ON DEMAND UPDATE:
The response below came from the Cindy Parker from the Division of Program Studies (KDE). In it, she shares her insight into On-Demand writing and reinforces our strong belief in the power of supporting our kids as writers.
Synthesis of a few key points:
1) Our kids need to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. They need multiple opportunities throughout the day to share their thinking in writing- always considering and working to demonstrate these traits:
1) Our kids need to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. They need multiple opportunities throughout the day to share their thinking in writing- always considering and working to demonstrate these traits:
- audience awareness and purpose
- idea development
- organization of ideas
- word choice
- appropriate conventions including grammar, usage and mechanics
So whether they are sharing information learned through research in a form of some sort, crafting a story, establishing their opinion, responding to learning, reflecting, writing in a family journal, or simply thanking a volunteer or field trip guide....we are pushing them to always work toward communicating with clarity, development, and refinement.
2) Our kids need an understanding of the traits/ characteristics of quality writing. In a nutshell: the focus ought to be on the traits, rather than the form. This is because the traits transcend form. Students gain access to those traits through analyzing model text and/or creating a class rubric that mirrors the state's Scoring Rubric as well as through specific mini-lessons and experiences writing. What seems to be most critical is that our kids understand that writers communicate coherently with an audience using the above bullets, regardless of the form (i.e. letter, story, Prezi, essay, feature article, etc.) Are forms obsolete? No, they are a form of organization and still need to be taught and experienced, but they are not the "end all, be all" of writing.
3) Our kids need support, but the goal is always independence. You know your writers may need graphic organizers to scaffold them as they work to become organized and developed writers, but eventually they need to wean themselves from them as they demonstrate the ability to write without them. You all are always pushing your students to try their own and use what works for them. Giving student’s a choice to use what is best for them is the key! It's always a form of support through Gradual Release of Responsibility.
MS. PARKER'S RESPONSE: The craft of writing is a long, developmental process requiring a variety of strategies and scaffolds at each level. Requiring students to use a certain form (5 paragraphs) can stifle the creativity and growth of the writer. It can also create in the students’ minds a false sense of good writing.
For students to do well in On Demand Writing, it is critical that they first understand the traits of writing as outlined in the Scoring Rubric. According to the K-Prep Assessment Basics, form, although stated in the prompt, is there only to provide context for purpose and audience. Form is not part of the rubric; rather, students will be evaluated on their ability to communicate effectively with an audience by supporting complex ideas in a coherently.
So what does this look like in the classroom? It means that students write, write, and write. They regularly analyze a variety of texts, including their own writing, to understand purpose, audience, idea development, and language. Knowledge of these traits is critical to allow constructive conversations about writing. This can be done in large or small group settings, as mini-lessons in response to formative assessment needs, or as part of a planned instructional sequence. There are numerous resources for teaching the “Traits of Writing” that can be adapted to each grade level.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time or a place for structured organizers as an instructional scaffold. However, because our goal is to develop independent writers, we should gradually release the use of these tools as students evolve in the craft of writing. Remember that on-demand writing is merely an assessment meant to allow students to demonstrate independently the skills they have gained through instruction and that the standards call for students to be able to write well in short and extended timeframes. The standards do not address the strategies for teaching writing, although they do align to a writing process approach.
A resource you might find helpful is Addressing the Three Modes of Writing in the KCAS, available here http://kdeliteracylink.wikispaces.com/file/view/Three+Modes+of+Writing+in+KCAS.pdf/380885860/Three%20Modes%20of%20Writing%20in%20KCAS.pdf. KDE will also be posting soon on the assessment page on-demand writing samplers, annotated student work, and instructional resources.
Hope this helps you—I appreciate your interest in helping students be better writers.
Cindy Parker, NBCT
Literacy Coordinator
Office of Next Generation Learners
Kentucky Department of Education
500 Mero Street, 1911 CPT
Frankfort, KY 40601
2) Our kids need an understanding of the traits/ characteristics of quality writing. In a nutshell: the focus ought to be on the traits, rather than the form. This is because the traits transcend form. Students gain access to those traits through analyzing model text and/or creating a class rubric that mirrors the state's Scoring Rubric as well as through specific mini-lessons and experiences writing. What seems to be most critical is that our kids understand that writers communicate coherently with an audience using the above bullets, regardless of the form (i.e. letter, story, Prezi, essay, feature article, etc.) Are forms obsolete? No, they are a form of organization and still need to be taught and experienced, but they are not the "end all, be all" of writing.
3) Our kids need support, but the goal is always independence. You know your writers may need graphic organizers to scaffold them as they work to become organized and developed writers, but eventually they need to wean themselves from them as they demonstrate the ability to write without them. You all are always pushing your students to try their own and use what works for them. Giving student’s a choice to use what is best for them is the key! It's always a form of support through Gradual Release of Responsibility.
MS. PARKER'S RESPONSE: The craft of writing is a long, developmental process requiring a variety of strategies and scaffolds at each level. Requiring students to use a certain form (5 paragraphs) can stifle the creativity and growth of the writer. It can also create in the students’ minds a false sense of good writing.
For students to do well in On Demand Writing, it is critical that they first understand the traits of writing as outlined in the Scoring Rubric. According to the K-Prep Assessment Basics, form, although stated in the prompt, is there only to provide context for purpose and audience. Form is not part of the rubric; rather, students will be evaluated on their ability to communicate effectively with an audience by supporting complex ideas in a coherently.
So what does this look like in the classroom? It means that students write, write, and write. They regularly analyze a variety of texts, including their own writing, to understand purpose, audience, idea development, and language. Knowledge of these traits is critical to allow constructive conversations about writing. This can be done in large or small group settings, as mini-lessons in response to formative assessment needs, or as part of a planned instructional sequence. There are numerous resources for teaching the “Traits of Writing” that can be adapted to each grade level.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time or a place for structured organizers as an instructional scaffold. However, because our goal is to develop independent writers, we should gradually release the use of these tools as students evolve in the craft of writing. Remember that on-demand writing is merely an assessment meant to allow students to demonstrate independently the skills they have gained through instruction and that the standards call for students to be able to write well in short and extended timeframes. The standards do not address the strategies for teaching writing, although they do align to a writing process approach.
A resource you might find helpful is Addressing the Three Modes of Writing in the KCAS, available here http://kdeliteracylink.wikispaces.com/file/view/Three+Modes+of+Writing+in+KCAS.pdf/380885860/Three%20Modes%20of%20Writing%20in%20KCAS.pdf. KDE will also be posting soon on the assessment page on-demand writing samplers, annotated student work, and instructional resources.
Hope this helps you—I appreciate your interest in helping students be better writers.
Cindy Parker, NBCT
Literacy Coordinator
Office of Next Generation Learners
Kentucky Department of Education
500 Mero Street, 1911 CPT
Frankfort, KY 40601
I think the biggest thing I need to do is give my students multiple types of writing throughout the day. We do a good job with creative writing- students blow me away with their pieces! But, I don't feel like I give my students the chance to do enough writing where they take a position and defend it. We have done this very loosely through gallery walks, but not enough in other types of writing. Opinion writing could be done in any subject area and gives the students a way of stating what they belive, then defending it with evidence. This is a great method of practice for the short answer and constructed responses we need to be doing anyways.
ReplyDeleteI also believe we need to do more writing with various forms of texts. A big eye opener for was to see charts, graphs, and menus on MAP testing. We have looked at these aspects from a math view, but we have not done it from a ELA point of view. We need to begin giving our students more different types of texts to respond to.
-Matt
Good point about responding to all types of texts! We can easily do that embedding some constructed response questions.
DeleteI truly believe in the 6 traits and this is how we get our students to become better writers. I also believe that students need to be writing every day. Unfortunately, the ELA units up until now have not allowed many opportunities to write other than to write to demonstrate learning. We need opportunities for students to do more 21st century writing and creative writing. If students were doing more writing, we could give feedback in relationship to the traits.
ReplyDeleteI think the units do give us plenty of opportunities for 21st century writing. However, since this is a new curriculum, we need to make sure we are intentionally planning these opportunities throughout. The more we work with the new standards, the more we will gain a deeper understanding of instruction that will allow our students to grow as writers in any content.
DeleteI think the six traits are very important because they help develop the writer. I admit that I think of the six traits mostly in ELA but they can be in all areas for example science and math. It is important to reinforce these skills and that we intentionally plan writing throughout the day. I feel that we need to teach the writer all the different types of writing and then let them choose they way to present the information. That will make writing more meaningful for our students.
ReplyDeleteThe first point that this text makes is that students should WRITE! I agree with the above posts in that our current ELA units have given students very little opportunity for creative writing but I believe that enbedding constructed responses during the day may help bring more balance to our ELA units. I especially think feedback on their constructed responses will be useful in helping them understand the traits of good writing.
ReplyDeleteTry #2 :) ...I agree with the previous statements that students need to be given the opportunities to write multiple times throughout the day focusing on the craft rather than the form. This is a change from previous years taught. I also feel the new ELA units focus more on reading rather than writing (as compared to our old units). This has been an adjustment for me and to tell the truth, a bit uncomfortable. It's hard to shake the old habits of cranking out a published piece each unit. I am going to dust off my 6+1 Traits book and kit and focus more on teaching the craft rather than the piece. Especially since we need to expose students to other types of writing rather than the standard "5 paragraph" essay...they need to use bulleted lists, emails, Prezi, research, etc.
ReplyDelete-Alisa
The 6+1 Traits is definitely going to be a great resource! It's all about teaching the writer and thinking about the mode as well- narrative, informational, and opinion. We'll be talking about that at our next meeting. Thanks for taking the time to read!
ReplyDeleteLet's also really think about how writing is embedded in the units. We will focus on that as we plan unit 5.
ReplyDelete