Writing Strategies for 7th Grade ELA by Alyssa Delaporta https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq Supported through research! en-us 2021-11-19 13:37:33 UTC 2021-11-22 00:15:12 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4dd.png What is it? adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1902577131 This strategy is a formula that students can follow for guidance that is often used with particular writing pieces where students are encouraged to make a claim and support their thinking with evidence from a text or source to back up their thinking. I personally see myself using this technique for argumentative and persuasive writing. With the strategy of “ICE”ing, the idea is for students to introduce a quotation, cite the quotation, and explain the quotation. It is proven that when experts are making claims, they are much more  likely to persuade others when they provide some specific evidence that directly supports their thinking. With introducing a quote, students are recommended to use a signal phrase that introduces the material in a clear way (London). The second part of this strategy has students directly citing a quote that enhances their claim or their thinking. The goal of the quote is that it provides specific textual evidence to enhance the initial statement. The last part, explaining, has writers tell the readers what the quote means and how it supports and relates directly to the claim itself (London). 



]]> 2021-11-19 17:15:35 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1902577131 Examples of how to use it -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1902578126 With this strategy, I can imagine myself using it specifically in our research units to have students take what they have learned about their topic and make a claim. For example, with plastic pollution, students could make the claim that plastic pollution is caused mostly by humans. Then, they could use the technique of “ICE”ing to guide their writing and support their claim.]]> 2021-11-19 17:16:02 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1902578126 How to differentiate -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1902581402 This strategy can also easily be differentiated to fit all types of learners. This strategy can include ELLs and lower level students write basic, simple sentence claims. Grade level learners and more advanced learners, can aim to write a complex claim, using varied sentence structure where they also ICE multiple times throughout their piece. Utilizing this strategy as a grounded formula in class should hopefully transfer over to students applying these concepts on their own whenever writing persuasive or argumentative pieces. This technique provides students with foundational elements that would work to increase their writing skills and abilities. ]]> 2021-11-19 17:17:32 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1902581402 What is it? adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903547976 "The claim, evidence, reasoning framework is a scaffolded way to teach the scientific method" (Brunsell, 2012). ]]> 2021-11-20 13:53:00 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903547976 Examples of how to use it -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903559838 The technique of CER is best used for argumentative or persuasive writing pieces. This strategy is a research-based technique. Students start by making a claim that answers the question (Brunsell, 2012). Next, they find evidence from their own data and then add in "reasoning that involves a rule or scientific principle that describes why the evidence supports the claim" (Brunsell, 2012).

This strategy is again best used for argumentative or persuasive writing pieces. With my 7th graders, I could see me utilizing this technique during their essential research skills unit. This unit involves students spending 4 weeks researching and building background information on their topic of choice, and then making a claim about what they learned. They then synthesize their data to use evidence from their research to support their claim. Finally, they add in their reasoning and explain why and how the evidence they incorporated directly supports their claim.]]> 2021-11-20 14:08:56 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903559838 How to differentiate -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903567817 CER is a strategy that is easily differentiated. For ELL's and lower level learners, I recommend differentiating by providing students with a few claims around their research topic that they can choose between. Keeping their claims simple and/or providing students with options to choose from will help narrow down their focus. From there, students can use their notes and their notebooks to pull out information that they think will directly support their claim. 

For advanced learners, students should have a more synthesized claim and one can challenge them by having them pull out the best evidence that most effectively supports their claim. Advanced learners could also be challenged to pull out a plethora of evidence, to further show their understanding.]]> 2021-11-20 14:18:35 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903567817 What is it? adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903569667 Free writes are prewriting techniques where students are encouraged to write continuously for a set period of time without focusing so much on their spelling or grammar. The goal with free writes is to simple write and produce rough drafts or raw material without worrying about being graded or marked down on their thoughts. It is a brainstorming technique where students are encouraged to be creative and simply write about whatever it is they would like to write about.

This strategy allows students to use their own voice and gives them a writing activity centered around their choice and their interests and desires of what they would like to write about. It has also been proven that strategies like this allow students to develop their own voice. "By giving studnets opportunities to produce quality work about issues that matter, we give them access to their passion, voice, skills, and revelation" (Block, 2014).]]> 2021-11-20 14:20:58 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903569667 Examples of how to use it -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903570250 I use free writes at the beginning of class to provide students with an outlet to get into ELA work with no pressure. For example, I typically start my classes with 20 minutes of reading or writing. I center the writing around free writes where sometimes I provide possibly prompts or ideas to write about, and others I do not. Also, I always ensure to tell students that there is no wrong with this activity and the goal is to simply write. If they do not like my ideas they can write about whatever they would like to write about. Having my students be in this habit has made a difference in their writing skills.

Implementing this structure into the classroom has helped to increase students' stamina and honestly improve their writing skills since they are writing consistently and for longer periods now at a time. This is something that I started small with and continued to extend as the weeks went on. I personally feel it is important to provide a space, especially in ELA, where students are able to write about whatever they would like. I like to open the floor in a variety of ways. 

Other ways to use it can be for informative writing, or even persuasive writing, where students are brainstorming ideas and roughly outlining everything they know on a topic (2018). ]]> 2021-11-20 14:21:41 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903570250 How to differentiate -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903570594 For those who struggle with what to write about, I provide a few prompts for them to choose between. Those who do not need any suggestions, I let go off and write. I tell students that they can write about something that is true, something that is made up, something that made them happy, sad, etc., something they wished happened, or even something that is going to happen. What I love about free writes is that there is no “wrong”. I repeat this to students each and every time we do one. I tell them there is no wrong and the goal is just that they write. They can write about anything. When researching more about this strategy that I use to get students to engage in authentic writing I learned off more research proven benefits. These include: “reducing expectations of perfection, providing release of thoughts and emotions, building self-confidence, bringing out emotional blocks and barriers to success, developing good, healthy habits, and offering a blank slate of 100% honesty” (LPI, 2019). Some ways to differentiate this technique are providing sentence starters or prompt ideas for ELLs and lower level learners. Another thing you can do is have students read first then write about their reading, or vise versa to gradually build up the freewriting stamina like I did. With tasks like this I have found so many students continuing their stories from class to class and eventually writing a longer story that they want to share and get feedback on in regards to how to improve their skills and their story in general. The more free writes we do and the more time I give students, the more I notice they enjoy this activity and want to continue their work outside of the classroom. This has been so nice to see and definitely a way I found to help support my students in their growth as young writers!]]> 2021-11-20 14:22:07 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903570594 What is it? adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903589249 Conferring is a strategy teachers can use to help students develop their writing skills by providing them with ownership to their work, an in individual and focused learning manner. Conferring is in simplest terms is having discussions about students writing.

Conferring with students about their writing supports a purposeful student discussion, restates and clarifies their learning focus, and can also provide a guide for next steps. Another benefit to conferring is that scaffolds the learning process. Conferring is also an opportunity for students to apply their learning to their own work before a final summative assessment. For example, if students are writing and argumentative piece, teachers can conference with students about their work. Some questions I like to ask are how it is going. From there, students typically will share any positive or negatives about their piece, voice what they need, and ask any questions they may have. This conference can be 5-10 minutes and I always try to find 1 thing to compliment them on and 1 thing for them to work on. 

From there, students can apply their learning and go back to fix their suggestion from the teacher. It allows them a chance to reflect upon their own work, rework their writing, and recognize their strengths, as well as pinpoint an aspect that will help them grow as a young writer. A few things I love about this strategy are that there are many different forms for conferring and it is a quick technique that allows a conversation between teacher and student about the work they have done.]]> 2021-11-20 14:45:30 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903589249 Example of a conferring sheet -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903591901 This sheet can be used to provide a focus for teachers and students during their conference, provide a space for notes, and outline a future focus.]]> 2021-11-20 14:48:57 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903591901 Example of a conferring sheet -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903592356 This sheet can be used for students to reflect upon their work before and after conferring with the teacher.]]> 2021-11-20 14:49:38 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903592356 Example of a conferring sheet -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903593130 This sheet can be used for teachers, small groups, or partners. It provides a concrete focus for the conference, and also sentence starters to guide students through the process which aids in supporting them with their writing work.]]> 2021-11-20 14:50:43 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903593130 How to differentiate with this strategy -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903595566 In order to differentiate with conferring, teachers can provide set questions to help guide students in their conferences with one another, as well as with the teacher. The teacher can challenge those advanced learners to focus on higher-level thinking skills, and support those lower level learners by giving them 1 thing to focus on to improve their piece, instead of a long list of things. I personally like to give all students 1 thing at a time to work on, instead of overwhelming them. I think it is important to have them go back to their piece with 1 goal in mind at a time, instead of a long list of things. It is important that students see the positives in their own writing and that teachers spend time acknowledging what is working and what is going well in each and every students piece.]]> 2021-11-20 14:53:32 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903595566 Reasoning for choosing these strategies -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903629417
  • These strategies are easy to implement.
  • They encourage students to use their communication, reflective, and critical thinking skills.
  • They are structured and unstructured strategies that are proven to enhance students' writing skills.
  • I have had my own personal success using these strategies with my students.
  • All of these strategies are easily differentiated to meet and fit the needs of all learners.
    • ]]>     2021-11-20 15:38:49 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903629417     Benefits -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903632030
  • Structured and unstructured strategies
  • Research proven to enhance students writing skills
  • All of these strategies can be used in ELA and also across content areas
  • They are transferable to any topic or unit of study
  • Provide students to think critically and also freely about their own work
  • Encourages students to reflect on their writing
  • Promotes positive teacher student relationships, as well as positive student to student relationships (conferring)
  • Gives students choice (free writes)
  • Promotes creativity in a low stress environment (free writes)
  • Can easily be differentiated to support all types of learners in the roomee

    • ]]>     2021-11-20 15:42:12 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903632030     Drawbacks -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903632104
  • Structured and unstructured strategies
  • Involve a mix of thinking skills (critically, reflective)
  • Some students may structure with the freedom of choice (free writes)
  • Some students may be reluctant to share their work and get feedback (conferring)

    • ]]>     2021-11-20 15:42:18 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903632104     How is feedback implemented into these strategies? adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903633821 Feedback is implemented into "ICE"ing and CER through the writing process where we confer, edit, and revise our own work. Feedback can be implemented during the rough draft step in the writing assignment, as well as directly during the conferring process. Feedback is implemented into free writes informally, if students choose to share out. I always give my students the option to share after free writes, and those who do, I provide immediate, on the spot feedback about their piece. Conferring itself is a strategy that is centered around providing feedback. With that in mind, all of these strategies can be accommodates to provided students with feedback on their work.]]> 2021-11-20 15:44:42 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903633821 How to set up the physical classroom space to enhance student interaction and/or success with these strategies -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903634208
  • Provide students with possible prompts to choose from to use during free writes
  • Provide students with graphic organizers and worksheet practice where the strategies of “ICE”ing and CER are explained
  • Scaffold the process and model for the students first before having them do any of this work on their own
  • Provide time to practice these ideas and concepts as a whole class, with pairs/small groups, and then individually
  • Build positive relationships in the room
  • Remain open minded
  • Discuss the importance of being reflective 
  • Discuss what it means to think critically
  • Share a time you received feedback on your own writing and improved from there
  • Ask students what they need to feel supported, confident, and successful during these writing activities
  • Offer choice and be flexible
  • Create a warm and welcoming environment

    • ]]>     2021-11-20 15:45:13 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1903634208     How these strategies promote content areas learning and proficient reading skills -- adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1904774443
    “ICE”ing and CER both promote content area learning by introducing techniques to students in an organized manner to help them break down the writing process. “ICE”ing promotes proficient reading skills because it breaks down the process of this writing technique into simplified steps. Each letter in “ICE” stands for basic terms that students can make sense of on their own and then put them together to make even more sense of this strategy and how to implement it. Students can take this strategy one step, or one letter, at a time to be successful. By utilizing this strategy, students are enhancing their writing skills and practicing proficient reading skills at the same time. CER is a similarly structured activity that promotes proficient reading skills in the same way.

    Free writes promote content area learning by allowing students the opportunity to to deconstruct their ideas and organize them in any manner they so choose. This strategy opens the door to students to allow them to access any material or topic they would like to write about. It could be subject matter related, but of course, with free writes, it does not have to be. Free writes do not necessarily promote proficient reading skills because they are more so for students to get down their thoughts in a less pressured and structured environment. During this particular activity students are not focused on spelling and grammar, nor are they focused on making the most coherent piece. To implement proficient reading skills, after students complete their free writing, teachers could encourage them to go back and use their reading skills to edit and revise their freely written thoughts and responses.

    Conferring promotes content area learning by teacher student discussion. Conferring can be informal or formal and teachers or students can touch upon a series of questions to help organize and deconstruct their writing work. This process can be done through graphic organizers and helps students access ELA material because they will be conferencing directly about their writing work, which is solely related to ELA topics and ideas. Conferring promotes proficient reading skills because it requires students to go back to their own writing and use their reading skills to edit and revise their own work. The reading skills they need are proofreading, editing, and revising. These strategies involve students paying close attention to their work and their organization of their thoughts and ideas, looking closely at their details, diction, and coherency. 



    ]]>     2021-11-21 20:30:10 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1904774443     References adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1904786585
    Block, J. (2014). Student choices leads to student voice. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-choice-leads-to-voice-joshua-block

    Brunsell, E. (2012). Designing science inquiry: claim + evidence + reasoning = explanation. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/science-inquiry-claim-evidence-reasoning-eric-brunsell

    Krulder, J. (2018). 5-minute writing conferences. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-minute-writing-conferences

    London, J. (n.d.) ICE. https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/16293/urlt/68ICE.pdf

     LPI. (2019) 15 benefits of free writing. https://www.lifepurposeinstitute.com/15-benefits-of-free-writing/ 

    WolfPack WORKS. (2020). Conferring with young writers. https://wolfpack-works.ced.ncsu.edu/2020/10/27/conferring-with-young-writers/ 

    ]]>     2021-11-21 20:48:00 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1904786585     The Research adelaporta2 https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1904791112 The research that I found helped to guide my choices by reaffirming the methods I currently use to help my students enhance their writing skills, as well as those I am interested in using to better support them. The research highlighted the benefits and helpful aspects to "ICE"ing, CER, free writes, and conferring. All of these methods have many helpful aspects to them in supporting students with writing. These 4 methods are supported through research, but with everything, more research might be needed to further evaluate these ideas. More research would help to reinforce the positive and successful aspects to these methods. For example, it might be helpful to read some sources about the benefits these methods have specifically on 7th grade ELA students, since that is who I am recommending these for. Overall, the research helped support my chosen strategies and I hope you also find them helpful with you and your students!]]> 2021-11-21 20:55:14 UTC https://padlet.com/adelaporta2/6htu3eo6ybms4luq/wish/1904791112