“10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know” Jeff Anderson ‘Practicing and Applying Motion, Models, and Focus to our Writing’ November 5, 2012

“What is writing? How do we do it well?” Use a numbered index card at your table to respond to the corresponding sentence stem. 1.Good student writers…… 2.Students are motivated to write when…. 3.Good teachers of writing…….

‘10 Things Every Writer Should Know’ Motion & Models Focus Detail Form Frames Cohesion Energy Words Clutter

Motion: Getting and Keeping Writers Motivated “The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.” - Malcolm Gladwell

Strategies for ‘Making Motion Work’ Spill your words on the page Speak up and be heard Set time limits Generate momentum by talking Capture inspiration and information

Power Writing: A “Word Spilling” Strategy Teacher displays two words. Students select one. Teacher says, “Write as much as you can, as fast as you can, as well as you can in one minute. Go!” Students write for one minute. Teacher calls time: “Stop writing. Lift your pencil up in the air. Draw a line underneath what you just wrote. Count the number of words you wrote.” Students record word count under the line. Teacher records results for each round on chart. Repeat for a total of three rounds. Teacher may vary routine by having student use both words, instead of one.

Classical Invention: A format for exploring a topic from multiple angles Helps writers ‘think through’ a topic before they write Utilized as a concrete/structure way to begin writing

“Using Classical Invention in the Classroom” 1.Read and answer the questions one at a time, thoughtfully. 2.Jot down brief notes for answers. 3.If you get stuck or have nothing to say, move on. 4.Reread your answers, and put a star beside or highlight useful or thought provoking words or ideas.

Classical Invention Topic: fate 1. How does the dictionary define fate? Force predetermining events, outcome, destiny Disastrous consequence 2. What earlier words did fate come from? fatum – prediction, sentence of the Gods 3. What part of fate can be divided into? (none, but here are words that have fate as a root: Fatal, Fateful) 4. What other words mean approximately the same thing as fate? Destiny, fortune, chance, providence, luck, doom 5. What are some examples of fate…?

Models: Using Mentor texts “Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art of craft. Bach and Picasso didn’t spring full-blown as Bach and Picasso, they needed models. This is especially true of writing.-- William Zinsser 1.Notice: Observe what the writing is doing 2.Interact: Highlight what you notice, discuss 3.Name: Build theories about what you see happening 4.Experiment: Apply something the writer did 5.Reflect: How and where you will use this craft in your writing?

#1- Notice: Observe what the Writer is Doing Students consider questions below as they read a mentor text, highlighting & jotting notes – What is the writer doing in the text we are reading? – What is working well? – What do you see or react to? – What strategies did the writer use to make their writing strong?

#2- Interact: Highlight & discuss what you noticed Students discuss ‘noticings’ with partner, using guiding questions below. – Does anything this writer did affect you? How? Why? – What do you notice that is like something else you’ve read? – What’s different? – What did the author specifically do to get the reaction from the reader?

#3- Name Concrete Actions or Strategies: Build theories about what you see happening Whole group: Class shares strategies that were utilized and strategies are charted. What did we notice, question, or study? How might we translate what the author did into a strategy? What strategies should we document so that we can try to use them in our writing?

#4- Experiment with What You’ve Noticed

#5- Reflect on What You’ve Tried Students reflect in partners of small groups & strategies are synthesized whole group: 1.What strategies did you use within your writing? – How did they work for you? 2.How and where might you use this strategy in other writings? Whole group: Revisit the strategy chart & star anything else we may want to think about when we experiment with Frank Baum’s strategies.

Focus: An Important Essential Principle Narrow your topic & maintain it. Use audience/purpose to shape focus Find a unifying thread or pattern Capture focus with leads Summarize to hone your focus.

things you learned 2 connections to your classroom instruction 1 wondering you still have