Improving Student Writing through Focus and Annotation
9/19/2016
Improving Student Writing through Focus and Annotation Dawn Burnette
Basic Truths • To become better writers, students must learn to think like writers. • Every writing assignment should be a learning experience. • Students can’t and shouldn’t learn everything about writing in a single assignment (or even in a single year).
1
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills • Select from any of the following categories: • Content – Supports points with relevant, quality details – Avoids faulty logic • Organization – Uses effective transitions – Uses cause and effect organization
Key 1: Focus Skills • Select from any of the following categories: • Style – Uses variety in sentence structure – Avoids wordiness • Conventions – Avoids sentence fragments – Uses apostrophes correctly
2
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills • Select from any of the following categories: • Format – Uses correct heading – Writes correct works cited entries • Challenge – Uses rhetorical question effectively – Uses repetition for effect
Key 1: Focus Skills • Students should work on no more than six skills in each assignment. • Individualize focus skills to meet the needs of every student. • Because students truly understand the skills, they continue using them automatically even after moving on to new skills.
3
9/19/2016
“[T]he approach that produces the best learning is focused practice. . . . The teacher structures writing tasks to emphasize specific aspects of writing.” Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works: ResearchBased Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: ASCD, 2001.
“Focus skills really help me to develop specific aspects of my writing to the point that they stick in my head. With so many things to think about on a ‘regular’ paper, you don’t really learn anything—it’s mostly just trying to fix common errors rather than improving style or content.” “I know that I only have to work on certain skills, so I don’t just give up and think my papers are horrible.”
4
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons • Teach a lesson on one or more of the focus skills. – Example: Uses effective variety in sentence beginnings (style).
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons • Students revise with the writing lesson in mind. – Revise your paragraph so that you use at least four different sentence beginnings that we practiced this week.
• Students revise, edit, and create final drafts.
5
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation • Students annotate their final drafts to demonstrate their understanding of each focus skill. – On your final draft, show me where you used the four different sentence beginnings (and label which one is which).
• Do this together the first time!
6
9/19/2016
“[T]he process of explaining their thinking helps students deepen their understanding of the principles they are applying.” Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: ASCD, 2001.
7
9/19/2016
“Annotating my essays has helped me to find what is good in my writing. I think that when you are able to find the good things yourself, then you probably understand why they’re good.” “I love annotating essays because once I start, I can see where I might need to go back and fix something so I make sure I don’t turn in a paper that I am not truly proud of in every way.”
“I hate annotating. It forces me to think. I’d rather just write something down and turn it in.”
8
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation Key 4: Meaningful Assessment • Grading takes less time—while feedback is more meaningful—because teacher responds to and assesses only the focus skills. • Teacher can write more positive comments on students’ papers. • Students pay more attention to assessment.
9
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation Key 4: Meaningful Assessment Key 5: Moving Forward • Keep up with progress on a Focus Skills Progress Chart.
Focus Skills Progress Chart
10
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation Key 4: Meaningful Assessment Key 5: Moving Forward • Use results to determine which skills to focus on the next time. • It’s better to be a master of a few skills than to be a novice at them all!
[email protected]
Booth 202
11
Improving Student Writing through Focus and Annotation Dawn Burnette
Basic Truths • To become better writers, students must learn to think like writers. • Every writing assignment should be a learning experience. • Students can’t and shouldn’t learn everything about writing in a single assignment (or even in a single year).
1
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills • Select from any of the following categories: • Content – Supports points with relevant, quality details – Avoids faulty logic • Organization – Uses effective transitions – Uses cause and effect organization
Key 1: Focus Skills • Select from any of the following categories: • Style – Uses variety in sentence structure – Avoids wordiness • Conventions – Avoids sentence fragments – Uses apostrophes correctly
2
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills • Select from any of the following categories: • Format – Uses correct heading – Writes correct works cited entries • Challenge – Uses rhetorical question effectively – Uses repetition for effect
Key 1: Focus Skills • Students should work on no more than six skills in each assignment. • Individualize focus skills to meet the needs of every student. • Because students truly understand the skills, they continue using them automatically even after moving on to new skills.
3
9/19/2016
“[T]he approach that produces the best learning is focused practice. . . . The teacher structures writing tasks to emphasize specific aspects of writing.” Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works: ResearchBased Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: ASCD, 2001.
“Focus skills really help me to develop specific aspects of my writing to the point that they stick in my head. With so many things to think about on a ‘regular’ paper, you don’t really learn anything—it’s mostly just trying to fix common errors rather than improving style or content.” “I know that I only have to work on certain skills, so I don’t just give up and think my papers are horrible.”
4
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons • Teach a lesson on one or more of the focus skills. – Example: Uses effective variety in sentence beginnings (style).
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons • Students revise with the writing lesson in mind. – Revise your paragraph so that you use at least four different sentence beginnings that we practiced this week.
• Students revise, edit, and create final drafts.
5
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation • Students annotate their final drafts to demonstrate their understanding of each focus skill. – On your final draft, show me where you used the four different sentence beginnings (and label which one is which).
• Do this together the first time!
6
9/19/2016
“[T]he process of explaining their thinking helps students deepen their understanding of the principles they are applying.” Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: ASCD, 2001.
7
9/19/2016
“Annotating my essays has helped me to find what is good in my writing. I think that when you are able to find the good things yourself, then you probably understand why they’re good.” “I love annotating essays because once I start, I can see where I might need to go back and fix something so I make sure I don’t turn in a paper that I am not truly proud of in every way.”
“I hate annotating. It forces me to think. I’d rather just write something down and turn it in.”
8
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation Key 4: Meaningful Assessment • Grading takes less time—while feedback is more meaningful—because teacher responds to and assesses only the focus skills. • Teacher can write more positive comments on students’ papers. • Students pay more attention to assessment.
9
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation Key 4: Meaningful Assessment Key 5: Moving Forward • Keep up with progress on a Focus Skills Progress Chart.
Focus Skills Progress Chart
10
9/19/2016
Key 1: Focus Skills Key 2: Writing Lessons Key 3: Annotation Key 4: Meaningful Assessment Key 5: Moving Forward • Use results to determine which skills to focus on the next time. • It’s better to be a master of a few skills than to be a novice at them all!
[email protected]
Booth 202
11
