MAGIC of the twitisphere.... Making the writing programme fun

Making the writing programme fun!

100 ways...

a crowd sourced, co-constructed presentation to share our ideas...

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If I read a phrase or words that make me go tingly or I can really FEEL the moment... I... wait for it... dance on my chair! Now that sounds crazy I know, but the kids love it and often talk about who will get me dancing, and it has become a challenge and a game....

CELEBRATE @annekenn

Take a photo of something and use 10-12 words to describe it. Then overlays the words on to the photo.

Can use to describe self, nature, items in classroom.

Brainstorms for a topic.

@Jackbillie35

Wordfoto

Use a range of writing inspiration...My absolute favourite is The Literacy Shed I have used it with a range of levels and abilities and the writing produced is astounding....

@redgierob

INSPIRE...

http://www.literacyshed.com/

Make the inspiration as much fun as possible by using a range of props, toys, puppets, experiences...Act out - live the experience prior to writing...

@annekenn

Inspire with props...

Use the digital camera on rotation...Whoever has the camera for the session can use it to photograph their written work at times they choose to show progress and increase in output (if that is a desired outcome)

@annekenn

Digital camera/iPad/iPod

Ensure learners are very clear of purpose and audience...One of my favourite ways to showcase writing is 100WC - absolutely sensational for showcasing and feedback. A real challenge for loquacious writers to trim to 100word, and a real challenge for those who write a couple of sentences.. there is also five sentence challenge @TheHeadsOffice

Purpose...

Making a writing task achievable but still challenging.

10 word stories.

@CatrionaPene

10 word stories

Access quality video online to inspire writing.

Youtube clips.Wonderopolis clips.Kiwi Kids News clips.Nat Geo Kids clips.

@CatrionaPene

Use video to inspire.

Start with a stem sentence on a page for every student. Ring the bell or start the music and they write the next sentence. Fold the page and pass to the next person around the room. They then read the story and add the next sentence. After a few times, tell them the next sentence needs to end the story. Read out some of the stories and get ready for the laughs.

@janenicholls

Tag team writing

Begin the day or block with speed writing to warm up to literacy. Ensure the purpose and audience are identified (by students or teacher. Coach the children through 15 minutes of writing, revising and proofreading. eg. To expand vocabulary - Write a description using PicLits that includes a selection of words/phrases to extend the children. Coach the children to use the words as they write.... The constant verbal coaching is invaluable. Worksheets are dead - apply it to the kids’ own writing. @MsBeenz

Daily Dash

Idea borrowed from Austin Kleon’s work. - Take a piece of newspaper or better yet a page ripped from an old book. My kids especially love this. - Circle a select few words anywhere on the page to create a poem. - Blackout all other text using a sharpie. - Voilà a poem! Share.

@ gininppi

Blackout poetry

Merely passing on a great idea by @mrwoodnz shared at #educampakl:Shaun has created Pinterest boards for his students to scaffold words from visuals.Read his blog here:http://mrwoodnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/educampakl-2013.html

@phpnz

Pinterest

(an idea from @DeputyMitchell, shared by @judykmck

Fullstop = 2 pointsComma = 1 pointInverted commas = 3 pointsQuestion mark = 5 pointsExclamation mark = 5 pointsColon = 3 pointsSemi-colon = 3 pointsEllipses = 5 pointsHyphen = 5 points and Brackets = 3 points

Punctuation Points

for explanations I got some old cameras from recycling centre and kids pulled apart and wrote explanations. LOTS of discussion...

@AnnaGarthwaite

Explanations...

Use cardboard shadow puppets at the planning and publishing stage. Photograph and use comic life for planning... I-Movie or a presentation tool such as voicethread to publish tales.

@MsBeenz

Shadow Puppets/ Myths

Drama is an amazing way of helping students to plan their writing, develop rich vocabulary, and develop meaningful characters.

There are various techniques e.g. freeze frame, soundscapes, conscience alley etc. & Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert.

For background reading try: “Oops! Helping children learn accidentally” by Hywell Roberts.

Read the web page http://dramaresource.com/strategiesfor an explanation of some drama techniques.

@emmerw

Drama

@allanahk

Use Chrome Extension- Webpage Screenshot to re-write whole news stories

This is a very simple and easy way to make proof reading more hands on and focused. Each child needs a small pile of see through counters. I use them by asking the children for example - put your counters on all the full stops / on the speech marks / adjectives....It is then very obvious what skill has or hasn't been used with each child.@nickitempero

Proof reading with Counters

Watch a short, known, clip with only 2 - 3 lines of speech.Students add action and detail around the speech to share the complete story.

Example 1

Example 2

- @helenknz

Using Video to Teach Speech

Rugby World Cup

- Students take on the role of different characters from one story and tell events from their perspective.- We put the stories all together on a Google Site

@helenkz

Sharing Different Experiences/Perspectives

Read a paragraph of text to the students and have them write down the keywords they hear.

Note down the class/group list of words and discuss unknown words.

Have the students recraft the paragraph using the keywords. (they get better the more they do it - first time is often rubbish)

Keyword Paragraphs

@helenknz

Storybird.com: http://storybird.com/books/storybird-a-simple-

guide-for-teachers-and-students/

@fionnawright

Storybird provides online templates and artwork. Students can create the storybooks.

Also check out Jill’s VLN site on Storybird for more how to info

Adjectives video

Noun Video

Verbs Video

Conjunctions

@nickitempero

Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar

Barking FishOur work on the barking fish

@nickitempero

Prediction-

I found a notebook at the Warehouse that is full of “My Bright Idea” starters e.g. My bright idea for a flashmob,My awesome idea for a rock band...

My kids love it and use them all the time for writing inspiration.

@Jackbillie35

My Bright Idea

Demonstrate your learning in class, describe a person / book character / event, insert photos and videos and print off or embed into your blog.

@BeLchick1

Glogster.com

One student does their writing on my teacher laptop projected onto the whiteboard then we buddy (class) conference it at the end.

We can write corrections over their writing directly on the whiteboard.

They love having a direct audience watching them write and are really supportive at conferencing time.@Jackbillie35

Data Projector Writing

Great book to inspire writing...Includes things like - If cats had wings...

@Jackbillie35

If...

writingfix.com

@JoEarl2

Love this website and this is just one of a number of examples that I have used. Have fun

http://creativewritingprompts.com/Pick a number write to the prompt

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/essay/

Some useful sites

Pinterest has lots of great images for provoking student writing

http://pinterest.com/traintheteacher/writing-prompts/

Pinterest story prompts

60 seconds to write about one word

Don’t think....just write...

http://www.oneword.com

@zoopita

One Word

My most favourite tool in all sorts of writing contexts: Structure a story, extend vocabulary, word families etc. etc.Especially successful when used with photo or video prompt as inspiration for a story (via Jill Hammonds :D)

@BeLchick1

Popplet.com for Mindmapping

Organise ideas / thoughts, collect opinions, sort spelling words etc. - especially powerful when students can access this at the same time and see their contribution appear on the IWB or through the projector!

@BeLchick1

Padlet.com (formerly wallwisher)

Putting up pictures of things that very few students would know what they are, eg a capybara. Then getting students to write about what they think this animal might sound like, smell like or what it might eat. Where does it live (using clues in the picture). How big is it? Dangerous or not?

@raewynaus

Using Pictures

Written by Andy Griffiths- great ideas for reluctant writers

Once upon a Slime45 fun ways to get writing fast..

@JoEarl2

@BeLchick1

Engaging reluctant writers with e-tools....

Motivational and engaging activities at Discovery Time provide rich language experiences and are a fantastic catalyst for writing.

@ORegs2

Discovery Time

Capturing images from Youtube clips or short videos inspire children to write ‘what next?’ For example, ‘What’s this cat thinking?’

iruntheinternet.com

@ORegs2

Youtube Clips/Photos

iruntheinternet.com

Have 2-3 students per week share their writing with pals via Skype and GoogleDocs.

They can also email each other.

The children love finding out all about others favourite sports, toys, books and more!

@AliceIrvine23

ePenPals

Idea from The Writing Book - Sheena Cameron and Louise Dempsey

Put up a picture and children have set amount of time to write down ideas about it.

I have used this as a stand-alone, and as an introduction into a piece of descriptive writing.

@AliceIrvine23

Describe It - Quick Write

Describe a Whatsit in exactly 73 words.

@AliceIrvine23

Whatsit

Video Explanation of Monster Match

Monster Match: Using Art to Improve Writing

@roxy17nz - original share through #UDLchat

@fionnawright

Excellent strategies and resources in Jill Hammonds’ ‘Blended e-Learning Literacy’ group in the VLN: http://www.vln.school.nz/groups/profile/704046/blended-e-learning-literacy

On the back of an inspirational visit to our school from Paula Green today - author visits to schools are great motivation for the childrens writing! New Zealand Book Council Writers-in-Schools

Have a look at her blog - NZ Poetry for Children

@Jackbillie35

Author Visits

Challenge students to use Twitter to write a story. Each student has to complete each part in 140 characters. (Great way to focus on vocabulary choice and development - and it’s a fun challenge!)

@cossie29

Twitter Challenge

● Focusing on rich text and vocabulary development to create vivid images in the readers’ minds.

● Collaborative / shared writing that really fosters the whole concept of the ZPD.

● Sharing completed writing with other students, classes, schools, families etc both locally and globally - and inviting them to collaborate on other writing.

@cossie29

Google Docs for Shared Writing

● Share the love of writing by collaborating and sharing writing globally with the bonus of having a strong purpose and audience for your writing.

● Fantastic opportunity to teach about effective feedback and to practise giving and receiving effective feedback.

● What Is Effective Feedback in Writing?

@cossie29

Wikis and Blogs for Global Collaboration

Ideas and inspiration for writing and all sorts of things...

Teachers Pet Ideas

Teachers Pet

Adapt this idea for children story writing - combine writing with visual language - children have to match their emotions etc in the photo to the story on the whiteboard

Camera Story

@Jackbillie35

Camera/Whiteboard Story

This is a great use of digital communication and collaboration to encourage working with other class pages/students.

Have at a look from 2012 of our students working with @annekenn

@NZWaikato

Use Class Pages to Source Narrative Writing/Examples

● Descriptive writing or recounts of completed experiments.

● doing an experiment and then writing instructions and sharing with another class to see if instructions work.

Resources● http://www.csiro.au/en/Portals/Education/Kids/Read-it/Science-By-

Email.aspx● http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html

@markmaddren12

Science and Writing

We used Philip Clairmont art to demonstrate imagery. We did our own pastel armchair then wrote descriptive pieces focusing on imagery/personification. Has been very successful! www.room3happenings2013.blogspot.co.nz

@Anna Garthwaite

Using Philip Clairmont Art for using personification

Spice up the “What I did in the holidays” recount by limiting it to 100 words. Here’s a model. Make the timeframe of the modelled experience (about 2 mins of my holiday) explicit to the children.Identify language features (e.g. rich vocabulary, metaphor, simile) used.Children write their own two minute 100 word recount based on an emotional experience.(see next slides - grantp@elmgrove.school.nz)

100 Word Recount

Create play and share text adventure games

http://textadventures.co.uk

@zoopita

Text Adventures

Build Your Wild Self

Students are able to build their own characters and add animal features as a motivation for writing

● describe your character● where it lives● what it eats● does it have friends /

enemies● favourite things● etc

@barbs1

@BeLchick1

Animate your story

Your students ‘never know what to write about’? Try http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/adventure-writing-prompts/for engaging ideas as well as a choice formats for them to complete their writing in (e.g. newspaper article etc.)

@BeLchick1

Scholastic Story Starters

For a change present your writing as poster. Use text, photos, stickers and print off or save and share per email, on blog etc (similar to PicCollage on the iPad)Signed up teachers (free) can create a project name for their students to simplify login.

@BeLchick1

Postermywall.com

Many children have a favourite book series i.e “Goosebumps.”

Let them write their own story using the formulaic style of that series. Get them to take note of how the mood is established in the books, what the characters are like and even how it is punctuated. This takes away some of the pressure children often feel when they have to plan a story from scratch.

@KatrinaGardiner

Let them write what they know!

I really love ‘Edmodo’ www.edmodo.comFor engaging with reluctant writers in senior primary - especially boys! It looks just like Facebook, and the kids really love it. Here are a couple of screen shots to demo: @Bec_Power

Empowering with Edmodo!