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Soaring Toward Success: Strategies and Tips for FCAT Writes (Elementary)

Are Area Superintendents Area Directors Area Support Teams Presented by Tara Smith & Lisa Collum . Soaring Toward Success: Strategies and Tips for FCAT Writes (Elementary). February 8, 2011. Agenda. Incentives Time Management Planning Strategies Organization and Support Strategies

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Soaring Toward Success: Strategies and Tips for FCAT Writes (Elementary)

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  1. Are Area Superintendents Area Directors Area Support Teams Presented by Tara Smith & Lisa Collum Soaring Toward Success: Strategies and Tips for FCAT Writes(Elementary) February 8, 2011

  2. Agenda • Incentives • Time Management • Planning Strategies • Organization and Support Strategies • Narrative • Expository • Importance of Elaboration • Proofreading and Revising Strategy • Last-minute Tips and Reminders

  3. Build Confidence • Principal’s Challenge • Incentives • Goal Sheet • Feeding the Principal Scores • Conferencing with Students • Instruction

  4. Test-taking Strategy: “Race Against The Clock” Problem: Students not finishing in 45 minutesSolution: Timed practice • Hand out planning sheet and lined paper. • Start with planning. Say “ready, set, go!” Time students for 5 minutes. • Go through each paragraph of the essay and time students. • Make it a game! You can even use raffle tickets after students finish each paragraph and do a raffle at the end of class. • Planning – 5 minutes • Introduction – 5 minutes • 1st Middle Paragraph – 9 minutes • 2nd Middle Paragraph – 9 minutes • 3rd Middle Paragraph – 9 minutes • Conclusion – 5 minutes • Proofread and Edit – 3 minutes

  5. Understanding the PromptProblem: Students not knowing what the prompt is asking or in which mode to writeSolution: Marking the prompt to maintain focus • Students should practice locating and markingkey words and phrases in the prompt to help them determine important aspects of the writing scenario. • Topic • Audience • Purpose • Students should also practice asking key questions to understand what the prompt requires of them. • Topic: What am I supposed to do? Do I have more than one job? • Audience: Who am I writing to? What should my writing sound like? What language should I use? • Purpose: Why am I writing? To tell a story or explain? • Support: What will my reasons or main points be? What details should I use? Where will my setting be? Who are my characters and what are they like? What problems or situations will I include? What will the outcome be?

  6. Quick Planning - NarrativeProblem: Students spending too much time on planningSolution: Quick planning strategies for narrative writing • Encourage students to narrow their plot to 3 main events for narrative or main points/reasons for expository so they can elaborate rather than simply list. • Goal: If students pick 3 main events or reasons to write about in their middle paragraphs, they can elaborate on those events and reasons in 10-12 lines with ample details. • Problem: If students have 5 or 6 plot points, they tend to list and only write a small amount about each. If they have fewer than 3, students tend not to write enough details. Beginning: Middle: Problem 1. 2. 3. Solution Ending: Takeaway: Feeling + Lesson Learned

  7. Narrative Story IdeasProblem: Students not knowing what to write aboutSolution: Generating creative ideas • Make it interesting! • If the prompt asks students to write a story about a time they went on a field trip, remind students that they do not have to go to the zoo or to the movie theater. They can go to Mars or Under the Sea! • Use books, TV shows, and movies to generate ideas. • Share ideas from students.

  8. Quick Planning – ExpositoryProblem: Students spending too much time on planning Solution: Quick planning strategies for expository writing Topic: Audience: Purpose: #1: Example: #2: Anecdote: #3: Personal Experience: TOPIC Reason #1 Reason#3 Reason #2 Example Anecdote Example

  9. Timed Planning ActivityProblem: Students spending too much time on planning Solution: Timed planning practice • Give students a planning sheet and prompt (similar to Palm Beach Writes). • Writing Situation • Writing Directions • Set a timer or stop watch and allow students 5 minutes to plan. • Let students know when time is up. • Give another prompt and repeat the process. • Attempt to get through 8-10 prompts in one block. • Goal: Help students plan quickly so they do not waste time on day of test.

  10. Narrative Organization StrategyProblem: Students having difficulty organizing their storiesSolution: Story Frames Beginning Lead: Setting and Character Description: Hint at Problem: Event #3: Event #1: Middle Resolution: Event #2: Takeaway: Ending

  11. Key Questions Problem: Students having trouble supporting their narratives Solution: 5W’s and 1 H Strategy Who is the story about? (characters) Where is the story going to take place? (setting) When is the story going to happen? (setting) What are my three main events? (problem/challenge) Why is there a problem? How are my characters going to try to solve the problem? How does my character feel in the end?

  12. Essay Organization StrategyProblem: Students having difficulty organizing their essaysSolution: Hamburger Analogy • Encourage students to picture their essays as they would a hamburger. • Introduction = top bun • Middle = meaty layers • Conclusion = bottom bun

  13. Essay Organization StrategyProblem: Students having difficulty organizing their essaysSolution: Essay Frames Introduction Lead/Opener: Connection to Prompt/Reasons: Thesis: Reason #3: Reason #1: Middle Thesis: Reason #2: Supports: Final Thought: Conclusion

  14. Organization of IntroductionProblem: Students having trouble organizing the introductionSolution: Keep it short and simple! Lead Supporting Reasons Thesis with Ending Thought

  15. Essay Organization Strategy • Problem: Students having difficulty following the order of reasons given in the introduction • Solution: Number or color code each reason a different color in the introduction. Highlight the reason statements in the detail paragraphs accordingly. Detail Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence Detail Paragraph #2 Topic Sentence #1 Detail Paragraph #3 Topic Sentence #2 #3

  16. Essay Organization StrategyProblem: Students experiencing difficulty organizing their detail paragraphsSolution: Meaty Middles • Give students an organization strategy for filling their middle (detail) paragraphs with MEAT! • M – Make your point. • E – Explain it clearly. • A – Add support. • T – Tie it together.

  17. Organization of Conclusion Paragraph Problem: Students having trouble wrapping upSolution: Keep it short and simple! The Concise Conclusion • Restate the thesis statement in a fresh way. • Recap main support points. • End with a broad final thought for the reader.

  18. Essay Organization and Support StrategyProblem: Students struggling with support; Small middle paragraphsSolution: Using A’s and B’s from planning sheet to give examples and elaborate -use A’s and B’s on planning sheet -support with A (2-3 sentences), give specific examples and elaborate -support with B (2-3 sentences), give specific examples and elaborate -Personal connection T: a. b. R1: R2: a. b. R3: a. b. T:

  19. Essay Elaboration StrategyProblem: Students struggling with support; Small middle paragraphsSolution: FRIES • Encourage students to add a variety of support forms to their detail paragraphs. • Students can use a catchyacronym such as FRIES to remember the menu of options for details they can choose from to include in their middle paragraphs. • F – Facts and Figurative Language • R – Reasons and Recommendations • I – Imagery • E – Examples and Expert Testimony (Quotes) • S – Story Examples and Statistics

  20. Narrative Elaboration StrategyProblem: Students struggling with support; Small middle paragraphs Solution: Turning Sentences into Paragraphs • For students having trouble writing enough details for their supporting sentences, model how to elaborate and extend a single sentence by walking students through a detailed description of events. • Example: “I went into the lunchroom, ate lunch and then went back to class.” • “I walked into the lunchroom and went straight to the food line. When it was my turn, I ordered chicken fingers and French fries. I grabbed a grape juice and peaches to go along with my meal. My friend and I sat down at the table and started to eat. We talked about our day and what we were going to do after school. Once we were done eating, we threw our trays away and lined up to go back to class.”

  21. Model Using the Color-coding System: Anytime you model, color code! Problem – students missing parts in each paragraph Solution – Color Code when teaching Expository Example: If you are modeling the middle paragraphs…. Topic sentence in red 1st supporting sentences in green 2nd supporting sentences in blue Personal Connection/ Statistic/Quote in black Wrap up in orange Expository Example: If you are modeling the introduction paragraph… • Write the hook in one color. • Write the 3 reasons (thesis) in another. • Place the ending thought in another.

  22. Highlighter Proofreading and Revising StrategyProblem: Students leaving out important informationSolution: Give students highlighters and a checklist to revise • Provide each student with 5 highlighters (all different colors). • Students can highlight and label the parts of their middle paragraphs in different colors. • Topic Sentence • First Supporting Sentences (A) • Second Supporting Sentences (B) • Personal Story or FRIES • Wrap-up Sentences • After self checking, students should revise their paragraphs to add the parts they are missing.

  23. Classroom Resources for Narrative and Expository Writing Flocabulary: Hip-Hop in the Classroom Brain Pop & Brain Pop Jr. Sample Topics Plot Elements How to write a Short Story The How-to Essay Writing about Yourself The Writing Process The Five Paragraph Essay Writing with the 5 Senses http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/ http://www.brainpopjr.com/readingandwriting/storyelements/ http://www.flocabulary.com/fivethings.html

  24. FCAT Writing Last-minute Tips and Reminders • Testing Environment – Make sure you have simulated more than once before FCAT Writes! • Display a student friendly version of the rubric in a visible location of the classroom. • Link feedback to the scored areas of FCAT Writes (e.g., focus, organization, support, and conventions) • Provide a writing review in the days leading up to the test. Review both narrative and expository writing as well as test-taking strategies. • Mimic FCAT Writes prompt language and format when creating additional writing assessments in the weeks before the test. • Only use FCAT lined paper and planning sheets from now until test. • Encourage students to write as much as they can in the time they have. • Make sure students are using pencils to write with instead of pens. (Go easy on erasers!) • Remind students to write their responses only within the lined sections of pages 3 and 4 of the FCAT Writes paper. • Incorporate writing activities across the curriculum. • Assign one person to monitor attendance daily and follow up with phone calls. (These are the students that usually need the most help!) • Strategically assign substitutes in these weeks before FCAT Writes.

  25. Contact Information Tara J. Smith South Area Support Team Writing Resource Teacher Office: 561-330-3937 PX 73937 Cell: 561-318-9782 Email: smithtar@palmbeach.k12.fl.us Lisa Collum North Area Support Team Writing Resource Teacher Office: 561-494-1500 PX 81578 Cell: 561-628-3099 Email: colluml@palmbeach.k12.fl.us

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