Focusing On Literacy Links

Focusing on Literacy Links

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Chapter 3 Pages 159 - 167

Focusing on Writing Objective: •To use Thinking Maps throughout the writing process.

Review Writing Process and Connection to Thinking Maps

Welcome and Agenda

Planning time for classroom applications.

Closure and expectations for sharing student work

Practice Writing for a Prompt using Thinking Maps

A Language for Learning Chapter 3 Pages 159-167

Page 127

You Have Applied Thinking Maps to Literacy Skills CHAPTER 3 LITERACY LINKS

Your students are beginning to use Thinking Maps to deepen their understanding of academic vocabulary. You have modeled the use of Thinking Maps for writing across the curriculum. You have integrated the use of Thinking Maps with your students’ note taking strategies. Your students are beginning to use Thinking Maps as strategies to improve their reading comprehension.

Page 160

THINKING MAPS AND WRITING One of the best ways for students to take their thinking “off the map” is have them write a few sentences about the information in their map.

Page 160

THINKING MAPS AND WRITING

Let students work with each other to explain the information in their map before asking them to write a few sentences on their own.

Page 161

SENTENCE FRAMES Language has a form and a function. The function of the Bubble Map is to describe. The sentence frames below illustrate the form that can be used for descriptive writing.

Page 162

THINKING MAPS AND THE WRITING PROCESS

MAPPING A WRITING PROMPT

CIRCLE

TREE

FLOW

Brainstorm and Address Prompt

Classify and Elaborate

Sequence and Organize

AN EXPOSITORY WRITING PROMPT

Write about your favorite place. Be sure to include details about why this place is your favorite.

Writing Activity Directions • Read All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. • Optional: – Make a circle map with favorite places, select one to write about – Make a tree map: Favorite places: inside, outside

• Pick one specific place, Circle Map, define that place. • Select 3 reasons that best exemplify why you love this place and underline them in your circle map. • Make a flow map with three boxes in middle of page, write those reasons, saving the best for last. • Underneath those boxes, list several specific things that tell about your experiences or feelings. • Add opening, then closing.

The story tells about more of the young boy’s experiences on the farm.

Papa taught him how to plow the fields. Grandmother taught him to love the river. He explored the woods across from the river. He watched the spring rains turn the meadow into a marsh. Mama showed him the blueberry barren where no trees grew.

Page 163

THINKING MAPS AND THE WRITING PROCESS

Prewriting – Brainstorming Choose your favorite place and use a Circle Map to brainstorm all of the reasons that you love this place.

Page 164

THINKING MAPS AND THE WRITING PROCESS

Prewriting – Classifying and Elaborating

Next organize your reasons into 2 or 3 categories and add your details and elaborations for support.

THINKING MAPS AND THE WRITING PROCESS

Prewriting Organizing Finally, choose an organizational plan for your ideas.

Page 165

Page 164

THINKING MAPS AND THE WRITING PROCESS Revising and Editing: The Tree Map below can be used to brainstorm words and images to make the details more vivid and precise.

THINKING MAPS AND THE WRITING PROCESS

Page 166

Now the sentence “We sit in the rocking chairs and listen to the sounds of the beach” can be revised to read “Each morning we sit in the gray weathered rocking chairs listening to the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the sand.”

Closure

Take some time to meet by grade level or department in order to plan how you might use Thinking Maps to help students improve their writing. Save your students’ work and be prepared to share their examples at our next follow-up session.