Week 5 (planning and teaching the writing process)

Question 1

What is writing?

Answer 1

Writing is a medium to communicate to other places and times and is centred on meaning making.

Question 2

What do effective writers do?

Answer 2

Effective writers:

• rehearse thinking and skills
• use strategies
• use a combination of their graphophonic, syntactic and semantic knowledge.

Question 3

How do teachers effectively teach writing?

Answer 3

Effective teachers:

• give time to write continuous text
• provide explicit directions and criteria
• model
• guide students and give them time for independent construction
• feedback
• positive learning environment

Question 4

What are 4 writing theories?

Answer 4

• Writing as production (discrete R/W skills, need to master spelling and grammar before other skills, 1 shot draft).
• Writing as creativity (connected R and W, student lead experimental writing).
• Writing as a process (focus on process not product, editing and publishing, authentic writers workshops).
• Writing as genre (explicit genre and social purpose taught. Issue of invented spelling).

Question 5

How have writing theories influenced our current writing practices?

Answer 5

• R and W connected
• Focus on both process and product
• Teaching for particular purpose and discipline area/topic
• modelled and guided teaching of all skills (R/W/S/L)
• Integrated teaching of ‘basics (spelling, grammar) alongside meaning-making.

Question 6

What are the steps in the writing cycle? (4)

Answer 6

1- planning/rehearsing - ideas, organising thought, sequencing, discussing e.g. graphic organiser.
2- drafting - looking at the voice, fluency, focus on language choices such as descriptions, similes, adverbs etc.
3- editing - adding conventions (spelling, grammar), developing meaning further. Peer checking.
4 - publishing - sharing, reflecting, displaying and getting feedback on writing.

Question 7

What are the 4 developmental stages of writing?

Answer 7

1 - EXPLORING/ROLE PLAY: imitating adults, using play. (teaching single message of W, print conventions such as left to right, writing as a form of communication).
2- EMERGENT/EXPERIENTIAL: exploring symbols to represent speech, using spacing. (teaching reading own writing, 1 to 1 correspondence and associating sounds to symbols).
3- TRANSISTIONAL/EARLY: invented spelling, repetition and egocentric writing topics. (teaching forms of writing, high frequency words, purpose and audience, begin punctuation).
4- CONVENTIONAL/PROFICIENT: selects for purpose, controls structure, vocab and spelling/punctuation. (teaching about authentic purposes and audience, building fluency and adding in technology).

Question 8

What are the key features of a guided writing session?

Answer 8

• 20 minutes
• small group (4-6 students)
• targeted focus based on common need/issue
• teacher models, guided and provides time for independent R or W with teacher feedback
• time to practice skills and complete a task.

Question 9

What are the key features of shared writing?

Answer 9

• whole class
• working on same (predetermined and pre-written) text by the teacher
• working page and writing page
• teacher models focus through think-aloud while dictating text.