Write to Learn

A great article focusing on two W2L strategies - admit and exit slips. Great advice and ideas from teacher who regularly use admit and exit slips in their classes.

A collaborative online tool where students can create and personalize concept maps. Students can even web images related to those concepts.

This page has a template for using double-entry journals. However, it also has more links to implementing double-entry journals and using KWL charts. I looked at all of the links listed and they would be awesome to use!!!!

A neat site that sends you a daily email reminding you to write about your life that day.

This website has many different current event articles that are short and on a wide variety of topics.  We are using this with our students and having them add comments.  

I used this site over three years ago with my 5th grade social studies students. I like the enhancements they have made by have a section for teens now. In addition, since the articles are shorter that a typical news article I feel like students are more likely to stay engaged. When looking through the comments made by other students, it is easy for students to see examples of strong and weak writing. A plethora of great learning experiences!

It explains what W2L strategies are about and that research has shown that they are a great thing for students.

This site is from a communication institute. It gives some examples of strategies that go with W2L, but they seem as though they would be longer writing assignments. Check it out and let me know what you think. I am wondering if it is geared more towards using W2L strategies with college students.

It defines W2L in detail. This site is aimed to college professors, but I found some interesting troubleshooting advice on it for when W2L isn't working the best for you in your classroom.

At the top of the page it has a variety of questions people may have about W2L. I clicked on them and read some interesting answers. One question is had that spiked my interest was "How can I avoid getting lousy student writing?" If you have any confusion about W2L, I would suggest consulting this site to help you.

This site helps people learn languages or improve on the language knowledge that they already have. I was attracted to this site because of the section on Writing Exercises and tried it out. Here is a summary: WRITING EXERCISES-Practice writing on various themes and prompts and get feedback from native speakers. LEVELS: Beginner (a journey or weather, discuss a trip or language course, write dialog for a telephone conversation); Intermediate (writing an e-mail, postcard and letter, describing people and everyday life) or Advanced (everyday topics and expressing opinions) OTHER COURSES; Level Courses, Spanish for the Holidays, Spanish Around the World, Numbers, Listen and Practice, Spanish Idioms, Express Training, Refresher Course, Themes and Situations, etc.

This site covers assumptions about academic writing, writing myths, examples of write to learn activities, why it is effective, etc. I would use this site to present at a faculty meeting to help other teachers realize that writing across the curriculum is NOT research papers, it is learning about students and their knowledge by having them write short things such as an exit slip to check for understanding. WTL personalizes instruction.

This is like either an exit or admit slip. Perhaps this would be a good title to use in a composition class.

Good use for any type of persuasion activity - speech, paper, or discussion.

We looked at this website during our inservice. Lots of information about formative assessments and rubric. Good information!!

I am an avid Wordle user. This site lists a variety of ways to use word clouds to enhance learning in any subject area.

I started using this site by posting a class discussion question and then having students reflect on the page using their IPads. What a great way to see their thinking instantaneously.

I've had great success with the KU writing system. Therefore, I thought I'd see if it included any strategies that we could incorporate into our W2L methods. This page of the KU site suggests various pre-writing strategies, which may modified to fit the intentions and methods of W2L.

Google's site for teachers: helping students to become skilled searchers at beginning to advanced stages.

This 2007 report highlights 11 effective, research-based elements of current writing instruction. Writing to Learn made the list!

I found it timely to receive this information; Poll Everywhere now allows you to upload images, Math Equations, as well as Sub and Superscripts for voting.

I thought of Lori for this one, but others might fine uses as well.

I went back today to the Colorado State web site on W2L. The more I look at this site the more I like it. If you want a quick list of strategies to use - its there. If you want to have additional ideas when/where/how to use W2L - its there. It like a second reference to our textbook.

I totally agree with the above comment. This site would be another good one to share with colleagues that are looking for a way to work writing into what they do with students as they explore more strategies that are useful in the classroom. Too many of the content area teachers do not see the possibilities of writing as a vehicle for students to get more out of the learning and curriculum.