Barbara W. Coles Trader
The students will write their final drafts, proofread and refer to the skills list. This is the “phase” that the students are ready to decide whether they want their compositions presented to an unfamiliar audience. The students are to remember that they are no longer writing for their teacher, but their written work will be publicized/published.
The students will attach the “Getting Ready to Publish” information in their “Writing Notebooks.”
Getting Ready to Publish
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1. Does it have all the information in it that you want?
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2. Have you added information?
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3. Is your piece in the right order?
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4. Have you shared your book with the class?
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Have you shared your book with a friend?
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Have you shared your book with a teacher?
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5. Circle several words that are not spelled like they would be in a dictionary.
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6. Have you put a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of each sentence?
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7. Are there capital letters at the beginning of sentences and for proper/special names?
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8. Review your book with the teacher or put it in the editing tray.
* More questions can be added if the instructor desired to do so.
The students are to use their previous reference information (questionnaire and skills list). The writers will do several drafts until they are satisfied with their work. The young authors will edit for mechanical errors and spelling; they are to proofread very carefully. Allow them to “retype their pieces on clean paper and proofread again for typographical errors.” The instructor will use the conference information from “Phases 4-5.”
Activities: The Refinement Sessions
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A. The instructor will tell the students that the task is relatively simple because they have done the most difficult work. The subject is limited and the topic sentence is written. They have planned the organization and development for the body of the paper, and the ideas are written for the conclusion. The result is a rough draft of the finished product. *The students can recopy their papers for a
homework assignment
.
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B. The instructor will use various assessment tools to rate the students’ papers on the basis of the characteristics that are important for proficient writers. A
diagnostic test
on common errors will be used; it will diagnose word endings, parts of speech and spelling.
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C. The students will be rated from 0-4.
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0 = No improvement
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1 = Slight improvement (poor)
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2 = Some improvement (fair—in one area)
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3 = Significant improvement (good)
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4 = Outstanding improvement (excellent)
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The “basic goals” writing chart will be used. Each of the items on the “skills chart will be examined from four modified pedagogical perspectives” (Shaughnessy, p. 275).
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D. Each one of the students will have an
Observation and Self-
Evaluative Checklist
in their free writing folders where the corrected assignments are maintained. The students’ individual conferences should not last any longer than
two to three minutes per paper
. The instructor will review these questions with the students and utilize the grading system. 1. Do I have a combination of spatial and/or chronological order (describing nouns and the time)? 2. Did I include logic/ reasoning? 3. Was I emphatic and dramatic (effectiveness of the entry and conclusion)? Excellent—
four points
will be given if the student has completed all of the tasks. Good—
three points
will be given if some of the tasks are done. Satisfactory—
two points
will be given if the topic sentence and related ideas are recorded. Unsatisfactory
one point
is given if random thoughts are recorded. Zero—the student did not try to do any of the phases (no improvement).
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E. The students’ individual books will be bound. The instructor will have a “Binders Workshop,” and the “Bindery” will be located in a special section of the classroom. The theme is “Writing Can Be Fun.” The students will read aloud and advertise their books within the school building. They will have a special program to invite their parents, friends, the faculty and others.