Writing Instruction

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Argument

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The Common Core State Standards call for increased attention on teaching argument writing. The parts of an argument include: a claim, evidence to support the claim, the warrant that explains how the evidence supports the claim, backing supporting the warrant, and qualifications or counter arguments that refute competing claims.

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Conventions

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Include spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing.

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Portfolio

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A compilation of a writer's work for evaluation. Some portfolios are comprised solely of works self-selected by the author; others contain a combination of self-selected and required work. Portfolios help teachers and students assess a writer's growth over time.

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Stages of Writing

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The stages of writing include pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publication. The stages are recursive, which means repeating or reoccurring. Of course, not all writing moves from the pre-writing to the drafting stage; not all writing moves from the drafting to the publication stage.

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Pre-Writing

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Writers think about a topic, gather information, establish purposes for writing, consider the audience for the piece, make preliminary notes or lists, and prepare to write. Teaching techniques for prewriting include: brainstorming, outlining, free writing, researching, interviewing, clustering ideas using a graphic organizer, and asking 5W and 1H (who, what, where, when, why, and how).

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Drafting

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Writers begin composing either on paper or by using an electronic device. Attention is on the ideas and content, not the specific form or conventions, such as spelling or grammar. This stage may move the writer back to pre-writing for some time or require multiple copies of drafts before advancing to other stages.

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Revising

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Writers reread and re-see the draft in progress, either alone or with the help of a peer, teacher, or group of writers. Emphasis of this stage is still on the ideas and the clarity of content. Writers may also want to begin to work on the form and organization of the piece to ensure that the audience understands the purpose of the writing. One may need to return to other drafts, cut and paste passages, improve word choice, and so on by returning to the drafting stage.

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Editing

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This stage is also known as proofreading. Here the writer works on conventions, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Writers will also want to check for proper formatting and style, such as paragraphs or MLA citations.

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Publication

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Writers often select just a few pieces to move to the publication stage. Publication in this context simply means "going public" with a written work. A final copy of the written work is composed and shared. Ways student writers go public include: posting work on a bulletin board, sharing the piece with classmates, sending the work to a student newspaper or publication, sending the work to another (such as a grandparnet or the principal), displaying work in the school or local library, or entering the writing in a contest.

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Types of Writing

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Choosing the type of writing helps the writer narrow the topic, set the purposes for writing, determine the style of writing (formal, informal), and select the tone (argumentative, objective, supportive). Types of writing emphasized in schools today include: essays (personal, cause/effect, persuasive), argument, informative or explanatory, research reports, journals, response to text, and poetry.

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Objectives

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Written to answer the question, "What are students supposed to know or be able to do at the conclusion of the lesson or unit?" Be sure to write lesson objectives that include all levels of Bloom's taxonomy, not just the knowledge level.

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Learner Factors

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Inform your lesson planning. Be familiar with ways to differentiate instruction for a variety of learners, such as English language learners, students with learning disabilities, and students with attention difficulties. Also consider students' different learning styles and multiple intelligences when planning lessons.

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Open, Develop, and Close a Lesson

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You should know a variety of ways to effectively open, develop, and close a lesson. Know how to incorporate a variety of teaching strategies into your lesson plans across the content areas, such as mathematics, science, language arts, and history.

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Standards

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You should be familiar with the state and national standards for content and student performance and know how to use them in lesson planning. In addition, you should be familiar with local curriculum guidelines and how a scope and sequence informs your lesson planning.

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Assessing a Lesson's Objectives

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An important part of lesson planning. Know how to set criteria for student performance of a lesson's objectives and show how you can measure and evaluate student success. Key assessments include criterion-referenced tests, norm-referenced tests, performance assessments, and rubrics.

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Advance Organizer

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Introduced before learning begins, the advance organizer is designed to help students link their prior knowledge to the current lesson's content -- for example, semantic webs, KWL charts, and concept maps.