Writing

by: Debbie Olivieri, Susan Taylor, and Ann Marissa Ambacher
 * Welcome to the Writing Page! **

**What is writing?** "Most children enter school with a natural interest in writing, an inherent need to express themselves in words"   Writing, one of the strongest forms of expression, is an integration of ideas, facts, and thoughts put into words. Students in all levels are expected to focus their writing into 4 types: Narrative, Informative, Persuasive, and Descriptive. There are many different techniques to teach writing to students of all ages. This page will offer some suggestions and strategies for teaching Elementary, Middle School, and High School writing. A writing portfolio suggestion list will also be provided for each education level.  **Portfolios**  Elementary Portfolios  A comprehensive method of measuring Elementary students' writing is through Writing Portfolios. Portfolios provide a panoramic view of what students have learned over the school year. Beginning a writing portfolio for each student at the beginning of the school year provides a packet of cumulative writing development.

 The types of writing samples represented in the primary grade portfolio are: Narrative, Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive and Letter Writing.

 The writings will represent the student's best work in each category. Examples of each category would be: A paragraph about a book read to the class. (Narrative) A reaction to a movie or a book. (Expository ) A fictional Story. (Descriptive) A paragraph describing why the student thinks their opinion is right. (Persuasive) Writing friendly letters or Letters to Pen Pals are great to develop individual ideas on paper. These ideas could be furthur elaborated upon depending on curriculum and subjects chosen by the teacher. Practical use of the Portfolio beyond Assessment is to pass the students' Portfolio to next year's teachers to see the students current achievement levels in the writing process.   Teaching children how to write involves working alongside the writer to teach, prompt and reinforce the processing of information they are writing about. Teaching writing is showing students to make connections to a topic. Choosing a topic to have students to write about, assigning a topic or summarizing a reading will require the children with the help of the teacher to synthesize the following:  1. Process the text  2. Evoke prior knowledge or experiences  3. Cite conversation from the text  4. Make connections to experiences <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 5. Refer to illustrations to enhance images <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Effective teachers focus on the child's ideas. With comprehension and through Writing, Language and Literacy come together. In the primary grades word walls provide a source for sentence development. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The use of visuals to trigger ideas is a key method to develop ideas in young writers. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Clip Art and pictures in the form of a Powerpoint presentation can trigger ideas to support writing ideas.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Teaching the fundamentals of writing involves the following tasks: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The objective is to gather information for sentence development. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 1. Sharing of ideas and making connections individually or in small groups <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 2. Listening to students <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 3. Set mini lessons with students communicating their individual interests <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 4. Have a group discussion on the interested topics <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 5. Have students write down in column format key words about their interests <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 6. Develop individual understands of topics through books,movies or continued discussions <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 7. Build sentences from words, ideas and verbal stories told in the classroom <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 8. Teach in mini lesson format the elements of good writing (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, good handwriting, grammar and revision skills)

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Once sentence development has begun building of the subject or story continues by adding more specific information. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Help the student look for "one thing" their writing is about. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Teachers should see the following development in their students: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 1. Use of the elements of good writing <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 2. Effective choice of topics <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 3. Students showing and telling what their work is about <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 4. Response to their and other students' writing

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The relationship between Reading and Writing is so strong that it should be taught in the same time block. Writing should be daily in <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> the primary grades. Journals express individual thoughts and encourage creativity. Extending writing into other subject areas is beneficial to <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> development.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> "The greatest problem with writing programs is that children only write during writing."

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> How can we be sure our students are becoming better writers? <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Assessment of the Writings in the Portfolio can be through the use of a Rubric. See the example below.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **Pen Pal Writing Rubric** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Here is a sample rubric for a Pen Pal letter. A letter to a pen pal may be one type of writing piece included in an elementary portfolio. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The rubric contains the elements and skills needed for mastery. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> As we teach writing to our young students we must remember it is a process synthesizing comprehension and the Language Arts. Keeping <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> connected to our students by observing them and encouraging their interest in writing will energize their continued interest to write.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Some additional Primary Writing websites, resources and videoconferences: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 1. The National Writing Project - www.nwp.org/es <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 2. www.schooltube.com/video <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 3.Langwitches.org/videoconferencingwithelementaryschoolstudents

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 170%;"> **Middle School Portfolios** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%;"> A great and effective way for children to learn how to read is by writing. Many children love the combination of writing and illustrating that leads to a published work. Children's writing samples, prior to the publication stage, serve as a rich portrait of how well young minds are applying important language skills and strategies, as well as what they know about words.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Middle school portfolios can have a wide range of items and a variety of writing pieces. Some portfolios may include a Personal Narrative, a Short Story, and a Persuasive essay. Typically, all grade levels may include these items, but it is the content that changes from elementary, to middle, to high school. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Personal Narrative/Memoir <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> A personal narrative is an option that may be﻿ suggested for a writing portfolio in middle school grades <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> In order to write a proficient piece of Personal/Expressive Writing, the student should be able to:

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • focus on the purpose of relating the significance of <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> one event in the life of the writer //(Personal// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> //Narrative).//

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • focus on the purpose of relating the significance of <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> the relationship between the writer and the subject <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> of the memoir //(Memoir).//

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • create a single impression of the subject of the <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> memoir by limiting the memoir to a particular <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> phase, time period, place, or recurring behavior <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> //(Memoir).//

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • focus on the purpose of developing a clear, focused <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> personal opinion which is supported by a variety of <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> incidents in the writer’s life //(Personal Essay).//

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • communicate the significance of the event, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> relationship, or idea to the reader. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • maintain a first-person point of view <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • use an individual voice. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • employ an appropriate tone. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> • create a title that captures the essence of the piece <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 115%;"> and creates reader interest.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;"> Short Story or Play <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> In order to write a proficient Short Story or Play, the student should be able to:Audience and Purpose• understand and adhere to the characteristics of ashort story. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> • adhere to the conventions of the specific type of short fiction that the student is writing (e.g.,realistic fiction, science fiction, historical fiction,horror, mystery, fantasy, myth, tale, fable, legend). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 115%;"> • adhere to the conventions of the specific type ofplay that the student is writing (e.g., one-act play,radio play, full-length play, 10-minute play,monologue, duolog). (Note: Scripts ofcommercials, announcements, news broadcasts, orother such types of writing will not fulfill theliterary characteristics of this performancestandard.) • narrow topic enough to be fully developed in ashort story or play.• focus on a purpose.• use an individual voice.• create a title that captures the essence of the piece  and creates reader interest.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Persuasive Essay**

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Students in 8th grade may be required to write a persuasive essay on a topic that is chosen in collaboration with the student and the teacher. The purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader of the author's facts, share his or her values, and accept his or her arguments and conclusions.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Here is a sample of a rubric used for assement on a Persuasive Essay <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **The Writing Process** Learning to write is a developmental process. A process approach to writing helps students to write as professional authors do, choosing their own topics and genres, and writing from their own experiences or observations. A writing process approach requires that teachers give students greater responsibility for, and ownership of, their own learning. Students make decisions about genre and choice of topics, and collaborate as they write. Teachers who view writing as a process recognize the following: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Teachers should... <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Below is a workshop for teachers to aid in the process of teaching students how to write. You will find a list of video segments with explanations along with a facilitators guide with discussion and sharing questions. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Tips and techniques to help Middle School writers... <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Retrieved from []
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Writing is recursive in nature; the writer moves within the components as necessary, perhaps from pre-writing to drafting, then back to pre-writing again, then forward to editing and back to drafting before polishing a piece for sharing or publication. For some writers, drafting may occur during revision; for others, revision and editing may be naturally combined.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Both the process and product of writing should be assessed and evaluated, allowing students and teachers to focus on and assess the learning that takes place during writing, rather than trying to ascertain what has been learned from the finished product only.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The basic components of the writing process are similar from writer to writer, but each writer is unique and develops an individual writing process.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Writing abilities are largely acquired by practice and frequent writing. While instruction may be required about some writing skills and knowledge, it must be conducted within the context of students' writing and should not be broken into isolated sub-skills, which are less likely to transfer to the students' writing. (It should also be kept in mind that many writers attribute their skill to frequent and varied reading.)
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Encouraging students to express their ideas and meaning in the form of whole "text" is preferable to focusing upon single, isolated parts of language.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Creating meaning takes time and cannot be done on command.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Although writing is a solitary activity for most writers, the social aspects of collaboration make writing groups appropriate for Middle Level students. However, for some students writing will always be private and solitary and teachers should be sensitive to this when planning group activities.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teachers strive to create a community of writers, a positive environment (social, emotional, physical) for writing, learning, and thinking in the classroom. Teachers model respect for students and respect for diversity in culture, voices, and ideas. Students are encouraged to have a voice and position in the classroom, and they work together, helping each other develop as writers.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Students are positive about writing because they are encouraged to write about matters that are relevant and important to their lives and because they can draw on their experiences and knowledge. Teachers do not just present an assignment; they spend ample time establishing a foundation for the writing, making it meaningful to students.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teachers use the media, song lyrics, and reading materials to help students think and communicate about important and challenging issues, events, dilemmas, and conditions in their community/culture.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Student ownership is revealed as a very important component in making writing meaningful. Students choose what they write about and make decisions about their writing. Though the teachers clearly have goals (for example, helping students write a persuasive letter or editorial), they establish a framework in which students can reach the goals in different ways.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teachers use a variety of techniques to engage students and convey the importance of writing; for example, reading and talking about samples, modeling writing, using choral responses, enabling students to write to advocate changes they find important, asking stimulating questions, listening carefully, and joining in the applause that celebrates a student writer.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Students engage in writing-to-learn practices (for example, the "Dear Know-It-All" quick write) that stimulate their thinking about realistic issues, events, and problems and that enable students to express themselves openly about matters relevant to their lives.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Student inquiry plays an important role in making writing meaningful. Students are encouraged to read and think critically about ideas presented in popular song lyrics, music videos, poetry, and other materials. They are led to inquire into their own experience and into issues and needs in their communities. Teachers clearly strive to promote students' curiosity and critical thinking—important strategies for making writing meaningful. Students experience that writing is an act of creativity and discovery.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Use writing to improve relations among students.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Work with words relevant to students' lives to help them build vocabulary.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Spotlight language and use group brainstorming to help students create poetry.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Ask students to reflect on and write about their writing.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Use casual talk about students' lives to generate writing.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Give students a chance to write to an audience for real purpose.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Practice and play with revision techniques.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Pair students with adult reading/writing buddies.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Teach "tension" to move students beyond fluency.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Require written response to peers' writing.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Make grammar instruction dynamic.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Ask students to experiment with sentence length.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Help students ask questions about their writing.Challenge students to find active verbs.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Ground writing in social issues important to students.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Encourage the "framing device" as an aid to cohesion in writing
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Use real world examples to reinforce writing conventions.
 * <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Introduce multi-genre writing in the context of community service

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"> [|best practices][]# <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> h[|ttp://www.all4ed.org/files/WritingNext.pdf] <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 170%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **High School Portfolios** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> //Connecting with what high school students are thinking is no easy task. Writing provides a window into our students’ minds and how they think. However, it is not just important that they are good writers to help “us” understand them. They need to be effective writers so that they can connect with the rest of the world tomorrow and for the rest of their lives. So then the issue becomes how to inspire them to make them want to write?// <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> //Kelly Gallagher offers these 8 Reasons to Write://

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> If we demonstrate these principles in our classrooms in the right way they are a surefire way to inspire any student to want to write.
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">//Writing is hard, but “hard” is rewarding//
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing helps you sort things out
 * 3) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing helps to persuade others
 * 4) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing helps to fight oppression
 * 5) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing makes you a better reader
 * 6) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing makes you smarter
 * 7) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing helps you get into and through college
 * 8) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing prepares you for the world of work

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> For more information on Kelly Gallagher’s 8 Reasons to Write, check out: Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> This is a great strategy that may work especially well in Special Education or Alternative classrooms: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Use writing to improve relations among students. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Diane Waff, co-director of the [|Philadelphia Writing Project], taught in an urban school where boys outnumbered girls four to one in her classroom. The situation left girls feeling overwhelmed, according to Waff, and their "voices faded into the background, overpowered by more aggressive male voices." <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Determined not to ignore this unhealthy situation, Waff urged students to face the problem head-on, asking them to write about gender-based problems in their journals. She then introduced literature that considered relationships between the sexes, focusing on themes of romance, love, and marriage. Students wrote in response to works as diverse as de Maupassant's "The Necklace" and Dean Myers's//Motown and DiDi//. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> In the beginning there was a great dissonance between male and female responses. According to Waff, "Girls focused on feelings; boys focused on sex, money, and the fleeting nature of romantic attachment." But as the students continued to write about and discuss their honest feelings, they began to notice that they had similar ideas on many issues. "By confronting these gender-based problems directly," says Waff, "the effect was to improve the lives of individual students and the social well-being of the wider school community." <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> ** The National Writing Project Website has immeasurable value for anyone teaching writing and offers numerous strategies like the one above: ** http://www.nwp.org/

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> There are additional Writing Assignment ideas listed at: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> http://www.education.com/activity/high-school/writing/

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Here is some helpful information for High School Curriculum writing assignments:

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Literary Analysis or Literary criticism** is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of [|literature].

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Writing papers of Literary Analysis: Some advice for students: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> [|http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/tchg/lit/adv/lit.papers.html]

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Literary Analysis Rubric

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(Weak) || <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Research Papers** are the most daunting of writing tasks for many students. They require several sets of skills. At the same time they are one of the best learning experiences that a student will ever have.
 * || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The items listed below are intended to provide feedback in a number of critical areas which your instructor deems important to your analysis. They are in no way meant to be of equal value. || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 4 (Superior) || <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">3 || <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">2 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**THESIS** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Formulates a focused, arguable, and defendable thesis ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Includes an effective introduction and conclusion that advances thesis ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ORGANIZATION ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">3 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Makes apparent the hierarchical structure of essay (Roadmap?) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">4 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Organizes major ideas logically and consistently, emphasizing writer's argument not merely text's chronology ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">5 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Organizes supporting ideas ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">CONTENT ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">6 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Presents original ideas not just a rehashing of class discussion ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">7 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Presents well thought out interpretation and sophisticated analysis ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">8 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Provides accurate, fair, and plausible information/analysis from texts ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT OF IDEAS ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">9 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Develops ideas fully with an awareness of audience needs (reader-based rather than writer-based prose) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">10 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Presents, concedes, and disarms arguments counter to thesis ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">11 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Provides substantial support for assertions (including research if applicable) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">12 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Provides accurate, fair, and plausible information from texts ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">STYLE ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">13 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Uses language at an appropriate and sophisticated level for a college audience ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">14 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Provides an appropriate level of precision in stating ideas ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">15 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Provides transition which smoothly links sections and ideas within paragraphs and sections ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">16 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unifies paragraphs appropriately ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**USAGE/GRAMMAR** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">17 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Uses language which is clear, concise, and appropriate ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">18 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Uses standard English and its conventions consistently ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">19 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Varies sentence structure ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">MLA FORMAT AND DOCUMENTATION ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">20 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Uses format appropriate to the discipline ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">21 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Incorporates and documents information correctly ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">22 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Determines credibility of sources ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Here are some resources you may find helpful:

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> //__Social Studies teachers check out:__//

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Historia Handbook Writing guide: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> []

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The North Carolina State University Historical Research and Writing site: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> []

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> //__Science teachers check out:__//

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Writing a Research Paper for your Science Fair Project <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> []

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Experimental Biosciences, Writing Research Papers <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> [|http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/tools/report/reportform.html]

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Resume Writing** is going to be crucial to our students beginning right after high school and for the rest of their lives. Here is a website that can be a great resource for your students. It offers help with cover letters, styles, and many sample resumes:

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> How to Write a Resume: []

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 170%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Inclusive Classroom <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Regardless of the ability level of the student it is necessary to keep lessons 20 minutes in length. These mini lessons should be direct, quick and active. They should be taught repeatedly ,as the facilitates understanding of the basic skill taught.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Teaching writing to special ed students should reflect what a teacher would do with any student: demonstrate. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> [|Writing Next] <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Writing Next pdf is a report of strategies to help improve middle and high school students with a focus on struggling writers. The report goes through 11 strategies to help all writers: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 1.Writing Strategies <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 2. Summarization <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 3. Collaborative Writing <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 4. Specific Product Goals <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 5. Word Processing <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 6. Sentence Combining <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 7. Prewriting <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 8. Inquiry Activities <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 9. Process Writing Approach <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 10. Study of Models <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 11. Writing for Content Learning <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 180%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Writing Programs** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Elementary** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">
 * || <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Six Traits of Writing** ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Ideas] || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Organization] || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Voice] || <span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Sentence Fluency] || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Word Choice] || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #6666ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Conventions] || <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Teaching writing in the primary grades requires and encompasses 6 Writing Traits. (scholastic.com) <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 1. Ideas- topics which are relevant such as pictures, books or any relevant details to the subject. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 2. Organization- the introduction, body and conclusion of the written material. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 3. Voice- the emotion of the writing, what is the writer relating to. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 4. Word Choice- use of word walls and vocabulary familiar to students. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 5. Sentence Fluency- keeping the writing alive, flowing and relevant. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> 6. Proofreading- checking and teaching of punctuation, grammar, spelling and capitalization.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">[[image:http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/images/minigreenpencil.gif width="16" height="17" link="http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/posters/ideas.pdf"]]
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">[[image:http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/images/miniorangepencil.gif width="16" height="17" link="http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/posters/sentences.pdf"]]

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Each trait or component of it can be taught as a mini lesson and built into the writing project.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Assessments are obtained from a 6 Point Rubric assessing each of the above traits. Peer assessment is also an insightful part of assessment which provides another avenue for learning.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> **Middle School** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Writers Matter program provides unique opportunities for middle and lower high school students to express themselves through the writing process, learn critical writing skills and develop effective personal relationships with peers to allow for more tolerance and appreciation of others. The process of writing provides an effective outlet for these students at a time in their lives when personal expression and having their voices heard is so important.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Here is a sample lesson plan from this program: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> I am from <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Dianna Newtown <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Writers Matter <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> Sample Lesson Plan

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Writers Matter program utilizes several writing exercises in classrooms in order to get students to maximize their writing potential. All of the teachers of the program have their own unique methods for leading these exercises, which they have shared. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> High School <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">The Collin’s Writing Program
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[[image:http://www.collinseducationassociates.com/images/bkdesignelements/masthead1_cwp.JPG width="760" height="187" link="http://www.collinseducationassociates.com/cwp.htm"]] ||

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Collin’s Writing Program can be used from grades K-12. It is an intense school wide writing program that centers all subjects taught in the school around writing. It has been called a “writing to learn” program. For nearly thirty years, it has been tested and proven to work in school districts all around the United States.

<span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “//Collins Writing// is based on two essential principles: 1) thinking and writing skills develop with experience and practice, and 2) it is almost impossible to be both a creative thinker (generating new ideas) and a critical thinker (evaluating existing ideas) at the same time”

<span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The Collins Program uses these five writing strategies to get students engaged with their writing assignments:

<span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> **The Five Types of Writing** <span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Type One: Capture Ideas <span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Type Two: Respond Correctly <span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Type Three: Edit for Focus Correction Areas <span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Type Four: Peer Edit for Focus Correction Areas <span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Type Five: Publish

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0pt;"> Below is a question that the staff at CWP are asked quite often:

<span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> "We are considering professional development around the Collins Writing Program or Six Traits* and would like to get your perspective before deciding. What do you think?” <span style="color: #404040; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The question should not be either the Collins Writing Program (CWP) or Six Traits. However, an either/or decision almost always has to be made because of limited professional development days and budgets; therefore we answer: begin with Collins and follow with Six Traits. While both emphasize assessment strategies, the Collins Writing Program is about writing to learn and learning to write. Six Traits is about assessing writing.

<span style="color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> For all the information you need including research and results of this program please visit : []