Focus on literacy: writing 2000, NSW Department of Education and Training, Curriculum Support Directorate

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1 Focus on literacy: writing 2000, NSW Department of Education and Training, Curriculum Support Directorate A summary of information and impressions of the support document/policy statement Aquilina s foreword part of the State Literacy and Numeracy Plan teachers are required to teach writing to all students, K 12 teaching must be explicit and systematic in all subjects; emphasising and valuing correct spelling; for a range of purposes and in a variety of appropriate contexts ; including composition, processes and presentation; consistently monitoring the development of student writing; supporting students experiencing difficulties; within a planned, whole-school approach ; including partnerships with parents and caregivers. 1. Approaches to teaching of writing Current approach incorporates older methods: traditional emphasis on grammar, spelling, language structure processing writing the classroom as a rich language environment; learner-centred; writing as a series of steps, such as drafting, editing, proofreading and publishing genre or text types learning a repertoire of typical text structure and related grammatical features for different purposes. Additionally, the current approach emphasises critical understanding and social purpose. It is based on a social view, or functional model, of language. 2. A social view of writing Writers always have a purpose. Writing is created in a context and read in a(nother) context. The purpose and context(s) determine the language choices of a writer. Social purposes Students experience writing at home. They need opportunities to write for a range of audiences such as self, peers, parents, community members or local government. A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing 1

2 Students experience writing at school for academic purposes. Emphasis should be placed on the social purpose of text rather than its text type. Teachers need to progressively teach language features and specialist vocabulary within each subject area. Students develop writing skills by critically analysing their writing, their assumptions, their language choices (purpose, structure, cohesion, grammar, vocabulary and presentation) and the effects of those choices, and by looking for alternative viewpoints. Social contexts A context includes: subject matter knowledge and understanding of subject, subjectspecific vocabulary, language structures and features, taught in context roles/relationships of writer and audience determines grammatical structures and word choices to create tone mode of communication written text requires more accurate use of grammar than spoken text. Composing texts In composing a text, the three core considerations are: critical understanding gained by analysing written texts for purpose, roles/relationships, perspective/viewpoint and language features used to achieve these; hence will be able to make judgements about purpose, structure, grammar, vocabulary and presentation in their own writing understanding of typical features helps fulfil readers expectations of text. Common features of a diverse range of real texts should be identified, including purpose of writer, social context, audience, purpose of reader and likely structure flexibility encourages variations from text types to better achieve a purpose and/or social context. Analysing real texts demonstrates flexibility as most texts do not conform to one text type. Teachers should use modelling and guided writing to encourage flexibility for different purposes and contexts. This includes manipulating text structures for special effects, combining text types within a text, examining similar but more demanding texts, and recognising and allowing creativity (as appropriate) in writing. 2 A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing

3 3. Teaching writing explicitly, K 12, with clear links between academic and community purposes so that students understand the purposes and contexts of their writing, compose written texts effectively, move from spoken to written language, and write for different audiences and for different purposes with increasing complexity and sophistication throughout schooling. What to teach Composition of texts Use authentic texts as examples. Analyse the composition of texts purpose, text structure and cohesion of whole texts; sentences and words (syntax, grammar, vocabulary and spelling); surface features (punctuation and layout). Teach students to reflect on how writing changes in different situations, historical times and cultures, and how it is affected by technological change. Above all, teach students to consider the impact of their own writing on their intended readers. The processes of writing Teaching students about the processes of writing equips them to produce accurate texts. This involves: drafting (notes, planning, rough writing) revising (reworking and editing to improve text) conferencing (discussing draft to engage critical reflection and clarification) editing (changing text to improve cohesion, syntax, grammar, vocabulary and such) proofreading (locating and fixing errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and layout in preparation for final presentation) publishing (presenting text to intended audience). The presentation of written texts As they write texts for presentation, students should be explicitly and systematically taught to pay attention to: legibility All teachers should help students to ensure that their handwriting has style, fluency and legibility. Students should also be taught layout to help achieve their purpose and to enhance writing, where appropriate, using different technologies. (All students need to develop confidence, accuracy and speed in keyboard skills, to be A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing 3

4 strategic and discerning in using fonts and formatting, and to conceptualise and write in non-linear forms such as using hypertext links. Students need to understand that there are no quality control or selection procedures on the Internet and they need to be taught about copyright requirements in relation to material published on the Internet. ) spelling Students should be encouraged to use correct spelling in first drafts. They should be taught phonological knowledge (how sounds correspond to letters), visual knowledge (how words look), morphemic knowledge (word meanings and spelling changes in different grammatical situations) and etymological knowledge (origins of words and their meanings). See also Focus on literacy: Spelling. grammar (listed in introduction to section but not explained?) punctuation Students should be encouraged to use correct punctuation in first drafts. They should be taught why punctuation is needed (for example, to indicate intonation and pauses) as well as the conventions of punctuation. Students in primary school should be taught to use punctuation including capital letters, full stops, question marks, commas to separate words in a list and apostrophes of contraction. Other punctuation to be taught (in high school?) includes speech marks, semi-colons, colons, hyphens, commas separating clauses and phrases, and apostrophes of possession. How to teach writing Explicit teaching of writing requires teachers to: (The following points are quoted directly from the document.) 1. define the purpose of every writing task 2. provide opportunities for students to engage in a range of writing purposes 3. share with students the specific nature of the task, the reason for doing it and its value to their learning 4. explain to students the skills, knowledge and understanding required to fulfil the purpose, and demonstrate these where necessary 5. give students opportunities to practise those skills and enhance understanding 6. use a common language to talk about the effectiveness, meaning and accuracy of students writing 7. provide continuous guidance and support as students develop their writing skills, knowledge and understanding 4 A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing

5 8. ensure that students understand the criteria by which their writing will be assessed 9. continuously monitor students achievements 10. provide feedback to students about the effectiveness of their texts, which includes organisation, cohesion, grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and presentation (handwriting or word processing). Systematic teaching of writing Teachers should select and sequence activities to ensure that students develop a comprehensive range of writing knowledge, skills and understanding. Writing activities should be regular and relevant, and should enable students to demonstrate achievement of syllabus outcomes. Teachers should consider the prior knowledge and skills of students and continually monitor progress. Teaching should produce the balanced development of all aspects of writing, such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, handwriting and word processing, as well as the writing processes of drafting, revising and so on. Teaching strategies Students and teachers should have access to, and consult, dictionaries in the classroom. Writing from K 12 should be taught using a combination of modelled, guided and independent writing. These strategies inform and reinforce each other. Modelled writing includes using real text as models and the teacher demonstrating how to write. Modelled writing helps students gain knowledge about language, vocabulary and text structures required to write for a range of purposes (and) should also include explicit teaching about the processes involved in composing texts. Guided writing may involve students working jointly in small groups or with the teacher to compose a text. (Examples are explained in the document.) This enables teachers to discuss purpose and context, to provide guidance about choices of language features and structure, and to demonstrate writing processes. Teachers demonstrate how spoken language is presented as written language, and students and teachers develop a common language for discussing writing. A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing 5

6 Independent writing, or constructing texts without help, provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in composing a variety of texts. Students should be encouraged to: - define their purpose - identify their audience - engage in further research if necessary - jot down ideas and notes - think about how to organise ideas effectively - write drafts - share drafts with peers and the teacher - rework drafts in the light of comments about text organisation, cohesion, grammatical choices, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation and layout - prepare and edit a final draft - publish and present their work for further feedback. 4. A whole-school approach Each school will develop a whole-school plan for the teaching and assessment of literacy, including writing. This will be part of the school s annual management plan. While guidance should come from the school s literacy support team, consultation with other staff, parents and students is desirable. This plan will include a statement of the school s priorities based on students demonstrated achievements in writing in all subjects. The school plan will be reflected in stage and/or faculty programs as well as in classroom plans. The document includes questions to help direct planning for the whole school, stages and faculties, and classes. Whole-school planning School plans should consider resources, teachers knowledge and understanding, and students achievements. Stage or faculty planning A plan is needed for each stage within each faculty. Stage plans set out what language learning is needed within each stage and how language learning integrates with stage subject outcomes. Class planning Class plans are designed to meet the specific needs of all students in the class. Plans should provide direction for learning whilst remaining flexible and responsive. 6 A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing

7 Meeting the needs of different learners Teachers should maintain high expectations of all students and ensure that writing is equally visible and valued across the full range of purposes, contexts and subject areas. All students are entitled to whatever support they need in order to become effective writers. Extending talented writers these students may need a program that enables them to learn at their own pace and that provides enrichment activities using a greater variety of texts and presentations in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. By publishing their writing within and outside the school, talented students are rewarded and others entertained. Supporting writers experiencing difficulties these students require specialised programs to provide adequate support. Early intervention is essential. Developing links between home and school students will be advantaged by cooperative and collaborative links between home and school, where there is respect for the culture of each. Home languages other than English and diverse cultures provide their own rich cultural heritage and (are) a valuable teaching resource. For many students (from different language backgrounds), carefully structured talking and listening activities will be an important bridge to the successful use of written language at school. 5. Assessing students writing achievements Consider each of the following. When to assess Assessment must produce improved teaching and learning. It should be focused, systematic and curriculum-based and may occur within any writing teaching strategy (modelled, guided or independent) and preferably across a range of strategies and syllabus areas. The document provides a variety of examples of assessment tasks. What to assess Students should be assessed on their knowledge and understanding about writing, their skill in composing a range of texts, their understanding about and use of the processes of writing, and their skills in presenting texts for publication. Establishing criteria Criteria should relate the how well students communicate. Criteria should be linked to and contribute evidence of achievement of syllabus outcomes. Several writing samples are necessary. A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing 7

8 Assessing at the text level, sentence level and word level Writing should be assessed as a whole, as sentences and as words. Not all features need to be assessed in each task. Some whole text considerations are: purpose or theme, tense, text structure, types of sentences and cohesive elements (such as conjunctions and pronouns). Some sentence considerations are: adequate construction of clauses, subject and verb agreement, use of articles, prepositions and punctuation. Some word considerations are: spelling and subject-specific vocabulary. Processes and presentation Many of the processes (of writing) can be assessed together. Much of this evidence would need to be collected by observing students behaviours and interacting with them during these processes, in order to confirm that they have developed knowledge about writing and that they understand what they are doing. Successive drafts, from first draft to publication, may also provide written evidence of knowledge, skills and understanding. A nine page annotated bibliography completes the document. 8 A summary of Focus on literacy: Writing