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• Red: Documents• Clear: RtI• Blue: Assessment• Orange: Handwriting• Yellow: Conventions• Green: Process• Pink: Progress Monitoring• Resources

Lisa King

CKEC

September 2014

Writing Interventions: Strategies for

Struggling Students

Agenda

We will:• Determine the expectations for student writing• Review effective writing instructional practices• Offer suggestions for possible writing interventions

and Progress Monitoring

• What does student writing look like in your school?

• What writing struggles do your students face?

• What components of writing do you find most difficult to teach?

How the Brain Learns To Write

attention Fine motor memory

Visual processingLanguageHigher order

thinking

Writing is a complex process.

Minimum Brain Requirements

• Properly functioning central nervous system• Intact receptive and expressive language skills• Emotional stability• Understanding of organization• Understanding of “writing rules”• Visual Spatial Awareness• Simultaneous processing

Why Difficulties?

• Environmental Causes• Repeated practice of invented spelling• Neurological Causes• Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia

Dyslexic Dysgraphia Motor

DysgraphiaSpatial

Dysgraphia

Skills of a Proficient Writer

Struggling Writers

• Are not thoughtful or planful when they write• Spend less than 1 minute planning• Approach as a single process---content

generation• But writing lacks content• Have difficulty accessing the knowledge

they have

What?

How?

Three Modes of WritingLocated in Standards 1-3

Standards 4-10How students should do the work of Standards1-3

Where is it in KCAS?

Where is it addressed in the Standards?

Learn more about the standards

Nouns:Know Verbs:

Do

AdjectivesAdverbs:How, To what degree

Ainsworth, Mctighe and Wiggins

“On their own”

Writing RtI

Essential Components of RTI

23

Writing Requirements?

HB 69• Reading and Writing System of

Interventions by Aug. 2013• Universal Screener• Core instruction based on KCAS• Tiers of Intervention

(Scientifically Based)• Progress Monitoring

K-3 Program Review• Student Access to highly

effective curriculum and instruction• Formative Assessment to

develop and enhance instructional strategies • Research Based Instructional

Strategies

Writing RtI

Universal Screeners

Possible Data Sources

• KPREP Results• On-demand• Extended Response/Constructed Response

• MAP• Core Content Assessments (CCA’s)• Program Assessments• Writing Sprees• CBM Group-Administered Probes

Universal Screening for Writing

• Screening for Letter Writing Fluency• Screening for Word Writing Fluency• Dictation Sentences Hearing and Recording

Sounds in Words (Observation Survey) • Observation Survey Writing Spree by Marie

Clay (Writing Fluency)

• Screening Written Expression• Writing Probes• CBM • Rubrics

So, do you have a Universal Screener for Writing?

Diagnostic: Time to ask what is the area of need?

Communicating Ideas Writing Mechanics/Physical Production

• Idea Development• Organization• Voice• Word Choice

• Handwriting• Grammar• Punctuation• Spelling • Sentence Structure

Let’s Look at some Writing!

Let’s Think about the Process

• Look at your red flag student writing sample.• What are her strengths and weaknesses?

• Look at the standards progression. What has the student mastered? What skills are not mastered?

• How far are they from grade level? Significantly below?

• Do I need more information?• Handwriting assessment• Word writing assessment ( 3 minute spree)• Dictation Sentences for Hearing and Recording

Sounds in Words

• Does the student need Intervention?

The Areas of Need May be Multi Layered

Let’s Fill Our Toolbox

Clapping Game

Formative Assessment

Monitoring Throughout the Writing Process

1. What do we want students to know?2. How will we know if they know it?3. What will we do if they don’t?4. Where will students go next?

1. What do we want students to know? The GoalWrite a paragraph about baseball.

2. How will we know if they know it? Success Criteria• First sentence tells the most important thing you want your audience to know.

(main idea)• 3 sentences each tell something your audience needs to know to understand your

main idea. (3 details)• Final sentence tells the audience what you want them to think when they are done

reading.

3. What will we do if they don’t? Catch and ReleaseMini lessons, Specific Feedback, Revisions, Editing

4. Where will students go next? PurposeWriting an essay.

Area of Need:

Handwriting

Handwriting Screeners

Activities to Facilitate Writing

• Handwriting Difficulties Must be remediated EARLY!

• Handwriting must be explicitly practiced to make “motor program” (engram) automatic.

• Practice involves following numbered arrow cues for forming each

letter – so letter production becomes automatized and uniform.

• It is difficult to remediate awkward hand position, even if attended to early.

Handwriting Interventions

• Verbal Directions, consistent pathway• Models with arrows• Sorting Magnetic letters• Multisensory Input (sand, screens, large motor movement, etc.)• Raised line paper, Wikki Stiks• Grippers for pencils• Handwriting Without Tears• OT/PT• Graham Handwriting Exercises p. 16

Let’s Look at some Writing!

Pro

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Area of Need: Word Production/Spelling

Elkonin Boxes

Finger Spelling

Red Words

Area of Need: Grammar, Punctuation, Sentence Structure

Sentence Combininga Research-Based Practice

• Constructing more complex and sophisticated sentences through exercises where two or more short, kernel sentences are combined into a single sentence using: • Placement of adjectives or adverbs • Inserting phrases • Using “connectors” (e.g., but, because, so…)

Example: The noodle was soft. The noodle was on my plate

Sentence Combining

• The car stopped.• The car ran out of gas.

The car stopped because it ran out of gas.

• My mom can run fast.• My dad can run fast.

Bare Bones

Let’s Look at some Writing!

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Area of Need: Written Expression

Talk Through the Topic

Props for Paragraphs

The Claw

Cloze or Story Frames

Sentence Frames

• “Providing students with the beginning of an academic response is a very effective tool for increasing the quality and quantity of student participation. Sentence starters serve to both focus attention on critical content as well as provide students with the language support needed to engage in academic discussions.” • Kevin Feldman & Kate Kinsella

Paragraph Frame for Opinion Writing

• I like ______________ because ______________. The first reason I like ____________ is because ____________. The second reason I like ____________ is because ______________. In conclusion, I feel that ________________ is the best due to the fact _____________.

Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD)• SRSD is an approach for helping students learn specific strategies for planning, drafting, and

revising text.

• It is characterized by explicit teaching, individualized instruction, and criterion- based versus time-based learning. Children are treated as active collaborators in the learning process. Instruction takes place in six stages: • Develop Background Knowledge. • Describe It• Model It• Support It• Independent Use

• Sources: De La Paz & Graham, 2002; Harris & Graham, 1996

P-O-W!by Graham and Harris

•Pick my idea

•Organize my notes (T-R-E-E)

•Write and say more

T-R-E-E: Paragraph Version

Tell (what you believe)Reasons (At least 3)End it (Wrap it up)Examine (Do I have all

the parts?Are my reasons strong?)

T-R-E-E: Essay Version

Topic (Tell what you believe)ReasonsExplain your reasonsEnd it

POWER(Englert, Raphael, & Anderson, 1991)

• POWER: Plan, Organize, Write, Edit, and Revise• Comprehensive procedure to explicitly teach the

stages of the writing process• Based on cognitive strategy instruction• Four phases: text analysis, modeling the writing

process, guided student practice in composition, and independent writing• Uses “Think Sheets” and “Pattern Guides”

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Let’s Look at some Writing!

Intervention Plan and Progress Monitoring

Decide on an Intervention Plan

• If need is determined, the team decides if the student will be considered in need of Tier 2 or Tier 2/3 layers of support in addition to what is being provided by classroom teacher during Tier 1.

• Tier II—Targeted Small Group Intervention in the Classroom (Should be done within the context of Writer’s Workshop)• 3 days per week—20-30 minutes• Somewhat Below Grade Level

• Tier III—Intensive Individualized Intervention in/out of the Classroom • 5 days per week—30-45 minutes• Significantly Below Grade Level

Intervention Plan

• The team chooses appropriate interventions for the student based upon the area of focus from research- based options available

• Outline the logistics for how the Writing intervention will be provided.• Name the Interventionist—WHO WILL PROVIDE THE INTERVENTION?• Name the Location—WHERE WILL THE INTERVENTION BE PROVIDED?• Determine the Schedule—WHAT ARE THE DAYS & TIMES FOR THE INTERVENTION?

Establishing a Goal

• Establish the goal for the 6-week round of intervention based upon the baseline (starting point) for the student and the on grade level expectations for the student.

Goal Examples

• Physical Production/Handwriting • % letters formed correctly• % legible• % copied correctly

• Mechanics & Conventions/Grammar • % words spelled correctly• % correct punctuation• % grammatically correct

• Writing Content• % points earned from writing rubric• % of complete sentences

• Writing Production/Revision• % points earned from writing rubric• % of complete sentences

What might be Kate’s goal?

What is a possible goal for Kate?• By March 2014, Kate will use the writing process to develop a written response to a

teacher prompt with a score of 3 or higher based on writing rubric in 2 of 3 opportunities.

• By May 2014, Kate will include a clear lead and an ending that draws conclusions in 2 of 3 opportunities.

• By October 2014, Kate will include personal experience and knowledge in writing as details in 2 of 3 opportunities.

• By December 2014, Kate will clearly stick to the determined topic with all details and/or information throughout her piece of writing in 2 of 3 opportunities.

• By March 2015, Kate will include details that enhance the reader’s understanding of the topic that scores 3 or higher based on a writing rubric in 2 of 3 opportunities.

Progress Monitoring

• Interventions are monitored by the Interventionist and the RTI Teams.• The Interventionist is the person providing the intervention who

collects progress monitoring data. • Monitor every 10 instructional days

• The interventionist should document the number of sessions/lessons.• The interventionist should have conversation with the classroom teacher & support

connections to classroom instruction to support generalization of performance for the student.

Review Results and Next Steps

• The RTI Team comes back together to review the results of the intervention.• The RTI Team determines what actions will occur next in the process

based upon a review of results.

www.interventioncentral.org

Reflection

• 1 idea that “squares” with my thinking…..

• 2 questions that are “circling” in my head….

• 3 points to remember and use in my classroom...