Writing to Learn PowerPoint (Without Graphics)
- 2. 1. Writing is like a leaky faucet because… 2. Comprehension is like training for a marathon because… 3. Learning is like the comic pages because… 4. Assessment is like a well-balanced
- 3. Participants will… Develop an understanding of Write to Learn and the supporting research. Implement Write to Learn strategies across content areas in alignment with the Iowa Core. Use data from student writing to inform instruction.
- 8. Using your T-chart and textbook as a guide, work with a partner to fill out “The Important Thing” handout.
- 10. Strategy Purpose: To synthesize information and identify main ideas To effectively summarize To demonstrate
- 11. Moves: When introducing strategy, read portions of The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown Model an example and complete template together before assigning as partner or individual work Share new content Provide students with “The Most Important Thing” template
- 12. Moves: Ask them to revisit content and identify main ideas Students complete template Writing may be shared aloud or just with the teacher The completed template can be the beginnings of a formal/published piece of writing
- 16. What do you notice about how the Moodle is set up? What part(s) of this Moodle do you see yourself needing to use often? What looks confusing to you?
- 21. STOP! I don't get this, I need it cleared up right away. Slow down: I'm not sure about this, but I can wait to see how it develops. Go: I really understand this.
- 23. Request a State Library Card http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org
- 27. Strategy Purpose: Students periodically reflect on their current thinking about a key concept or topic
- 28. Develop a prompt that closely aligns to unit goals Ask students to respond at strategic times throughout unit
- 29. Moves: Students write their current thinking about a key concept or topic Record the date and draw a line below what they wrote Continue to document to their thinking at strategically planned times throughout the unit
- 34. Use of Time Academic Language Accuracy of Information
- 36. Track student/classroom growth Adjust instruction
- 37. Complete initial data collection with students Begin Work on Topic 1, Week 1
- 39. STOP! I don't get this, I need it cleared up right away. Slow down: I'm not sure about this, but I can wait to see how it develops. Go: I really understand this.
Editor's Notes
- #2: Drinda- Welcome and introduce ourselves… Should have watched the screencast for an overview of the course; if you haven’t, you’ll need to (3-4 minutes) Pass out textbooks now--Put in a sticky note where you are especially interested in learning more…
- #3: Drinda- Participants should find their agendas and the number (1-4) at the top. Complete the simile that corresponds to their number. Will have index cards on tables. Participants meet, greet, and share out their responses with as many participants as time allows (approx. 5 minutes.) Questions for whole group * Was there a response that stood out to you the most? * What response really hit home for you? Introduction other consultants. Introduce each participant and have them tell their number of years of experience. Add this up as you go, and honor total experience in the room.
- #4: Drinda-
- #5: Drinda
- #6: Heather Card Sort (distribute 1 set per partnership) Lay the cards out in front of you… With your partner, sort cards into two categories Come up w/ labels for each category and the attributes that each group shares… Share out categories and attributes
- #7: Heather Today we’ll try to clarify just what W2L looks like in our daily lives, and in school. We’ll discover why it should be a daily practice in your classroom instruction.
- #8: Heather After card sort and discussion of the categories that were developed, direct participants to the textbook. Ask them to read pp. 20-25. As they read, note the differences between Write to Learn and public writing on the provided T-chart Process the completed T-chart… (Share w/ partner, whole group, list up front)
- #9: Drinda- Take Important book and read a couple of pages… Please take a moment to revisit the main ideas surrounding W2L. Using your T-chart and textbook as a guide, work with a partner to fill out “The Important Thing” handout. Share with another group, and then another group. Ask for some of the common themes from the whole group.
- #10: Drinda-Type in the common themes…
- #11: Drinda- The Important Thing strategy is used after new content has been shared, in order to…
- #12: Drinda Moves: When introducing this strategy, read portions of The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown.
- #13: Drinda
- #14: Drinda- will have an opportunity to implement ‘the important thing’ strategy in your own classroom during Topic 1 of the course. In the Moodle, you will find a blank template and a checklist, – along with this powerpoint – to aide in your implementation.
- #15: Heather Since some of you have never experienced an online Moodle course through AEA 267, let’s spend a few minutes getting acquainted with the Moodle. Please ask questions along the way, and let me know if I’m going too fast. It’s very important you understand the basics so that you can successfully participate from a distance after today.
- #16: Heather
- #17: Heather Give them prompts to address: (5 minutes) What do you notice about how the Moodle is set up? What part(s) of this Moodle do you see yourself needing to use often? What looks confusing to you? Record thinking on sticky notes… Have them share thinking w/ a partner…
- #18: Heather Guide them through it here? Go to WtL Moodle: http://moodle.aea267.k12.ia.us/course/view.php?id=47 Click on “Profile” under Administration on the left hand side of the page Click on Edit profile: If you’ve never taken a Moodle class through AEA 267, you’ll need to add in the following information… Add in information with the red asterick, leave the other info alone In description, add a brief description of your current position and where you work Can upload a picture and add a list of your interests if you’d like.
- #19: Heather
- #20: Heather
- #21: Heather
- #22: Heather Collect exit slip information before break – on notecards…
- #23: Determine areas of concern on exit slips and address
- #24: Drinda- We’d like you to take a moment to register for a State of Iowa Library Card. This will allow you access to articles on the Moodle that you’ll be required to read throughout the course. Please go to the link on the Moodle… http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/services/state-library-card/library-card-application-1 Demonstrate process…
- #25: Drinda- Throughout the course, you will be required to Skype with another member of the course. Is there anyone who hasn’t set set up Skype account?
- #26: Drinda
- #27: Heather Now that you’ve had a chance to become somewhat familiar with the Moodle, we’d like to direct you to your first forum activity, your baseline Line of Learning post. Please go back into the Write to Learn Moodle, click on Line of Learning – baseline, and respond to the following prompt: How is my understanding of Write to Learn strategies impacting my thinking and instruction? (10 minutes)
- #28: Heather Now that you’ve made your first line of learning post, I’d like to explain the strategy to you. The purpose of the Line of Learning strategy is to track students’ thinking about a particular topic or concept over an extended period of time. Generally, it works well to have students first respond to the strategically designed prompt prior to instruction in order to gather baseline data and use it formatively. Students then revisit the prompt several times throughout the unit of study. This allows both students and teachers to see growth.
- #29: Heather It’s important to determine the major goals for the unit ahead of time, and then design a line of learning prompt that closely aligns to those goals. Students will be asked to respond to the prompt before instruction has begun or early on in the unit for baseline data. Then they will continue to respond to the same prompt at strategic times throughout the unit, with a final response at its conclusion.
- #30: Heather Line of Learning Steps: Students write their thinking about a key concept or topic Draw a line below what they wrote and record the date Return to their thinking at strategic times throughout the unit As they return to their line of learning each time, ask them to reread previous response(s) Consider how their ideas are changing by citing specific evidence regarding how the learning experiences have (a) reinforced something they thought of before, or (b) changed something they thought before, or (c) caused them to think something they have never thought before Update line of learning citing evidence gained from the learning activities
- #31: Heather Application: You are not required to implement and report on the use of Line of Learning. This truly is a strategy that needs to be thoughtfully inserted into your curriculum at the beginning of a unit and added to throughout that unit in order to measure growth and make adjustments for your students. While you’re not required to use the strategy in your classroom, please consider an upcoming unit where it might be a good fit. You will continue adding to your line of learning throughout this course.
- #32: Drinda In order to track student and classroom growth, you will be collecting data from your students three times throughout this course—you’ll collect baseline data at the beginning and then collect in the middle of the course and again at the end.
- #33: Drinda The first thing you’ll want to decide is from which group of students you’d like to collect data. If you teach elementary and have only one group of students throughout the day, you’ll use that group. However, if you teach multiple classes and/or sections of students, you’ll want to choose one group of 15-25 students to monitor. This does not mean you’ll only use write to learn strategies with that one group; please use them with all of your students.
- #34: Drinda Each time you collect data, you will administer the writing prompt, “Tell me everything you know about…” The blank will be filled in with the current topic/concept your students are studying.
- #35: Drinda After students respond to the prompt, you will use the Qualities of Academic Writing Rubric to help analyze the results. The rubric covers the following areas: Use of Time, Academic Language, and Accuracy of Information Talk about why each of these are important and how they tie to W2L growth. These scores should be used formatively, and will not go in the gradebook.
- #36: Drinda Have them create a Google doc for this information… Send out a Google form ahead of time to get their email address associated with their Google account. If they don’t have one, give the link to do so. Create a spreadsheet for each of them – or just one and have them copy and share w/ us??
- #37: Drinda As I already mentioned, you’ll use this data to track individual student/classroom growth. That is not the only purpose. This data will also serve as a formative assessment, allowing you to use this data to think about what the data means and how to target efforts to move students forward. After each data collection we’ll ask you to study the results of your data collection and identify two or more areas of need for students. This might be a need for the whole class, or a need for a small group of students. For example, the whole class may have failed to adequately use new vocabulary in their writing. You might also have a few students who are having trouble with writing fluency, getting very little on paper. You’ll then have the opportunity to share your thinking with our learning community on the Moodle. While others can respond to your thoughts, you’ll also get to offer feedback – and your own successes to your classmates.
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- #40: Heather Those who choose stop need to provide us w/ an email address so that we can set up a meeting to make clarifications. Shall we have all put names on these?