Nina Sanchez-Flores

LITR 630
8 July 2014
Wiki Written Component
Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured
event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.5 - Develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce

and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Grade Level

9th-10th grade English Language Learners

Time Allotted

70 minute class period (for 1 week)

Materials

Computers

iPads

Wiki

Learning Targets

Students will create a personal narrative from an event in their lives.

Students will proofread and edit their classmates' writing and make constructive
comments.

Procedures (Steps)
1. In previous lessons, students have brainstormed ideas for their personal narratives. They
now have an idea and simply need to begin typing up a rough draft.
2. The first day will be spent typing a rough draft.
3. Prior to beginning the proofreading and editing process, students will peer edit. They are
required to read and make constructive comments on the stories of at least two students.
4. All teacher comments will be made on the Wiki.
Assessment

Formative Assessment - Due to the collaborative nature of the Wiki, I will be able to
view student progress on the Wiki to determine if students are meeting the objectives and
developing a thoughtful personal narrative.

Accommodations

Bilingual dictionaries/use of Google translate

Student pairing when needed to practice

STANDARD
IRA 1.2

IRA 2.2

IRA 2.3

HOW THE LESSON CONNECTS

One large benefit of the Wiki is the teacher's
ability to track the writing process of the
students. Using the history function, I can view
the students' revision process and track their
writing development.
The Wiki allows for differentiated instruction
for all students in the area of writing. Those
students who struggle can be given more
support by the teacher, while those who are
more advanced can work more independently.
After reading mentor texts of personal

IRA 4.2

IRA 5.1

KTS 6.1

KTS 6.2

KTS 6.3

KTS 6.4

KTS 6.5

ISTE 2

narratives, students will then be able to read

the digital resources of their peers.
Respect for other cultures is essential in the
ESL classroom. Because students may write
about sensitive issues (such as war), it is
imperative that the peer commenting portion of
the lesson begin with a discussion of
constructive criticism and respect for other
students.
In my classroom, the computers are lined up
along the back wall. Students are seated next
to each other in case they need support. When
writing personal narratives, they often have to
speak to peers from the same culture to
determine how to describe something in
English. Bilingual dictionaries are in easy
reach.
Now that I am familiar with the use of a Wiki,
I will be able to use it to design other projects
and lessons for my students. It could also be
used to share resources.
I am especially excited about the revision
history aspect of the Wiki. Often, previous
drafts of student writing are thrown away or
lost. With the Wiki, my students and I will be
able to view the students' writing growth.
As a high school teacher, I believe it is
important that students are the "doers" in the
lesson. The Wiki definitely facilitates this use.
Students will be the ones using the technology
and perhaps even adding their own ideas on
ways to further learning.
The collaborative nature of the Wiki will allow
me to give student feedback electronically. As
my students are already familiar with the use of
Edmodo, I have found that they enjoy this
instant feedback.
Unfortunately, cyberbullying is an issue among
teenagers. Keeping this in mind, I will preface
the lesson with a discussion about respect for
all students and constructive criticism.
Furthermore, the Wiki will be monitoring
frequently to ensure a safe digital classroom
environment.
Students will use the Wiki to communicate
with each other and work collaboratively on

ISTE 3

ISTE 5

ISTE 6

TPACK

TPACK

TPACK

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6 - Use
technology, including the Internet, to produce
and publish writing and to interact and
collaborate with others.

their writing assignment. With the comment

function, students will contribute to the
learning of their peers.
Because many refugee students have limited
experience with technology, some students
may need instruction in how to use a Wiki and
where to locate information they may need.
In some countries, copying is actually
indirectly encouraged. Because of this,
copying is rampant among ESL students. In the
introduction lesson, students will be told of the
dangers of plagiarism and how unethical it is in
American society.
ESL students fall across a wide spectrum of
technological knowledge. Some students are
just learning to type, others are almost as
proficient with technology as digital natives.
Therefore, each students will be in a different
stage of this technological process.
Technology is continually changing. While a
few years ago, blogs were the technology of
choice for writing, these days the trend is
toward Wikis. For this reason, I must learn the
newest Wiki technology and how to utilize it in
my classroom so that my students become
productive twenty-first century citizens.
Keeping in mind the target audience is
imperative. Refugee students are trying to
catch up to their American peers in the English
language and technology use in just a few short
years. Depending on their level of comfort with
technology will determine if Wikis are an
appropriate teaching strategy.
The use of the Writing Process will be used
with the students but adapted to fit the
technological medium of the Wiki.
Students will utilize the Wiki to produce, edit,
and publish their writing. In addition, the Wiki
provides a medium for collaboration and
interaction with peers to comment on their
writing and make suggestions on how to
improve.

Connection to the Literature

A wiki is a website that facilitates collaboration with others. In the creation of a
classroom Wiki, each students can have their own page to share their writing with classmates and
the teacher.
According to Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) in The Reading Teacher, "What we
know about young students' development is that they need opportunities to learn language
through interacting with others." This is even more imperative for English Language Learners
who need peer interaction to make meaning of language use. The Wiki allows students to have
this social collaboration in a written, online format that they may otherwise not receive. What I
believe is the most appealing aspect of a Wiki for teachers is that "students can respond to each
other at any place and any time via the wiki, and the conversations are tracked by name, subject,
date, and time" (Sanden & Darragh, 2001, p. 10). Collaboration can happen at any time and be
analyzed by the teacher.

Resources
Andes, L., & Claggett, E. (2011). Wiki Writers: Students and Teachers Making Connections
Across Communities. The Reading Teacher, 64(5), 345-350.
Sanden, S., & Darragh, J. (2011). Wiki use in the 21st-century literacy classroom: A framework
for evalution. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 11(1), 6-20.