“The Writing Rope: A Framework for Evidence-Based Writing Instruction”
This workshop includes an overview of The Writing Rope model for writing instruction (Sedita, 2019). Many teachers do not recognize that effective writing instruction must address multiple components, represented as strands in a rope in this model. An explanation with references to research findings will be provided for the five strands: 1) Critical Thinking (generating ideas and information, stages of the writing process), 2) Syntax (syntactic awareness, sentence elaboration, punctuation), 3) Text Structure (narrative, informational, opinion; paragraph structure; patterns of organization, 4) Writing Craft (awareness of task, audience, purpose; word choice; literary devices, 5) Transcription (spelling and handwriting fluency). This workshop addresses writing instruction across grades 3-12.
Instructional Suggestions to Support Sentence, Paragraph Writing, and Patterns of Organization
This session will provide suggestions for developing syntactic awareness to grow student ability to write better, more sophisticated sentences. Topics include the two parts of a sentence, sentence scrambles, sentence elaboration, sentence combining. The session then focuses on suggestions for teaching students how to write quality paragraphs, as well as organization structures and transitions for patterns of organization (description, sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution).
Writing About Reading
This session for teachers of all subjects shares teaching suggestions for writing tasks related to writing about reading. This includes suggestions for writing summaries, writing personal responses to narrative text, and writing responses to writing prompts based on sources. The importance of writing to learn is emphasized.
