Children's Writing in both Fiction and Nonfiction Literature: Grades K-5

A Fresh Look at how Writing can be a Practical Activity in your

ClassroomTamara T. Williams

Tazewell County Public SchoolsNBCT

Appalachian Writing ProjectPrepared for

VDOE/English SOL Institute Fall 2014 Virginia K-12

Set the ExampleModel a Love of

Reading and Writing with Your Students

The Six Language ArtsListeningTalkingReadingWritingViewing

Visually Representing

“Effective teachers incorporate opportunities for learning into an integrated language arts program.”

(Tompkins,2014)

What We Should Do to Teach Writing

Activities that Encourage WritingPracticing new skills in writing created by the student

Developing control over spelling words using multiple methods; high frequency words, word families, phonetics, sight words, spell check, and other resources

Exploring meaning and developing a fascination for language

Teaching in the context of reading , always moving toward deepening meaning

Making sure there is a choice of format, genre, and mode/purpose

Allowing the idea and purpose of the writing to determine the organizational structure

Evaluating based on performance, noting growth, celebrating effort

Using a spiraling scope and sequence of writing skills that builds from year to year

Creating a happy, hum where students freely share, ask questions, and discuss

Teaching the test format as a genre and further opportunity for learning

Offering targeted, specific suggestions to revise and/or edit

Teaching reading and writing together, as mutually supportive language processes

Teaching writing in every subject using mentor texts to model how great writing looks in that context

(Cullen, 2014)

Gradual Release of ResponsibilityThe Model

Connect and Engage – Capturing students’ enthusiasm

Modeling- Opening our own cognitive processes to show students how we read and write

Guided Practice- Allowing teachers to respond to students while they practice up close to us and then the teacher can scaffold instruction accordingly

Collaborative Practice – Working in student pairs or small groups to read, draw , write, and talk together as they move around the room conferring

Independent Practice- Moving students toward independence as confident, capable readers, writers, and thinkers who initiate further learning

Sharing the Learning- Gathering at all stages of work to share what students are wondering and learning

Adapted from Fielding and Pearson , 1994

Why Talk?

Allington identified classroom talk as the most important feature of effective fourth-grade teachers’ classrooms. Allington described classroom talk as respectful, supportive, and productive and not only modeled by the teachers in interactions with students but also deliberately taught. From Richard Allington

English/Virginia Standards of LearningK.1 a-e, K.2 a-g, K.3 a-h, K.4 a-e1.1 a-e, 1.2 a-d, 1.3 a-e2.1 a-e, 2.2 a-e, 2.3 a-f3.1 a-e 4.1 a-h5.1 a-f

(Kelley, 2002)

Social Interaction and Purposeful Talk

Grand ConversationsRead the Book

Prepare for the Conversation Have Small-Group Conversations

Begin the Class ConversationContinue the Class Conversation

Ask Questions Conclude the ConversationReflect on the Conversation

(Tompkins, 2013)

Create a Drawing and Writing NotebookFor our Younger Writers

1. A book about looking

2. A book about listening

3. A book about teaching young children the craft of writing

“This is not a book about lessons, but about observing children, listening to their stories, studying the work that they put on paper, and using what is learned to

inform teaching.”

SOLSK.11 a-b, K.12 a-dK.1 a-e, K.2 a-g, K.3 a-h, K.4 a-e

(Adapted from Horn and Giacobbe, 2007)

Why is Personal Writing Important?

Students use it as a tool for learning

Young children develop writing fluency

They practice: - handwriting skills - writing conventions (rules and

methods) - spelling of high-frequency words

(Tompkins, 2013)

Personal Journals – Most common type and usually are private. Students write about events in their lives

Dialogue Journals – They are similar to personal journals except they are written to be shared. Whoever receives the journal reads the entry and responds. Entries resemble written conversations

Reading Logs- Students respond in reading logs to stories, poems, and informational books they are reading . Students write and draw entries after reading, record key vocabulary words, and write other important information

Double-Entry Journals – Students divide each page of their journals into two columns and write different types of information in each column. They may write quotes from a story on one side and add reactions to the quote on the other, or they write predictions in one column and what really happened in the other column

Learning Logs- Students write in learning logs as part of thematic units. They write quickwrites, draw diagrams, take notes, and write vocabulary words

Simulated Journals- Students assume the role of a book character or a historical personality and then write from that viewpoint

Types of Journals

(Tompkins, 2013) SOLS K.12 a-c, 1.13 a,g, 2.12 a, 3.9 a,e, 4.7 a,b,e, 5.7 a,c,f,i

Students use Journals for a Variety of Purposes Recording Experiences Stimulating Interest in a Topic Exploring Thinking Personalizing Learning Developing Interpretations Wondering , Predicting, and Hypothesizing Engaging the Imagination Asking Questions Activating Prior Knowledge Assuming the Role of Another Person Sharing Experiences with Trusted Readers

(Tompkins, 2013)

Journaling

Personal Journals

• Usually the first type of writing young children do.• Writings consist of life events and other topics of interest.• Writings are usually private in nature• Teacher responds as the interested reader.

(Tompkins, 2013)

Dear Diary,Today was not a very good day for me. I broke my brother’s favorite transformer. Should I tell him? I don’t want him to be mad at me, but I will feel bad if I don’t tell him. What a mess! I feel really bad. I will let you know tomorrow what I decided to do.

Dialogue Journals• Written conversation with teacher and/or

classmates• Provides opportunity for authentic communication• Builds mutual trust and respect• Effective in promoting English learners’ writing

development

(Tompkins, 2013)

Teacher – What did you do interesting after school yesterday?

Student – I raced to the baseball field and practiced my pitch! After practice, I came home and started to work on my Indian project for history.

Teacher – That sounds like a busy evening. I would like to learn more about your history project. Can you tell me about your project?

Student – Sure! It’s going to be huge with villages and campfires. It is going to be just like the one we visited at Natural Bridge when we took our class field trip in the fall.

Reading Logs

• Explore important ideas• Relate literature to their own lives or to other literature• Think about the book and develop individual

interpretations• List interesting words• Record memorable quotes• Jot down notes about characters, plot, or other story

elements

(Tompkins, 2013)

Double-Entry JournalsDivide into two columns

• Engages reader to notice sentences/parts that have personal meaning

• Can also be divided into “Reading Notes” & “Discussion Notes”

(Tompkins, 2013)

Left column: Text• Quotation • Key event

• Critical fact

• Main idea • Problem or conflict • Passage

• Interesting language

Right column: Mind• Relate to their own lives,

world, or other literature• Explanation

• Discussion of significance

• Discussion of what the story is about

• Reaction/Comparison/Resolution

• Reaction to text

• Theory or hypothesis

Simulated Journals• Assumes the role of another person and writes

from that person’s viewpoint• Usually from/about historical figures in the past• Assists students in making connections to what

they are learning and what they already know about the character and historical time period

(Tompkins, 2013)

Simulated Journal taken from the historical fiction book, Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

What should be in place before this writing piece is collected

1. Ensure a thorough understanding of the genre

2. Encourage other writing opportunities3. Provide background information about

prairie life at the turn of the century 4. Read and discuss the book5. Use meaningful comprehension

questions that encourage higher level thinking

6. Explore and teach necessary vocabulary

7. Read and discuss other stories and books on this topic

8. Incorporate mini-lessons – letter writing, sense of place , character analysis, descriptive language, paragraph construction, tone and voice

Writing Topic Pretend that you are Papa. Write a

letter to Sarah and ask her to come for a visit.

Time period 2 to 3 weeks

SOLS Writing 4.7 a-k, 4.8 a-h Reading 4.5 a,b,f,g

Written pieces were collected from grand conversations and comprehension activities

What should be in place before these writing pieces are collected

1. Grand conversations/vacation, trips, field trips, day to day activities2. Other opportunities to write3. Books and stories that use predictable patterns, demonstrate sequential

order, and model descriptive language4. Meaningful comprehension questions that encourage higher level

thinking5. Vocabulary awareness6. Various ways to organize a story7. Mini-lessons –sense of story, sense of place, sequence/ time and signal

words, character analysis, descriptive language, paragraph construction, tone and voice, conclusion

Writing Topic Write a story about your favorite trip or vacation

Write a paragraph describing how you get ready for school

Slide before SOLS Oral Language 5.1 a-f, Writing 5.7 a-i, 5.8 a-k, Reading 5.4d,e 5.5 b,c,e,g,h

Slide after Oral Language 3.1 a-e, Writing 3.8 Cursive, 3.9 a-g, 3.10 a-j

What should be in place before this writing piece is collected

1. A thorough understanding of the subject

2. Other opportunities to write3. Food for the student to touch,

taste, smell, hear, and feel4. Additional opportunities for

students to have sensory experiences and write and talk about them

5. Vocabulary awareness6. Mini-lessons – sense of story,

sense of place, descriptive language, sensory words, paragraph construction ,conclusion

Writing Topic Describe your favorite

nighttime snack

Time period 1 week

SOLS Writing 4.7 a-k, 4.8 a-h, Reading 4.5 a, b, d, f, g

Writing collected as part of a sensory language lesson/rough

draft

3rd grade

Sequential Order – Signal Words –First ,Next, Then, Finally

Organizer

Using Writing to Assist in Teaching Comprehension Strategies

Sequence of Events

This writing was collected to solidify understanding of sequence (time).

Research Upper elementary student are asked to conduct research. Some students do not have access to materials outside the school to do this type of assignment. Other students need explicit instruction and support to complete the activity. One way to solve this dilemma is to use the nonfiction selections from the reading text as your research pieces. • Use nonfiction pieces from your reading selection

• Incorporate higher level questioning techniques as you read

• Utilize the graphic organizer that is used during reading as a note taking instrument(KWL or Portrait organizer)

• Transfer the organizers after reading to the students’ writers’ notebooks

• Create a word wall that is specific to the vocabulary of the nonfiction selection (assists students in spelling difficult words)

• Decide what other writing mini-lessons are needed to make this writing activity successful

Writing for ResearchWriting sample using a portrait graphic organizer collected from the book

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightening by Rosalyn Schanze

4th grade

What should be in place before this writing piece is collected

1. A thorough understanding of the genre

2. Other opportunities to write3. Background information about

Ben Franklin4. Explore, read, and discuss other

books about Ben Franklin 5. Use meaningful comprehension

questions that encourage higher order thinking

6. Vocabulary awareness7. Read and discuss other stories

and books about Ben Franklin, inventions, and electricity

8. Mini-lessons – lead lines (quotation lead),genre, surface features of nonfiction, character analysis, descriptive language, paragraph construction, portrait organizer with story details, conducting research, conclusion

Writing Topic Write a biography of Ben

Franklin using a mentor text/book as your guide

Time period 2 weeks

Oral Language 4.1 a-h, 4.2 a-d, Word Analysis 4.4 c,d

Writing 4.7 a-k, 4.8 a-h, 4.9a-eOral Language 5.1 a-f, 5.2 a-i, Word Analysis 5.4 a,

b, c, e, fReading 5.6 a-m, Writing 5.7 a-i,

5.8 a-k, 5.9 a-g

Student’s rough draft

The student’s rough draft was reviewed. The following mini-lessons can be incorporated into future writing workshops.

Sentence writingElaboration

Paragraph writingConclusionPunctuation

GrammarCapitalization

The initial mini-lesson was writing an opener. The student was spot on with his/her definition lead. The student also understood the genre and included a small amount of character analysis. However, the student wanted to list facts instead of developing a written piece. The student did collect sufficient information from the reading selection to construct his/her written piece.

Interview ActivityGood writers ask questionsNations and Alonso 2001

Materials needed: Chart Paper and Markers, Interview Questions, Clipboard or Notebooks, Play Phones, Notepads or Paper for the Interview

Mini-lesson• Try to learn about someone in your school• Generate a list of questions• Use another familiar adult to model this activity with you• Ask the other adult the questions• Ask students if they have any questions to add• Record students’ questions on chart paper or white board and then

ask the person being interviewed the questions• TALK about how you can use this information to write about this

person• Write a paragraph or two with your students to model the writing

process

Nations and Alonso 2001

Activity for Students

Research: Phone a FriendPlace the modeled lesson where the students can easily view as they complete this activity• Pair the students and ask them to interview

each other• Each student writes a paragraph using their

interview results without using names• Bind these descriptions in a class book or

big book• Attach a library pocket or flap with the name

of the interviewed student underneath• Have students read descriptions and see if

they can guess the person(Nations and Alonso 2001 , pgs. 166-169)

Phone a FriendI talked to: _______________________________I learned: ________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(Nations and Alonso 2001 , pgs. 166-169)

Sample Phone a Friend Questions• What is your name?• Where were you born?• Do you have a pet? Tell me about it?• Where is your favorite place to visit?• What is your favorite food?• When is your birthday?• What is your favorite sport?• Who is your favorite author?• What is the best book you ever read?• What do you like to do for fun?• How long have you been in our school?• What do you like best about our school?• What is your favorite holiday?• What are your family’s special celebrations?• What is your favorite song?(Nations and Alonso 2001 , pgs. 166-169)

Phone a

Friend

Publish, Publish, Publish!Conduct a public reading in the school library or at a parent meeting

Read students’ works to other classrooms

Hang students’ written pieces in hallways and in the school library

Create a book

Perform plays and Readers Theatre scripts from students’ works

Take Away from Today

1. Encourage constructive talk in your classroom

2. Model reading and writing with your students (when your students write, you write with them)

3. Write what you know

4. Let your students see how you think

5. Create writers’ notebooks

6. Utilize journals and quickwrites

7. Use high quality reading material

8. Engage students in the process

9. Utilize materials and resources that are readily at hand

10. Integrate writing activities with the reading text and comprehension activities

10. Publish students’ works

“Writing is more than just recording; it is the process of developing a story or idea. It allows us to represent our life experiences and claim them as our own while giving

them meaning.” (Calkins, 1994, p.4)

Calkins, L.M. (1994). The Art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Cullen, R. (2014). Teaching Writing Is Hard Enough: Stop Doing Dumb Things. Reading Today , 30. Dorfman, L., & Cappelli, R. (2009). Nonfiction Mentor Texts: Teaching Informational Writing Through Children's Literature,K-8. Portland: Stenhouse.

Fielding, L., & Pearson, P. D. (1994). "Reading Comprehension: What Works?". Educational Leadership , 51.5:62-67.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis. (2008). Primary Comprehension Toolkit: Teacher's Guide. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Horn, M., & Giacobbe, E. (2007). Talking, Drawing, Writing: Lessons for our Youngest Writers. Portland: Stenhouse.

Kelley, M. C. (2002). "Best Practices in Writing Instruction: Teachers' Report of Writing Instruction at a High Performing Elementary School". (Doctoral dissertation, University of Delaware)

Nations, S., & Alonso, M. (2001). Primary Literacy Centers: Making Reading and Writing Stick! Gainesville: Maupin House.

Tompkins, G. (2013). Language Arts: Patterns of Practice. Boston: Pearson.

Bibliography

Disclaimer• Reference within this presentation to

any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.