Download OsborneMSWritingAcrosstheCurriculum

Writing
Across the Curriculum
Osborne Middle School
Laying the Groundwork
2006-07
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LA teachers condense new state writing rubric to
one page
Staff development for LA teachers on writing
instruction
All science and social studies teachers trained on
writing rubric
LA, SCI, and SS teachers score fall writing
prompt
All teachers incorporate writing into curriculum
2007-08
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Fall – All LA, SCI, & SS teachers review
rubric and anchor papers
All LA, SCI, & SS teachers score fall writing
prompt
All content areas required to include essay
questions on common assessments
Staff development this summer for SCI
and SS teachers
Monitoring
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AP for each curriculum area
Attend weekly curriculum meetings
Provides vertical planning/sharing of ideas
Walk throughs to monitor implementation
Collaboration
Key to Success
Social Studies and Science teachers collaborate
with the Language Arts teachers on all phases of
writing across the curriculum.
PFAT Chart: Staying Focused
(Understanding the Prompt)
Purpose
Persuade, Inform, or
Explain
Format
Paragraph, Letter, or Essay
Audience
Intended Reader
Topic
Focused Topic
The Writing Process
Students learn to apply the writing
process in their social studies and
science classes.
Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers are used during prewriting to enhance student understanding.
*The Writing Process
* Writing Prompts
Revision
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Writing focus must be on Ideas during the
revision process
Students are given specific activities to
assist in the revision process
-Peer reads paper aloud to writer
-Peer highlights topic sentences in one
color and supporting details in another
color.
Editing/GUMS
(Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, and Spelling)
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Final phase before final draft is
written
Student focus shifts to GUMS
Models
Provide students with examples of:
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exemplary student writing
teacher written responses
model high school prompts
Continued Collaboration
Continued collaboration is essential
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Process for teachers
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Process for students
Writing Prompt
Writing Situation
Scientists who study volcanoes are called volcanologists. In order to
help understand volcanoes, volcanologists classify volcanoes into
one of several categories. This helps people to understand what will
happen when the volcanoes erupt.
Writing Directions
Write a minimum of a two paragraph response that compares and
contrasts the composite volcano and the shield volcano. In your
essay, be sure to do the following: Tell how these two volcanoes are
alike. Be sure to include internal structure and what the volcano
produces. Finally, tell how these two volcanoes are different.
Document “A”
Composite Volcano
Document “B”
This document compares the size of Mount Rainier, a
composite volcano, to Mauna Loa, a shield volcano.
Mount Rainier - composite volcano
19 miles
•Mauna Loa - shield volcano
120 miles
Student Example
Volcanoes have created some of the coolest landforms on Earth. Rocks
and other stuff formed from lava create different types of volcanic
mountains.
Shield volcanoes are formed when thin layers of lava pour out of the
top vent and the side vents of the volcano and harden on top of other
layers that have been there. The lava gradually builds up a gently sloping
mountain. An example of a shield volcano is Mauna Loa that over time built
the islands of Hawaii.
Composite volcanoes are different from shield volcanoes because
sometimes there are explosions of ash and cinder. Instead of sloping
mountains, the volcanoes are tall and cone-shaped. Examples of
composite volcanoes are Mount Fuji and Mount St. Helens.
Writing Opportunities
Labs
 Quizzes
 Daily writing activities
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Student Example
Lab Question
Why do you not want the two chemicals to mix?
Student answer #1:
The chemicals when mixed together might cause an
explosion.
Student answer #2:
If the two chemicals were mixed, you could not tell which
chemical caused the flame to turn which color. In other
words you have more than one manipulated variable.
Also you should not mix unknown chemicals because
they might react.
Student Example
One Body Paragraph
Almost every kind of energy transfer you can imagine is used
in a Rube Goldburg machine. One of those many transfers is
gravitational potential to kinetic. This means that the object has the
potential to be dropped, and it will turn into kinetic energy as soon
as it is dropped. Some everyday examples of this transfer are a
person wearing a heavy backpack or a person at a high peak of a
swing. When a person has a heavy backpack, they want to take it
off, so the back pack has gravitational potential energy, but as soon
as it is let off the person’s back, it has kinetic energy until it hits the
floor. Also, if a person is at the highest peak of a swing, they have
a large amount of gravitational potential energy, because they have
a very long way to fall on the swing. But as soon as the person
starts going downward, they have kinetic energy and their potential
energy decreases. In the Rube Goldburg machines that are being
created in class, there are many examples of this energy transfer.
Writing on Demand
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Essays- timed writing (1 or 2 class periods)
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Summary activity- follow up to two-column notes
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Engagement activity (developing fluency)
Writing Prompt
Georgia History
Writing Situation
South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860.
Many Georgians supported this action while others opposed this
decision. On January 16, 1861 a special convention was requested
by Governor Brown to discuss the possibility of Georgia seceding
from the Union.
Writing Directions
Write a letter to Governor Brown persuading him to secede from the
Union or persuading him to remain loyal to the United States and
not secede from the Union. Support your point of view with
historical facts, examples, and details that prove your point of view.
Remember to use proper grammar and punctuation throughout your
letter.
Writing on Demand
Summary/Engagement Activity
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Besides slavery, what were the major issues
dividing the North and South?
Was General Sherman’s destructive march
through Georgia really necessary? What did it
accomplish?
Why do you think the slave codes were so
effective in keeping the blacks enslaved?
Common Rubric
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Rubric for each
assessment and/or
assignment
Evolving to common
school-wide rubric
Georgia History Essay Rubric for
Gov. Brown Letter
OMS Writing Rubric
Key
Topic for slides 2-6: Compare plant and animal cells.
Blue coding = supporting idea (topic sentence)
Maroon coding = major detail (develops the
supporting idea but generally rather than
specifically)
Green coding = specific detail (develops the
supporting idea specifically)
Examples of Depth of Development
in Score Point 1
Ideas Score: 1
There are two major types of cells in the
world…plant and animal. Plant cells have cell walls.
Animal cells do not have cell walls. Plant cells have one
large vacuole or sac. Animal cells have numerous small
vacuoles. These two cells are similar because each has a
nucleus, or control center of the cell.
Development is limited to a list of similarities and differences between plant
cells and animal cells.
Examples of Depth of Development
in Score Point 2
There are two major types of cells in the world…plant and animal.
Plant and animal cells are similar and different in many ways.
Plant cells have cell walls. Animal cells do not have cell walls. Also,
plant cells have one large vacuole or sac. Animal cells have
numerous small vacuoles. These two cells are similar because each
has a nucleus, or control center of the cell.
Plant and animal cells make up two types of organisms,
autotrophs and heterotrophs. Autotrophs make their own food.
Only plants are autotrophs. Animal cells make up heterotrophs.
Heterotrophs must find their food.
Development is relevant to the topic, but it is limited.
Example of Depth of Development
in Score Point 3
Billions of miniature structures fill up the bodies of every organism that has ever existed.
Cells are everywhere. They are a part of every single living thing in the world, yet
they are too tiny to see with the naked eye. Under a microscope, however, cells are
magnified so humans can understand each function of each part of a single cell.
There are two major types of cells in the world…plant and animal.
Plant and animal cells are similar and different in many ways. Some
differences have to do with the parts that make up plant cells and animal cells. For
instance, a cell wall, a rigid structure on the outside of a cell that supports and
protects the cell, is only found in plant cells. Animal cells do not have cell walls. Also,
plant cells have one large vacuole or sac that stores food, water, and waste products.
Animal cells have numerous small vacuoles. These two cells are similar because each
has a nucleus, or control center of the cell that directs every function. Both also have
ribosomes which produce the proteins that the cell needs.
Plant and animal cells make up two types of organisms, autotrophs and
heterotrophs. Only plant cells make up autotrophs. Autotrophs use the cell’s
chloroplast to capture energy from the sun and use it to produce food. This process is
called photosynthesis. Animal cells, on the other hand, only make up heterotrophs.
Heterotrophs cannot make their own food so they eat either autotrophs or other
heterotrophs.
Some specific development in the two body paragraphs; a conclusion would
provide a stronger sense of completeness. This paper is a high “3”.
Example of Depth of Development
in Score Point 4
Billions of miniature structures fill up the bodies of every organism that has ever existed. Cells are
everywhere. They are a part of every single living thing in the world, yet they are too tiny to see
with the naked eye. Under a microscope, however, cells are magnified so humans can understand
each function of each part of a single cell. There are two major types of cells in the world…plant and
animal.
Plant and animal cells are similar and different in many ways. Some differences have to do
with the parts that make up plant cells and animal cells. For instance, a cell wall, a rigid structure
on the outside of a cell that supports and protects the cell, is only found in plant cells. Animal cells
do not have cell walls. Also, plant cells have one large vacuole or sac that stores food, water, and
waste products. Animal cells have numerous small vacuoles. These two cells are similar because
each has a nucleus, or control center of the cell that directs every function. Both also have
ribosomes which produce the proteins that the cell needs.
Plant and animal cells make up two types of organisms, autotrophs and heterotrophs. Only
plant cells make up autotrophs. Autotrophs use the cell’s chloroplast to capture energy from the
sun and use it to produce food. This process is called photosynthesis. Animal cells, on the other
hand, only make up heterotrophs. Heterotrophs cannot make their own food so they eat either
autotrophs or other heterotrophs. That sounds cruel, but hey, it’s survival of the fittest out there.
Now that you know about some of the differences between plant and animal cells, I think
you should take a look at each under a microscope. Here’s a quiz question to see if you were paying
attention. If you are looking at a cell from an autotroph under a miscroscope, will you be able to
locate a cell wall?
A clever conclusion is the big difference between this example the previous one. This
conclusion, plus an additional sentence of development in the third paragraph, push this paper in
the “4” range.
Example of Depth of Development
in Score Point 5
Billions of miniature structures fill up the bodies of every organism that has ever existed. Cells are
everywhere. They are a part of every single living thing in the world, yet they are too tiny to see
with the naked eye. Under a microscope, however, cells are magnified so humans can understand
each function of each part of a single cell. There are two major types of cells in the world…plant and
animal.
Plant and animal cells are not all alike. Some differences have to do with the parts that
make up plant cells and animal cells. For instance, a cell wall, a rigid structure on the outside of a
cell that supports and protects the cell, is only found in plant cells. One cool thing about the cell
wall is that it permits good elements, like water, to enter the cell, but it prevents toxins from
coming in and wreaking havoc. That’s kind of like a spam filter on an email account. Animal cells do
not have cell walls. Also, plant cells have one large vacuole or sac that stores food, water, and waste
products. Animal cells have numerous small vacuoles.
There are some interesting similarities, however, between plant and animal cells. Each has a
nucleus, or control center of the cell that directs every function. The nucleus contains long chains of
DNA that make up the organism’s genetic code. So when you think of hair and eye color, think of
the nucleus. Both also have ribosomes which produce the proteins that the cell needs. Some
ribosomes move freely about the cell and others are bound to the cell membrane.
Plant and animal cells make up two types of organisms, autotrophs and heterotrophs. Only
plant cells make up autotrophs. Autotroph actually means “self nutrition”. They use the cell’s
chloroplast to capture energy from the sun and use it to produce food. This process is called
photosynthesis. Animal cells, on the other hand, only make up heterotrophs, which means “other
nutrition.” Heterotrophs cannot make their own food so they eat either autotrophs or other
heterotrophs. That sounds cruel, but hey, it’s survival of the fittest out there.
Now that you know about some of the differences between plant and animal cells, I think
you should take a look at each under a microscope. Here’s a quiz question to see if you were paying
attention. If you are looking at a cell from an autotroph under a miscroscope, will you be able to
locate a cell wall?
This example contains full development, and the writer is really interacting with the content
(e.g., “The nucleus contains long chains of DNA that make up the organism’s genetic code. So when
you think of hair and eye color, think of the nucleus.”)
Work in Progress
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Summer workshop for science/social studies
teachers to gain better understanding of the
depth of development
Ongoing collaboration between the language
arts teachers and the content teachers
Debriefing after each writing activity and writing
assessment
One multi-paragraph writing prompt required
per nine weeks