Simplify Your Writing Instruction - A Framework for a Student-Centered Writing Block

Informationen zum Autor APRIL SMITH began teaching in a rural school in 2008. Today, she works as an instructional coach and curriculum designer, dedicated to empowering educators with the resources they need to better support their students. April has trained over 50,000 teachers, working closely with school leaders across the country. Klappentext Set up your writing block quickly and easily with a simple, research-based frameworkSchools need their writing instruction simplified. Most classrooms share writing time with another subject, making it difficult for students to receive the direct writing instruction they need. Between the lack of time, increased gaps in writing skills, and inconsistent writing curriculum, teachers are struggling to bring their students up to grade level.Simplify Your Writing Instruction provides you with a classroom-tested framework that helps you set up your writing block within the limited time and resources you have. Step by step, this practical guide shows you how to amplify your students' writing skills, employ simple feedback opportunities and interventions, streamline your lessons, use simple differentiation techniques to help reach students of all ability levels, and more.Author April Smith is a former teacher who has trained more than 50,000 K-12 educators on best practices for writing instruction. While in the classroom, she learned that having simple and consistent systems in place is critical. Accordingly, none of the tasks and strategies will require you to create or prep anything complicated or time-consuming. In Simplify Your Writing Instruction, you will find easy-to-use checklists, implementation tasks, customizable templates, student writing samples, helpful tables and charts, and a simple spreadsheet that you can use to plan your lessons and modify your teaching to meet the needs of each writer.Be confident and supported in your writing instruction. Simplify Your Writing Instruction will teach you how to:* Implement the Simple Pre-Assessment Process in your classroom* Encourage authentic writing practice at home* Differentiate your lessons to reach your Special Education, ELL, and Gifted students* Integrate grammar naturally and optimize student output after each lesson* Split the writing process into efficient and effective 10- to 15-minute mini-lessons* Make writing a priority by incorporating writing application into other subjects* Use a simple pre-assessment to get a better overall picture of what your students can do* Utilize more complex strategies such as small group work and conferringPacked with expert advice and easy-to-follow strategies, Simplify Your Writing Instruction: A Framework for a Better Writing Block is a must-have resource for all K-12 educators and teachers in training. Zusammenfassung Set up your writing block quickly and easily with a simple, research-based frameworkSchools need their writing instruction simplified. Most classrooms share writing time with another subject, making it difficult for students to receive the direct writing instruction they need. Between the lack of time, increased gaps in writing skills, and inconsistent writing curriculum, teachers are struggling to bring their students up to grade level.Simplify Your Writing Instruction provides you with a classroom-tested framework that helps you set up your writing block within the limited time and resources you have. Step by step, this practical guide shows you how to amplify your students' writing skills, employ simple feedback opportunities and interventions, streamline your lessons, use simple differentiation techniques to help reach students of all ability levels, and more.Author April Smith is a former teacher who has trained more than 50,000 K-12 educators on best practices for writing instruction. While in the classroom, she learned that having simple and consistent systems in place is critical. Accordingly, none of th...

List of contents

Introduction xi
 
Part One The Fundamentals 1
 
One Common Struggles 3
 
Time 5
 
Varying Student Ability Levels 6
 
Lack of Training and Curriculum 6
 
Addressing These Struggles 7
 
Two What Really Matters 9
 
Having Simple Systems in Place 11
 
Utilizing Data 11
 
Uncomplicated "Bite-Sized" Lessons 11
 
Filling in Gaps Using Differentiation 12
 
Providing Feedback and Support 12
 
Three Make Writing a Priority 13
 
My Story 15
 
What I Learned 15
 
What This Means for You 16
 
Part Two The First Three Weeks 19
 
Four The Power of Informal Pre-Assessment 23
 
Why Pre-Assess at All If Time Is an Issue? 25
 
What Pre-Assessment Should Look Like 25
 
The Purpose behind Using Multiple Prompts 27
 
Five Make Observations and Record Important Data 31
 
What Is Actionable Data? 33
 
The Recording Process 34
 
Recording Important Whole Group Skills 35
 
"Big Picture" Skills: Interest and Writing Stamina 36
 
Sentence and Paragraph Writing 37
 
Complexity of Ideas 38
 
Technology Knowledge 39
 
Other Whole Group Categories 40
 
What This Means for My Whole Group Instruction 40
 
Whole Group Grammar Knock-Out List 41
 
The Order Matters 41
 
Recording Individual Skills 42
 
Setting Goals and Recording Success 43
 
Six Build a Foundation 47
 
Interest and Attitude 51
 
Addressing Your Own Writing Baggage 51
 
Cultivating a Positive Classroom Environment 53
 
Writing Stamina 54
 
Days 3-5: Practice, Practice, Practice 56
 
Sentence and Paragraph Writing 56
 
Paragraph Writing Intervention 60
 
Idea Generation 63
 
Final Thoughts 66
 
Seven Use Pre-Assessment Data to Modify Future Lessons 69
 
Modify Expectations 71
 
Frontload or Reteach 71
 
Use Tools 72
 
Banishing Feelings of Being Overwhelmed 72
 
Part Three A Simple Framework for Your Writing Instruction 73
 
Eight Prepare Your Classroom 77
 
Writing Block Schedule 79
 
Whole Group Mini-Lesson 79
 
Independent Student Writing Time 79
 
Closure 79
 
Meeting Place and Student Work Areas 80
 
Classroom Procedures 81
 
Nine Start Your First Writing Unit with Efficient Mini-Lessons 85
 
Planning Mini-Lessons 87
 
The Importance of "Bite-Sized" Mini-Lessons 87
 
Bird's-Eye View Planning 88
 
Daily Planning 89
 
Unit: Personal Narrative Writing - Day 3 EXAMPLE LESSON PLAN 90
 
The Secret Sauce: A Well-Planned Teacher Model 92
 
Implementing Mini-Lessons 93
 
Independent Writing Time 95
 
Transitioning from Mini-Lesson to Independent Writing Time 96
 
Reinforcing Skills during Independent Writing Time 97
 
Ten Prepare for Early Finishers and Students Who Are Stuck 101
 
Resources for Students Who Are Stuck 104
 
Students Falling Behind 109
 
Eleven Incorporate Grammar 111
 
Choosing Which Grammar Concepts to Teach 113
 
Incorporating Grammar Skills into a Lesson 114
 
Utilizing Direct Grammar Instruction 117
 
What Direct Grammar Instruction Looks Like 120
 
Ways to Apply Newly Acquired Grammar Skills in Context 123
 
What to Do If Students Still Don't Get It 124
 
Other Ways to Fit in Grammar Practice 124
 
Part Four Meeting Individual Needs 129
 
Twelve Support Students through Small Group Instruction 1

Report

"I cannot think of a better title for this book because Simplify Your Writing Instruction is the roadmap to do just that! April has thought of everything. This book is grounded in research, and it goes beyond the 'why' and digs into the 'HOW!' Every page has spectacular insights, useful ideas, and nuggets of knowledge to help simplify writing instruction. The practical tips and FAQs provided for each section make implementing April's ideas easy. This book is a lifeline for new teachers but equally beneficial to any teacher looking to improve and simplify their writing instruction!"
 
--Deedee Wills, Instructional Coach and Literary Consultant

Product details

• Authors: April Smith, Smith April
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 26.10.2023
• EAN: 9781394171576
• ISBN: 978-1-394-17157-6
• No. of pages: 256
• Subjects: Guides > Self-help, everyday life > Family; Humanities, art, music > Education > School education, didactics, methodology; Schreiben, Education, Bildungswesen, Writing, teacher training, Teaching skills and techniques, Lehrpläne / Schreiben, Educational: Language, literature and literacy