RTI: Writing Interventions Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

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RTI Writing Interventions Jim
Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
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Elbow Group Activity When was your writing
breakthrough point?

• In your group, discuss when each member felt that
  they reached the breakthrough point when they
  felt they were competent writers.
• Be prepared to share your discussion with the
  larger group.

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• "If all the grammarians in the world were placed
  end to end, it would be a good thing."
• Oscar Wilde

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Graham, S., Perin, D. (2007). Writing next
Effective strategies to improve writing of
adolescents in middle and high schools A report
to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington,
DC Alliance for Excellent Education. Retrieved
from http//www.all4ed.org/files/WritingNext.pdf
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The Effect of Grammar Instruction as an
Independent Activity

• Grammar instruction in the studies reviewed
  for the Writing Next report involved the
  explicit and systematic teaching of the parts of
  speech and structure of sentences. The
  meta-analysis found an effect for this type of
  instruction for students across the full range of
  ability, but surprisingly, this effect was
  negativeSuch findings raise serious questions
  about some educators enthusiasm for traditional
  grammar instruction as a focus of writing
  instruction for adolescents.Overall, the
  findings on grammar instruction suggest that,
  although teaching grammar is important,
  alternative procedures, such as sentence
  combining, are more effective than traditional
  approaches for improving the quality of students
  writing. p. 21

Source Graham, S., Perin, D. (2007). Writing
next Effective strategies to improve writing of
adolescents in middle and high schools A report
to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington,
DC Alliance for Excellent Education.
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• Domains of writing to be assessed (Robinson
  Howell, 2008)
• Fluency/Text Generation Facility in getting text
  onto paper or typed into the computer. (NOTE
  This element can be significantly influenced by
  student motivation.)
• Syntactic Maturity This skill includes the
• Ability to discern when a word string meets
  criteria as a complete sentence
• Ability to write compositions with a diverse
  range of sentence structures
• Semantic Maturity Writers use of vocabulary of
  range and sophistication

Source Robinson, L. K., Howell, K. W. (2008).
Best practices in curriculum-based evaluation
written expression. In A. Thomas J. Grimes
(Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V
(pp. 439-452). Bethesda, MD National Association
of School Psychologists.
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Students must learn that writing is a process
(plan, write, revise) not a static product.
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Domains of writing to be assessed (Robinson
Howell, 2008)

• 5-Step Writing Process (Items in bold are
  iterative)
• Planning. The student carries out necessary
  pre-writing planning activities, including
  content, format, and outline.
• Drafting. The student writes or types the
  composition.
• Revision. The student reviews the content of the
  composition-in-progress and makes changes as
  needed. After producing an initial written draft,
  the student considers revisions to content before
  turning in for a grade or evaluation.
• Editing. The student looks over the composition
  and corrects any mechanical mistakes
  (capitalization, punctuation, etc.).
• Publication The student submits the composition
  in finished form.

Source Robinson, L. K., Howell, K. W. (2008).
Best practices in curriculum-based evaluation
written expression. In A. Thomas J. Grimes
(Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V
(pp. 439-452). Bethesda, MD National Association
of School Psychologists.
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• Elements of effective writing instruction for
  adolescents
• Writing Process (Effect Size 0.82) Students
  are taught a process for planning, revising, and
  editing.
• Summarizing (Effect Size 0.82) Students are
  taught methods to identify key points, main ideas
  from readings to write summaries of source texts.
• Cooperative Learning Activities (Collaborative
  Writing) (Effect Size 0.75) Students are
  placed in pairs or groups with learning
  activities that focus on collaborative use of the
  writing process.
• Goal-Setting (Effect Size 0.70) Students set
  specific product goals for their writing and
  then check their attainment of those
  self-generated goals.

Source Graham, S., Perin, D. (2007). Writing
next Effective strategies to improve writing of
adolescents in middle and high schools A report
to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington,
DC Alliance for Excellent Education. Retrieved
from http//www.all4ed.org/files/WritingNext.pdf
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• Elements of effective writing instruction for
  adolescents
• Writing Processors (Effect Size 0.55) Students
  have access to computers/word processors in the
  writing process.
• Sentence Combining (Effect Size 0.50) Students
  take part in instructional activities that
  require the combination or embedding of simpler
  sentences (e.g., Noun-Verb-Object) to generate
  more advanced, complex sentences.
• Prewriting (Effect Size 0.32) Students learn
  to select, develop, or organize ideas to
  incorporate into their writing by participating
  in structured pre-writing activities.
• Inquiry Activities (Effect Size 0.32) Students
  become actively engaged researchers, collecting
  and analyzing information to guide the ideas and
  content for writing assignments.

Source Graham, S., Perin, D. (2007). Writing
next Effective strategies to improve writing of
adolescents in middle and high schools A report
to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington,
DC Alliance for Excellent Education. Retrieved
from http//www.all4ed.org/files/WritingNext.pdf
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• Elements of effective writing instruction for
  adolescents
• Process Writing (Effect Size 0.32) Writing
  instruction is taught in a workshop format that
  stresses extended writing opportunities,
  writing for authentic audiences, personalized
  instruction, and cycles of writing (Graham
  Perin, 2007 p. 4).
• Use of Writing Models (Effect Size 0.25)
  Students read and discuss models of good writing
  and use them as exemplars for their own writing.
• Writing to Learn Content (Effect Size 0.23)
  The instructor incorporates writing activities as
  a means to have students learn content material.

Source Graham, S., Perin, D. (2007). Writing
next Effective strategies to improve writing of
adolescents in middle and high schools A report
to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington,
DC Alliance for Excellent Education. Retrieved
from http//www.all4ed.org/files/WritingNext.pdf
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Writing Skills Checklist
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Writing Blockers
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Physical Production of Writing Physical Production of Writing Physical Production of Writing
Problem? Writing Competency Sample Intervention Ideas
___Y ___N Writing Speed. Writes words on the page at a rate equal or nearly equal to that of classmates Teach keyboarding skills Allow student to dictate ideas into a tape-recorder and have a volunteer (e.g., classmate, parent, school personnel) transcribe them
___Y ___N Handwriting. Handwriting is legible to most readers Provide training in handwriting Teach keyboarding skills
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Origins of the Latin AlphabetEarly Greek Alphabet
Boustrophedon ox trail Script alternates
between left-to-right and right-to-left
Source http//www.translexis.demon.co.uk/new_page
_2.htm
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Mechanics Conventions of Writing Mechanics Conventions of Writing Mechanics Conventions of Writing
Problem? Writing Competency Sample Intervention Ideas
___Y ___N Grammar Syntax. Knowledge of grammar (rules governing use of language) and syntax (grammatical arrangement of words in sentences) is appropriate for age and/or grade placement Teach rules of grammar, syntax Have students compile individualized checklists of their own common grammar/syntax mistakes direct students to use the checklist to review work for errors before turning in
___Y ___N Spelling. Spelling skills are appropriate for age and/or grade placement Have student collect list of own common misspellings assign words from list to study quiz student on list items Have student type assignments and use spell-check
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• "The difference between the right word and the
  almost right word is the difference between
  lightning and the lightning bug."
• Mark Twain

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• "Your manuscript is both good and original. But
  the part that is good is not original, and the
  part that is original is not good."
• Samuel Johnson

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Writing Content Writing Content Writing Content
Problem? Writing Competency Sample Intervention Ideas
___Y ___N Vocabulary. Vocabulary in written work is age/grade appropriate Compile list of key vocabulary and related definitions for subject area assign words from list to study quiz student on definitions of list items Introduce new vocabulary items regularly to class set up cooperative learning activities for students to review vocabulary
___Y ___N Word Choice. Distinguishes word-choices that are appropriate for informal (colloquial, slang) written discourse vs. formal discourse Present examples to the class of formal vs. informal word choices Have students check work for appropriate word choice as part of writing revision process
___Y ___N Audience. Identifies targeted audience for writing assignments and alters written content to match needs of projected audience Direct students to write a targeted audience profile as a formal (early) step in the writing process have students evaluate the final writing product to needs of targeted audience during the revision process
___Y ___N Plagiarism. Identifies when to credit authors for use of excerpts quoted verbatim or unique ideas taken from other written works Define plagiarism for students. Use plentiful examples to show students acceptable vs. unacceptable incorporation of others words or ideas into written compositions
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• "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it
  into small jobs."
• Henry Ford

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Writing Preparation Writing Preparation Writing Preparation
Problem? Writing Competency Sample Intervention Ideas
___Y ___N Topic Selection. Independently selects appropriate topics for writing assignments Have student generate list of general topics that that interest him or her sit with the student to brainstorm ideas for writing topics that relate to the students own areas of interest
___Y ___N Writing Plan. Creates writing plan by breaking larger writing assignments into sub-tasks (e.g., select topic, collect source documents, take notes from source documents, write outline, etc.) Create generic pre-formatted work plans for writing assignments that break specific types of larger assignments (e.g., research paper) into constituent parts. Have students use these plan outlines as a starting point to making up their own detailed writing plans.
___Y ___N Note-Taking. Researches topics by writing notes that capture key ideas from source material Teach note-taking skills have students review note-cards with the teacher as quality check.
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• "When I sit at my table to write, I never know
  what its going to be until I'm under way. I
  trust in inspiration, which sometimes comes and
  sometimes doesn't. But I don't sit back waiting
  for it. I work every day."
• Alberto Moravia

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Writing Production Revision Writing Production Revision Writing Production Revision
Problem? Writing Competency Sample Intervention Ideas
___Y ___N Adequate Seat Time. Allocates realistic amount of time to the act of writing to ensure a quality final product Use teachers experience and information from proficient student writers to develop estimates of minimum writing seat time needed to produce quality products for typical writing assignments (e.g., 5-paragraph opinion essay 10-page term paper). Share with students. Have students keep a writing diary to record amount of time spent in act of writing for each assignment. Require that this information be submitted along with the students assignment. (Additional idea Consider asking parents to monitor and record their childs writing time.)
___Y ___N Oral vs. Written Work. Students dictated and written passages are equivalent in complexity and quality Allow student to dictate ideas into a tape-recorder and have a volunteer (e.g., classmate, parent, school personnel) transcribe them Permit the student to use speech-to-text software (e.g., Dragon Naturally Speaking) to dictate first drafts of writing assignments.
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Writing Production Revision (Cont.) Writing Production Revision (Cont.) Writing Production Revision (Cont.)
Problem? Writing Competency Sample Intervention Ideas
___Y ___N Revision Process. Revises initial written draft before turning in for a grade or evaluation Create a rubric containing the elements of writing that students should review during the revision process teach this rubric to the class link a portion of the grade on writing assignments to students use of the revision rubric.
___Y ___N Timely Submission. Turns in written assignments (class work, homework) on time Provide student incentives for turning work in on time. Work with parents to develop home-based plans for work completion and submission. Institute school-home communication to let parents know immediately when important assignments are late or missing.
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Writing Blockers
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Sentence Combining

• Students with poor writing skills often write
  sentences that lack syntactic maturity. Their
  sentences often follow a simple, stereotyped
  format. A promising approach to teach students
  use of diverse sentence structures is through
  sentence combining. In sentence combining,
  students are presented with kernel sentences and
  given explicit instruction in how to weld these
  kernel sentences into more diverse sentence types
  either
• by using connecting words to combine multiple
  sentences into one or
• by isolating key information from an otherwise
  superfluous sentence and embedding that important
  information into the base sentence.

Sources Saddler, B. (2005). Sentence combining
A sentence-level writing intervention. The
Reading Teacher, 58, 468-471. Strong, W. (1986).
Creative approaches to sentence combining.
Urbana, OL ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and
Communication Skill National Council of
Teachers of English.
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Formatting Sentence Combining Examples
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Team Activity Use of Sentence Combining as a
Writing Strategy Across Content Areas

• Discuss the sentence-combining strategy discussed
  in this workshop.
• Brainstorm ways that schools can promote the use
  of this strategy across content areas to
  encourage students to write with greater
  syntactic maturity.

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