Writing Anchors of Support
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Sample Anchors for each Folder
Consider providing visuals, examples, and even activities. This "Step 1" folder has:
- Breaking down the prompt including sample prompts
- The rubric
- The Thesis PPT used in class and an activity
- Practice evaluating thesis statements (cards)
- Text Structure cards and a text structure activity
Creating Folders for Every Writing Need
- Hook/Intro ideas (think Bernabei!)
- Outlines and/or graphic organizers
- Transition activity/cards
- Example Ideas (like CHELPS)
- Word Choice
- Revising Steps (including syntax)
- Editing Steps
- Scoring with rubric
- Concluding statement ideas
Materials to Include
- Extra lined pages
- Extra copies of the rubric
- Extra copies of blank outlines or graphic organizers
- Extra copies of peer conference sheets (here are some task cards to consider!)
- Dictionaries
- Thesauruses
- Bilingual and visual dictionaries
- Binder with exemplar essays and mentor texts
- Writing utensils
- Grammar Rules/Posters - ex: ARMS and CUPS
Other ideas to spice up your writing area
Quotes for Inspiration
Change quotes on a weekly basis - I like including some from different sources:
- Shakespeare
- Politics
- Thematic to the unit or books students are reading
- Teachers and students!
Encourage students to come up with them! Having a small box near the poster on top of a bookshelf can encourage them to find some from their books or from things they've heard recently.
Golden Lines
As students come across great "golden lines" from their books, write them and compile them in one place. As they share, ask students what makes it a golden line.
As you move into writing, have students self-select one line from their writing to share and read it aloud to you. Type it so that you are modeling correct sentence structure, spelling, and grammar. Then, do the same thing - analyze what makes it a "golden line" - this is a great way to give organic mini-lessons around grammar, sentence structure, figurative language, word choice, etc.
Truisms
Once you've generated a general list of topics (money, family, marriage, greed, etc), have students write good things and bad things about each to form truisms, based on their STIR books, a story read in class, or a poem. Truisms are an effective way to conclude an essay. In addition, if students are familiar writing truisms and substantiating their truism with examples and opinions, they are getting practice in writing essays. Truisms = STAAR essay prompts!
Erika San Miguel
- Masters from Concordia in Educational Leadership
- 8 years ELA & Reading Teacher
- 3 years Instructional Lead Teacher & Dept Chair
- 2 years Curriculum & Instruction Specialist, AISD
Email: erika.sanmiguel@austinisd.org
Website: teachermaterials.weebly.com
Location: 1111 West 6th Street, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: 512-414-4479