2/7/14 All faculty Collins Writing professional development

3 F's:
Frequency--of writing experiences
Focus--of instruction
Feedback--on strategic goals

Type 1: (Try to) Identify at least 5 of the 50 most important breakthroughs in human history according to The Atlantic. (Gary Chadwell often opens his presentations with an activity directly from the Collins Writing Program, like this one, to model teaching practice.  This activity involves a nonfiction text.)
Me:
car
internet
money?
photography
microprocessor
TV
------- Bill Canaday:
assembly line
environmental energy
guns
domestication of livestock
making glass
-------- Emily Lew:
printing press
compass
gun powder
touch screen

Type 2: Come up with 3 of the top 5 (all of the top 5 were mentioned in a group share)
Printing press
Electricity
internet
Actual:
Printing press
electricity
semiconductor electronics
optical lenses

After handing out the list of 50, we are prompted to mold the list into a potential activity for the classroom.
"Frequent quizzing promotes learning."  Sometimes we teach content and not enough how to access the content.  Highlighting, cramming does not work.  Practice testing DOES work.  Formative assessment.  Type 2 writing.

Active review technique for larger group:
Quiz - Quiz - Trade: (Slips of paper with a question on one side and an answer on the other)
1) Quiz your partner.  If they don't know the answer, give a tip.  Tip, Tip, tell.
2) Partner quizzes you
3) Trade questions
4) Find a new partner

Type 2: Identify at least one improvement you might make to this set of FCA's for an argument composition--
state your opinion--(identify the issue, acknowledge a counterclaim, give your opinion with reasons stated briefly; no "I" to write in an objective tone)
reasons to support (numeric value for quote sandwiches, properly embedded)
write with voice (figurative language, sensory detail, vary the beginning of sentences, vary the length of sentences, "write with an expert voice using at least 5 of our unit vocabulary words")

Create a Type 2 prompt that I could use next week in my teaching.
"Type 2: List 3 similarities that Siddhartha has with Vasudeva that are revealed during Siddhartha's time on the River."

Handouts: a revised Bloom's Taxonomy that includes gerunds instead of nouns; list of general academic vocabulary found in the common core.

Type 3: re-write your Type 2 prompt
FCAs -- specific (# in ?) {40 pts}
              1-3 GAV terms  {40 pts}
              Requires higher order thinking skills  {20 pts}

Revised: "Show the connection between Siddhartha and Vasudeva. Analyze Siddhartha's time on the River and delineate between the two characters by explaining 3 similarities or differences."

Instruct students to read Type 3s to themselves in a 1 foot voice and stop and put a check mark for each FCA that they find is met.  Give students a quota of check marks.

For going from a Type 3 to 4 to 5--
1) Three step editing:

• 1st paper teacher reviews
• 2nd paper peer reviews
• 3rd paper individual reviews

2) Peer review for FCAs and sign off ("Write 2-3 comments on your peer's paper that you think I would make.")
3) Turn Type 4 into Type 5-publish

How do you embed writing into your instruction?  Could it be better?  More efficient?
Handouts + Activity: Unit Planning Activity; Assignment Planning Sheet

Paired with others to get feedback on unit plans.

Finished at 1:50!!!!!!!!!!!