Purpose

Participants will explore the foundations and instructional strategies for teaching writing processes to students. Methods and strategies including writers' workshop, mini-lessons, conferencing, editing, and publishing will be examined to help students build writing fluency in both narrative and expository writing forms. The course will also address the integration of writing with reading, listening, and speaking.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Describe and implement the components of the writing process.
• Identify and discuss the stages of writing development.
• Develop process, structural, and content mini-lessons based on students' needs.
• Develop appropriate uses of writing to learn in content areas.
• Connect students' spelling and word identification instruction
• Guide students writing development in a variety of genres including narrative, expository, letter writing, and poetry.
• Assess students' writing products, development, and instructional needs.. Assessment techniques may include holistic scorning, rubrics and checklists, primary trat scoring, and six-trait analytical scoring.

Course Topics

• Contrast traditional and current models of writing instruction
• Understand stages of writing development
• Organize supportive classroom environments for writing
• Understand the various components of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing)
• Writing for meaning, including writing to learn in the content areas
• Genres of writing: expository, narrative
• Technology in writing
  • keyboarding
  • word processing
  • Internet research
  • presentation software
  • style and editing software
• Models of Writing
  • Language experience/shared writing
  • Interactive writing
  • Writer's Workshop
  • Mini-lessons
• Drafting
• Conferencing
• Editing
• Publishing/Sharing
• Assessing student writing development

Assignments

• Complete assigned readings and prepared to discuss in class
• Develop and implement an instructional unit that involves the entire writing process

Bibliography

Atwell, N. (1998). In the middle: New understandings about writing, reading, and learning (2nd Ed.). Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.

Avery, C. (1993). And with a light touch: Learning about reading, writing, and teaching first graders. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.

Calkins, L.M. (1994). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, N.H.: Henemann.

Fletcher, R. & Portalupi, J. (1998). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. York, ME: Stenhouse.

Graves, D. (1994). A fresh look at writing. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.

Kirby, D., Liner, T., & Vinez, R. (1988). Inside out: Developmental strategies for teaching writing. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.

McCarrier, A., Pinnell, G.S., & Fountas, I. (1999). Interactive writing: How language and literacy come together, k-2. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.

Rief, L. (1992). Seeking diversity. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.