We write to prove we can think
Rationale
 Why emphasize writing in all
content areas?
 Communication is one of
the four Learning Skills
listed as 21st Century Skills
 In an increasingly technology
based world, most
communication is done
through writing
 Writing is a key element of
the Kansas College and
Career Ready Standards
 State testing increasingly
requires students to
demonstrate their
understanding through writing
STRETCH Journal
What I did
What I learned/
observed
How I can use it
Writing to Learn
Learning to Write
• Activities that require
students to write in order
to learn the material or
show their understanding
of the material
• Activities designed to
teach students how to
be good writers
We can do BOTH!
My Soapbox:
Writing is like any other skill, the more it is practiced, the
easier it gets and the more advanced the skill becomes.
Writing should be part of every day, not a “special” activity.
Poetry Cafe
Two-Voice Poem
 Timeline: 2 class periods, one for modeling and
preparing, one for reading/sharing
 Purpose: Comparing and contrasting; students
work in pairs to convert similarities and differences
into a poem
 Steps:
 Begin with an example
 Have students work in pairs to complete a Venn
diagram
 Students convert their Venn diagram into a 2-voice
poem then perform it for the class
STRETCH Journal
Test Questions:
1. What can archaeologists
infer from cave paintings? In
other words, after viewing the
cave paintings, what would
archaeologists know about the
life of hunter-gatherers? Why
would they think these things?
2. How did Hunter-Gatherers
use technology to improve
their lifestyles? Give at least 2
examples and explain each.
3. Compare and contrast the
roles of men and women in
Hunter-Gatherer society. (at
least one similarity and two
differences).
Card Sort
 Purpose: Pre-reading activity,
vocabulary review, review of
learned content
 Steps:
 Provide students with cards—
each has a word related to the
topic or reading being studied
 Students sort and connect the
words on butcher paper using
glue and markers
 Students complete a gallery
walk to see connections made
by classmates
STRETCH Journal
Carrousel Critical Reading
 Critical Reading Steps:




Number the Paragraphs
Underline or highlight important information
Circle words you don’t know
Write questions and thoughts in the margins
 Students each get an article on the topic at
hand. They complete critical reading and pass it
to the next person at the table until everyone
has read every article
Café Conversation
 Purpose: Students discuss and
begin the prewriting process
for argumentative writing
 Steps:
 Students discuss articles
 Students summarize the key
points of view of each article
 Students discuss the pros and
cons of each point of view
 Students write a thesis
statement based on their
conversations
 Students write an essay
STRETCH Journal
Appetizers
Begin by discussing your
notecard (from yesterday) with
your table. Share with your
fellow diners which group you
think deserves land rights to the
Amazon River and why. Make
sure you explain your thinking
and why you chose the
group you did!
Salads
As a table, discuss each group
claiming land rights to the
Amazon River. Together, come
up with at least one reason
each group DOES deserve land
rights to the Amazon River and
at least one reason each group
DOES NOT deserve land rights
to the Amazon River.
Groups:
Cattle Ranchers
Native Amazonians
Rubber Tappers
Environmentalists
Brazilian Government
Main Dishes
Please choose a different table to dine with
during your main course.
Each person choose a neon notecard from the
center of your table. The first person should
read the quote they chose and give a
response to the quote. Next, go around the
table and each person respond to the first
quote. When everyone has shared, have the
second person read their quote and respond.
Continue this process until it is time for
dessert!
Desserts
Please return to your original table!
This is your final course. During this
course you will discuss with your
group who you believe deserves land
rights to the Amazon River and why.
You may have changed your mind
from the beginning of class and
that’s okay!
When everyone has shared and
discussed, write your final opinion
and at least TWO reasons for your
choice on the tablecloth near your
name!
Prompt Dissection
Prompt 1
We have studied the
elements that
distinguish a culture.
State the elements and
give one example of
each, either from your
culture or another.
Write your answer in
paragraph form.
Verb
Object
(what)
State
Elements of
culture
Give
Examples
Write
Paragraph
Prompt Dissection
Prompt 2
Imagine your teacher has asked you to present
the information from a film on the respiratory
system to five of your classmates who missed the
film because of a field trip. Create a set of sample
Cornell notes that you could use to explain the
parts of the body involved in respiration and the
process of respiration. You do not need to write
the summary statement of the notes
Verb
Object (what)
Prompt Dissection
 Purpose: Establishes a format for students to
determine the expectations of a writing
prompt
 Steps:




Read the prompt carefully
Complete a verb-object T-chart
Answer the prompt
Go back to the T-chart and make sure nothing
was missed.
STRETCH Journal
Prompt Writing
 Elements of a well-written prompt
 Sentence 1: A declarative sentence that makes a
generalization about a particular subject matter.
 Sentence 2: An imperative sentence that asks students
to make a personal response to an instance of the
subject matter defined. Or an interrogative sentence
that gives them a question to answer.
 Sentence 3: Any specific directions as to the mode of
writing expected, the length, or any qualifiers.
Example:
Fiction is told from a particular point of view. From which
point of view is this novel told, and who is the narrator?
Do you think this is the most effective means of narrating
this novel? Answer the question in a paragraph.
Charting a Text
Paragraphs
Saying
Doing
Chunk/Group
the
paragraphs
according to
purpose or
idea
What is the author saying in this
paragraphs? What are the
essential ideas?
Based on what the author is
saying, what is the author
doing in the paragraphs?
What purpose does the
author intend these details
to serve?
Paragraphs
1-4
• Names do not denote a
person’s attractiveness;
voices do not reveal
personality
• College students think that
names denote
attractiveness
The author is establishing
that most people falsely
believe in pre-conceived
ideas about others
Paragraphs
5-6
• Stereotypes are
prejudgments
• Stereotypes affect how we
see the world
The author is explaining
the term “stereotype”.
Charting a Text
Paragraphs
Saying
Doing
Chunk/Group
the
paragraphs
according to
purpose or
idea
What is the author saying in this
paragraphs? What are the
essential ideas?
Based on what the author is
saying, what is the author
doing in the paragraphs?
What purpose does the
author intend these details
to serve?
Paragraphs
1-4
•
The author is…
Paragraphs
5-8
•
The author is…
Determining the Author’s Argument: Accounting for
everything that the author is doing in the text, and
considering the relationship among ideas, what is
the author’s main argument?
Charting the Text
 Purpose: Students analyze an opinion piece
and determine the authors key argument and
how they support that argument
 Steps:
 Number and chunk the paragraphs
 Complete the “Charting a Text” chart
 Determine the author’s argument
STRETCH Journal