writing Search Results

Power Lesson: Poetry Gallery Walk

…also motivated by giving students freedom to write about what they felt comfortable writing about, and probably more importantly to not write about something they did not want to share. Particularly in an exercise that would end with sharing their writing with peers, this was a way to increase flexibility. It also offered more creativity in terms of chronology and structure, which many utilized in awesome ways. Finally, what I do with most writing assignments for my classes but always with creative/narrative exercises: I created my own exemplars to share with them. I am a huge advocate of leaning into…

To Learn, Students Need to DO Something

…in the reading and writing, so ideally, students are “doing” all the time. I would advise using the workshop model most of the time, where students are actively working on writing pieces of their own. So instead of teaching grammar out of context, for example, those concepts are delivered in mini-lessons (or in a blended learning format, so that each student gets the instruction he or she needs at just the right time), and then students apply that learning right away in their own writing. OK, let’s talk about the example you gave about determining the central idea and validity…

Teaching Students to Avoid Plagiarism

…standardized tests. Andrea Castellano Hi Tracey, That’s a great question! Jenn’s mini-unit on plagiarism is geared towards the upper grades, but certainly adjustments can be made for teaching this skill to younger students. As a teacher myself, I am accustomed to modifying resources to fit my students’ needs, simplifying protocols and choosing examples and texts that are more appropriate to their level. As for other writing resources, I suggest you check out Cult of Pedagogy’s writing tag: Writing as well as the Pinterest page on writing here: ELA Writing Resources Hope this helps! Amber Kirkwood Hello. I just came across…

Episode 167: Co-Constructing Success Criteria

…what it would look like in a science class, this is what it would look like in social studies. I guess for social studies, what we’re assuming is that we’re also talking about some type of a writing assignment. SACKSTEIN: And it doesn’t always have to be writing. This works with math problems, whether they be word problems or other kinds of math where there are multiple steps. It works in science when you think about the scientific method and writing up lab reports or doing research of any kind in any subject. It really does work in language classes,…

Introducing the HyperRubric: A Tool that Takes Learning to the Next Level

…skill development. One example of this is how Jeff Frieden uses it. Frieden, a high school ELA teacher in southern California (and the person who brought us the ongoing conversations strategy in 2018), first heard Tyler Rablin talk about his new approach to rubrics on an episode of the Teachers on Fire podcast. As he listened, he realized that this different kind of rubric would be perfect for the shift he’d been trying to make with his writing instruction, a shift that moved assessment from the end of a writing piece to the middle. “For 13 years, I had been…

Is Your Lesson a Grecian Urn?

…too often limited to the visual arts. This is why I think the emergence of design thinking in classrooms is exciting, because it honors problem-solving as a truly creative process. Since I know you are in ELA, let’s consider the creativity that’s necessary for good writing. When I hear “creative writing,” I think of poetry and cute short stories, but creativity is really what’s needed to take a solid piece of writing in any genre and turn it into something really powerful. Think of how much more effective a piece of persuasive writing is if it starts with a provocative…

Flash Feedback: How to Provide More Meaningful Feedback in Less Time

…requires. Here is a post that outlines this: https://matthewmjohnson.com/2022/01/31/how-im-trying-to-do-more-with-less-part-2-the-new-pyramid-of-writing-priorities/ I also strive to read and/or respond to polish practice writing and targeted writing during class when they are reading and writing, with prep periods reserved for spill over work and lesson planning. This also allows students to often get feedback back the same day. The creation of the systems does take a little one-time work, but it pays off exponentially down the line. I hope this helps, and if you want any materials, contact me (https://matthewmjohnson.com/contact/) and I can share anything I have. Thanks for reading and responding too! Ania…

Frickin’ Packets

…goals set by our academic standards. Here’s what I mean: For convenience, I’ll use the Common Core Standards as a reference. There is no mention anywhere in the standards of students being able to identify or label these verb tenses. Nothing. It does, however, require students to use them correctly in their writing. So it would make a lot more sense to show students these different constructions, then have them find places in their writing where they are using them. If they aren’t using them anywhere, have them try it. They never ever have to actually know the names of…

Episode 126: Student-Written Graphic Novels

…to sort of model that process. And like you said earlier, really helps to show students, like, you don’t need sophisticated drawing skills here, because I definitely didn’t have those. GONZALEZ: Right. MILLER: And they just, again, really making visible that metacognition that’s involved in the process. So, and just for listeners who are feeling like, I am not, I am not going to be writing my own graphic novel. GONZALEZ: Right. MILLER: I really didn’t. I know that, I know that you, you in your personal narrative articles have described writing the full story. I have only ever done…