Sometimes just starting to write feels like a huge task. To help students feel more confident in starting their writing, eighth grade teachers have been using the 3W's to teach students a system for understanding what is being asked and how to best answer a prompt. This is a great example of AVID's Guiding Questions for Students from the which describes this strategy as important because it supports "students to clearly understand what is expected of them when they are given a writing assignment, they must develop a clear understanding of what they are being asked to do and then begin to ask and answer relevant questions that address the following considerations" ( AVID's Writing for Disciplinary Literacy Book, p. 226). First students break down the prompt with these question (like this sample). Then the students use the graphic organizer below to plan their essays (like this sample). According to AVID's Writing for Disciplinary Literacy Book the "graphic organizers empower students to facilitate their understanding of key concepts by allowing them to identify main points, classify ideas, and analyze information in a visual format" (p. 63). A graphic organizer is an amazing option for activating thinking and supporting students in the pre-writing part of the writing process.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAmanda Vogel has been teaching since 2007. With a background in special education and literacy instruction, I have been teaching in AVID schools for my entire career. I have seen first hand the powerful impact that AVID can have both on student in the elective class but also in supporting school wide improvements that works for all students. I am by no means an expert, but I hope that by sharing the experiences at our school we can build a community together. Archives
February 2023
Categories |