Module+5

Due Oct 16

 * Zwiers, Chapter 8
 * **Pre-reading** - Think of a "writing challenge" you have observed with students in your current placement. Describe the challenge and at least three possible hypotheses to explain why the problem might be happening.
 * **During-reading** - Skim Zwiers chapter 8 with this writing challenge in mind. As you're reading, mark places in the text that could help you respond to the writing challenge you identified.
 * **Post-reading** - List three specific strategies you gleaned from chapter 8 that you could imagine being useful to address the writing challenge. For each strategy do these three things: a) Describe/show the strategy, b) Explain how you would use it in the particular classroom context you were thinking about, c) Explain your rationale for selecting this particular strategy
 * "Writing to Learn" Task (See below) - I suggest that you either build off of your text-based lesson plan or design a task that you could imagine using with students in your current field placement.

Due Oct 18
>> **After reading, please respond to the following prompts on the discussion boards.**
 * "Writing to Show Learning" Task (See below) - I suggest that you either build off of your text-based lesson plan or design a task that you could imagine using with students in your current field placement.
 * Mitchie, Chapter 8
 * **Before you read:** Think about common images and perceptions of "gangbangers," "at risk youth," and "juvenile delinquents." What sort of literacy is associated with this "crowd"?
 * **As you're reading**, (pages 135-154) pay particular attention to moments in the story that teach your something about the power of writing. Also, pay attention to moments in the chapter that surprise you in provocative ways.
 * What did you learn about the power of writing from this chapter?
 * What surprised you from this chapter? Why?

Designing a Writing Task
Think about a lesson or unit you can imagine teaching. How could you incorporate writing into your instruction? Your task is to design two writing tasks to support learning of the content. One task should be a "writing to learn" task. This will be a less-formal task that helps students process and deepen their understanding of the content. (In the article above, this is referred to as "casual writing." The second task is a "writing to show learning" task. This will be a formal task that is designed to help students demonstrate their knowledge. (In the article, this is called "formal writing.")

A. For each task, please respond to the following prompts in about one page for each writing activity. This is intended to be a clear description of the task and your rationale for your decision based on your professional knowledge. 1. What is the task? 2. Why did you choose this task? 3. How does this task support content learning? 4. Who is the audience for the writing? 5. How will you scaffold the process for your students? 6. How will the writing be assessed?

B. Design a one-page handout for each task that you could give to students. The handout should explain the task and reason for doing it in student-friendly language. It should also include information about how the task will be graded. It might also include some examples or models and if applicable, the format (e.g. relevant charts, etc.)

http://gonzagateach.wikispaces.com/Writing+Assignments
 * For more information about writing across the curriculum, browse this page - **