Welcome to the blog of the NWP 2012 Invitational Summer Institute at FGCU

We had a great institute this summer. The blog is organized by calendar day. The ISI was in session for two weeks, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. each day.

Our teacher coordinator was Stacey Elmeer. Our response leaders were Helen Sadler, Helen Davis, and Heather Krystofiak. Our summer ISI participants were Patricia Zubal, April Etzold, Vanessa York, Megan Hall, Joel Hilborn, Rosanne Mello, Maryellen Johnston, Marilyn Hommedieu, Natalie Lafferty, Remey (Maria) Kaufman, Karen DiBella, Michelle Johnson, Chris McClure, Kristen Hall, and Janette Bosetin.

Notes From June 29th. Downtown Writing Marathon

Stacey Elmeer, Helen Sadler, and Heather Krystofiak We stayed for two hours at the tea room.

Our invitation to write was a group reading of Updike's poem "The Great Scarf of Birds." Chris and Maryellen

We browsed downtown inside buildings and out...

Marilyn

Pat and Rosanne

Kristen , Vanessa, and Natalie

Rosanne, Joel, and Janette

April, Karen, and Marilyn

Megan, Remy, and Remy's daughter....

Stacey's Log covering music and irony from June 27th: Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson's demo lesson:

Photo based writing

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Michelle Johnson's Research Question: Does Photo-Based Writing improve students writing skills? Many students have negative views about writing. Often times students see writing as an undesirable experience with minimum value. It is essential for students to learn that writing has purpose and is relevant to their lives. The research question reviewed in this paper focuses on the effectiveness of Photo-Based writing as a teaching tool and methods that can be utilized to inspire students to write. Photo-based writing is a teaching strategy that uses photographs as writing prompts to generate thoughtful pieces of work from writers of all ages. The pictures are used as a tool to inspire writing. The writer finds inspiration from the photo and subsequently responds to the prompt. Photo-based writing can be achieved in different ways. The first step is finding an appropriate photo. Educators can instruct students to take their own photos that will inspire writing or the educator can provide the students with images. When implementing this writing strategy, it is essential that guidelines are established in order to ensure effective writing. Photo-based writing has been proven to be effective. Research has indicated that photos can be used as an effective guided writing tool to facilitate students' writing process and to improve their writing proficiency ( Lee, 1994). Images contain stories and information for the viewer. A photo spurs thoughts and stimulates ideas that provide students with a starting point for writing. The photograph motivates and inspires writing and it is through writing that students can learn more about a subject, reflect upon their lives, and express themselves. There are several different ways educators can use this strategy to improve writing. Educators can use pictures as location prompts and instruct students to think specifically about different locations and respond to the photo. Students can be given scene prompts and write a scene between two characters in the photo before, during, or after the event in the photo that takes place. Students can also be given character prompt to practice writing characters profiles. Although photo-based writing is a new strategy, it has been proven effective for teaching important writing skills and assisting students with their creativity. This strategy would be an innovative strategy to implement at any grade level.

Janette Bosetin's demo lesson:

Demo

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Janette Bosetin's Research Question: HOW WILL VOCABULARY CARTOONS INCREASE WORD ASSOCIATIONS, COMPREHENSION AND READING SKILLS? Dr. Janette Bosetin, English 4 and Intensive Reading Immokalee High School PURPOSE: This inquiry replicates previous studies in high school settings to determine if using vocabulary cartoons increase word associations and comprehension and readingskills, promoting writing. Using various research-based instructional approaches, an integration of mnemonics was implemented advancing vocabulary words, word links, and connections for advanced student learning. Vocabulary approaches used repetitive strategies personalizing individual learning methods while using all modes of learning styles.Mnemonic approaches provided visual appeal and rhyming word patterns to engage students in learning. Using these approaches challenged and engaged students in learning advancing academic progress. Vocabulary word associations developed consistent curricular pathways for students to learn in a variety of ways. The outcome of this comparable study showed students scored higher on tests and quizzes made higher academic connections and gains using a variety of vocabulary word strategies. The higher percentage of students showed an increase in vocabulary and word associations using this methodology verified through assessments and data analysis. This approach engaged students in learning through intentional instruction increasing vocabulary skills and word associations in a thoughtful manner. METHOD: The method used, as within the components of inquiry and logic, determined that students’ increased vocabulary skills and word associations advancing academic progress and motivation in writing. Intentional instruction exposed students to a variety of meaningful mnemonics; providing whole-student to group-student supportsfor learning.Given these approaches, student engagement increased, as students spent more time on learning and discussion, as seen through engaged and thoughtful conversations. During the first 2 quarters of school, at the beginning of each class, vocabulary instructional approaches underpinned thoughtful and concisemethodologies. These purposeful approaches advanced word associations increasing student academic progress and participation. Challenging, engaging, and intentional instruction created a cyclical and consistent pathway for learning while engaging students in the process. Mnemonics provided supports advancing personal, thoughtful and meaningful modesfor student learning. DATA COLLECTION: The methods of data collection employed were consistent with qualitative and quantitative research data collections, synthesis, and analysis of data sets. This process of methodological approaches and research-based practices were diversified, as consistent to the perspectives of individual and personal learning (Duffy-Hester, 2002). This evaluative outcome determined that students consistently made academic progress using this approach, as students noted this process was enjoyable. Data from tests and quizzes were synthesized and analyzed determining student understanding and academic progress. DATA RESULTS AND ANALYSIS: Collections of data supported valid and reliable information that determined this method and approach increased students’ vocabulary and word associations with given visuals, rhymes and word links to increase student performance and participation in tasks and activities. Data analysis and survey formats included responses from fifty-five students who chose to participate in surveys sharing their experiences. Surveys were synthesized, analyzed and integrated into data sets and categories. The totals were extracted from data sets to display outcomes of information that included 5 different student responses: 5)I strongly agree, 4) I agree, 3) I feel neutral, 2) I disagree, and 1) I strongly disagree. Data sets displayed categories of 5, 4 and 3 ratings, as the other categories were not chosen or marked by students. Student’s highest scores strongly agreed with these instructional approaches, as compared to not agreeing with these approaches, as seen in the table below. The above student survey outcomes determined student participation increasing skills in vocabulary words and usage, while using mnemonics and cartoon pictures to enrich learning experiences while advancing writing skills. This survey supports meaningful learning, as intentions were to increase word associations, comprehension and reading skills enhancing writing. Additionally, students scored 75% and above on vocabulary and word association assessments using vocabulary to advance personal writing activities. Furthermore, quantitative approaches were analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated on the following skills which included: 1) cloze sentences, 2) matching definitions to vocabulary words, 3) writing creative stories with words, and 4) writing complex sentences with vocabulary words. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: High school students increased word associations, vocabulary and comprehension skills using this methodology. Mmnemonic approaches supported and aligned intentional and thoughtful instruction increasing student vocabulary and word applications. Therefore, using this approach increased student learning and academic progress. Furthermore, given participatory and interactive approachesfor learning, students engaged in class activities and tasks supported by purposeful and meaningful learning tasks and assignments. Using these instructional approaches, students increased word association and application skills, making academic progress. REFERENCES Baumann, J.F., & Duffy-Hester, A.M. (2002). Making sense of classroom worlds: Methodology in teacher research. (Eds.), Methods of literacy research: The methodology chapters from the Handbook of Reading Research volume III (pp.1-22). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Burchers, B. & Burchers, S. (2007). Vocabulary Cartoons II: SAT Word Power. Florida:New Monic Books. Erickson, F. (1986). Qualitative methods in research on teaching. In M.C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (3rd ed., pp. 119-161). New York: Macmillan.

Notes from Wednesday, June 27th

Kristen Hall's demo lesson: Kristen Hall's Research Question: What are the benefits of using picture books to teach reading and writing skills? As many teachers often find, in my classroom writing is one of the more painful skills to teach students. I am often met with a variety of excuses to justify a lack of completion or even attempt at the assignment, “We were never taught this!” “I don’t know what that skill/trait means.” Or the ever popular, “I just can’t think of anything to write.” I had taken the idea of using picture books to teach and encourage writing in my classroom from my experience with reading to my younger students. And it just so happens that this practice is supported by many. As it turns out, it has been proven that the use of picture books help students to analyze literary elements such as character, plot, and conflict. They can then transfer this knowledge of story elements to their knowledge of grade-level literature, as well as their own writing (Heitman, 2005). Besides character, plot, and conflict,picture books can also be used to teach literary devices like dialogue;character motivation; setting; scenes and transitions; character conflicts; and theme. In a condensed story, students are able to focus on a particular literary element and then apply it to their owngrade level work. The experience oflearning or reviewing the skill through the reading of a picture book is relaxing for students, but also is an easy way to help them develop one particular skill at a time. Picture books can also help students improve their writing. In my own classroom, I have had much success with reading a picture book to my students, such as ChrisVan Allsburg’s Jumangi. Together,my students and I discuss the background information, rising action, climax,problem, and solution. When I set students off to write their own stories, I ask that they take the elements we have discussed and rewrite a version of the story we read. This lesson almost eliminates the excuse, “ButI just don’t have anything to say!” In addition to teaching the process of writing a story, picture books can help to teach style, word choice, and mood (Heitman, 2005). Since every picture book tells a story,students are able to see how to integrate certain elements of an author’s craft in their own writing Picture book’sstories simplify language arts concepts. They help students to write more readily and apply literature andwriting skills (Graham, 2000). Lastly, aside from taking much of the stress out of teaching writing and reading, picture books can help develop oral language proficiency. “Children’s listening habits and skills are good predictors of oral language proficiency, reading,writing skills, and later school success. Good listening skills must be taught and practiced; they do not develop naturally. Picture books invite careful listening to help develop good oral language skills (Jalongo, 2007).” By integrating picture books into reading and writing instruction, students willlearn how to listen to and respond to literature. They will learn the pragmatics of discussing these texts with their classmates, and, in turn, how to discuss, agree , and disagree in opinions with others throughout their lives. In summary, picture books can be valuable supplements to teach reading, writing, and oral language skills in classrooms ingrades K-12. References Graham, Jan. (2000). “Worth a Thousand Words: UsingPicture Books to Teach Literary Elements.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council ofEnglish Teachers. Copeland,Brenda S. and Messner, Patricia A. (2006). “Using Picture Books to Teach LanguageArts Standards in Grades 3-5.” Libraries Unlimited. Jalongo,Mary Renck. (2007). “Learningto Listen, Listening to Learn: BuildingEssential Skills in Young Children.” National Association for the Educationof Young Children. Heitman,Jane. (2005). Picture This: Using Picture Books to Teach WritingSkills. Library Media Connection, Vol. 23 (Issue 7). Retrieved fromhttp://web.ebscohost.com/eproxy.fgcu.edu/ehost

Chris McClure's Demo Lesson: Chris McClure's Research Question: "The writer writes in order to teach himself, to understand himself, to satisfy himself; the publishing of his ideas, though it brings gratification, is a curious anticlimax." ~ Alfred Kazin How can teachers inspire students to write passionately with outside forces motivating the curriculum>? Chris McClure, 8th grade language arts teacher, Alva Middle School (FL) In college I was a journalism major. I worked on my school newspaper, the GSU Signal. As a freshman, I mainly worked as the men's basketball beat writer, which I thought was exciting at the time because the team was on its way to its best winning record ever. The team was ranked in the top-30 nationally, and the head coach was at the time was Lefty Driesell, a future hall-of-famer. As the team's beat writer, my job was to write about events that occurred during a game, keep track of player and team statistics, and interview key players and coaches after the end of games. My school was gaining a national profile, and students jumped on the team's bandwagon due to its success. Essentially, (and perhaps a little bit due to local publicity in the newspaper - if you will excuse my self-promotion) it became cool for the Georgia State Panthers fan base to "pounce" its prey and for "Lefty's Loonies" to distract our opponents with their antics. Nevertheless, as exciting as it was covering the team everyone in Atlanta was talking about in 2000, I struggled writing articles on a weekly basis not because of any waning interest. It was because my editors placed word-count limits on the articles. It was because my articles needed to cover the basic information pertaining to each game, the "nuts and bolts" so to speak. And (excuse the grammar mistake) it was because my articles needed to be submitted to my editors forty-five minutes after the games concluded so it would post onto our school's website. All those stresses put on by outside forces caused me to lose my passion for writing. and as a result, my antidote highlights my focus towards my research question. Students in elementary and secondary grades lose their own passion for writing because of many outside forces. Students complain about the number of assessments they are required to do. Many schools are worried about low test scores, not meeting their AYP, and having qualified teachers covering specific subjects, all in the name of receiving federal and state funding (McCarthy 465). Teachers are concerned that results from statewide high-states tests, the same ones in which students complain about, are used to determine their job performance (McCarthy 465). Another researcher, George Hillocks, states at the beginning of his report "...many teachers resent the assessments, were angry or fearful about being held responsible for the work of their students, and felt that too much pressure was being brought to bear of them (29-30). As a result of this prevalent fear or anger, many schools focus on the (formulaic) writing process (McCarthy 468). By the time students graduate high school, they are expected to: comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and use what they read; write well-organized, effective papers; listen effectively and discuss ideas intelligently; and know our literary heritage and how it enhances imagination and ethical understanding, and how it relates to the customs, ideas, and values of today's life and culture (Hillocks 2). In addition, "students in the crucial eight grades leading to high school should specifically design (curriculums) to provide a sound base in such areas as English language development and writing...(Hillocks 2). However, that sound base of English language development and writing is not translating as well as some would expect. "Eighty-five percent of eighth grade classrooms were devoted to a combination of lecture, question and answer recitation, and seatwork. Discussions and small-group work were rare" (Hillocks 2). Many students have only 45 minutes to write a five paragraph prompt ripe of formulaic work and little scaffolding support to help them develop new strategies and skills (NCTE 1). Prompts are evaluated by a topic's focus, its support and elaboration, organization, and mechanics, and not geared toward making sense in a life outside school (Hillocks 108; NCTE 1) So what can teachers do to help students find the passion to write about things that help make sense of life outside school? According to the NCTE and the National Writing Project, here are a few things that teachers can do. First, teachers need to create time to help students develop their writing skills and strategies. Second, they need to be up on the most recent research, and know the methods for turning that theory into practice. Third, teachers need to explain to their students in class discussions that writing is a process rather than a product, contrary to what's happening in many schools today. Finally, everyone in the classroom become better writers by writing more, which causes motivation to write better as a result. If the teacher and students can create a safe community for providing constructive feedback for writing, then students will develop and maintain a long-lasting passion for writing. Works Cited Hillocks, George. (2002). The Testing Trap: How State Writing Assessments Control Learning. New York: Teachers College Press. McCarthey, Sarah J. (August 2008). The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Teachers' Writing Instruction. Written Instruction 2008, 25: 462-505. NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing. (November 2004). Writing Study Group of the NCTE Executive Committee. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/writingbeliefs/ Wiley, Mark. (2000). The Popularity of Formulaic Writing (And Why We Need to Resist It). English Journal: 61-67. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/~krowlands/Content/Academic_Resources/Composition/Fo rm/wiley%20r esisting%20formulaic%20writing.pdf.

Notes and Demos from Tuesday, June 26th

Maria Remey Kaufman's demo: Maria Remey Kaufman's Research Question: Research Question: What strategies can I employ to develop and activate schema and vocabulary to enhance student’s writing in my first grade classroom? Several strategies may be employed to encourage the development of vocabulary and activate schema with emergent writers. Two of the strategies found in my research were utilizing drawing and writing as a unified system for making meaning, and shared writing to create community and meaningful writing experiences. Research shows a strong relationship between emergent writing and drawing in studies conducted starting in 1991 all the way to 2009. While children’s experience with print prior to school will be varied, most children come to school with the ability to talk, play, tell stories and draw (Genishi & Dyson). Equipped with this information, teachers may prioritize and encourage drawing and writing as part of the same communication process during the first months of school. To begin the year in kindergarten and first grade with emphasis on letters, words, print conventions and spelling accuracy makes writing unnecessarily difficult for most children. During writing time teachers can invite students to draw a picture and write about their picture, or write a story first then draw a picture. Students would be left to make the choice. In the beginning the teacher should scaffold the process by modeling drawings and discussing them with the students. Then they can choose what to write about, which builds on the drawing and discussions. Teachers may also model how to edit the picture by going back and adding details as well as showing students how to prepare drawings for publication. Students can conduct artist’s circles where children share and talk about their drawings. Talking about the pictures helps elicit the activation of prior knowledge and creates an opportunity to develop vocabulary related to the subject. Words related to the topic can be put on a word wall for students to use during their writing. In-school mini field trips and other in-school activities could also be used to provide a common experience and initiate drawing and writing opportunities. Students could keep a drawing/writing journal in which to record all these experiences. A variety of subjects can be explored as in-school field trips during the year. Students could explore a favorite place at school, a tree or pond in the school, the butterfly garden, the playground, their classroom, or the library. Organized activities that take place during the year would also offer great opportunities for shared drawing and writing like blowing bubbles at recess, tracing their shadows, field day, and the fall festival. Students may view writing pieces as a product to be corrected and graded, not as a piece to read or communicate. When we use informal writing and sharing in our classrooms, we shift some of the focus from writing as an evaluative tool to writing as a tool for living - and thus for learning (Dean and Warren 2012). Sharing informal writing as a means of learning makes writing feel purposeful. One way to write informally and share our writing is called walk-and-write. This approach gets students writing away from their desks by walking around the school in small groups and finding places to stop, write, and share. Teachers will need to develop norms of behavior for sharing and responding. All sharing is celebrated, not only for the writing but for the acknowledgement of the writer’s willingness to share. Students are told to say “thank you for sharing” and nothing else. This creates a supportive climate and puts each writer on an equal footing. The kind of writing that students engage in should be something they want to write about but also want to share. Prompts should be open ended and inspire ideas. At the beginning of the year students may choose to draw and share their drawings. Informal writing can be kept in a scribble journal. This writing is meant to be shared and enjoyed, and it is not graded. Writers should see it as an opportunity to be creative and to communicate. The prompts used can be: write about your favorite candy, what is your favorite activity at recess? It is in the sharing of our writing that we create a community of writers that learn to respect and appreciate each other.

Karen DiBella's Demo Lesson: Karen DiBella believes in the importance of a readers’ ability to make text connections. She sees that reading teachers are cultivating lifelong readers through the literacy pedagogy utilized within their classrooms. An active and engaged reader is one that will make meaning from the text and be able to think critically. Making text connections is one way that allows a reader to become more engaged with the text. There are three ways that readers make connections to text; they are text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world. The appropriate way to introduce this concept is through modeling. A teacher will choose a text and throughout the reading, the teacher will model thinking aloud by saying, “this reminds me of or this makes me think of”. Here, students are offered the opportunity to see how this task is completed and share in the process. Once the skill has been taught, the students will break into groups of three and be given a piece of text. Each member of the group will draw either a person, book, or globe from the bag and that will be the connection that they will be required to make. All groups will then have the opportunity to share a summary of their text and explain the connections that each member made. This provides students with various perspectives, which further develops their comprehension. These connections are then glued to a wooden stick and can be used as a bookmark, which serves as a continual reminder to be an active and engaged reader.

Karen DiBella's Research Question: ResearchQuestion: What writing strategiescan be implemented to improve critical thinking through non-fiction texts? Although we continually hear about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), reading and writing continue to be a strong focus in the educational system. Quite simply put, one must be able to read and write in order to be successful in all content areas. Reading and Writing are the fundamental skills necessary for all students to achieve greater academic success. Mathis (2004) stated the importance of being truly literate is the act of reading independently, responsively, critically, and more importantly, because it is one’s innate desire. Writing serves as the personal response to reading and writing and reading certainly work simultaneously in helping students achieve greater academic success. With the onset of the Common Core Standards, we see a shift in greater text complexity as well as the shift for more significant non-fiction or informational texts. Bogard &McMackin (2012) acknowledged the best methodology for teachers to use is to empower writers to be able to transform their thoughts into well-developed and organized written texts. To best achieve this, teachers need to model active reading as well as scaffold critical thinking and engaged writing. Teacher’s need to model reading strategies during the three criticaltime periods: before reading,during reading, and after reading. Prior to reading, especially informational text, a teacher needs to build background knowledge in order to better prepare all students for the text. This strategy sets the tone and helps provide students with the knowledge they need to better understand the text. During reading, a teacher will model think alouds, which allow students to see how to interact with the text as one reads. Finally, a teacher typically engages in writing to assess a students’ comprehension. This assessment is primarily done after reading. A teacher will engage the student in various writing activities as well as dialogue to gauge a student’s mastery of the content. Here, a teacher will utilize various writing strategies such as story mapping, creating a timeline, responding to characters, plot, and setting, as well as utilizing formal writing assignments. For me, I personally do not panic at the thought of the Common Core Standards. I see them merely as a shift in focus,not a change in pedagogy. I firmly believe that it is our job as teachers to do what is best to help our students become independent readers and critical thinkers. We need to continuously implement our best practices to better engage our students. Whether we increase the text complexity or change the focus from fiction to informational texts, the teaching methodology stays the same. We need to model the appropriate strategies and provide scaffolding during the learning process. Additionally, we need to allow for dialogue in the classroom to enhance learning and provide a cohesive learning community. From my experience in the National Writing Project, I have learned many new ways to implement writing, which will better serve my students. I have learned how to incorporate drawing, mapping, and sharing as significant strategies to better help students learn and work collaboratively. I know the importance of brainstorming and working collaboratively to enhance student learning. In fact, Bush(2009) stated that encouraging or creating a culture of inquiry through meaningful discussion, writing, and reader response does not take additional time;it just takes a change in our perception and planning. I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. It is our planning and approach to encouraging our students to read and write that will make them more critical thinkers and independent learners.

Notes and demos from Monday, June 25th

Marilyn L'Hommedieu's demo:

Marilyn L'Hommedieu's Research Question: Talk, Draw, Write Marylin L’Hommedieu National Writing Project Writing in the early childhood years should be developmentally appropriate, that is, challenging, but achievable, with sufficient adult support. Reading and writing for early childhood learners should be developed as continuum! Kindergarteners learn best while talking and doing. Children take their first steps toward learning to read and write early in life. Even in the first few months of life children begin to experiment with language. Young babies make sounds that imitate the tones and rhythms of adult talk. They “read’ gestures and facial expressions and begin to associate sound sequences frequently heard- words- with their referents (Berk 1996). They listen to familiar rhymes, play along in games such as peek-a-boo and manipulate objects as board books in their play. Early on children learn to use a variety of symbols. As children gain these symbols, children acquire through insight that print can represent meaning. At first children will use the physical and visual cues surrounding print to determine what something says. As they develop an understanding of all alphabetic principle, children begin to process letters, translate them into sounds, and connect this information with meaning. Children acquire these understandings through adult guidance and instruction. Teachers need to build on what children already know, and can do, and provide knowledge and skills for lifelong learners. (Joint position statement of the IRA and NAEYC, pg.3) As educators, we need to discover what young children know in order to help them figure out what they want to say and how to say it. Talk, in and of itself, plays a powerful role in the beginning of writing. “You can’t know what you mean until you hear what you say,” (Berthoff, 1982, pg.46), therefore, if children have a chance to talk their stories through first, they have a better sense of what they want to put on paper. An effective strategy for beginning writers is storytelling. Children need to orally share their experiences, their stories. As early childhood educators, we need to model storytelling. Teachers need to share childhood memories, experiences, and moments in their lives with their students. Early childhood teachers need to provide opportunity for children to share their stories. Reading and writing need to be taught as a continuum. Reading and writing follow similar processes of thinking. The eight processes of thinking are connect, organize, image, predict, self-monitor, generalize, apply, and evaluate. 1. Connect: Reading and writing connects us to our experiences, memories, and knowledge. 2. Organize: Organizing information helps us to remember and use what we’ve read and to sequence what we write. 3. Image: As we read and write, we use our senses to imagine what is happening. 4.Predict: In both reading and writing we make inferences. In reading, we make predictions on what may happen next. In writing, we predict how a story or event could end or how our readers may react to what we are saying. 5.Self -monitor: Self-monitoring is our brain’s way of double checking information. When we read and write, we self- monitor constantly. We are usually aware of the self-monitoring only when we realize that something has gone wrong. 6.Generalize: Generalizing is the thinking process by which the brain takes several small pieces of information and from these small pieces comes to some larger conclusion. In reading and writing, information is or can be generalized. 7.Apply: As you read information and write information, you are applying information. 8.Evaluate: To evaluate is to make judgment about things. When we read and write, we make judgments. Thinking is something we do all the time. We daydream, plan, wonder, worry, and ponder. To comprehend what we read, we think as we are reading. To communicate ideas to a real audience, we think as we are writing. (Cunnigham and Moore, 2004. pg.8). We need provide a print rich environment. Children need to be expose to written language. Children learn about reading and writing from the labels, signs, and other kinds of print they see. Children need to be read to daily. After read-alouds, teachers should incorporate storytelling. Children will enjoying sharing connections they may have to the story. As children develop their storytelling abilities, drawing and writing can be incorporated into the experience.. Children enter the world of writing through drawing. Drawing is a way for young learners to relay meaning. Young children like to draw. When early childhood learners are given something to write with and something to write on, they draw. Most young children come to school already drawing. For young children, drawing is writing. It gives them opportunity to do what writers do: to think, to remember, to get ideas, to observe and to record. (Horn and Giacobbe, 2007, pg.52) After a storytelling activity, young children should draw. Teachers should encourage the children to draw one specific part of their story. Drawing and writing journals are a great for young learners to draw or write about their stories, experiences, reactions, etc. Allow children the opportunity to draw throughout their academic day. Young children can express their thoughts throughout their day through drawing or writing. As children develop in their storytelling and drawing, teachers should encourage them to write. Interactive writing lessons in a kindergarten classroom provide teachers and children the opportunity to write jointly. During this direct instruction, teachers and students compose message and “share the pen” as they put words on paper. They may write text, label a mural, label a object in the classroom, write letters, write notes, etc. or create lists, etc. During these guided, teacher directed whole groups sessions, they compose a common text that looks like writing as we see it in the world. The writing is spelled correctly, letters are formed correctly, handwriting is neat, and punctuated correctly. In the drawing and writing journal, the children work independently. They use what they know about making they may not add text to their drawings on their own. However, as teachers we encourage them to add words to their drawings and ultimately add sentences or stories to their drawings. Teachers should also encourage children to share their drawings and writing. Once again children learn through talking and interacting with the world around them. Young children need to share, talk in order to learn to write. Storytelling is an excellent strategy to encourage young learners to share their experiences that they can later use in their drawings or writing. Drawing allows children to express themselves in a way that is natural to them. As children learn to express themselves through their drawings the natural progression is to write. Writing is then becomes a less of task and more of an enjoyable, natural way of expressing oneself. Bibliography: Berk, Laura E. Infants and Children: Prenatal through Middle Childhood. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2008. Cunningham, Patricia Marr. Reading and Writing in Elementary Classrooms: Research Based K-4 Instruction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004. Horn, Martha, and Mary Ellen. Giacobbe. Talking, Drawing, Writing: Lessons for Our Youngest Writers. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2007. McCloy, Mary Ellen. Strategies for Successful Child-Centered Writing. Successful Child Center Writing (Kid Writing). N.p., 20 July 2002. Web. . "Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children." National Association for the Education of Young Children 30-46 53.July (1998): 1-16. Natalie Lafferty's demo

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An essay to work with. The essay we worked with... I love being a teenager! I enjoy having the throbbing, green and yellow oozing pustules that proliferate like happy bunnies on my face. They boost my self-confidence; they make me highly alluring, and they completely counteract any drama that could possibly occur on any important event, especially picture days or first dates. I’ve tried all the creams: ProActive, Neutrogena, Clean and Clear, Acne Free, and all the possible foundations to cover my zits, and I’m glad they didn’t work. I prefer the zits. When I have Miley Cyrus beaming at me from the tube, her clean and shiny face makes me feel so good. Nothing makes me more reminiscent than when Bryan kissed me and my zit popped right on his face! I felt so sexy after that. Welcome to my world of acne. Like anyone else’s world, mine begins in the morning. You know when you wake up and you run your soft fingers over your oily face and delightfully come across a zit the size of Mt. Everest? Yeah, well, me too. I just love starting my day off with Mars on my face. My first thought is to wash my face with a face cream, but that never works out. Teens switch face creams all the time just trying to find the one that works—because everyone knows that’s actually very healthy. Come on, switching it all the time isn’t going to help the beast miraculously become the beauty, but hey, I’m not a dermatologist. Make-up can cover up any pimple no matter what size or skin color—ha, negative! Don’t you just love all the “skin-glowing, clear skin” treatments that sometimes only make it worse? I know I do. The bathroom battles are only small segments of this teenage war. The global acne conflict has its greatest battlefield in the world of photography. The thought of picture day runs through my mind. I’m obsessed! What to wear, how to do my hair, should I smile or be serious? Oh wait, and then there’s that nasty zit. As I am caressing my face with make-up, I see it—a big, fat, juicy pimple on the tip of my nose. It appears to be flashing red and white pus as to alarm, “WARNING, WARNING!” Dang, might as well take a picture of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and say I’m his twin. It’s not Halloween, its Picture Day! I may as well have gotten a mask. YOUR TRANSITION STATEMENT HERE My date gazes over the table, staring at that enormous mountain on my face, slightly leaking pus. The zit pulses, and I smile because this is the most wonderful night of my life. He’s so perfect, but me? I’m in the exclusive club: my outfit, my hair, and the special perfume I put on just for tonight. Oh, don’t let me forget my partner in crime, the zit. I start scratching at it, ripping the skin and concealing it under my fingernail. Everyone gives me this curious look, and somehow I end up feeling isolated. But no! It’s the perfect night; nothing can ruin it. The zit popped. “I cannot believe that just happened,” I inwardly panicked. “Maybe he didn’t notice,” I prayed. YOUR TRANSITION STATEMENT HERE After all the trouble, the zit is still triumphant over the face. The cream never worked. My embarrassment has been forever immortalized in the school yearbook. Then, there was the ultimate failure, my date. I’m sure he’ll call me back any minute. The battle with the zit is a never ending war. It’s the joy of waking up every day to find another soldier invading your home front. Still, every teenager goes through this battle and loves and cherishes it more than anything else in the entire world. Natalie Lafferty's Research Question Why is writing an important learning tool for any content area? What are some best practices that can assist teachers and students with writing in all content areas? Writing should be utilized as a necessary learning tool in all classrooms. It needs to be a practice used in every content area weekly if not daily. Knipper & Duggan (2006) state, “Writing to learn engages students, extends thinking, deepens understanding, and energizes the meaning-making process.” However, many teachers are hesitant to use writing as part of their curriculum despite the fact that writing is inherent in every content area’s curriculum plan and standards. Writing is not merely something that should only be taught, but also used as an educational instrument. English, Science, Social Studies, Math, Art, Foreign Language, Special Needs, and even Physical Education classes alike have the ability to utilize writing to their students’ benefit in order to further knowledge and understanding of concepts specific to the content area, as well. This is becausewriting is learning. Many educators are well aware of the need for daily writing in the classroom and are employing writing effectively; however, there still remains a distance that needs to be traveled. The introduction of the text, Because Writing Matters: A Book That Shares What We Know (2003), reveals that “Composition pedagogy remains a neglected area of study at most of the nation’s thirteen hundred schools of education where future public school teachers are trained. Nor is it a specific state requirement in most state teacher certifications.” This information is alarming considering the overwhelming benefits and different options and/or strategies out there in which teachers have available. Learning logs, quick writes, brainstorming, graphic organizers, speeches, story boarding, reflections, creating Power Points or Prezis, blogging, and text-analysis are just a few examples of how writing can be incorporated into every classroom’s curriculum. Yet, Nagan (2003) cites a report by the National Academy of Education’s Commission on Reading that supports the unfortunate conclusion that teachers either are not prepared or comfortable teaching writing or are simply not teaching it period. The commission reports, “In one recent study in grades one, three, and five, only 15 percent of the school day was spent in any kind of writing activity. Two-thirds of the writing that did occur was word-for-word copying in workbooks. Composition of a paragraph or more is infrequent even at the high school level.” Teachers can take solace, though, in the findings that “Writing to learn is an opportunity for students to recall, clarify, and question what they know about a subject and what they still wonder about with regard to subject matter. Students also discover what they know about their content focus, their language, themselves, and their ability to communicate all of that to a variety” (Knipper & Duggan, 2006). For example, at this summer’s National Writing Project at Florida Gulf Coast University, teachers demonstrated lessons that could be utilized in several different content areas. It was refreshing to see teachers naturally incorporate writing eclectically. For example, Vanessa York, an elementary school teacher, tied learning the Fibonacci sequence, a form of number progression, with creating poetry that utilizes that sequence by words in a line. With this fusion of math and poetry, students are able to take a mathematical concept and develop further cognition by applying it to written word. Middle School teacher, Chris McClure, synthesized music and writing. Through investigation of rhythm, rhyme, and tone in both music and writing, students can make a connection between the two. Not to mention the songs that can help students remember concepts that they are learning, like the YouTube rap Chris found about the cell. April Etzold, a high school teacher, presented a lesson that helps students develop voice in their writing. NWP participants chose a “voice” out of a hat—shy, confident, clever, sarcastic, etc. Then, using a model of a letter already created, the participants re-created that letter using the voice that they chose. This practice employs students to write differently, creatively, and exercise varying modes of diction. Teachers at the workshop were inspired. Automatically, they started brainstorming how to use the lesson in other content areas. Ideas ranged from writing in the voice of a significant historical character for Social Studies class, writing in the voice of an organism in Science to describe their purpose in nature or the human body, to transforming the writer into a character from a novel or story by writing a letter in their voice using evidence from the reading. No matter what the lesson presented in the past two weeks, the NWP participants were able to tie writing to other content areas as a way to enhance learning. Students build connections and further their understanding and knowledge of the world and the content area with writing. Fisher & Frey (2004) suggest, “[…] the purpose for writing to learn is meant to be a catalyst for further learning and meaning making.” National Writing Project has certainly been the catalyst for participants to try the writing strategies presented in their curriculums for the approaching school year. Writing is a critical learning piece. The development and implementation of writing has personal and academic value in any content area. Teachers are encouraged to share best practices like the ones outlined in this paper in order to promote learning through writing. The ultimate goal is to build a community of writers in our schools not only to benefit students in their learning today but to carry them through their future academic and personal writing paths. References Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2004).Improving adolescent literacy: Strategies at work. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Knipper, J. K. (2006). Writing to learn across the curriculum: Tools for comprehension in content area classes.International Reading Association, 462-470. National Writing Project, &. N. (2003).Because writing matters: A book that shares what we know . New York: Jossey-Bass.

Notes and demo lessons from Friday, June 22nd, 2012.

Rosanne Mello's Presentation: Rosanne Mello Where I'm From Presentation (1) Do the Common Core Standards devalue the role of personal and narrative writing (and reading) in the secondary classroom? Will the high school English classroom change drastically with the implementation of the new standards? Research Inquiry by Rosanne Mello Upon examination, the Common Core Standards (CCSS) do appear to diminish the role of personal and narrative writing and also the reading of fiction and nonfiction narrative texts in the high school English curriculum. According to the standards themselves and other resources available on the Common Core State Standards Initiative website there is a big shift that favors argument and informative/explanatory writing, over narrative structures. In a resource available on the website, designed to assist publishers and curriculum writers, entitled Revised Publishers’ Criteria for the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy, Grades 3–12, authored by David Coleman and Susan Pimentel, the emphasis shift is made clear in both reading and writing: The standards emphasize arguments (such as those in the U.S. foundational documents) and other literary nonfiction that is built on informational text structures rather than literary nonfiction that is structured as stories (such as memoirs or biographies) (5). While narrative writing is given prominence in early grades, as students progress through the grades the Common Core State Standards increasingly ask students to write arguments or informational reports from sources. As a consequence, less classroom time should be spent in later grades on personal writing in response to decontextualized prompts that ask students to detail personal experiences or opinions (11). The resource includes some explicit percentages that further underscore the shift in emphasis. “In high school, 40 percent of student writing should be to write arguments, 40 percent should be to explain/inform, and 20 percent should be narrative” (12). On the same website, in addition to the Standards are several appendixes listing exemplar texts and student samples of writing. Appendix C provides student writing samples “to illustrate the criteria required to meet the Common Core State Standards for particular types of writing—argument, informative/explanatory text, and narrative—in a given grade”(2). Conspicuously, the narrative samples end in the 8th grade. The high school samples are all classified as “Argument” or “Informative/Explanatory” with a complete omission of a “Narrative” sample (4). The main author of the Common Core standards, David Coleman, made the following comments regarding writing and the standards at a NY State Department of Education presentation in April 2011: The fifth point is about writing. Do people know the two most popular forms of writing in the American high school today? Texting someone said: I don’t think that’s for credit though yet. But I would say that as someone said it is personal writing. It is either the exposition of a personal opinion or it is the presentation of a personal matter. The only problem, forgive me for saying this so bluntly, the only problem with those two forms of writing is as you grow up in this world you realize people don’t give a shit about what you feel or what you think. What they instead care about is can you make an argument with evidence, is there something verifiable behind what you’re saying or what you think or feel that you can demonstrate to me. It is rare in a working environment that someone says, “Johnson, I need a market analysis by Friday but before that I need a compelling account of your childhood.” That is rare. A recent article in Educational Leadership by Robert Rothman, summed up what’s new in the CCSS regarding writing as follows: Writing. In writing, the common core state standards reflect college and career readiness by reducing the traditional emphasis on narrative writing and placing a greater emphasis on informational and explanatory writing. Personal narratives are a staple of schooling (“How I Spent My Summer Vacation”), but except for college application essays, students will seldom be required to write personal narratives in college or the workplace. Informational writing, in which the author attempts to explain something or to inform others about a topic, is a much more important skill in these settings. There is ample evidence that the Common Core standards denigrate the value of narrative and personal writing in the high school English classroom. Much of the evidence comes from the wording of the Common Core Standards and from the words of their main architect, David Coleman. High school English teachers will have ample reasons to become somewhat alarmed and apprehensive. Are these new standards unimaginative and unnecessarily rigid? What will implementation look like once they are in place and curriculum aligned with the Common Core is developed? Will literature and narrative structures for writing be drastically decreased from the high school English curriculum? As states scramble to transition to CCSS, many educators, scholars and researchers are asking these same questions and many are writing and publishing articles in reputable education journals and periodical including Education Week and Educational Leadership to defend the role of literature, narrative texts and personal and narrative writing in the writing in the secondary English classroom. In an impassioned article published in Education Week (2010) , Edgar H. Schuster, a high school English teacher, educator researcher, and author, called the proposed writing standards “singularly unimaginative” and “also woefully out of balance, in the direction of relatively noncreative forms of writing”. He argues convincingly that the standards are too narrowly and rigidly compartmentalized and out of step with real-world writing. Drawing our attention to some of the selections from an anthology edited by Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Atwan, The Best American Essays of the Century, he maintains that it is nearly impossible to find an essay that is “purely explanatory or argumentative” and that real writing is layered with multiple structures, so why should we present such rigid unrealistic writing standards for students? Rather firmly he attests that the standards are “excessively narrow and unrealistic” and that implementation of them will “kill the spirit and diminish the role of the imagination”. Eerily, he makes the following prediction: “And I am convinced that, were they to be adopted, the dropout rates among students bound for the working world would make our current rates tidings of comfort and joy”. Steve Zemelman, the director of the Illinois Writing Project concurs in a recent article published online, “in areas like writing, the focus is pretty narrow”. He also emphasizes the idea that different types of writing overlap, for example, stories are used to build arguments. He defends the importance of reading and writing narrative texts arguing that “stories are about deepening comprehension and dealing with complexity” and this happens not just by reading stories, but also by writing them”. He provides an example of a Carnegie Corporation study that confirms “that students’ increased engagement in writing leads to increased scores in reading”. Zemelman is wary of the way in which the drafters of the CCSS, “denigrate narrative” and refer to it as a “frill, a concession to young people’s immature preoccupation with their own lives”. According to Zemelman , the standards author David Coleman and Achieve President Michael Cohen have said about kids’ writing , “No one cares what you think!” In an article, entitled, “Where’s Literature in the Common Core?” published in Educational Leadership in April 2012, Barbara Bartholomew, an associate professor of reading, literacy, and English at California state University, warns that without careful planning and attention, “English education as we know it could easily pass into oblivion as quietly as the corner bookstore”. She also finds the new standards to be a troubling shift and is afraid about what may be lost in the shift, mainly the important role of literature that provides a lens through which “we come to understand the patterns and truths within ourselves and about our world”. She admits that in the standards themselves the study of literature is included, but she is afraid they will be overshadowed by the emphasis on informational and procedural texts. In the end, the assessments and accountability sewn into the covenant of Race to the Top- and likely into other initiatives that will follow-will drive what is taught unless we take care to protect the teaching of more traditional and creative expressions of English. As Race to the Top is currently written (Race to the Top Fund, 2009) there is little doubt that the place of poetry, literature, drama, and the arts can only be vastly reduced as teachers and principals prepare for greater professional scrutiny, more test-based evaluations of their judgment and efficacy, and continued talk of tying job security and merit pay to summative test performance. She closes her article with a strong plea to implore educators who want “to preserve English instruction that does not merely serve the gods of industry”, to speak up and get involved with curriculum development and to be active participants in the text adoption period that will coincide with the Common Core standards implementation across the country. References Bartholomew, B. (2012). Where’s literature in the Common Core? Educational Leadership 69(7),82-85. Coleman, D. (2011). Bringing the Common Core to Life.Speech at Chancellors Hall, State Education Building Albany, NY April 28, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2012 from http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/docs/bringingthecommoncoretolife/fulltranscript.pdf Coleman, D.,& Pimental, S. (2011) Publishers criteria for the Common Core Standards in English language arts and literacy, grades 3-12. Retrieved from Common Core State Standards Initiative at http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Publishers_Criteria_for_3-12.pdf Rothman, R. (2012). A Common Core of readiness. Educational Leadership, 69(7), 10-15. Schuster, E. (2010). The Core standards for writing: Another failure of imagination? Education Week, 29 (20), 23-26. Zemelman,S. (2011).Common Core : Caution on narrative writing. Retrieved June 22, 2012, from http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/news/2011/11/07/common-core-wrongly-neglects- narrative-writing.

Maryellen Johnston's Presentation Here is the link for Maryellen's web page. The lesson demo materials are under the biography tab of the web page. http://missjohnstonreadingrevelations.weebly.com/

Maryellen's Research Question Research Question: How can writing be integrated into content area instruction? As students progress from the primary grades to upper elementary school, the focus of instruction becomes increasingly more focused on content area subjects. Instruction shifts from teaching foundational reading skills to the more complex literacy skills specific to content area reading. During this time, it is critical to provide students explicit instruction and modeling of strategies that aid in the comprehension of content area text. Writing in the content areas can be a valuable tool in developing comprehension. Writing in the content areas is a way for students to demonstrate their understanding and thinking about content area concepts. It is not always an essay or research report that requires students to engage in the writing process to complete a final draft. The students engage in a variety of informal writing activities to scaffold instruction and increase student comprehension. Students are writing to learn, rather than learning to write. “Writing to learn engages students, extends thinking, deepens understanding, and energizes the meaning making process (Knipper, 2006).” Writing activities are incorporated before, during and after reading to scaffold instruction and increase student understanding. “Just as we must encourage active thinking while reading, we must help students actively process what they are learning through their writing (Teach for America, 2010)” There are many ways to include writing opportunities into daily instruction. The use of daily journals, structured note taking, admit/ exit slips, and summarizing are examples of strategies that can be used to provide informal writing opportunities. Using these strategies allows students to demonstrate their thinking and synthesize information from content area texts. Writing to learn engages students and actively involves them in their learning. It requires them to put their thinking and learning onto paper. It invites them to interact with text and become more thoughtful readers (Knipper, 2006). Writing in the content areas can be a valuable assessment tool. It allows teachers the opportunity to evaluate the depth of understanding a student possesses. It can be used to demonstrate mastery as well as provide insight into concepts the students are struggling with. Using rubrics or checklists can aid in this process by giving students clear guidelines about what their writing must include. Unfortunately, many content area teachers are reluctant to include writing because they see it as a skill taught in the Language Arts class. They are not comfortable with the idea of teaching writing and don’t feel like they have the training or background to accomplish such a task. It is critical that we change that perception and help content area teachers see that writing in the content areas can be a valuable tool in developing comprehension. Bibliography Jacobs, V. A. (2002). Reading Writing, and Understanding. Educational Leadership , 58-61. Knipper, K. J. (2006). Writing to Learn Across the curriculum: Tools for Comprehension in the Content area classes. International Reading Association , 462-470. Teach for America. (2010). Secondary Literacy.