Using Technology to Enhance the Six Traits

1. Using Technology to Enhance the Six Traits ESU 6 Blue River Cohort January 4, 2012 Mitzi Hoback & Suzanne Whisler

2. Today’s Outcomes • Review the six traits • Share resources and activities that support six trait writing in your classroom • Share technology tips and sites that can be incorporated to enhance writing instruction

3. Self-assessment of Writing in My Classroom • Writing is not a regular part of my program and occurs sporadically throughout the year. • My students write once a week. • Daily lessons include writing assignments for my students. • Large blocks of time are allocated to student writing.

4. The Reading-Writing Connection “Nobody but a reader ever became a writer” ~ Richard Peck “Long before writers can create their own text, they can learn what good writing is all about be hearing and loving the work of others.” ~Spandel & Stiggins, 1997

5. Is Your Writing World Worthy? I wish we could change the world by creating powerful writers for forever instead of just indifferent writers for school. ~Mem Fox

6. Where do you begin? • Provide opportunities for your students to write often and for many purposes • Write with students • Model writing • Use the language of writing • Share books you love • Use think-alouds • Introduce the writing process to your students

8. Emergent and Developing Writers Need . . . • Explicit instruction on writing skills and strategies • Opportunities to respond in lessons • Positive, corrective feedback on performance

9. “A good beginning goal for kindergarten and first-grade writing is fluency. This means we want kids to write lots of words. When children can sit down and put their thoughts on paper quickly and easily,they are fluent writers even if they make errors..” Bea Johnson Never Too Early to Write

10. “…the keys to writing well:” • Have a strong, clear idea. • Use details and pictures to paint a picture in your reader’s mind. • Write with authority and voice. • Organize your information so that a reader can follow it. • Use words that make sense—and that are lively as well. • Write with fluency and variety—the way good dancers dance. • Make your conventions as strong as you can so that readers can figure out your message. Spandel, 2008, Creating Young Writers

11. Teaching Skills and Strategies • Model I do it. • Prompt We do it. • Check You do it.

12. Ideas • The paper is focused, clear, and specific • It all makes sense • The topic is small enough to handle • There are important telling details that go beyond common knowledge • Clear • Interesting

13. Ideas Lesson • Read All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. Discuss places that are important to each of us. • Have students list as many memorable places as they can and have them share their lists. With younger students make the list together. • Have students pick one place from their list they would like to write about and list all the details they can in one minute. Remind them to write down what they see, hear, smell and feel. • Have students use their details to write a draft of their memorable place (Skip lines to save room for revisions and additions.) • Younger students may draw a picture of their favorite place and may have a word or a sentence with the picture. Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness

14. Ideas Lesson • Less Is More: Using Social Media to Inspire Concise Writing • Online media like Twitter and Facebook can inspire students to write both fiction and nonfiction and reflect on the benefits and drawbacks of writing “short”. • Example • For Sale: baby shoes, never worn. • http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/less-is-more-using-social-media-to-inspire-concise-writing/ The Learning Network, Shannon Doyne & Holly Epstein Ejalvo

15. Technology Tips & Sites for IdeasK-2 • Use picture prompts (K-12) • http://www.flickr.com • http://www.gettyimages.com/CreativeImages • Build Yourself Wild • http://www.buildyourwildself.com/ • The Story Starter Jr. • http://www.thestorystarter.com/jr.htm • ToonDoo (K-12) • http://www.toondoo.com/

16. Technology Tips & Sites for Ideas3-5 • Writing Prompts & Journal Topics • http://bit.ly/vcVp7G • Pic Lits • http://www.piclits.com/compose_dragdrop.aspx • The Story Starter Jr. • http://www.thestorystarter.com/jr.htm • 911 Writer’s Block • http://www.webook.com/911writersblock

17. Technology Tips & Sites for Ideas7-12 • Persuasive Essay Prompts • http://grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/topicargumt07.htm • Persuasive Essay Topics • http://bit.ly/vlJZ7d • 501 Persuasive Writing Prompts • http://www.scribd.com/doc/55697/501-Writing-Prompts • Creative Copy Challenge • http://www.creativecopychallenge.com/ • Persuasive Writing—Pet Peeves • http://nyti.ms/ruXPPB

18. Organization • There is a snappy lead that gets the reader’s attention. • The paper is easy to follow. • Everything fits in the right place. • Provides connections. • Like a road map, easy to follow. • There is a graceful ending. It doesn’t just stop.

19. Organization Lesson • Read The Gingerbread Man to the class. • Discuss the beginning, middle and end of the story with the class. • Use a paper that has been folded in thirds, demonstrate that the first section is for the first part of the story, the middle section is for the middle of the story, and the last section is for the end of the story. • Have students draw a picture of the beginning, middle, and end of the story in the appropriate space. Depending on the age and ability of the student, a few words or sentences can be added. Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness

20. Organization Lesson • Read Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos • Explain that authors often use clue or transition words to guide the reader. • Go back through the book and have students identify the clue or transition words. • Chart the words for students to refer to in their writing Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness

21. Organization Lesson • Use a children’s picture book, such as “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Lane Smith. • “Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story. I’m the wolf. Alexander T. Wolf. You can call me Al. I don’t know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it’s all wrong.” • Discuss why it is a good lead. How does it make the reader beg for more? How does it hook the reader?

22. Four Square for Organization

23. Technology Tips & Sites for Organization • Graphic Organizers • http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/ • Types and Examples of Transitions • http://bit.ly/pU1cKK • Brainstorming • https://bubbl.us/ • WritingFixOrganiztion • http://bit.ly/v4Z7iV • Use a picture prompt and have students write beginnings or endings for the picture. Capture their ideas on a Google Doc.

24. Voice • It sounds like the particular writer. • The writer seems engaged, involved with the topic. • It brings the topic to life. • The paper is full of feelings. • It makes me respond – laugh, smile, cry, wince . . . • I want to read it aloud. • It has pizzazz!

25. Voice Lesson • Read Guess How Much I love You by Sam McBratney. • Discuss all the ways Little Nutbrown Hare told his father that he loved him. Showing feelings is a sign form of voice. • Have the class name other words and phrases you could use to tell someone how much you love them. Record answers on a chart. • Have students copy one of the phrases or have them write one of their own and illustrate it. You might prepare a template for them: “I love you more than ____________________.” Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness

26. Voice Lesson • Read Fly Away Home and Smoky Night by Eve Bunting. • Have students work in pairs or groups to find the words used to convey the feelings in the book. • Chart the feeling words. Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness

27. Voice Lesson • This I Believe: • Imitating NPR's "This I Believe" broadcasts to create an original podcast about a current event or issue • http://writingfix.com/I_Pod_Prompts/This_I_Believe1.htm

28. Technology Tips & Sites for Voice • Idiom Site • http://www.idiomsite.com/ • The Writing Fix • http://writingfix.com/6_traits/voice.htm • Giggle Poetry • http://www.gigglepoetry.com/index.aspx • Skype: www.skype.com • Skype an Author Network • http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/

29. Technology Tips & Sites for Voice • Instant Poetry Forms • http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm • The Writing Fix – Feeling Game • http://writingfix.com/forkids/feelinggame.htm

30. Word Choice • There are moments that stick with you. • There are strong verbs and precise nouns. • The words are colorful, snappy, vital, brisk and fresh. • The words create word pictures. • The words are just right. I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one. ~A.E. Housman

31. Word Choice Lesson • Read Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman • Chart and discuss all of the “wow” words the students hear • Rock or Pebble Game – Creating Writers, Spandel • Some words have muscle. They carry a lot weight. They have substance, meaning and impact. • Have an assortment of words and have children determine if the word is a “pebble” a vague word or a “rock” an impact word. • Make Word Posters Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness

32. Technology Tips & Sites for Word Choice • Wordle • http://www.wordle.net/ • Snappy Words • http://www.snappywords.com/ • Glogster • http://www.glogster.com/ • Synonyms for said • http://www.cyberspaces.net/6traits/ • Tagxedo • http://www.tagxedo.com • Instant Poetry Forms • http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm

33. Word Choice Lesson • Find non-examples of good word choice: banal thank-you notes or cheap greeting cards. • Have students revise for word choice, staying true to the sentiment • They should choose specific nouns and vivid verbs • Other ideas: • http://bit.ly/uT0cyd

34. Sentence Fluency • The paper is easy to read aloud. • There are some short and some long sentences. • Sentence beginnings vary; they show how ideas connect. • There are carefully crafted sentences. • There is consistency in tense. • The paper flows.

35. Lesson Ideas for Sentence Fluency • Have students list or circle the first word in each sentence they have written. • Have students count the words in each sentence and make a list. • Phone Yourself • Have students read their work into phonics phone. • I Caught It by Sarah Barchas • http://writingfix.com/6_Traits/Primary/I_caught_it.htm • Owl Moon by Jane Yolen • http://writingfix.com/Process/Revision/Owl_Moon.htm

36. Lesson Ideas for Sentence Fluency http://bit.ly/tCwKnx • English with Jennifer: A Blog for Teachers • Finding the Happy Medium: Teaching students to use variety in sentence length

37. Helpful Websites • Word Counter • http://www.wordcounter.com/ • Varying sentence beginnings • http://bit.ly/rJglP9 • Sentence variety • http://bit.ly/sAB2rx

38. Conventions • The paper looks clean, edited and proofread. • Capital letters are used correctly. • Punctuation was used correctly. • Spelling is accurate • Paragraphs are indented. • The writer used good grammar. • The reader does not need to do any mental editing.

39. Lesson Ideas for Conventions • Model, model, model • Keep expectations realistic • Use word banks or personal dictionaries • Ask students to double-space • Give students editing practice often • Teach editor’s symbols • Have students read their writing aloud

40. Helpful Websites • Common Errors in English Usage • http://public.wsu.edu/%7Ebrians/errors/errors.html • http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/language/english-usage-errors.htm • Common Spelling Errors • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/660/01/

41. Literature Resources • Picture Books for Teaching Six Trait Writing • http://bit.ly/cOtrcH • Books for Teaching Six Trait Writing • http://6traits.cyberspaces.net/books.html By reading literature often and widely students more readily learn to write. ~Rebecca Olness

42. Teaching Traits to Primary Students • Don’t worry about numbers. • Describe the strengths you see. • Help students develop a writer’s vocabulary. • Comment on their work. • Ask them to comment on what you read aloud. • Look at what they are doing well, not mistakes. • Details • Self-expression (Voice) • New discoveries in conventions.

43. Teaching Traits to Primary Students • Read as often as you can. Help students . . . • Hear the voice. • Listen for details. (Ideas) • Make predictions. ( Organization) • Identify favorite words. (Word Choice) • Listen for the rhythm and flow. (Sentence Fluency) • Model more than you demand. • Let writing take many forms. • Pictures • Dictation • Oral story telling • Labeling

44. Sites to Check Out • ESU 4 Six Trait Writing Wiki • http://esu4sixtraitwriting.wikispaces.com/ • Auburn HAL Class • http://auburnhalclass.wikispaces.com/ • Suzanne’s Diigo Links • http://www.diigo.com/list/suzannewhisler/writing

45. Our Favorite Resource Books • Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction by Rebecca Olness • Marvelous Minilessons for Teaching Beginning Writing, K-3 by Lori Jamison Rog • Crafting Writers K-6 by Elizabeth Hale • Creating Writers by Vicki Spandel • Creating Young Writers by Vicki Spandel • Books, Lessons, Ideas for Teaching the Six Traits by Vicki Spandel • I Can Write Like That by Susan Ehman & Kellyann Gayer • Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane

46. 8 Things You Can Do Right Now • Be a collector. • Be a reader. • Form a network. • Post the traits in your room. • Model (be a writer yourself). • Have your students write, write, and write more. • Include parents.

47. Final Thoughts • Read a lot. • Be a writer. • Make time to write.