Helping Students with Writing and Integrating LLN and Multi-literacies into Planning a Project

1. Helping Students with Writing and Integrating LLN and Multi-literacies into Planning a Project Jean Searle Queensland Council for Adult Literacy

2. Overview • Why and how we write • Writing process or process writing • Planning a project using the teaching-learning cycle • Writing activity

3. Literary Narrative (to narrate events) Non-narrative (to reflect upon events or issues) Non-literary Transactional (to present functional information often by completing a form) Procedural (to direct or instruct through a sequence of actions or steps) Report (to report on events, phenomena or issues) Expository (to account for why things are as they are) Persuasive (to put forward a point of view, or argument) Text Types or Genres

4. Writing process or process writing? Process writing (Donald Graves, Brian Cambourne) comes from the whole language school and theories of acquisition – that people should learn to write by writing and by being creative. The Writing Process or Genre theory, grew out of the work of Michael Halliday who believes that language is learned i.e. we learn to make meaning. Language is also a social practice, so meanings vary according to the situation, the topic, the people involved and whether it is spoken or written in particular ways (text types or genres).

5. Writing is a staged, purposeful, goal oriented, cultural activity.

6. Topic: Food in AustraliaVisit to local food shops or food factories FIELD BUILDING – Establishing a purpose for the activity: • Oral discussion about what food we eat and where it comes from- NB different cultures, different foods. • Use internet to find out where and how food is grown/produced locally. • Use internet to check signs on packaging eg Heart Foundation tick of approval Oral discussion about visit to shops/farm/factory Where When Cost Transport Writing: Minutes of discussion Letters/email re visit

7. MODELLING – Guiding by example Oral language • How to ask questions • How to compare food prices & value - consider ‘best buys’ • Language of recount, reflection Reading • How to scan a catalogue (paper or online) for good deals • How to read packaging for information Writing • How to make notes as the activity takes place • How to write different text types/genres Numeracy • Price comparisons and value • Working out the costs of the visit • Working out a budget for food • Timetables/maps (paper or online)

8. JOINT CONSTRUCTION Oral language • Oral reflection on observations on return to class • Oral recounting of observations • Oral discussion re how to voice complaints Writing • Collecting information – class brainstorm/mind map - recorded on whiteboard • Sorting information depending on what type of writing: -       Language experience story - Recount of visit - Report on aspects of the visit - Letter of complaint re quality of food - Recipe using some of the food purchase - Essay on the topic ‘Healthy Eating’ • First draft of writing, approximation – note text structure • Conferencing

9. INDEPENDENT CONSTRUCTION Writing • Second draft of writing • Editing - check for text structure, grammar and spelling • Publishing – use of technology

10. Writing Activity • Each table decide on an NRS level - Level 1 – language experience; - Level 2 – short description or recount; - Level 3 – 2-3 paragraphs, decide on which genre; - Level 4 – knowledge of genre, language features etc. • Brainstorm data re topic (record on whiteboard or paper) • Each table think about ‘their’ student(s): - How they might group the information from the brainstorm - Which order might they present the information - Who/what are they writing for - What genre are they using • Write • Conferencing: what works really well; where would you need more information; do the beginning/endings work well?

11. For more information about the Queensland Council for Adult Literacy go to:www.qcal.org.au