WHAT MUST AN EFFECTIVE

TEACHER OF WRITING DO?

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOURSELF
ENERGISE 2016
MURRAY GADD (mgadd@xtra.co.nz)
Copyright Murray Gadd. All Rights Reserved. This document is the property of
Murray Gadd and may not be disclosed or copied without permission to a third
party. All Trade Marks remain the property of their respective owners.

THE WRITING TASK

From a reading of The Day the Crayons Quit (by Drew
Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers) with a year 6-7 class.....
Either:

Pretend you are Duncan and respond to

the pleadings of any crayon.

Or:

Pretend to be another item that Duncan

might have (eg. teddy bear, blanket) and
write to Duncan about your life.

QUESTION ONE
ARE MY STUDENTS ACTUALLY WRITING ENOUGH?
Remember that there needs to be an independent (as well as an
instructional) writing programme happening in your classroom.
Students must be writing independently for at least 20 minutes per day.
As well as ensuring that students move from the mat to write independently
of the teacher, writing independently can be achieved through implementing
and encouraging specific opportunities for independent writing, eg:
-

speed writing
sustained silent writing
diary or journal writing

Writing mileage counts!!

QUESTION TWO
DO I EXPECT ALL OF MY STUDENTS TO MAKE PROGRESS IN WRITING?
Expectations can be communicated through:
-

the quality of writing samples that are in wall displays

the quality of writing that emerges through teacher modelling

being clear with students about their current achievement level,

their expected achievement level and what they will need to do to
reach their expected achievement level

Expectations can be reinforced by requiring students to set personal learning

goals and monitor their progress against these goals.

QUESTION THREE
ARE MY STUDENTS WRITING ON TOPICS THAT ENGAGE THEM?
Remember that for topics to engage students, they should generally emerge
from:
-

students own lives, interests, imaginations or experiences

the books that they read or are read to them

the cross-curricular opportunities and challenges that arise in the

classroom programme.

Remember also that students are generally more engaged if they have a say in
topic selection or if they can select their own topics from time to time.
Also remember that discussion of the topic should be at the forefront of the
lesson....

STUDENTS OWN LIVES?

There needs to be opportunities for students to write on such open topics as:
What really annoys me...
That was naughty!!
The first time I ever....
Getting ready for a special occasion...
The funniest (or scariest) moment I ever had...
When I was dared to do something...
A person or place or event that is special to me...
Something naughty or funny an animal I know has done...

CROSS-CURRICULUM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES?

I know some interesting facts about kangaroos. I want to write about them.
I wonder how day turns into night. I could read about it and write about it.
I have learnt a lot about how a car engine works. How do I explain this clearly
to others in writing?

QUESTION FOUR
ARE MY STUDENTS MOTIVATED TO WRITE?
Writing can be motivated, for example, through:
-

story telling;
re-telling an event;
reading a story;
discussing a picture;
using a story starter;
watching or listening to a performance;
use of technology, eg. You Tube clip.

Overall, though, students are motivated to write if the task is exciting and if it
contains sufficient challenge.

QUESTION FIVE
ARE MY LESSONS GOAL ORIENTED?
This means students knowing:
- what they are trying to get better at as developing writers;
- why particular goals have been selected;
- what achievement or success looks like.
Remember that students should be involved in the goal setting process:
What are we going to have to be good at to do this task well?

QUESTION SIX
IS MY INSTRUCTION DIRECT OR EXPLICIT ENOUGH?
This includes knowing who needs assistance at the word/sentence/text level.
Direct instruction will include:
-

setting specific learning goals with and for students

close questioning, prompting and probing of students thinking

about text content and literacy strategies

demonstrating (modelling) what students are expected to achieve

directing students to specific learning points

holding learning conversations (including feedback) with students

QUESTION SEVEN
AM I SCAFFOLDING MY STUDENTS ENOUGH SO THAT THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL
AT WHATEVER WRITING TASKS THEY UNDERTAKE?
No student should leave the central learning area without knowing:
-

what they have to do

how they are going to begin

what success looks like

QUESTION EIGHT
HAVE I ORGANISED MY WRITING PROGRAMME SO THAT ALL OF MY
STUDENTS GET REGULAR SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH
THE TEACHER?
This can include:
-

having writing groups

grouping for writing as needs arise.

Am I giving sufficient small group time/attention to each group?

All of this means asking: WHO NEEDS WHAT TEACHING AND WHEN? This
means monitoring students progress and checking for needs.

QUESTION NINE
DO I MAKE REALLY CLEAR LINKS BETWEEN READING AND WRITING SO THAT
MY STUDENTS USE THEIR READING TO DISCOVER WHAT WRITERS NEED TO
BE ABLE TO DO?
This can include content, structure, vocabulary, language feature and process
links.
Studies of teachers who exemplify best practice have shown that these
teachers continually make explicit the connections between reading and
writing (ELP5-8, p.123).
Making reading-writing links ultimately means students understanding that:
-

there is a writer behind everything that they read

there will generally be a reader for what they write.

QUESTION TEN
DO I ENSURE THAT THERE IS A POSITIVE MOOD IN THE ROOM AND THAT
EVERYONE IS PREPARED TO TAKE RISKS?

SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO ATTEND TO AS A TEACHER OF WRITING?