Lifting the Level of Informational Writing: Keeping the Core in Mind

Tara FalascoKathleen Masone

Informational Texts in the Classroom

• What role do informational texts play in your classroom?

• What types of informational writing do your students engage in?

• In what ways do you teach your students to read/write within the informational genre?

CCSS: Focus on Writing

Why Informational Texts Matter• Builds knowledge of the natural and social world/Helps us to

understand our world more fully • Addresses students' questions and interests • Appeals to readers' preferences /satisfies and broadens curiosity • Offers an option to students who prefer facts to fiction/narrative

writing • Prepares students to handle real-life writing for later schooling • Helps students to understand the importance of valid and interesting

research, specialized vocabulary and using knowledge from prior studies

• Allows students to see the importance of clarifying facts with visuals • Allows students to see the importance of various informational text

features • Demonstrates the need for logical organization • Appears on many high-stakes tests - CCSS

Types of Informational Writing That Can Be Used in the Classroom

Common Core State Standards - Writing StandardsK-5

EngageNY

Informational Writing StandardsIncreased Complexity Across the Grades

Kindergarten

3rd Grade

6th Grade

Topics to Address in Writing Workshop

4th Grade Topics

* Introduce topic clearly

* Organization (paragraphing, text features)

* topic development (facts, definitions, quotes)

* linking words

* use domain specific vocabulary

* conclusion

5th Grade Topics

* introduce topic clearly

* organization

* linking words

* concluding statement

* domain specific vocabulary

* develop with facts, definitions, details

* text features: headings, pictures, labels

Student Exemplar

• 4th grade: Coral Reefs

• What did you notice the student did well?

• What possible minilessons were done to support this student writer?

• Were the CCSS met?

Task Writing vs. Process WritingWhat does the CCSS say about this? Students

should be engaged in both types of writing instruction throughout the year.

Task/Prompt Writing Process Writing

Usually takes one sitting in a language arts block

Can take between 3 - 6 weeks, depending on the text type, genre,

grade level and schedule

Has a specific prompt/task/assignment connected to it

Focuses on a genre

Less explicit teacher instruction, more assignment based

Every day, students are taught a specific writing strategy

Has students go through a condensed "writing process" in one sitting

Students spend multiple days in each stage of the writing process

Connection between Reading and Writing Workshop

“Choose just a small number of texts that resemble those you hope your children will

write in this unit, making the choice not by the topic of the texts but rather with an eye to the

structures within which you hope your students will write.” ~ Lucy Calkins

What is Process Writing?"Good writing happens when human beings follow particular steps to take

control of their sentences-to make their words do what they want them to do." ~ Ralph Fletcher

• Explore• Discovery Draft/Rough Draft• Revision: Big and Small• Edit• Conference• Final Draft• Publish• Celebration

Sample Writing Unit: Informational 4th grade Unit

Things to notice - • Timeframe• Attention to the Writing Process• What Teacher is Doing• What Students are Doing

Fourth Grade Sample

Considerations When Writing a Unit of Study

• Select a style of writing to create a unit of study for informational writing.

• Spend time looking over the common core standards for your grade level.

• Look at student exemplars for that grade level and think about: "What are my expectations?"

• Find mentor texts that support what you want your students to accomplish in their writing.

• Consider what both the teacher and student are doing throughout the workshop.

Writing A Unit

Share• What are some new ideas you are walking

away with?

• What do you intend to "try out" when you return to school?

Workshop materials can be found at:

Questions or comments?

Please feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tara Falasco: Tara.Falasco@gmail.comKathleen Masone: khickson@optonline.net

http://twogirlsandawritersnotebook.wordpress.com/