Writing

 "Writing is the litmus paper of thought ... the very center of schooling."  Ted Sizer, cited in Schmoker's, Results Now.

Writer's Workshop Sites

• Mentor Books
  • Focus (a clear main event, a clear moment in time
  • Organization (beginnings, endings, transitions)
  • Support and Elaboration, included with Focus (details that are relevant, specific, and sufficient)
  • Style/Voice (word choice, sentence fluency)
  • Conventions

• Conferencing Resources

• Mini-Lessons 
  •       Early Mini-Lessons

Some Writer's Workshop lesson ideas

Elementary:

• Authentic Writing Experiences and Math Problem-Solving Using Shopping Lists (E)

• Once Upon a Time Rethought: Writing Fractured Fairy Tales (E)

• Teaching the Compare and Contrast Essay through Modeling (E)

• Using Picture Books to Teach Characterization in Writing Workshop (E)

Middle:

• Cooking Up Descriptive Language: Designing Restaurant Menus (M)

• Fairy Tale Autobiographies (M)

• Leading to Great Places in the Middle School Classroom (M)

• Reading and Writing Workshop: Freak the Mighty (M)

High:

• Creative Outlining—From Freewriting to Formalizing (S-C)

• Modeling Academic Writing through Scholarly Article Presentations (S-C)

• Persuading Readers with Endorsement Letters (S-C)

• The Children's Picture Book Project (S-C)

 Writing Across the Curriculum

• The Writing Site: Writing Across the Curriculum (ES, MS, HS) "Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) is an approach that attempts to weave writing assignments throughout all content areas." 
• Writing to Learn, Learning to Write.  Revisiting Writing Across the Curriculum in Northwest Secondary Schools

 Writing Resources

• Writing in Rutgers Education: Offers terrific information on the writing instruction and the writing process.  (MS, HS).
• Guide to Grammar and Writing and
• The Principles of Composition offer useful materials on grammar; word, sentence and paragraph level constructions; essay structures and organizational pattern.  Teachers may want to use this as an extension of classroom instruction to reinforce skills around grammar and usage.  (MS, HS)

• Sentence Combining Websites:

  • A generic look at sentence combining but some good activities.

  • The Kilgallon's website offers resources, research, and richness.

NCTE Writing Initiative is a new public service campaign to support sound practices in the teaching of writing across all disciplines, to increase policymakers' and the public's knowledge about the teaching of writing, and to make available professional development for schools and educators.

Writing Plans Database has writing policies, programs, practices.

The Writing Fix: Writing Fix is purposely organized around the 6 traits of writing.  The 6-Trait model is an analytic way of thinking about writing skills. The Writing Fix website is dedicated to giving students and teachers a better ability to use 6-Trait language in the classroom.

National Center for the Study of Adult Literacy and Learning (HS and Alternative Schools).  This issue focuses on Writing Instruction.