Assisted and Interactive Writing

Assisted Writing Interactive Writing Writing Aloud Packet Table of Contents Comparison of Interactive Writing & Writing-Aloud… 2 Path of Movement (POM)… 3 Planner for Assisted Writing: Interactive Writing… 4, 5 Guidesheet for Interactive Writing… 6-8 Writing Checklist… 9 Lesson Planner for Assisted Writing: Writing Aloud… 10, 11 Guidesheet for Writing Aloud… 12, 13 Orchestrating the Writing Process… 15 Writing Behaviors… 16-19 -Scoring Guide for Writing Proficiency… 20-27

Reading and writing are language processes that use many of the same strategies to communicate meaning.

Writing is a powerful intervention for increasing reading achievement, but only if reading and writing are taught as reciprocal processes.

At the emergent to early levels, the students learn to compose simple messages, acquire foundational concepts about print, understand that writing is about communicating a message, apply rereading strategies to predict and monitor the reading, articulate words slowly and hear and record letters in words, use simple resources as self-help tools, write letters fluently, and build a core of high –frequency words.

If the writing is meaningful, it promotes the integration of four language systems: 1} comprehension of ideas (semantic system) 2} expresion of ideas (syntactic system) 3 & 4} facitliy with mechanics (orthographic and phonological systems.)

Theory… As an intervention, the physical action of transcribing language, while keeping the message up front, is a complex neurological activity. It engages higher-level psychological functions, such as: -conscious awareness (i.e., I need to pay attention to this), -working memory (holding important information in place while acting upon it), -integration (pulling related sources together), -and problem solving

In constructing a writing system, the writer must: Assemble background information for expressing ideas. Formulate an original statement that represents the message to be communicated Find the right words to express the ideas in a clear and precise way. Place the words in the correct order to communicate meaning Hold ideas in working memory long enough to transcribe the message on paper.

The writer must do all of this while remembering the Path of Movement for forming the letters. That’s why it is so vital to learn, and for it to only be 5-6 words long.

The difference between Interactive Writing and Writing Aloud

Assisted writing is an umbrella term for classifying two types of writing: -Interactive Writing - Writing Aloud

At the emergent to early levels, the interactive writing intervention provides a language context for enabling students to:

Compose simple messages Acquire foundational concepts about print Understand that writing is about communicating a message Apply rereading strategies to predict and monitor the reading Articulate words slowly and hear and record letters in words Use simple resources as self-help tools (ABC chart, personal dictionary, writing checklist) Write letters fluently and with correct letter formation Build a core of high-frequency words

The writing-aloud intervention is used with writers who have knowledge of foundational writing concepts, but who are struggling with the writing process.

The goals of writing aloud are to assist students to: Develop an understanding of the writing process and to apply problem-solving strategies for organizing, composing, editing, and revising a meaningful message Understand how to use resources for planning, monitoring, and regulating the writing process

In selecting the best intervention, the teacher must understand three learning theories: Theory or the student- what the student knows about writing and how this knowledge can be used to acquire new information. Theory of the intervention procedure-why and when a specific procedure is implemented Theory of contingent scaffolding-how to adjust scaffolding based on what the student needs to accomplish the learning goal.

Interactive Writing before Guided Reading For kindergarten and first-grade students with low concept about print, the teacher might place these students in the interactive writing IW) intervention for a minimum of two weeks prior to the Guided Reading (GR) intervention. Also, the teacher might choose to layer the two interventions (e.g., GRP on Monday to Thursday and IW on Friday.) Teachers can use the following questions to determine the most appropriate intervetion based on a student’s knowledge about print:

Can the student distinguish between text and illustration? Does the student have some understanding of directionality? Does the student have some knowledge of one-to-one matching? Does the student know the difference between letters and words? Does the student know the letters of the alphabet and a few frequently encountered words (e.g., I, the, a)? Does the student actively participate in shared reading by predicting events and language structures that show an awareness of comprehension, rhythm, and rhyme?

Interventions That Work pp 161-162.

Interventions That Work pp 161-162.

Interactive Writing Intervention Phase One, Reading The reading phase (phase 1) consists of 5 procedural steps:

Shared Reading of Text: The teacher engages the students in a shared reading of a familiar text. The teacher draws the students’ attention to problem-solving opportunities within the text.

2. Shared Reading of ABC Chart: The teacher engages the students in a shared reading of an alphabet chart. The teacher points to the letters on the chart, while the students point to and read the letters on their smaller versions of the chart.

3. Letter and Word Work: The teacher prompts the students to sort letters and build high-frequency words. The students practice writing one or two known words on their individual dry-erase boards.

4. Word Dictionary. The students record their known high-frequency words on appropriate letter page. The students read the high-frequency words for fluent practice.

Interactive Writing Intervention Phase Two, Writing Phase two on the second day consists of the following ten procedural steps:

1. Set Purpose for Writing: The teacher engages the students in setting a purpose for writing; for instance, writing in response to the reading or writing to express an opinion about a particular topic.

2. Negotiate Group Message: The teacher engages the students in an open discussion about the common message.

3. Rehearse Group Message: The teacher and students rehearse the message. While the teacher quickly records the message on the lesson planner.

4. Compose Group Message: The teacher and students collaborate on writing the group message. While one child is adding a word to the message, the other children are engaged in writing the word on their individual dry-erase boards.

5. Reflect on the Process: After the message is completed, the teacher leads the students in using a writing checklist to reflect on the strategies used during the writing.

6. Generate Independent Message: The students choose their own topic to write about or extend the group message. The teacher might offer suggestions to extend the message, though ensuring that the actual language comes from the child.

7. Compose Independent Message: The students write the message and apply recently demonstrated strategies and techniques to their composition.

8. Conduct Individual Conferences: The teacher provides support that meets the unique needs of each student while promoting independent problem solving on the writing task.

9. Share Writing: The students share their writing with the group.

10. Reflect on Strategies Used: The teacher guides the students to share a strategy they used to help them with their writing.

With four 1st Grade students Interactive Writing With four 1st Grade students

Writing Aloud Phase One, Reading… The reading phase (phase one) consists of four procedural sets:

Teacher introduces and reads a new or familiar poem Teacher demonstrates a word-solving strategy, and the students apply this knowledge to solving new words, Teacher reads aloud a book and engages the students in discussion, and Teacher and students create a language chart that will be used as a resource in future lessons.

Writing Aloud Phase Two, Writing… The writing phase (phase two) consists of the following steps:

Teacher models the thinking process for composing a text, Teacher writes the message on a large chart tablet and engages the students in contributing to the message, Teacher stops at strategic points to problem solve on particular aspects of writing process, and Teacher uses clear demonstrations, explicit teaching, and guided participation to keep the students actively involved in the learning.

Writing Aloud With four 2nd Grade students

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