Week 7

Writing: Elementary Education

 House Keeping
Due Today:
No School:
⊹ Reading Response
⊹ Week of March 5, 2023
Week 7
Article of the Week:
⊹ Post Writer’s
⊹ Today: Check Elearning
Website Link
⊹ Next Week: Check Elearning
Due Next Week
⊹ Reading Response
Week 8
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Mid-term Grades
Mid-term Grades will be posted on Elearning
on Friday, March 3. A notice will be placed in
the News portion of Elearning when they
have been posted.
Based on your Mid-Term grades and your
understanding of the requirements of the
course, you can decide if you would like to
have a Student/Teacher Conference. This
conference is optional. Request a conference
with Mrs. Meeusen via email.
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Pen Pal Assignment
Final Project
Instructions for the Pen Pal Assignment
and the Final Writer’s Website, Teaching
Philosophy, and Multimedia Project is
posted in the Content Area of Elearning.
If you need support to complete these
tasks, please make an appointment for a
Student Conference.

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Student/Teacher
Conferences
Sign up for Optional
Student/Teacher Conferences
via email to Mrs. Meeusen.

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 Objectives & Goals:
Overview v Composition (L.7)
v Spelling (L.9)
v Handwriting (L.15)
Activities:
v Take Notes in Writer’s Website
v Kagan Structures
v Group Writing Project
v Lesson Planning
Lessons:
v Persuasive Writing - Melvin Fargo
v Writing with Digital Tools
v Handwriting & Spelling
Assessment:
v Exit Ticket, Group Discussion, Class
Discussion
Writer’s Website
Things to Remember:
v Call your website/Bitmoji Classroom
Writer’s Website
v Name on Home Page
v Project Board (Bitmoji Classroom)
could be a live link to quickly access
slides
 Learning Outcomes
Students will select, craft, and assess instructional methods that develop
written composition abilities in a variety of motivating and engaging
contexts, including writing across the disciplines. Students will explore
the following instructional practices: setting writing goals,
offering/receiving/incorporating feedback, engaging the writing process
and strategies, and studying models and non-models of writing for a
variety of purposes and audiences.
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 Learning Outcomes
Students will develop strategies to use diagnostic and formative
assessments to develop spelling instruction that emphasizes spelling
as a connection between individual and groups of phonemes (letter
sounds) and graphemes (letter symbols) and morphemes (meaning
units) that, among other things, allows readers to translate thought into
written words (encoding).

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Article of
the Week
M/W
Presenter:
Juliana
Riley S. 10
Next Week
M/W
Presenter:
Rayne
Maddy 11
Article of
the Week
T/Th
Presenter:
Madi
Alison 12
Next Week
T/Th
Presenter:
Taylor
SamAra
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Article of
the Week
Wed.
Presenter:
Ellison
Kyra 14
Next Week
M/W
Presenter:
Devin
Jaclyn 15
Kagan Strategies
Video Gallery
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“ The digital era has negatively
impacted grammar and
writing skills. But it doesn't
have to if K-12 schools do
their jobs.
~ Anonymous Tweet
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Writing With Digital Tools
It is important to recognize the importance of understanding social
settings and the fact that so many digital landscapes do not
warrant traditional grammar structures.
q If the purpose of school is to transfer knowledge in ways that
allow children to become productive members of society
(economic, cultural, social) then shouldn’t 21st century
education prepare students to read and write with the
affordances of digital tools whether or not they conform to
traditional norms
q Student grammar and writing skills parallel electronic dialogue
q Students rely on autocorrect, write in short sentences with
little detail and use punctuation sparingly when engaging in
out-of-school digital literacy practices
q It is the schools/ responsibility to teach students about
different types of writing. 18
Writing With Digital Tools
Schools are equipped with a range of digital tools
q Computers, cameras, tablets, interactive whiteboards
q Multimodal with words, images, animation, hyperlinks or
sound that all carry meaning
q Nonlinear – incorporating hyperlinks and other modes to
guide readers down varying paths
q Malleable – enables writer to continuously revise content
and change backgrounds, font styles, place graphics to
determine the best format for their writing
q Easily shareable/publishable on Internet
q Increases student motivation and peer revision
q College and career ready for collaborative skills
q CCST – typing, spelling, handwriting, genre, strategies
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Writing With Digital Tools
Blogs
q Virtual spaces where writers share thoughts, ponder
ideas, and pose questions using compilations of
words, images, video, and audio
q Take on role of writer and editor
q Enable readers to comment on entries, allowing
relationships to form between readers and writers
Wikis
q Digital collaborative writing space where writers
incorporate a range of modes to share thoughts and
ideas about different topics within a single text (i.e.
Wikipedia, Google Docs)
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Writing With Digital Tools
Social Media Tools
q Forms of electronic communications through which users
create online communities to share information, ideas,
personal messages, and other content in a safe and secure
environment (i.e. parent communication, promote schools,
and showcase student work, Instagram, Twitter)
Educational Applications that Support Writing
q Software programs designed to support user content
knowledge, productivity, presentation, and/or gaming in the
content areas (Content Apps, Presentation Apps)
Professional Learning Networks
q Unique aspect of a digital PLN is the opportunity to connect
with the global community, allowing the exchange of truly
diverse perspectives 21
Writing With Digital Tools
Final Thoughts
q Teachers are more inclined to integrate digital tools when
there is a clear connection between technology-based
activities and curriculum standards
q Students are expected to:
1. Use a variety of digital tools
2. Produce and publish digital media
3. Interact and collaborate with others on their writing
4. Use multimedia (i.e., modes) to scaffold comprehension of
their text
Conclusion
q Read page 205 for the wrap up!
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Melvin Fargo Writing Lesson
Persuasive Writing
We will revisit our
writing lesson. Make sure
to take thorough notes.
This teaching lesson will
be a critical part of our
Group Writing Project.

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Cultivating Genius

“We need more diversity in

texts in and out of the
classroom and also access to
other literature when the
school-sanctioned literature
isn’t enough.”

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Handwriting
The Importance of Teaching Handwriting
Researchers claim that transcription skills (handwriting and spelling) are
necessary for writing development. Even in a digital age, current
pedagogical practices and evidence supports that learning to write by
hand, provides justified reasons for handwriting to be taught and
practiced from very early on.
Low handwriting fluency is associated with poor writing performance
Ø teacher perception
Ø slow handwriting difficult to keep pace with language speed
Ø handwriting requires attentional resources
Ø physical effort and cognitive demands along with poor instruction and
unsupportive writing community
Handwriting should be explicitly taught and systematically practiced as
soon as possible (and until 9th grade) even if there are digital options
Handwriting
Assessment of Handwriting
Assessment of handwriting is critical for teachers to define instructional
needs, monitor progress, adapt when appropriate, and access the impact
of instruction.
Ø Legibility – the extent to which written material is readable
Ø Fluency – measured through the number legible letters or words
produced accurately and quickly within a specific period of time

Best Practices in Teaching Handwriting

Sooner or later, all students end up developing their own handwriting
style which is a combination of manuscript (printing) and cursive. Children
writing as much as possible about motivating topics without other writing
concerns is an effective method for promoting handwriting legibility and
fluence.
Handwriting
Pages 216-220 give examples of activities and exercises to
teach and train handwriting.
Practices Supporting the Teaching of Handwriting
Ø Goal setting and self-monitoring are powerful aids in the teaching of
handwriting
Ø Students need a clear sense of their progress along with
opportunities to practice and work on mastery
Ø Parents and teachers should play an active role in monitoring and
providing feedback of student work
 Spelling
Spelling is a significant and valuable of portion of Elementary Education. Spelling is part of everyday
communication, and is closely linked (in people’s minds) to intelligence and education although there
is no strong research that connects intelligence to spelling. Children perceive spelling errors as a lack
of education.

There is considerable difficulty, despite the spelling strategies used, for students to spell accurately
(especially when it comes to words that do not fit the typical rules of the English language.)

Pages 222 -228 are full of theoretical information that goes beyond the scope of this course. The
topics of these materials are: Phonology, Morphology, Orthotactics, and Etymology. This
information is handy to have, but rarely needed during a typical elementary school day.
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 Teaching
Spelling Memorizing does show
evidence that it has a role in
Assessment
spelling development. Exposure
Traditional Spelling Tests to written words helps students
are not the most effective detect patterns in spelling.
way to determine what Focusing phonological skills and
type of instruction a letter knowledge. Providing
student needs to improve spelling instruction
and progress in spelling. opportunities that capitalizes on
Knowing the principals of all levels of representation
spelling works better than should be the main focus. See
rote memorization. See pages 230 - 233.
Table 9.2 on p. 230. 29
 Conclusion
Handwriting and spelling are closely intertwined. Handwriting
is about persistence and strenuous practice, and spelling is
about knowing your own language. Effective teachers are the
ones who develop their role as a coach and a mentor. Adding
a curriculum to the mix, students will join the literate world
with great success at an early age.
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 What Questions
do you Have?
Remember, you can always send me
an email with any questions or
concerns you might have. I am glad to
help!!
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Group Writing Project – Quiet Quitting
Continue to work on the true meaning of
Quiet Quitting and the role Angela Watson
plays in this new way of thinking.
⊹ Read research carefully and discuss with your
colleagues to find the accurate account
⊹ Decide who will be for and who will be against
⊹ Think about Marvin and the steps he took when
writing his essay
⊹ Use a graphic organizer of your choice to connect
ideas and organize thoughts
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Student Perspective – Mackenzie Says…
“Quiet quitting occurs when people only do the bare
minimum of what is required. Many people used to go
above and beyond what was expected of them in
order to advance in the company. Angela Watson is a
teacher and instructional coach. Angela Watson's
opinion is significant because she has extensive
classroom experience that can assist teachers. On
Angela Watson’s website, she talks about having a
40 hour work week. Quiet quitting is a problem in my
opinion because it encourages this generation to not
try their hardest and instead encourages people to
stay where they are in their company. I think this is
happening now because of social media.”
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