SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION IN WRITTEN EXPRESSION: THE CHALLENGES OF LEARNING TO WRITE Robert W. Frantum-AllenWriting PDU April 16, 2013

Objectives Written

Composition Flowers and

Hays Model Genre Writing Editing/Revision

Flower and Hays Model

Genre Writing

Solid research states that 90% of what students are asked to write in the thirteen years they attend school is expository in nature. Doesn’t it make sense to match your writing instruction to that statistic?

Think About Terminology

BEGINNING

MIDDLE

END

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

Telling a Story: Narrative

Giving Information: Expository

Lead Topic SentenceThesis Statement

Key/Star Ideas Transitions Elaborations

Restatement SummarizationEncourage/Challenge

Setting Character Development

Plot Events Conflict Problem Climax

Solution

Two Kinds of Writing

River otters are fascinating animals. There are many things that make them special. First, they love water. They like rivers, ponds and lakes. Their fur keeps them warm in cold water. Also otters are great swimmers. They dive, float, and glide through the water. This is easy for them because they have big back feet. Next, otters love to play. Some of their favorite games are hide-and-seek and sliding down hills. They usually live in a den with other otters, so they always have someone to play with. Otters are amazing creatures.

Story InformationRiver Otters Ollie and Orpha

Near the pond on the Henderson’s farm lived a family of otters. Ollie and Orpha were the youngest members of the den. One day, Mother Otter told Ollie and Orpha not to go near the water. They were surprised. Usually they were allowed to spend the day playing. Mother explained that friends were visiting, and it was important to Mother that everything stayed neat and tidy. “Don’t get dirty,” she commanded. Of course we won’t , said Orpha as she looked at Ollie, who just smiled. After that, Orpha and Ollie went outside as Mother Otter cleaned the den. Orpha….

Think About Colors

BEGINNING

END

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

NarrativeExpository

MIDDLE

Expository

Traffic Light Organization

GO!Write a topic sentence.

SLOW DOWN!Give a reason, detail, or fact.

Include a transition.

STOP!Explain. Give an example.

GO BACK!Remind the reader of

your topic.

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Yesterday we had the best assembly ever. We listened to a band. First, we liked the way the music filled the room. We really liked the way the music got loud and fast. Another part we liked was learning the names of the instruments. We learned that the drums keep the beat. My friends and I hope we will get to hear the band again soon.

Colors In ActionEnjoying the Music

Color-Coding & Informal Outlines

T =

C =

Title = The Topic

Reason, Detail or

Fact The Explanation or Example

The Conclusio

n

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Color-Coding & Informal Outlines

15

Yesterday we had the best assembly ever. We listened to a band. First, we liked the way the music filled the room. We really liked the way the music got loud and fast. Another part we liked was learning the names of the instruments. We learned that the drums keep the beat. My friends and I hope we will get to hear the band again soon.

Colors In ActionEnjoying the Music

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Color-Coding & Informal Outlines

T = band assembly

music

C = another band assembly

─ filled room

─ loud and fast

─ learned names─ drums keep beat

instruments

Title = Enjoying Music

Color-Coding & Informal Outlines

T = orchestra performance

music

sounds

C = a great time

─ filled auditorium

─ quiet─ loud─ name─ percussion

• marching• drums• triangles

instruments

Title = Enjoying Music

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Informal OutlinesT = A Great Summer

Fishing

New Friend

C = a great time

─ learning• since five

─ no help• set up rod• caught trout• cleaned trout

─ big house• at corner

─ birthday• same day

─ time together• all day

─ activities• games• fishing

Tool 4-7a Spiral 156

I always enjoy my summer vacations, but two things made this summer extra special. First of all, I learned to fish. I’ve been fishing since I was five, but it took me four years to learn how to do it right. Without help from my father or grandfather, I set up my own rod and caught four trout. I even cleaned them, so we could fry them at camp for dinner. The second reason it was so wonderful was my friend, Kayla. Kayla, and her family moved into the big house on the corner. Her birthday is the same as mine, so our families had a party together. We both like to play games on the computer, swim and read. Yes, I even taught Kayla to fish. What a great summer.

A Great Summer

Great ideas and strong

organization

Getting Started - Writing from a Prompt

topic

what you will write about

Your history teacher has requested that the entire class share some ideas for two field trips for the semester. The first trip will be at the beginning of the semester and the second will be at the end of the semester. Both field trips must be no more than an hour away from school. Write a letter to your teacher explaining your ideas for the field trips.

expository verb

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Our Field trip

Ride on a bus

Molly Brown House

First with toilets

Armed guards

First with electricity

Fireplace for burning money

Money samples

One Example Denver Mint

Good ideas but no

organization

Dear Teacher, This is about my field trips. Let’s go to the Denver Mint. We can ride the bus. I heard they give out free samples. Ha ha. And then there’s the Molly Brown House. She was unsinkable, you know. Rumor has it she burned money in her fireplace. Her house had electricity. Her house had indoor plumbing. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Mint has armed guards. Thanks for reading my letter on field trips. Didja like it? The End

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T = Two Field Trips

Denver Mint

Molly Brown House

C = pair of historical places

─ one of three places -San Francisco -Philadelphia

─ robotics

─ eccentric woman• burned money

─ first with electricity

Informal Outlines

─ first with plumbing

─ armed guards

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Good ideas and great

organization!To Whom It May Concern,

Although there are many places worthy of recommending for two field trips, I’d like to suggest visiting The Denver Mint and the Molly Brown House.

The Denver Mint is one of only three places in our country where money is made. The others are San Francisco and Philadelphia. It’s a place to witness robotics in action, as that’s how the money is made nowadays. There’s heavily armed guards watching every step you take. Here’s a word to the wise: don’t grab a free sample! You might find yourself in trouble! Another place I’d recommend is the Molly Brown House. She was quite eccentric. Rumor has it she used to burn money in her fireplace! Her house was the first in Denver to have electricity installed. It was also the first to have indoor plumbing. The original toilet is still there. For an extra $1 you can pee in it, just like Molly used to. Just kidding. Obviously, this pair of historical locations should be highly considered when thinking about two possible places.

Sincerely,

Narrative

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The Quick Sketch and Notes Method

6-5

Steps 2 and

3

1. Stress the where- the setting where the story narrative will take place (click)

2. Stress the when- the time, the day, the week and so on

3. Using a strong action verb to grab the reader’s attention

4. Introducing a major or minor character (or characters) in the story/narrative.

5. Make an interesting comment-a comment that makes the reader wonder or draws the reading into the story/narrative.

6. Presenting a short dialogue between characters .

Interesting Beginnings

Interesting Beginnings

6-5

Step 4

Beneath our front porch …

It was July when…

I dropped all the books and then looked up at the librarian.

The farmer who lived far out on County Road 9 ...

What do you think? Should I just give up?

“What’s the problem ?” his little brother asked.

Interesting Beginnings

6-5

Step 4

He had recently immigrated to the United States…

The rock star had overcome great adversities in her life…

She never seemed to fit in any where she went…

One day I found a strange box beneath our front porch …

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Step 5Story Transitions

Can be called

“connectors’ or signal words.

Often start

paragraphs, but are

not needed at

every paragraph

.

Are used to

indicate a change of time or place and show the sequence of events .

Can be found in

lots of stories.

Help writers

develop a story.

Are different

from transition

s for expositor

y transition

s.

1.Note a feeling2.Remember a character

3.Think about the story4.Get to the point

Memorable Endings

Memorable Endings Step 6

Peter was angry. He was foiled again.

From then on the mouse stayed on his side of the castle kitchen.

The rain kept pouring, but everyone grabbed a seat inside the barn, the picnic was still a success.

Back at the park, Hector realized he should not have taken such a big risk.

Personal Narrative Requires students to share an event

from their own life. To be successful, students must be

familiar with strategies for writing introductions and conclusions PLUS the story structure (beginning, middle, end)

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35A Personal Narrative Combines…

BEGINNING

MIDDLE

END

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

Telling a Story: Narrative

Giving Information: Expository

Spiral pg 136

Lead Topic SentenceThesis Statement

Key/Star Ideas Transitions Elaborations

Restatement SummarizationEncourage/Challenge

SettingCharacter Development

Plot Events Conflict Problem Climax

SolutionSpiral pg 299

Spiral pg 293

Personal Narrative Structure

Introduction

BeginningMiddle

End

Conclusion

Edit and Revision

Reading

How many of you have students who cannot read what they just wrote?Think about the emergent writers who are tell stories through pictures?

Revision and Editing: The child must be able to read what they just wrote.

Perspective

Are your students capable to seeing things from another's perspective?

Revision and Editing: A child must be able to look at their writings from the

perspective of the reader.

Rules

Do your students know the rules of written language?

Revision and Editing: Writers must know the rules of writing.

Using the Writing Conference Research- Ask questions, Confirm, Tell

them what they have done so far Decide- Think to yourself; Decide how to

teach the concept Teach Link- Link to what a writer does

Bring it all together

Why Writing is so difficult!

Memory Processes

short term

memory

long term

memory

working memory

Automatic Pilot

Self-regulation: revising, employing strategies, setting goals, managing attention, taking perspective of the reader

Higher-level reasoning: finding evidence, judging perspective, synthesizing or elaboration, having a new idea

Writing Processing Model Part 3 (final)

Planning Translating

Transcribing

Context Processo

r

Orthographic

Processor

Phonological Processor

Meaning Processo

r

Phonics

Grapho-motor Process

or

Writing

Reviewing Holy Crap!

Processing

Speed