Disciplinary Writing (Narrative and Argumentative)

Synthesis:

McKeough (narrative writing):

The text discusses the writing process of a narrative and how teachers can foster this type of writing in the classroom. The author used the Common Core Standards as a tool to help explain the different writing landmarks of the grade levels. There is importance in teaching the students about character development and plot structure, and we must model for students the techniques of good writing. The text also mentions that we need to constantly adjust our writing instruction to meet the needs of each student in our classroom. Teachers need to apply strategies based upon personal observations and other professional opinions. 

 McKeough outlines some guidelines for teachers: 

• look at all grade level standards to develop an understanding of the advancement of knowledge and skills 
• evaluate each student to understand his/her knowledge base 
• put practice into place to help improve students' skills 

Teachers should look for progress in narrative writing as students develop and mature.
- First grade: Children create characters with mental states and create a breach for the character.
- Third grade: Stories become more complex with more characters.
- Fourth grade: More complicated storylines and characters with problems
- Fifth grade: Authors able to create resolutions for the characters.
- Middle school: Characters go through multiple states and have multiple troubles
- High school: Writers create stories with flashbacks, foreshadowing, perspective talking, etc.

The text mentions the strategy of Reading with a Writer's Eye. This is a critical thinking strategy that helps to train the reader to become a better writer and reader. The reader interacts with the text many times - thinking about the text, writing about the text, and talking about the text, researching the text, and re-reading the text.

Ferretti and Lewis (argumentative writing):
Students need explicit instruction to develop their argumentative writing skills. The text gives tips for teachers to help their students:

• Students need to talk about their opinions and learn about the opinions of others. The text stated that argumentative writing is like having a conversation with two people who have opposing views. 
• Teachers need to help students plan their arguments and revise them as needed. The text related argumentation to problem solving. Writers should constantly be striving to find a new way to make their argument stronger. 

Teaching students self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) involves teaching them specific skills that will help with their argumentative writing. This can help students form a clear argument that is supported and well thought-out. 

Responses:

(text to self)
I really liked the critical thinking strategies that were introduced in the text. In my experience with writing instruction, my teachers would tell me what I should include (introduction, body, conclusion) but sort of left us on our own to form our arguments and get to our final product. I think that dialogue can be so helpful. Writing does not have to be a solo activity. 

(text to text)
The texts discussed the importance of students talking with their peers and with their teacher about their writing. We have seen several texts this semester that hit on the value of conversation in the classroom. 

(text to world)
I think that if all teachers taught Reading with a Writer's Eye, we could transform children into better readers and writers. Students need to interact with the text many times and in multiple ways. Too often, students will just look at the text for face-value and not gain a deeper understanding of what the author is trying to convey. 

Questions:
1.  What is your favorite strategy you use to teach writing? How do you implement this strategy in the classroom?