B.

QUALITIES OF STRONG WRITING INSTRUCTION

In order for teachers to support all students’ writing ability development, certain qualities of the
writing classroom must be present. Four core components of effective writing instruction constitute the
foundation of any good writing program:

1. Students should have meaningful writing experiences and be assigned authentic writing tasks
that promote personal and collective expression, reflection, inquiry, discovery and social
change.
2. Routines should permit students to become comfortable with the writing process and move
through the process over a sustained period of time at their own rate.
3. Lessons should be designed to help students master craft elements (e.g., text structure
character development), writing skills (e.g., spelling punctuation), and process strategies (e.g.,
planning and revising tactics).
4. A common language for shared expectations and feedback regarding writing quality might
include the use of traits (e.g. organization, ideas, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, and
conventions).

QUALITIES OF STRONG WRITING INSTRUCTION

Essential Components of Writing Instruction:
 Explicit Writing Instruction
 Modeling
 Discussion
 Conferencing
 Writing from Sources  Research to Build and Present Knowledge
 Technology Integration
 Daily Student Writing

EXPLICIT WRITING INSTRUCTION

The Writing Process:
Teach and use all five steps (Pre-Writing, Drafting, Revising, Editing, Publishing) with a focus on
Pre-Writing and Revising Pre-Writing:
• teach as two steps – generate ideas, organize ideas
• think aloud and provide time to generate ideas
• create discussions as a pre-writing activity
• teach a variety of pre-writing techniques (including different graphic organizers)
• help students develop their own pre-writing style develop a method that works for each text
type
Revising:
• teach specific techniques/strategies (adding, deleting, rearranging) for revision
• model revision strategies
• focus revisions on specific sections (i.e., introductions and conclusions)
• include self-reflection
• peer revision – students revise for one trait, switch and revise a different paper for a different
trait
The Six Traits:
• mini lessons to improve writing for each trait
• familiarity with the language of the rubric
• mentor text as exemplars of the traits
• student samples – read, analyze, score according to the rubric
Text Types (Opinion/Argument, Informative/Explanatory, Narrative):
• direct instruction for each text type (how to approach, characteristics of, purpose of, etc.)

MODELING
• model the steps of the writing process:
• specific strategies for pre-writing
• revise a sample student paper as a class
• edit a sample student paper as a class
• show students a model assignment before they begin; discuss why the writing is effective
• share strong examples of authentic student writing

DISCUSSION
Focus on topics such as:
• writing ideas
• writing tasks/text types
• steps of the writing process
• the six traits
• students’ individual processes

CONFERENCING
• integrate throughout the writing process
• one-on-one teacher and student
• teacher-led small group

WRITING FROM SOURCES

• students write about what they read and read about what they write

RESEARCH
• conduct both short and more sustained research projects
• gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources
• draw evidence from literary or informational texts

TECHNOLOGY
• use technology to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with other
DAILY STUDENT WRITING / RANGE OF WRITING
• include both “learning to write” and “writing to learn” tasks
• write many pieces, taking some through all steps of the writing process
• revisit a “finished” assignment – students can revise and improve the entire piece, or just a
particular section (i.e., re-work only the introduction or conclusion)
C. Adaptations for Struggling Writers

1. Accommodations in the learning environment

A. Increase instructional time for writing.

B. Provide quiet and comfortable spaces for students to work.

C. Provide unimpeded access to writing tools.

D. Let students identify and select meaningful reinfocements for achieving writing goals (eg., a
reinforcement menu).

E. Consult with an occupational therapist to identify specialized adaptations (e.g., chair and desk
height).

2. Accommodations in Instructional Materials

A. Simplify language of writing prompts.

B. Highlight (e.g., color code) key word and phrases.

C. Transition from simple to more elaborate graphic organizers and procedural checklists.

D. Post strategies, graphic organizers, and checklists in classroom and give students personal
copies.

E. Develop individulized spelling lists.

F. Have students keep a personal dictionary of "demon" words and frequently used spelling
vocabulary.

G. Provide paper positioning marks on students' desks.

H. Provide pencil grips for students.

I. Provide raised- or colored-lined paper.

J. Provide students with personal copies of alphabet strips.

3. Accommodation in Teaching Strategies

A. Devote more instructional time to writing mechanics.

B. Provide physical assistance during handwriting practice.

C. Re-teach writing skills and strategies.

D. Expect and support mastery learning of skills and strategies (e.g., memorization of strategy
steps).

E. Use cross - age peer tutors to reinforce skills and strategies.

F. Assign homework designed to reinforce writing instruction.

G. Help students set specific and challenging yet attainable goals for the writting process (e.g.,
completing a planning sheet before beginning to draft) and written products (e.g., a quantity
goal of including 10 descriptive words in a story, which is perhaps linked to a quality goal of
improving word choice by two points in an analytic quality scale).

H. Help students develop self-instructions (e.g., "I can handle this if I go slow.") and self-question
(e.g., "Am I following my plan?") that focus on positive attributions for success and task
progress.
I. Teach students to evaluate and adjust their writing behaviors and writing strategy use to
improve their writing productivity and performance.

J. Promote maintenance and generalization of writing strategies by doing the following:

°Modeling and discussing how strategies may be used in multiple contexts;

°Relating writing performance to strategy use;

°Having students teach others how to use strategies;

°Having students keep a strategy notebook which they can consult at any time;

°Ensuring all staff and caregivers are familiar with and prompt the use of the strategies; and

°Reviewing strategies often.

4. Modifications to Task Demands

K. Permit students to use voice recognition technology to facilitate text transcription.

L. Permit students to use integrated spell checker and/or word prediction software to facilitate
correct spelling.
M. Permit students to use speech synthesis technology to facilitate revising and editing
N. Selectively weight grading for content, organization, style and conventions.
O. Grade assignments based on the amount of improvement rather than absolute performance.
P. Assign letter grades for body of work collected over time (i.e., portfolio assessment) rather
than each paper.
Q. Provide feedback on targeted aspects of writing rather than all aspects to avoid
overwhelming students.

5. Modification to Learning Tasks

A. Permit student to dramatize or orally present a written assignment either in lieu of writing or
in preparation for writing.
B. Assign students suitable roles (e.g., brainstorm manager for the creation of a group generated
paper.