Teaching Writing in History Class

This is the second article posted by Jane Hancock, codirector of the UCLA Writing Project. Her first article was on Lessons for Writing Teachers.

Why should history teachers include writing as they plan their lessons? Because, in order to write, a student needs to know something more than the answers to questions like this one: Who came up with the theory that the earth rotates around the sun? As students prepare for the writing, they learn. Read the following fictional journal entry written by a ninth grade student.

Spring 1543
Florence, Italy

Dear Journal,

Tomorrow is the day, the day my heliocentric theory will finally be put to the test. My first book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, contains my explanations for the heliocentric system and it shall be on display for the world as of tomorrow’s publishing date.

The years of studying with Brudzewski and Dinovara using astrolabes and triquetrums have given me reason to believe that my theory overrules Ptolomey’s geocentric theory, but I wonder if the public will share in my opinion. I fear the reaction of the public, especially the church and scholars who have punished those who dared question their beliefs.

Still, with all my uncertainties, I am confident in the accuracy of my idea, for it is perfectly reasonable. The mysterious loops made by planets result from the fact that those planets are farther from the sun than the earth and are moving around the sun at a different speed than the earth. The sun rises at morn and sets at eve because the earth not only rotates around the sun but rotates on its axis every 24 hours as well. Even as I write my theory down, I remember the unfortunate fates of all those who dared question the teachings of authority—and wonder my fate as of tomorrow. Well, I suppose I shall just have to wait and see.

Copernicus

I was never particularly fond of any history class. Why I chose history as a minor in college to go along with my major in English probably had more to do with the fact that it wasn’t math or science-related than a love for the subject—a subject which, in my opinion, was just about memorizing dates, events, and people.

1066 William the Conqueror, The Battle of Hastings

1215 King John, Magna Carta

1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue!

And then I became a teacher. My first year I taught English, history, science, and two periods of physical education. I was completely unqualified to teach science and physical education, but I did have a minor in history. What I had to do then was figure out how to make history interesting.

All my life I had read historical novels. Every Christmas and birthday my parents bought me books, mostly historical fiction about young girls who lived in times past. I loved these stories. History was stories—stories with real people, not just key figures. History was stories with real time periods, not just dates. History was stories with exciting action, not just names of events. How could I make these stories happen in my classroom? By involving the students in reading and writing activities that put them in those times, those places. By telling them that the study of history should be the study of well-told stories, and of reading and writing well-told stories.

And that’s what I did. I taught history as if it were a literature class. The textbook became a launching pad for research into what really happened, who was really there, and who the participants were. I wanted more for my students than sound bites.

So we researched and we wrote. We wrote letters from one historical character to another, even across time zones. We wrote editorials and obituaries. We wrote speeches to be given at award ceremonies and thank-you speeches for the awards. We drew storyboards for the movies we wanted to make and then wrote about them. We wrote poetry.

And my students said: “When we become the characters and write as if we were those people, we learn so much more than if we were just reading about them.”

One assignment was to write a personal journal entry that could have been written by anyone living in a particular time period. However, each student had to find an event in that person’s life that wasn’t well known. In other words, Michelangelo could not write about painting the ceiling of the Sistine chapel; Newton could not write about an apple falling on his head, true or not.

So Sandra wrote as if she were Copernicus, awaiting the publishing of his book on the heliocentric theory. Pierre, as Donnatello, wrote about becoming apprenticed to a famous sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti. Rachelle took on the role of a 12-year-old Isaac Newton who, instead of doing his arithmetic homework, was secretly inventing a windmill that grinds corn. Dustin, as Rembrandt, reflected on whether to add a little light to his very dark painting, “The Night Watch.” And in Martin Luther’s journal, written by Anna, we see him as he makes his decision to become a monk.

November 1505
Madgeburg, Germany

Today, as I was nearing Stotterheim village, I saw a dark cloud rising above the horizon. It was thick and thunderous. A stab of fear darted through me. Nearer and nearer it came, bringing with it bursts of thunder and sudden flashes of lightning. The cloud was moving directly toward the place where I was walking. Lightning lashed at the earth and gusts of wind blew my favorite, feathered hat off my head.

It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I was so frightened, I fell to the ground, raised my head and cried, “Please, St. Anne, help me and I will become a monk right away!”

Once again lightning flashed and rain and hail came pouring down on me. As I stood there, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. A rainbow appeared in the sky and the sun shone bright.

Because of the promise I made to St. Anne, I am going to enter the monastery in Erfurt first thing in the morning. I think my parents will greatly disapprove of my action. I know that they want me to become a successful lawyer, but I made a promise and I have to keep it. I strongly believe in standing up for what I think is right.

Martin Luther.

The last line of this journal entry says it all. “I strongly believe in standing up for what I think is right.” That is what Martin Luther did twelve years later when he wrote his objections to church practices, the best-known one being the sale of indulgences. The student who wrote this “got it.” She got it because she had to write about it and not just memorize a few slim facts: “1517. Martin Luther. Posted theses on cathedral door.”

Jane Hancock

Codirector, UCLA Writing Project

As I read this article, it triggered three questions for me:

1. What other creative writing assignments exist for teaching history?

2. What, if anything, would you prepare for students so that this also improves their writing skills?

3. Other than judging the information, what type of rubric would you use for grading or commenting on the work that the students prepare?

Perhaps some of our readers can share their thoughts.

Teaching the Writing Process: Writing for Interviews

by: Francine Falk-Ross, Pace University

Francine Falk-Ross is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Pace University and a co-director of the Literacy Education Department at the Westchester campus. She teaches courses in reading and writing methods to preservice and practicing teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her articles have appeared in several journals, including Research in the Teaching of English, Language Arts, and Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. Dr. Falk-Ross has research interests are in the areas of content area literacy and media literacy, and she works closely with teachers in school-university partnerships in several states.

In this post, Dr. Falk-Ross discusses using the job cover letter as a writing prompt. Because students are motivated to create good interview letters, they rapidly assimilate good writing practices.

Taking Steps Toward Writing for Interviews

About this time of the year, students are busy thinking about summer jobs and college interviews. Whether the end outcome is to land a position as a tutoring volunteer, a summer class, a camp counselor, or an undergraduate placement, a written essay is usually required. In these cases, many students become nervous and tentative in their writing due to the many elements and purposes they are trying to combine into one formal narrative. For example, the writing needs to include persuasion to tip the scale in the student’s direction, individualism to create an interest in meeting or including the student, academics to indicate specific qualifications, and organization to show clarity of mind and responsibility for work. In many instances, the job of creating the essay feels so overwhelming that it is pushed aside until the very last moment. The situation calls for a series of activities that mirror those of the general writing process with slight differences. In order to connect with what the student already knows about writing and to achieve a high level of personal engagement by the writer, it should be approached through transitional small steps in writing that will end in an effective essay or application letter, providing a clear profile of the student’s qualifications and strengths!

Step One: Talk It Out!

Since our creative language extends from the language in our minds to expressive forms of literacy, talking to a friend, a parent, a tape recorder, or just out loud will start the process. This first response will serve as a form of brainstorming that appropriately provides content for the letter that needs to be written! This talking action optimally precedes writing down content or procedural notes, but the notes can come first if the student chooses to do so. Some good questions that the writer might want to address in his or her talking might include:

• What is the intended effect that you want from the letter? That is, what reaction do you want the reader to have after reading it? What action would this letter cause the reader to take?

• What past experiences of yours should the reader know about? That is, what do you bring to this job that would be beneficial to the participants? What special talents or knowledge can you contribute?

• What personality traits would make you especially helpful in this job? That is, do you have a determined attitude? Are you positive in your approach to work and collaborative in your interactions?

The important part is that the true heart of the message is usually shared at this time, and the written word follows those same important themes.

Step Two: Write a Letter!

Writing a letter to a real or imagined friend is an informal beginning to writing, and yet it fulfills the same purpose. For this first writing draft, the student needs to organize it in sections.... a little about the student’s big ideas, a little about his in-school and out-of-school background (e.g., what he does well in each), a little about why she feels she is suited to the specific position or placement, and a little about what he or she plans to achieve by participating in this position. For most students, this transition to writing is rather fun, mostly because students are constantly writing to each other or to companies via email and online communication web logs. The academic nature of the topic can be woven into the familiar genre of letterwriting, and the heart of the message is now transformed into a series of narrative statements.

Step Three: Step It Up!

The next transitions toward an effective letter will require the student to focus clearly and critically on the context in which this letter will be received. In order to step up the quality of the message, the student needs help to identify the true audience and change the language a bit....change a few words such as things or simple words to more specific language. This is the time, or step, during which the appropriate terminology must be included and specific examples must be added. If a letter for a job is being developed, examples of prior related experiences need to be listed. If an application for classes is the proposed outcome, then required qualifications must be referenced and persuasive arguments posited. If the student’s voice is not evident at this point, the language of the letter needs to become stronger and more personal, building to a persuasive argument. Decisions about students' readiness for a job or placement are often made after considering a combination of elements put forth in a letter of application: academic qualifications, personal attributes, and individual determination. A strong suggestion at this time would be to have someone else read through the letter or essay. Parents, teachers, and friends can offer important feedback for the student to consider.

Step Four: Clean It Up!

Following the substantive revisions to wording and grammar, this next step will be focused on reviewing and editing the essay. The overall organization must be checked (i.e., are all the common arguments in the same paragraph), and a careful eye for punctuation and spellings is necessary because this will count! In the process of writing, editing is usually suggested as the last step so as not to slow down the creative juices of students' thinking. The importance of this last step, however, cannot be underestimated. Readers are distracted by editing errors and make judgments about the essay based on the accuracy of the spelling. The subtle effect of punctuation such as exclamation marks sends a message to the reader about the writer. In fact, most writers, due to their multiple re-readings and familiarity with the material, overlook their own spelling and grammar errors! An outside reader is again suggested at this step for feedback!

Step Five: Make It Real!

This is the last chance to review the paper and prepare to send it out to a person or agency, or to upload it to a website. If the destination is through regular mail, then the selection of paper, the quality of the printed word, and the margins will be important. If the destination is a website, then the nature of spacing will be an extra consideration since some formatting does not transfer to online sites in the exact forms in which it was printed. If possible, try a practice few sentences to anticipate any alignment deviations. In all cases, the final look will need to meet personal preferences and professional requirements. Students need to check one last time that the essay meets the specifications listed in the directions!

Encouraging and supporting students in their efforts to write well as they represent themselves for professional purposes is an important endeavor, and often, students return to schools to thank their teachers! These are authentic tasks that are so needed in our schools.

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Notice how the 6 Traits mesh with this process. Step 1 focuses on Ideas. Step 2 incorporates Organization, Voice, and Sentence Fluency. Step 3 involves Word Choice and refines Sentence Fluency. Step 4 concentrates on Conventions. And Step 5 is a final review that also includes Presentation.

Writing Contest Winners

Following are the winners of The Writing Teacher Tips and Techniques contest! The contest asked teachers to submit a tip or technique that would help other teachers teach writing.

The winners are Jeff Murry and Sally Ginburg. Finalists are Kim Kuruzovich, Kelly Snyder, Sharon Flank, and Deb Blaz. LearningExpress is providing a Flip Video recorder to both winners, and winners and finalists will each receive 30 copies of any book in the LearningExpress ELA Series.

Jeff Murry submitted the video below, which describes how he sets up a startup activity that requires students to go to the class website daily, review the daily assignments, and post responses.

Sally Ginburg described how she has taught the writing process to kindergarten through fifth grade classes. She included writing and editing rubrics in her submission. To download her description and rubrics, click here.

Kim Kuruzovich submitted a podcast describing how she engages the students by having them write their own podcasts. Learn how she gets students excited about editing their own work. To listen, click on the play button below.

Kelly Snyder shared her rubrics for evaluating essays. To download her rubrics, click here.

Sharon Flank described how she finds problems that the students identify with, and then has them write letters to help resolve those problems. Click here to read her submission.

Deb Blaz documented how she uses a highlighter to help students learn the techniques of self-editing. You can download her submission here.

Over 2,500 individuals found these tips helpful, and we hope that you will, too.

A hearty congratulations and thanks to all six teachers!

How to Introduce the 6 Traits

by Dennis O'Connor

Dennis O'Connor teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and has 30 years of experience as an elementary and middle school teacher, as well as a professional development trainer. As a district Language Arts Coordinator he organized teacher training in the writing process and Traits Writing Model. In addition to teaching and consulting, he maintains two invaluable websites: 6-Traits Resources 21st Century Information Fluency

I have taught 6-traits assessment and writing on the Internet since the turn of the century. Before that I developed a writing workshop with a technology enabled blend of writing process and traits. Most of my students were 7/8 mixed classes of middle schoolers in a block schedule. I was fortunate to have the same students two years in a row. The blend of writing process and 6-traits instruction produced remarkable results, in the classroom and on the state mandated writing test. Online, I have shared what I learned in the classroom with hundreds of dedicated teachers as they create writing workshops empowered by 6-traits concepts.

Establishing the writing process as the basis for instruction.

It’s always writing process first, then the traits. Traits and the writing process fit together naturally. The writing process provides a path to a young writer. The traits are the touchstones on the path.

The pre-writing phase of the traits is the perfect place to hammer home the importance of Ideas. Help young writers generate ideas with any number of brainstorming techniques. When the right topic and information has been generated, you'll see a writer light up.

Drafting helps the writer apply organization, word choice and sentence fluency to the first rush of ideas and voice.

Responding is enhanced by a traits based vocabulary that sharpens and enhances revision. When students understand the language and criteria of traits, they have a variety of ways into the revision process. Simply checking conventions and making a neat copy gives way to revision based on all the traits.

Multiple response sessions may be needed, since you'll want to limit the response to one trait at a time. Too much feedback will only confuse a writer. It's always better to keep the feedback short and focused on one strength and one area for improvement.

Editing for conventions helps prepare the piece for formal assessment and publication, which ends the writing cycle.

Resources:

• Archive of Writing Process Articles NWP
• The Writing Process
• National Writing Project NWP
• Starting the Writing Process

Where do I start teaching the 6 Traits?

Introduce traits sequentially:

• Ideas
• Voice
• Word Choice
• Organization
• Sentence Fluency
• Conventions

This order of presentation isn't set in cement. If there is a particular trait you are comfortable with, start there. I start with voice in my online class. Many teachers struggle with this trait, so I make understanding the concept of voice the foundation for the class. However, in a face-to-face, K-12 classroom, the trait of ideas is a logical place to start, as generating ideas is the first step in the writing process.

How much time do I spend teaching the 6-traits?

You can spend the entire year working with the writing process and the 6-traits and never exhaust the possibilities. Of course, you have to adapt your planning to meet the realities of your classroom. That said:

• Schedule 2-4 weeks for each trait.
• Introduce one trait at a time.
• Introduce and teach all of the traits.
• Provide rubrics, 6-traits writing guides and checklists.

Resources:

• 6+1 TRAITSTM rubric
• 6+1 Trait® Scoring Guides
• Student-Friendly Guide to Writing with Traits (NWREL)

First teach the concept, then apply the concept as a trait of writing.

Introduce the core concept of a trait separately from writing.

• What's the voice you see in a painting or hear in music?
• Can you recognize fluency in a dance?
• One more good example

A teacher in one of my online classes introduced organization by scattering desks all around her room. Students walk in and suddenly, they're confused. There's no order! Once students experience the connection between chaos and organization, it's time to explain the concept of organization in writing.

A basic pattern for introducing each trait.

Hammer home the trait's criteria with many small focused lessons, followed by a practice writing period.

• Compare strong & weak writing examples for each trait.
• Provide ample practice rewriting weak samples into strong samples.
• Have students score sample papers.

Consider using online databases of practice papers that provide expert feedback. Have students assess samples for a single trait and then check expert feedback. Students need to practice recognizing traits in anonymous samples many times before they are able to independently use the traits to revise their own writing.

After presenting your traits mini-lesson, write with your students. As you write, you will show your students how important writing really is. Revise your weak pieces using a computer or overhead projector. Use a think aloud technique as you revise for a specific trait. This form of modeling is essential to any writing workshop.

Seize Teachable Moments!

If a chance to understand another trait presents itself before you formally introduce it, seize the teachable moment! Quickly introduce the new trait in the context of the current trait. If you have an opportunity to show how finding the right idea fires up a writer's voice with confidence and enthusiasm, don't miss it! Say enough about a trait to be appropriate for the moment without getting lost in a tangent. Foreshadowing concepts and vocabulary creates a foundation for the traits concepts to come.

Use 6-Traits Posters.

Plaster the walls with traits posters. Keep the concepts and criteria on the walls for ready reference. Sometimes just walking over to the poster and touching it as you talk will set the patter for your students. Soon you will see students glancing at the posters as they work. Constant coaching on the concepts, supported by bullet points on the criteria helps everyone build understanding. Posters that explain the writing process are a good idea as well. Multiple graphics representations of big concepts are always a good idea.

Resources:

• Writing Process and Traits Poster (NWREL)
• Writing Process / 6-Traits / Web 2.0
• Six Traits of Writing Posters
• Six Traits Posters (Kim's Corner)
• Six Trait Posters (Reading Lady)

Plan to Teach and Re-Teach.

Each time you introduce the concept of a new trait, refer to the previous trait, while mentioning the traits yet to come. Freely use the vocabulary of traits as you present your mini-lessons. Plan to teach and re-teach throughout the year. Combine mini-lessons with ample writing time focus on the trait. When using sample papers or the practice databases available on the web, focus one trait at a time. Here's the practice pattern:

• Read the story.
• Write your traits score and a brief rationale for your thinking.
• Check your score against that of the experts.

Once the new trait is locked in, repeat the process for each trait you have already introduced. This can be done solo or in small groups. Understanding the traits by scoring and discussing multiple samples works for both students and teachers!

Resources:

• 6+1 Trait® Writing - Scoring Practice
• O.P.E.N. Practice Scoring
• InterActive Six Trait Writing Process

Traits allow meaningful revision!

The ultimate goal of writing instruction is for students to become assessors of their own writing. 6-Traits provides the vocabulary and the concepts teachers and students need to recognize the entry points for revision. Too often, students think revision is just a matter of fixing the sloppy copy. While conventions are important, there are 5 other, equally important traits to consider while revising during the writing process.

It is best to save intense focus on conventions until the editing phase which happens just before the publishing stage of the writing process. Sadly, many young writers freeze when hit by negative feedback on conventions. Those who don't instantly suffer a case writer's cramp may go into a play it safe shell that destroys voice by limiting word choice to only those words the writer can safely spell. By postponing editing until later in the writing process, the writer has time to practice traits application during an extended respond and revise experience.

Patience and Waiting for Eureka Moments.

When you first start, you wonder if a six traits approach will really work. You have to commit a lot of time to teaching and writing. This is difficult in test-driven environments where time is short and success isn't always measured by improved writing ability. However, over the course of the first year you will see significant improvement. It will take faith and patience, but doesn't all teaching?

I recall a eureka moment as I listened to previously inarticulate kids from my toughest class speak eloquently about the ideas and voice being shared by their peers. These middle schoolers, who a few months before hated writing, were using traits vocabulary to offer supportive and insightful feedback. It is moments like these teachers never forget. They were writers helping each other.

Contrast the hushed and focused atmosphere of a writing-process-based classroom full of motivated young writers with the groans, protests, and glassy eyed resentment of kids stuck in a test prep system and you'll understand why fighting to create a writing workshop powered by the traits is worth the effort.

Recommended books on the 6-traits:

PK-4 : Creating Young Writers: Using the Six Traits to Enrich Writing Process in Primary Classrooms (2nd Edition) (Creating 6-Trait Revisers and Editors Series) (Paperback) by Vicki Spandel. Allyn & Bacon; 2007

Middle School-Adult Ed: Creating Writers Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction (5th Edition) (Creating 6-Trait Revisers and Editors Series) (Paperback) by Vicki Spandel. Allyn & Bacon, 2008.

Teaching Writing by Creating a Website

Interview with Jennifer Stone

In 2001 Jennifer Stone took a group of Seventh Graders, and walked them through the writing process by having them build their own websites. Today, Dr. Stone is an Assistant Professor of English in the Department of English at the University of Alaska in Anchorage.

I caught up with Dr. Stone to ask her what she and the students learned about writing, how she went about teaching them, and what she would do today. This is a 28 minute interview and well worth listening to. Some of the highlights are listed below.

Why have students build websites to learn writing?

All writing uses some technology; teaching writing is really about using that technology to get a point across to an audience.

Creating a website has a lot of elements to enthuse students about writing: a topic they care about, in a media they like to use, with the ability to have their work published and viewed by others. The lessons they learn will carry over into their other writing and thinking activities.

In our world, the traditional word processed writing is not the only writing we have to do to be active members of our culture. Creating a website set the additional point across that your writing style has to change depending on the media: you need to write differently if you are writing a narrative, a website, a children's book, a blog, or texting your friends.

What did the students learn?

The students learned the general process of writing:

• how to model by looking at other websites and analyze how the website delivers its message,

• how to plan out what they want to say,

• how to think about how others will perceive what they have written,

• how to take criticism and edit, and

• how to think about the presentation.

Can you outline a lesson plan for teachers to teach writing by having students build websites?

1. Look at existing websites: analyze what their message is, what they do to get their message across, what works, and what could be better.

2. Construct a model for what a good website looks like, and how the students accomplish that as writers.

3. Teach how to use the tools, whatever tools the students will be using in building their websites: how do you set up the tool, format text, use a picture, link to other pages, and create a table.

4. Talk about using the tool and design considerations, getting into issues of writing as design, and discussing the whole process.

5. Allocate enough time for the actual production of the website: time for planning, time for research, time for drafting, time for feedback (perhaps having students, families, and friends review the sites), and time for drafting, and time for going public.

What tools would you recommend?

At the time, 2001, the students used FrontPage, but today, DreamWeaver has the advantage that it allows for full expression on a website and on the individual pages. The chief disadvantage is its learning curve. If a teacher is facile with Word and PowerPoint, she can learn enough of Dreamweaver to be able to create a good looking site in a one-day class.

There are also easier tools that still allow the students to change things like the background, fonts, color-scheme, and add pictures and media. Some free examples are

Tool	Description	Address
PBWiki	This is a site that hosts classroom wikis, students can collaborate on a website	http://pbwiki.com/academic.wiki
Blogspot	Free site owned by Google that allows individuals to create blogs and blog-style websites.	http://www.blogger.com/home
Edublogs	Free site that is dedicated to hosting educational blogs	http://edublogs.org/

The above summarizes some of the points in the interview. Listen to the entire interview by clicking the Audio Interview Podcast button below.

Audio Interview Podcast