Write to Learn

This is a word to text site that may assist those students with access to technology who have a hard time getting thoughts down on paper. Google Chrome is required. If interested in this, http://ctrlq.org/dictation/ is another option.

This link takes you to a document containing a graphic organizer and directions for a W2L strategy called 4-2-1 Free Write. While it's not a strategy we'll be covering in class, it looks like a good one!

I chose this site because I have always found RAFT activities to be great for use in all curricular areas. Students get to a deeper level of thinking when they are prompted to connect their learning using the RAFT strategies. I also have like using the writingfix.com for many writing ideas. -Angie

Templates to use when implementing exits slips. Also there is a list of books to use exit slips with and links with more information re: exit slips

This site has some writing to learn strategies that can be easily integrated into your curriculum with ease and purpose.-Cindy Weber

This website will turn your composition into a visual. For instance, you could write about Frida Kahlo and it would turn the words into her image. This seems like a good follow up activity to some writing. It may be good motivation to get students writing because they'll want to make this visual.

I was thinking this page ties into W2L because if students put in their work, they could easily see themes. Or if the teacher had the work electronically submitted, the teacher could copy and paste and show the class what common themes they all wrote about.

I taught my students to use Wordle this year. I gave students a choice of using Wordle as an ice breaker activity at the beginning of the year. They typed in words and phrases that described them. Students who chose Wordle had fun selecting themes, fonts, colors, and layouts. After they finished their word cloud, the students presented their Wordles to the class by explaining why they selected 15-20 of the words they placed in their word cloud. I also used Wordle to build/teach the vocabulary for one of the stories we read earlier this year. There are many great uses for Wordle in a variety of content areas.

While we have already learned many strategies, this web page gives us a 4 step instructional process for teaching these strategies. It also gives a video example how to complete each step.

This is a nice site, Holly. The highlighted steps would make a nice handout for this course -- I can see how it might be helpful to keep it handy as a constant reminder not to rush when implementing new strategies.

This was originally shared by Ryan. Just reposted by me. :-)

Ryan's original comment: This website contains several writing activities geared toward social studies, but they could be used with a variety of classes. They progress from easier to more difficult. I think some fit well with W2L, others not so much

I defnitely believe that any sort of writing helps with handwriting skills, grammar even, and reading. I know, writing for me, I usually 'talk' differently in my writing than I do actually speaking. I have time to think about what I want to say, can look at it, and make changes if I think it's not right. Wish I could do that in real life! LOL

This was originally shared by Ryan. Just reposted by me. :-)

Ryan's original comment: This article supports W2L and gives some basic examples and suggestions. The one part that really jumped out at me was the last paragraph-W2L is a way to help students practice thinking, which is something I hadn't thought about.

Since I use discussion a lot with my students I thought this was a good idea to refocus. It could be tied in with an exit strategy to find out what students thought the main focus of the discussion really was supposed to be.

This website is great for any special needs teacher that may have come to a block on different ways to adapt or let student express themselves. It gives you examples on how a student could submit work if they are having a hard time expressing themselves, spelling, writing legibly,or reading. Lots of examples!!

In reference to a comment below regarding Magnet Summaries, there are a lot of really good summarizing strategies out there that would be Writing to Learn. This link to our AEA 267 ELA Website has a page devoted to summaries. Within the page you'll notice a few strategies are shared, and there is also a reference to the following book: Summarization in Any Subject: 50 Techniques to Improve Student Learning by Rick Wormeli. It is an awesome resource available through AEA 267's lending library.

You cannot choose "classroom" without an account. You can only do 1 private storm at a time.

This is a quick referece for bloomstaxonomy questions over a book. I love to have these references to use when planning. The reference sheet is broken down by the levels of questioning, such as knowledge, comprehension, etc. levels with about 10 examples of questions you could use with any book. This can benefit the W2L group by providing teachers with a handy reference for questioning and using with various strategies that we have learned so far, such as exit slips, admit slips, and writing breaks.

This page has links to print out exit slip templates as well as links to lesson plans using the exit slip. It explains what an exit slip is and gives other ideas on how and when to use it. Great website!

Exit Slips

This strategy and lesson is geared toward lower elementary but it has templates to use with literature response. If anyone works with lower elementary it would work really well.

Literature Response

This is a great idea for helping those students who struggle with writing because they can't think of what to write. In addition, the connective words (i.e. first, then, next) provided in the writing frames help students understand how to use words to transition from one idea to the next. The article provides the steps to create a writing frame as well as elementary and secondary examples of opinion writing frames and compare-contrast writing frames.