Thursday, March 11, 2010
Our hearts go out to the Sturmfels and Simendinger families on the sudden death of Chris Sturmfels. Although there is little we can do to lessen the family's sadness, we do want to express our deepest sympathy and let them know that they are in our thoughts and prayers.
Do you Write on TRACK?
MOT Charter School has decided to devote substantial time and resources into improving how we teach writing, communicate our expectations of students in the area of writing, and how we assess writing from K-8. We selected writing for a number of reasons. First, the ability to communicate in written form is a key 21st Century skill. As our world becomes more integrated and more interactive, the ability to understand and communicate with others is essential. Writing is also a means to push students to think harder and more completely--in any content area. When asked to explain their answers in writing, students more carefully think through their answers. Writing makes it easier for the teacher to detect where student understanding is weak or advanced.
We selected several strategies to use in every grade, every classroom.
Strategy One: We teach writing by focusing on the six traits of writing:
- Development of Ideas
- Organization
- Sentence Formation
- Word Choice
- Conventions
- Voice
Strategy Two: We assess writing using a school-wide rubric that is aligned K-8 to ensure that our expectations around writing consistently increase as the students progress through the grade levels.
Strategy Three: We teach writing in the Writers’ Workshop model.
Strategy Four: Use of the mnemonic “Write on TRACK.”
T = Topic
R = Reason
A = Audience
C = Correct Format
K = Keep it neat
Along the way, we will find different ways to highlight student writing and to show students the importance of high quality writing. Each week, I will discuss one of the elements of our writing instruction in detail to provide you with a better understanding of what we are trying to do and how you can help at home, beginning with a discussion of the 6 traits of writing. This week I will focus on Development of Ideas.
DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS
Ideas are the heart of good writing. We are teaching students to “think through” and to fully explore their ideas in their writing. For example, if a student chooses a friend as a special person, the writing should contain explicit reasons as to why that friend is uniquely special. The writing should be full of details regarding the writer’s experiences with the friend, memories of the friend’s help or kindness, and/or explanations of what the writer values in a friend and how those traits are displayed by this particular friend.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? You can help your child develop his/her ideas by asking lots of questions. Ask ‘why’ questions: “Why did you pick Fred as your special person?” Ask ‘how’ questions: “How did you feel when Fred stood up for you?” Ask ‘when’ questions: “You mention that Fred is kind. When has he been kind to you?” Ask ‘what’ questions: “What do you value most about your friendship with Fred?” You get the idea! Keep going until the reader can really “experience” what your child is writing.
“A page of good prose is where one hears the rain and the noise of the battle.” John Cheever
Check back next week for a discussion about what it means for writing to be “organized!”
