. We did a lot of nice things
including eating at three nice restaurants. It
was a really nice vacation.
• (Better)
My family had an incredible holiday. Five
close relatives arrived Thursday for an
extended visit. We enjoyed many adventures
including feasting at three gourmet
restaurants. It was the most memorable
vacation of my life.
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Word Choice
Why
?????????
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Word Choice
Why
Word choice is the most important tool
for expressive power. (Scott and Nagy, 2009)
Students will
–
–
–
–
reduce use of “overused words”
increase use of alternative words in their lexicon
use a greater variety of words
increase the quality of their writing
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Word Choice
How
Students edit sentences replacing
common, overused verbs.
made, liked, walked, ran, ate, took, grew, got,
went, saw, knew, used, gave, let, said, had,
lived, talked, found, stayed, wanted, put,
helped, build, thought
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Word Choice
Jamie ran down the hall.
Alternative Words (From Sentence Refinement - Help Book published by
Sopris Learning)
jogged
sprinted
hurried
rushed
scampered
dashed
darted
fled
galloped
ambled
35
Word Choice
Students edit sentences, replacing
common, overused adjectives.
nice, big, bad, pretty, hot, little, smart,
cold, good, happy, terrible, funny, dirty,
wonderful, scared, sad, old, clean,
mean, hard
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Sentence Starters
What
- The teacher provides the initial portion
of a sentence that students then
complete in response to a question.
37
Sentence Starters
Why
- Students
- initiate answers with more ease
- respond in complete sentences
- are more likely to have accurate
answers
- embed more “academic language”
38
Sentence Starters
1.
Ask a question
2.
Give students thinking time
3.
Provide a verbal or written sentence starter
4.
Have students share answers with their
partners using the sentence starter
5.
Call on a student to give answer
39
settlements
settle
settlements
Visual Learning: What can you conclude about
the houses in early African settlements?
40
technique
Elementary Example
• This batik artist uses many special
techniques as she creates. How
might an artist acquire these
techniques?
• Begin by saying:
An artist might acquire these
techniques by……….
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Reading Check page 335
Reading Check (Middle School)
Why were Adams and Clay accused of making
a “corrupt bargain” (stealing the election)?
Begin your answer with:
Adams and Clay were accused of making a
“corrupt bargain” because ________________
42
Reading Check page 335
Scaffolding Questions
How many political parties were there in 1824?
Four men in the party ran for president. Did Andrew Jackson get a
majority of votes?
Which of the 4 candidates received the most votes?
Who did the House of Representatives select as president?
Who helped Adams to be elected as president?
What position in the government was Clay given?
43
ethnic group
n
(high school social studies)
An ethnic group is a group of people who share the
same ancestors, culture, language, religion, and
customs.
Africa has hundreds of ethnic group.
Visual Learning: What are some the differences
between these ethnic groups?
44
ethnic groups
45
ethnic groups
46
ethnic group
47
What are some the differences between
these ethnic groups?
Begin your answer with:
Some of the differences between these
ethnic groups include:
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settlements
49
settlements
50
settlements
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Best Practice List
Share your best practice list with your
partner. Tell your partner two practices that
you intend to implement in your classroom.
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Thank You
May we always remember :
How well we teach =
How well they learn
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