A Close Reading of
the Writing Standards
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
English Language Arts Department
ELA PD Menu Resources
ELA Professional Development Menu LiveBinder:
http://tinyurl.com/od6rlnx
ELA Professional Development Menu Wiki:
http://tinyurl.com/mp5e9at
Common Core and Writing
Participants will understand the
expectations of the Writing
Standards.
INTEGRATION of WRITING OVERVIEW
Language
Reading
Writing
Speaking and
Listening
Agreements
Ask questions.
Engage fully.
Integrate new information.
Open your mind to diverse views.
Utilize what you learn.
Participants as Writers
• Participant’s Notes
• Do a Quick Write about “your first memory
of writing.”
Nobody but a reader ever
became a writer.
- Richard Peck
Writing to Read
In the Writing to Read report, Graham and Hebert
examine whether various approaches to writing
instruction impact students’ reading skills and
comprehension.
The report:
• describes a range of instructional practices that have
demonstrated a positive effect on reading outcomes.
• provides guidance on how teachers can use writing
instruction to strengthen students’ reading
performance.
Graham, S., & Hebert, M.A. (2010).
Recommendation #1
Have students write about
text they read.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve
Reading
Research to build and present knowledge
Writing Standards 7, 8 and 9
Having students respond to a text…
improves reading comprehension.
• Writing personal reactions
• Analyzing the Text
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Having students write summaries of a text…
has a positive impact on reading
comprehension.
Writing summaries:
•using only one sentence
•using a set of rules or steps
•using an outline
•by locating and using the main idea in each paragraph
•using graphic organizers
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Having students write notes about a text…
enhances comprehension.
“Taking notes about text proved to be better
than just reading, reading and rereading,
reading and studying, reading and underlining
important information, and receiving explicit
instruction in reading practice.”
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Having students answer questions about
a text in writing or create and answer
written questions about a text…
shows greater benefit than answering
questions about a text verbally.
• Answering questions about a text in writing;
• Writing questions about text read;
• Learning how to locate main idea in a text,
generating and answering their own questions
about text.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Recommendation #2
Teach students the
writing skills and
processes that go into
creating text.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve
Reading
Production and Distribution of Writing
Writing Standards 4, 5, and 6
Teaching students the process of writing,
text structures for writing, paragraph or
sentence construction skills…
improves reading comprehension.
Two effective strategies were:
the process approach to writing
explicit instruction/mini-lessons that focused on
spelling, sentence combining, and multiparagraph composition were beneficial.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Teaching students sentence construction…
improves fluency.
 Activities in the study focused on the formation of
complex sentences from smaller units of writing.
 This type of writing instruction improved reading
fluency for students in grades 1-7.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Teaching students spelling…
improves word reading skills.
 Activities in the study focused on the spelling patterns
of letters and sounds in words.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Recommendation #3
Increase how much
students write.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Range of Writing
Writing Standard 10
Increasing how much students write…
improves reading comprehension.
 Effective instructional practices in this category
included both independent and collaborative
writing opportunities.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
Supporting Young
Writers
All of the skills that are
essential for college and
career readiness in high
school have their
beginnings in the primary
grades.
Text Types
In the K-2 classroom,
create a classroom
environment where
students:
• know they are authors
• express their opinions
• share what they know
about a topic
• recount an event
(Writing Standards 1-3)
Process Writing
In the K-2 classroom,
adults guide and
support young authors
as they learn to
strengthen their writing
by:
• responding to questions
and suggestions from
peers
• add details
• focus on a topic
(Writing Standard 5)
Grammar in Context
In the K-2 classroom,
students learn:
• grammar and usage
in context (shared
reading)
• to try it out
(demonstrate
command) in their own
writing through models
(shared writing)
(Language Standards 1-2
and Language Standard 3 in
grade 2.)
Using Digital Tools
In the K-2 classroom,
with guidance and
support from adults,
students use digital
tools to:
•produce writing
•publish writing
•collaborate with peers
(Writing Standard 6)
Shared Research Projects
In the K-2 classroom,
students participate in
shared research and
writing projects.
These shared research
projects include author
studies, “how to” books,
studying a topic, and
recording science
observations.
(Writing Standards 7 and 8)
The Writing Standards
Review of the Writing Standards 1-3
① Argument
② Informational/Explanatory
③ Narrative
Three Text
Types
What does Appendix A tell us
about the text types?
In the descriptions look for:
oPurpose
oDefinition
oHow
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf
p. 23-25
The Power of Metaphors
Metaphors are essential
because they help us
understand and explain big
ideas.
Create a Metaphor
Choose a text type and create a
metaphor that gets to the heart
of that type of writing…
 Narratives are tapestries,
each thread is an
experience in our lives.
Combining the Text Types
• Skilled writers
many times
use a blend of
these three
text types to
accomplish
their
purpose…
(from Appendix A)
The Emphasis on Argument
• While all three text types are
important, the Standards put
particular emphasis on students’
ability to write sound argument on
substantive topics and issues, as
this ability is critical to college and
career readiness. p.24 Appendix A
• It’s important to teach all types
Persuasion or Argument?
According to Appendix A of the CCSS:
persuasive writing might “appeal to the audience’s
self-interest, sense of identity, or emotions,”
whereas a logical argument convinces the
audience because of the perceived merit and
reasonableness of the claims and proofs offered
rather than either the emotions the writing evokes
in the audience or the character or credentials of
the writer” (p. 24).
From:
5 Things Every Teacher Should be Doing to Meet the
Common Core State Standards, Eye on Education
http://www.eyeoneducation.com/bookstore/client/client_
pages/pdfs/5ThingsCCSS_Davis.pdf
Narration as Knowledge
• “My experience is what I
know”.
• Writing from the inside out
William Strong, Write for Insight
Narrative Perks
• Fosters understanding – “Our lives
intersect through shared stories” – I can
relate to that…
• Inspires – generates ideas for writing
and thinking. Create thinking logs for
future research.
• Connects – Discover meaning in their
own experiences and connect to
curriculum content.
From Narrative to Informational
Participants gather in groups of 4.
In your group, talk about the first time you felt like a writer.
Write it as a paragraph on the blank side of your card.
Now, line up according to the grade-specific time you felt like a
writer. Tell your story in your grade-specific time line group.
Go back to your original group and answer the questions on
the back of the card.
Questions
To move from narrative to informational:
 What did the experience teach you?
 How did this experience help shape
who you are as a writer today?
 How does this experience relate to
other stories in your learning history?
We are the stories we tell.
• Connect new and confusing experiences to
old stories – actively seeking to make sense
– to figure out and make a new story.
• Narrative can help students negotiate the
thinking challenges posed by informative,
practical writing and argument.
It’s about balance!
• And it is about building skills
• And it is about scaffolding understanding
• And it is about integration of text types
Examining the Progression of
the Writing Standards
• Find the document titled: “Common Core State
Standards for Writing”
• Look at the first writing standard
• Using a pen/pencil/highlighter move from grade
to grade underlining what is different from the
previous grade
What did you observe?
Consider:
o K-2
o 3-5
o 6-8
o 9-12
At what grade do students move from
opinion pieces to argument?
What is the biggest difference when
comparing 8th to 9-10th?
When are students expected to provide
a conclusion?
http://rt3nc.org/objects/standards/cclitmap/ela.html
Break Time
Review of the Writing Standards 4 - 10
④ Developing and organizing according to
task, purpose, and audience
⑤ Revising, editing, rewriting to strengthen
writing
⑥ Using technology to produce, publish, and
collaborate
⑦ Completing short and long research
projects
⑧ Gathering, assessing, and integrating
information from multiple sources
⑨ Drawing evidence from texts to support
analysis
⑩ Writing routinely for a range of tasks,
purposes, and audiences
Writing Standards Haiku
• Work with a partner
• Choose one Writing Anchor Standard from
4-10
• Create a haiku that expresses the gist of
that standard
Haiku: 5-7-5 syllables
Example of Haiku
Develop writing
Plan, revise, edit, rewrite
Try a new approach.
Anchor Standard 5
Anchor Standard 4
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Supporting this standard:
• Read Like a Writer
• Using Mentor Texts
Read Like a Writer
What does it mean?
• Read to identify the
choices the author
made so you can better
understand how these
choices might arise in
your own writing.
• Reading to learn about
writing
“Ideal readers do not follow a
story: they partake of it.”
Alberto Manguel from A Reader on
Reading, 2010.
When you read like a writer you
notice:
• Word choice
• Sentence structure
• Organization
• And……
What questions would you ask as a writer?
When you read like a writer:
Annotate and Read Closely
• Read with a pen or highlighter in
hand
• Make comments in the margins
• Write yourself notes and summaries
• Look for patterns
Underline and
highlight the passage
in the text itself and
ask yourself:
 What is the
technique the
author is using
here?
 Is this technique
effective?
 What would be the
advantages and
disadvantages if I
tried this same
technique in my
own writing?
“This I Believe”
 View “This I Believe
Video”
 http://tinyurl.com/czh978c
Lunch Time!
Using Mentor Texts
“The simple rhythm of copying
someone else’s words gets us into
the rhythm of writing, then
you begin to feel your own
words.”
-William Forrester, Finding Forrester
Steal Like an Artist
“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don’t
come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the
beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes.
We learn by copying.
We’re talking about practice here, not plagiarism –
plagiarism is trying to pass someone else’s work
off as your own. Copying is about reverseengineering. It’s like a mechanic taking apart a car
to see how it works.”
-Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
What are Mentor Texts?
 A mentor text is any piece of writing that can
be used to teach a writer about some aspect
of writer’s craft.
 The best mentor texts are those that can be
used numerous times throughout the school
year to demonstrate many different
characteristics of a text. (ideas, structure,
written craft)
Steps to Using Mentor
Texts
Select a text to emulate and reread – one that
inspires a new idea, structure, or craft worth
trying.
 Read it (Read like a reader)
 Analyze it (Read like a writer)
 Emulate it (Write like the writer)
- adapted from Kelly Gallagher
Let’s Practice! Choose one of the following
ways to prompt your writing.
 Borrow any line or word from the text that
inspires you to write.
 Look at the last sentence, write 4 more
sentences.
 Choose a section of the text that inspires
you to write using that technique (i.e.
author’s writing style, use of language, or
sentence structure)
Look at Grade Specific Standards
• Read Standard 4 for your grade and
consider the two strategies just discussed.
• Read Like a Writer
• Using Mentor texts
• Record your ideas and/or insights.
Mentor Text Resources

Creating Successful Writers with Mentor Texts
http://www.reading.org/downloads/53rd_conv_handouts/mentor_texts_cappelli_dorfman.
pdf

Mentor Text for the Traits of Writing
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/mentor-texts-traits-writing

Teacher 2 Teacher – What are mentor texts?
http://www.teacher2teacherhelp.com/writing-strategies/what-are-mentor-texts/

How to Use Mentor Text to Teach Writing http://www.ehow.com/how_8216119_usementor-texts-teach-writing.html
Anchor Standard 5
• Develop and strengthen writing as needed
by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach.
Supporting the standard with:
• Grammar instruction
• Integrating Language standards
Grammar
Research and
Evidence
•Teaching in the
context of writing
•Focus on sentence
combining
Model and Practice
•Using a Mentor Text
•Online Tools
Integration of the
Standards - Writing
and Language
Grammar to Enrich and Enhance
Writing by Constance Weaver (2008)
Why teach grammar in context?
•
Connection to outcomes in standards:
 Writing Standard 5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
 Language Standards 1-3: Producing, expanding, and rearranging
complete, simple, and compound sentences is an expectation as early
as grade 2, Language Standard 1f.
•
Research and evidence based:

“Isolated grammar instruction appears to have little or no
positive impact in helping poor writers become better writers”
(Graham & Perin, 2007).
Teaching Sentence
Combining…
• Improves
fluency and
comprehension
(Writing to Read: Evidence for
How Writing Can Improve
Reading, A Carnegie
Corporation Time to Act
Report, 2010)
• Is a promising
method of
teaching
grammar in
context
http://tinyurl.com/bck4bts
(Graham & Perin, 2007; Strong,
1986)
Teaching sentence
combining…
1. Analyze the use of punctuation
and sentence types in a mentor
text.
2. Practice combining sentences
with guidance (guided practice)
3. Analyze sentences in their own
writing.
4. Practice combining sentences in
their own writing with guidance
and support from peers and
adults (try a new approach).
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=4AyjKgz9tKg
Step 1: Using Mentor Text to Teach
Grammar in Context
Reread Joe Willhoft’s essay: This I Believe
Take note of the following – highlight or circle:
1. The use of punctuation to combine sentences and
phrases
2. Use of different types of sentences (simple,
compound, complex)
Step 2: Let’s Practice!
About.com Grammar and Composition:
http://tinyurl.com/ap7naea
Purdue Online Writing Lab:
http://tinyurl.com/a8bxu2m
Important Next Steps!
Step 3 : Analyze your own writing
• Teach sentence combining using the
process approach to writing.
• Return to your first memory of writing
piece for this activity.
– Note and annotate how you used
punctuation for effect and to combine
sentences in your response.
– Note and annotate the different types of
sentences you wrote
Step 4: Try it in your own writing
• Revise and try a
new approach by
using a strategy for
combining
sentences.
Integration of Writing/Language
Standards for Sentence Combining
Beginning in
grade 3,
Writing Standard 5:
(Develop and
strengthen writing
as needed by
planning, revising,
editing, rewriting,
or trying a new
approach) is
integrated with and
references
Language Standards
1, 2, and 3.
Language
Standard 1 –
produce and
expand
sentences
L.K.1f
Language
Standard 2 –
use of
punctuation in
combining
sentences
L.1.1g-j
L.4.2c
L.2.1f
L.5.2b-c
L.3.1h-I
L.6.2a
L.4.1a-f
L.7.2a
L.5.1a-b
L.8.2a-b
L.7.1b-c
L.9-10.2a-b
L.9-10.1a-b
L.11-12.2a
Language
Standard 3 –
choose words
and phrases
and vary
sentences
L.3.3a
L.4.3a-b
L.5.3a
L.6.3a
L.7.3
L.11-12.3.a
Look at Grade Specific Standards
• Read Standard 5 for your grade and
consider the two strategies just discussed.
• Sentence Combining
• Using mentor texts to teach grammar in
context
• Record ideas and/or insights.
Anchor Standard 6
• Use technology, including the internet, to
produce and publish writing and to interact
and collaborate with others.
Supporting the standard with:
• Resources
• Using the internet to collaborate
Meet and Exchange
 Introduce yourself to 3 people
you don’t work with and are
not at your table.
 Share your online resource
and how it can be used to
support instructional delivery
of Writing Standard 6.
Look at Grade Specific Standards
• Read Standard 6 for your grade and
consider the resources and technology tools
explored.
• Record ideas and/or insights.
Break Time
Anchors 7,8, and 9
W.CCR.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained
research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.CCR.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print
and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of
each source, and integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism.
W.CCR.9:
Draw evidence from literary or informational
texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Supporting these standards
• Research projects
• Note taking
• Evidence
Sample Research Strategies
 Saturation Reports
 Personalized Research Paper
 Multi-genre Research
Taking Notes:
• Teaching students to gather
credible information to support
their research
• Resource: Energize Research
Reading and Writing by C.
Lehman
Teach Students to Rely on Understanding, Not
Tricks to Hold onto Large Concepts
Focus first on comprehension/main idea.
To do this…have students practice visualizing
information, then use visual images to uncover main
idea.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race:
Teach Students to Paraphrase Well by Pausing
to Think
Students pause to reflect on their reading before
jotting down notes.
To do this… have students read a section, cover it up and
jot down notes about their learning. Go back and reread
the same section, looking for details or domain-specific
vocabulary they need.
You Say Tomato, I Say
Heirloom Jubilee Tomato Cultivar:
Teach Students to Notice Variation and Gradation in
Domain-Specific Vocabulary
Teach students to pay attention to the variety of
terms used to describe similar ideas or concepts as
they read across texts.
To do this…pay attention to how ideas and concepts
are described across sources.
• keep a word list
• Then, simply look the word up, or reread texts that
the terms came from
Resources for Note Taking
Elementary:
•
Readwritethink Fact Fragment Frenzy
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/factfrenzy/opening.html
•
Readwritethink Notetaker http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/studentinteractives/readwritethink-notetaker-30055.html
Elementary-Secondary:
•
Readwritethink Outline Tool
http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=722&title
•
“Notemaking” using Graphic Organizers
http://www.englishcompanion.com/Tools/notemaking.html
•
Incredible Shrinking Notes http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp322-02.shtml
•
Take Note: Five Lessons for Note Taking Fun
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson322.shtml
“Give your evidence,” said the
King; “and don’t be nervous, or I’ll
have you executed on the spot.”
Alice in Wonderland, Chapter 11.
Evidence
Let’s find evidence in the standards!
color coding
Click evidence to see where it occurs in
the standards.
Standard 9:
Integrates the writing and reading standards by providing
examples for both informational and literature that can be
applied as students draw evidence from text.
Evidence Resource
• Intel Showing Evidence Tool
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/educ
ation/k12/thinking-tools/showing-evidence/trythe-tool.html
Look at Grade Specific Standards
• Read Standards 7, 8, and 9 for your grade
and consider the strategies just discussed.
• Research projects
• Note taking
• Evidence
• Record ideas and/or insights.
Anchor Standard 10
• Write routinely over extended time frames (time
for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and
audiences.
Supporting this standard:
• Writing to Learn
• Creating meaningful tasks
Writing to Learn – Using writing as a tool
for learning not only as a product of
understanding!
• For exploration (quick research, project
notebook)
• For thinking (graphic organizers, synthesis
papers, summary writing)
• For wondering (annotations, journals)
Research on Summary Writing
 Writing Next Recommendation #2:
Summarization, which involves explicitly and
systematically teaching students how to
summarize texts.
 Writing to Learn Recommendation #1: The
teacher asks the students to write summaries and
answer questions in writing to increase their ability
to explain information, elaborate knowledge
leading to deeper understanding…
How to Write a Summary
1) Identify or select the main information;
2) Delete trivial information;
3) Delete reluctant information; and
4) Write a short synopsis of the main and
supporting information for each paragraph.
Rinehart, Stahl, and Erickson (1996)
Creating Meaningful Writing Tasks
CRAFT is an effective
tool for creating
writing tasks.
Context
Role
Audience
CRAFT is a strategy
teachers can use
across disciplines to
address task purpose
and audience.
Format
Topic
The Writing Task:
Sample CRAFT
The Great Gatsby
“Does History Repeat Itself?”
Recent concern over the “fiscal cliff” has
caused many people to question their
quality of living.
Imagine you are an editor for the New
York Times in New York City and you
have researched the Great Depression
and our current state of the economy.
Write an editorial for the public
describing how history repeats itself.
Creating Meaningful Writing Tasks
 Online Writing Instruction
System OWI on NC
Education includes writing
templates aligned to the
Writing Standards
https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/
Creating Meaningful Writing Tasks
Writing task templates were created by the Literacy
Design Collaborative. They include task templates,
examples, and rubrics.
You can find them at:
 Elementary Writing Tasks
 Secondary Writing Tasks
Look at Grade Specific Standards
• Read Standard 10 for your grade and
consider the strategies just discussed.
• Writing to Learn
• Creating meaningful tasks
• Record ideas and/or insights.
Appendix B: Text exemplars and sample performance tasks.
Appendix C: Annotated student writing samples for
grades K-12.
Reflection…
Directions:
Contact Information
Julie Joslin, Ed.D.
Section Chief
English Language Arts
919-807-3935
Julie.Joslin@dpi.nc.gov
Kristi Day, M.Ed
K-5 ELA
Consultant
919-807-3928
Kristi.Day@dpi.nc.gov
Lisa McIntosh, MSA
K-5 ELA
Consultant
919-807-3895
Lisa.Llewellyn@dpi.nc.gov
Anna Lea Frost, M.Ed
6-8 ELA
Consultant
919-807-3952
Anna.Frost@dpi.nc.gov
Angie Stephenson, M.Ed
9-12 ELA
Consultant
919-807- 3833
Angela.Stephenson@dpi.nc.gov