I use write alouds to show students how a certain writing technique might look or how a paragraph should be framed. I talk as I write on the board or ELMO and let them know why I chose to one thing over the next, and where I am trying to go with certain phrases. It is the same as think alouds except that I am talking about writing and simultaneously writing. It allows the students to see how I would complete a writing task and it helps them understand the process of writing. Sometimes writing flows word for word and other times it winds around, and starts and stops and becomes very messy before finding its way to brilliance.
I recently used a write-aloud to construct a short summary based on a reading I shared with the class. I composed "on the fly" and projected what I'd written so the students could view it. My work then becomes a condensed version of what I'd do in a longer piece which they will have to write. Hopefully this helps allay student anxiety when then need to write their own, lengthier summaries.
I ask students to volunteer to let me edit their writing in front of the class using the ELMO. I think aloud as I examine the writing using the 6 trait writing rubric. Then, students self-edit and/or peer edit. They do a better job when I do this before they do the activity.
I used write-alouds in science when I was modeling how to construct an "explanation" following the data collection and interpretation in an experiment. Students have a difficult time connecting the big idea/question of the experiment to the data they collected. I used the "write-aloud" process to show my thought processes as I constructed the explanation and connected the data to the big idea/question. Being transparent in my thinking helped students to construct their written explanation. I couldn't just use a write-aloud one time. It was an ongoing process throughout the school year so that students could see/hear my thinking as I put the connection between the big idea/question and the data into the written explanation. I found that simply giving the students an example of a well written explanation was not enough. They needed to hear/see how I worked through the process of writing an explanation.
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ReplyDeleteI use write alouds to show students how a certain writing technique might look or how a paragraph should be framed. I talk as I write on the board or ELMO and let them know why I chose to one thing over the next, and where I am trying to go with certain phrases. It is the same as think alouds except that I am talking about writing and simultaneously writing. It allows the students to see how I would complete a writing task and it helps them understand the process of writing. Sometimes writing flows word for word and other times it winds around, and starts and stops and becomes very messy before finding its way to brilliance.
ReplyDeleteI recently used a write-aloud to construct a short summary based on a reading I shared with the class. I composed "on the fly" and projected what I'd written so the students could view it. My work then becomes a condensed version of what I'd do in a longer piece which they will have to write. Hopefully this helps allay student anxiety when then need to write their own, lengthier summaries.
ReplyDeleteI ask students to volunteer to let me edit their writing in front of the class using the ELMO. I think aloud as I examine the writing using the 6 trait writing rubric. Then, students self-edit and/or peer edit. They do a better job when I do this before they do the activity.
ReplyDeleteI used write-alouds in science when I was modeling how to construct an "explanation" following the data collection and interpretation in an experiment. Students have a difficult time connecting the big idea/question of the experiment to the data they collected. I used the "write-aloud" process to show my thought processes as I constructed the explanation and connected the data to the big idea/question. Being transparent in my thinking helped students to construct their written explanation. I couldn't just use a write-aloud one time. It was an ongoing process throughout the school year so that students could see/hear my thinking as I put the connection between the big idea/question and the data into the written explanation. I found that simply giving the students an example of a well written explanation was not enough. They needed to hear/see how I worked through the process of writing an explanation.
ReplyDelete