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Formal Writing: A Process
 
For most of us, after years of writing for pleasure and for school, we may take our ability for granted. However, our students may or may not have had experience thinking about writing, talking about their writing, revising, editing and finalizing their work. Therefore, regardless of the content area that you teach, the formal writing process needs to be explicitly taught and modeled by us. The skill of writing well needs to be supported and honed in all of our classes and at every opportunity. Writing, whether for expression, explanation, celebration, complaint or persuasion, is a critical door opener for all of our students. The formal writing process is a clear and purposeful method for us to help our students build this skill.
 
 
Key Ideas:
 
  • The formal writing process needs to be explicitly taught and modeled by teachers.
  • The formal writing typically uses a 5-step process.
 
 
Resources:
 
Poem: "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon
 
Student Example: Authentic example of student interacting with text
 
Graphic Organizer: Quick, easy pre-writing activity to use with poem
 
Website of George Ella Lyon
 
PowerPoint: Highlights from Formal Writing Session
 
Article: "Music As Literacy: Why'd you turn the music off?"
Written in response to a question a student asked me on my first day of teaching, incorporating music into classes I have taught across a variety of content areas has proven to be beneficial for investing students, promoting comprehension and helping with the structure and management. This article discusses the concept of "Music of the Week," as well as the specific application of musical connections to learning objectives. Excellent web resource for classroom support and lesson application: Learning From Lyrics
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