Study/Discussion Guide

Writing Instruction K-6: Understanding Process, Purpose, Audience

Jan Turbill & Wendy Bean

Foreword by Mem Fox

Writing Instruction K-6 is written to help teachers deepen their understandings and increase their practical knowledge for implementing a sound and effective writing program. The book focuses on the important role that audience and purpose play in the development of young writers. Chapters 1-3 offer theoretical frameworks on which the remaining chapters are built. Chapter 4-9 offer examples of effective practice and several specified professional development exercises. Special features of the book are “cameos” and examples of children’s work that take the reader into successful writing classrooms. Questions and activities are suggested below and can be used as desired to generate discussion.

Using the Study Guide

In order to bring about whole school change it is ideal for all staff to work together in smaller study groups. However it is possible for a study group to be formed at the grade level or even with a group of interested peers. In setting up effective study groups consider the following:

• if the study is not convened by a literacy coach or facilitator, be sure to elect a group leader for each meeting.

• decide how often, when and where the group will meet

• decide on how each chapter will be read. for example you might jigsaw a chapter

• decide on what is to be the outcome for each meeting. For instance, whether the group will try a new practice, keep a reflective journal, collect work samples for discussion and so on

• use the quote provided to generate discussion about the implications for practice in ‘your’ classroom.

Guiding questions can be used or adapted as set out below chapter by chapter, or an agreed upon general framework for a book discussion can be used such as:

• What did each person find most interesting (helpful? challenging?) about this chapter (part? book?)
• What did each person identify as most important for themselves and their students?
• What action could each person now take or try in the classroom? Then, what happened as a result and what action can be tried now? (This act creates an authentic teaching/learning cycle as described in chapter 8).
• Choose a meaningful sentence or paragraph and share why it was chosen with the group.

Chapter 1: Teaching Writing

Chapter 1 lays out Jan’s and Wendy’s rationale for writing this book and their beliefs about how writing and writers operate and what constitutes “good writing”.

• Bring to the first session an example of published work (from a book, magazine, other kind of text) that you think is good quality writing. Create a list of what you think makes this piece of writing “good”. Compare your responses with the group’s and/or the list on page 8. What did you find out?
• Do you think you are as adept at teaching writing as you do reading? Why or why not? How is this reflected in the reading and writing you see your students do in the classroom? Identify the goal(s) you would like to achieve as a result of participating in this study group?

Quote for Reflection

“For writing to be meaningful, it must contain an inherent purpose to which the writer can relate and the reader can engage” (page 3).

Chapter 2: Reading-Writing Connections

Chapter 2 explores and compares what readers and writers do before, during, and after reading and/or writing, and links the concepts of conventions at the whole text level, sentence level, and word level.

Bring in examples of several different genres (e.g., newspaper or magazine article, novel, yellow pages, picture book). Examine each of the examples and make a list of the conventions for each genre at the whole text level, sentence level, and word level, and then compare them. What did you find out, and how does this impact your teaching?

Quote for reflection

What implications for the classroom does the following quote suggest?

“…we believe that if learners perceive themselves as writers and in particular writers of a certain text, they are going to be more likely engaged in the language conventions of that text more readily. They will read that text as potential writers of the text” (page 21).

Chapter 3: Revisiting Approaches to Writing Instruction

Chapter 3 lays out an historical continuum of writing instruction and ends with exploring how writing is now viewed as a complex tool for thinking and learning.

• Why does it matter to our teaching of writing to consider historical aspects of writing instruction?
• Use the Professional Development Activity on page 33 to develop a group definition of writing.

Quote for Reflection

“Writing no longer can be considered a subject. It is a tool for thinking and learning.” (page 32).

Chapter 4: Basics of Writing and the Role of the Teacher

Chapter 4 identifies four ‘basics’ of writing and what each ‘basic’ would mean for the teaching of writing.

• These four basics are the authors’ held views. Explore each one in detail.

• Apply the basics to each group member’s classroom context as suggested on page 40 and discuss the implications for the teachers in the group.

Quote for Reflection

“We believe all teaching stems from certain beliefs that each teacher holds …. Such beliefs tend to determine the choices of strategies, resources, organization and assessment procedures we use” Page 34.

Chapter 5: A Model for Teaching Writing

Chapter 5 presents a comprehensive model for the teaching of writing. ‘The core of this model is audience and purpose and their relationship to the choice of genre’ (page 41).

• What is ‘genre’? Why it is important to know what a genre is and how it works’.

• Fundamental to an effective writing program is having a conducive classroom learning environment. The Professional Development Activity: Reflecting on my classroom environment or climate on page 52, is designed to focus teachers thinking on their current classroom environment.

Quote for Reflection

“As teachers, we need to make what we know about writing much more explicit to the students we teach. Without a strong grasp of the role of audience and purpose, we can only teach students the mechanics of writing’ (page 41).

Chapter 6: Helping Writers Consider Audience, Purpose and Genre

Chapter 6 explores in detail the role that audience and purpose play in the choice of genre, the skills of writing and the writing process. It elaborates each of these by taking the reader into the classroom of a Grade 4/5.

• Divide the seven examples (pp 69-77) among group members. Each member should read the allocated example carefully and consider the child’s view of the role of audience and purpose. Discuss findings with group.

• On page 78 there is an activity for teachers to try with their students. Group members need to familiarize themselves with this activity by participating in it themselves. The materials required and processes are described on page 78.

Quote for Reflection

“We have found that once teachers have a deep understanding of the connections between reading and writing coupled with an understanding of the interplay among audience, purpose, and genre there is no stopping the many innovative practices that they begin to implement” (page 78).

Chapter 7: The Four Pillars for Managing Writing Instruction

Chapter 7 categorizes the ‘how’ of teaching writing as ‘four pillars’. These are time and timing, resources, teaching strategies and assessment. Each of these pillars is discussed in detail while the fourth pillar, ‘assessment of writing’ is considered to be so important it is the focus of chapter 8.

• Focus on Pillar 3, Teaching Strategies. All group members read pp 85-102 carefully. Each group member completes the following grid. It is important for the group to understand that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this activity.

• Group members share their responses

• Now consider the implications of any suggested changes for Pillars 1 and 2: Time and Timing and Resources

Quote for Reflection

…[T]here is no one way to teach writing, and there is no one way to organize for the teaching of writing. There are, however, some important factors to take into account when organizing ourselves and our students for writing’ (page 79).

Chapter 8. Assessing Writing Using a Teaching/Learning Cycle.

Chapter 8 provides detailed information and practical ideas for the assessment of writing at the whole text, sentence and word levels.

• On p 104 two main purposes for the assessment of writing are outlined. Discuss these.

• Identify and list on chart paper barriers that group members believe may exist for either or both of these purposes for assessment. For each identified barrier brainstorm possible solutions for managing the assessment process.

• Select a Grade 2 or 3 student’s piece of writing.  Use the example, Figure 8.5 Analysis of Matt’s Recount, on page 113 as a model for analyzing this writing.

Quote for Reflection

“Effective assessment should:

• inform teachers so they can guide students to the next stage of learning

• provide information for teachers to better understand the students they are teaching

• provide information so that teachers can articulate their knowledge of the students they teach

• help teachers reflect on the approaches and strategies they are using to teach writing” (page 134).

Chapter 9 Teacher Response to Assessment Data

The purpose of this chapter is to ask teachers to reflect on what they do as teachers in the writing classroom.

Use the Professional Development Activity: Analysing Writing on page 139.

Quote for Reflection

“Understanding the nexus between theory and practice provides a solid foundation for the teaching and assessing of writing ….” (page 140).

Final Thought

Consider the words of Don Holdaway taken from his book Foundations of Literacy, Auckland: Ashton Scholastic written in 1979 on page 11.

“Learning to read and write ought to be one of the most joyful and successful of human undertakings” (page 137).

Published R C Owen 2006

Available in Australia : Modern Teaching Aids