Free Writing & Research Curriculum from Intel

FREE GOLD:

• Intel® Education: Technology Literacy This is an online curriculum for writing and research using technology tools. It's about how to write research using the net. Aimed at middle school students, this work could be used for beginning research methods in graduate school. Superb instructional design. A hidden gem. Brilliant!
  (tags: e-learning curriculum writing writing-process)

Free Tools for Thinking, Researching, Writing

Intel is creating great tools for educators. You'll find real treasures on their education website.

Here's a link to Intel's Thinking Tools:

http://www.intel.com/education/tools/index.htm?iid=teach+tools

Here is the Education Site Map that provides access to all of their resources:

http://www.intel.com/education/site_support/contents.htm

Bookmark these pages if nothing else. This is an amazing free resource.

I recently reviewed Intel's Technology Literacy Curriculum for alignment to ISTE NETS-S standards.

http://www.intel.com/education/technologyliteracy/

If you're looking for a carefully designed curriculum to teach research and writing skills, this is it. Again this is a free resource. In my opinion it is more than detailed enough to work at the college level. These could be the basis for a very strong semester of instruction.

The curriculum was written for kids 11 -15 years old. Don't let the Technology Literacy title throw you. This is about how to research and write using online and traditional sources.

Dennis

Six Traits Search Engine

Try this Six Traits Search Engine I built using a social search system called Swicky. You can vote for your favorite materials and suggest sites you'd like included in the search results. Go to the site and click on the keywords in the tag cloud. See what you think! ~ Dennis

Ruth Culham's Writing Company

Workshop & training schedules with a comprehensive listing of books and other materials make this site worth a visit.

Also listed are recommended books to support the traits.

National Writing Project Rolls out New Website

If you haven't signed up for the free resources and online access to National Writing Project Resources .... DO IT! This is THE COMMUNITY for writing teachers. You won't be sorry you joined.

Here's an announcement I just got in their newsletter that I want to pass along:

NWP Launches New Website

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website, www.nwp.org. The new site beautifully showcases the depth and breadth of the work of the writing project, including resources that writing project colleagues have written and developed over many years.

Among the changes you’ll notice are

• a new NWP Sites section devoted to site development
• a Results section featuring research on NWP's effectiveness
• an expanded Resources section showcasing hundreds of articles
• a new Calendar with an assortment of views according to types of events
• an improved Search function that delivers more extensive results.

Use the online form at “Contact Us” to comment on the new website.

Top 20 6-Trait Resources

These resources come from my del.icio.us social bookmarks. (Network name wiredinstructor)

1. Fifty (50!) Tools which can help you in Writing - lifehack.org

   tips from poynter.com on writing

   to writing writing-process 6-traits ... saved by 4729 other people ... 2 days ago

2. Techlearning > > Poetry Out Loud > September 7, 2007

   Hear British poets read 21 of their own poems, including, incredibly, Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1890 reading of "The Charge of the Light Brigade," as recorded by agents of Thomas Alva Edison

   to writing 6-traits poetry ... on sept 11

3. ReadingLady.com :: ReadingLady.com Teaching Resources

   Posters for the six traits in word document form

   to 6-traits writing writing-process ... saved by 1 other person ... on sept 05

4. 6+1 Traits for Revison | Scholastic.com

   edit / delete

   Ruth Culham provides overview of traits. Links to other support materials.

   to 6-traits writing writing-process ... saved by 1 other person ... on sept 05

5. Essay Punch: An Interactive Writing Tutorial

   The web site provides questions that help to guide users step by step through pre-writing, writing, organizing, editing, rewriting, and publishing.

   to writing 6-traits writing-process writers ... saved by 38 other people ... on aug 26

6. Storybase.net - writing prompts for fiction writers

   web 2.0 oriented writing prompts

   to writing writing-process writers 6-traits ... saved by 2 other people ... on aug 26

7. Journalists Writing Style guide

   English (UK) Detailed style guide from the other side of the pond.

   to 6-traits ... saved by 289 other people ... on aug 08

8. Research on the 6+1 Trait Writing Model for Improving Student Writing

   65 page pdf of research on effectiveness of 6 traits in writing achievement. also ppt slides from ASCD presentation

   to 6-traits ... on aug 08

9. Hartman Reader Page

   Web 1.0 page dedicated to words, their meanings, and various bits of literate trivia.

   to wordchoice 6-traits ... saved by 4 other people ... on aug 07

10. The Write Weblog: Six Traits of Writing Brainstorming

    Classroom blogging project, good example of how to use a blog in a writing class.

    to 6-traits blog ... on july 29

11. Quotable Quotes on Writers and Writing

    to writing writers writing-process 6-traits ... saved by 99 other people ... on june 03

12. Advice to writers by Vonnegut

    How to Write With Style by Kurt Vonnegut

    to writing 6-traits ... saved by 363 other people ... on june 02

13. UWC @ TAMU - Writing Process

    webliography of writing process resources
    

    to writing 6-traits e-learning ... on may 11

14. In digital age, more t's are crossed poorly - The Boston Globe

    impact of technology and nclb on handwriting.

    to 6-traits writing ... saved by 6 other people ... on may 08

15. ESL 6-Traits

    Forms for scoring 6-traits elements with an ESL orientation

    to 6-traits esl ... on may 05

16. Six Trait Writing Ideas

    Fun page of links to various 6-traits links!

    to 6-traits writing ... on may 05

17. Lesson Plan:"All About Me" Paragraph - Grade 5 Writing

    This is an introductory lesson for students in the beginning of the school year, based on a collection of ideas from "The 6-Traits in Writing" (rubrics adapted to be kid-friendly), and also the "10-Point Writing Checklist." This collection of organizers i

    to 6-traits writing ... saved by 2 other people ... on may 05

18. 6+1 Trait Writing @Web English Teacher

    Web English Teacher presents the best of K-12 English / Language Arts teaching resources: lesson plans, WebQuests, videos, biography, e-texts, criticism, jokes, puzzles, and classroom activities. Permission to link is granted to any educational site.

    to writing 6-traits ... saved by 32 other people ... on may 03

19. The Neverending Tale

    The Neverending Tale is for kids and kids-at-heart. It is a choose-your-own-path adventure story- like you might read in a book. But you can add to the tale where ever you like. Whatever you add will become part of the tale, anything you can think of.

    to writing writing-process 6-traits ... on may 03

20. The Opportunity of Voice (Techlearning blog)

    David Jakes on Digital Story Telling. Meat for thought here. How does medium is the message reality of web 2.0 tech interact with traditional ways of teaching writing (6-traits)? Hint: It's all about audience, and to find an audience you have to underst

    to writing 6-traits digital_storytelling ... saved by 2 other people ... on april 24

I May Have Found My Voice

Maria reports from Summer School:

One thing I learned from the class readings, which was reinforced oddly enough in my summer school Kindergarten job today, is that the best way to engage students is to share your own writing with them. Show them your own struggles/process/evolution as a writer. Invite their input.

I tried it with Kindergarteners today, with phenomenal success.

As I relayed a description of my backyard, using simple drawings on a whiteboard and labeling the pictures, the students enthusiastically chimed in with suggestions of what to add ("How about a cat who wants to eat the goldfish in your pond?"); comments about their own backyards ("My dad built a waterfall in ours."); and helpful hints on spelling ("Sun" is spelled s-u-n.). Then, when I had the students develop their own stories in their journals, I found myself absorbed in the details of their lives. In the past, I have insisted that they write something first, then illustrate it. I learned today how unnatural that is for young writers. I also learned how much fun it is to hear other people's stories, even 6-year-olds!

Tomorrow, I am going to revisit the description of my backyard with my young charges. I am going to muse out loud about whether there is anything I could add to my story, either in the form of more pictures, or more words. Perhaps I will even venture to write a sentence about it. I will teach them, subtly, that you can go back to a piece anytime you want, planting the seeds of "revision". I will ask them to revisit their stories from yesterday, and decide if there is anything they wish to add.

(You may or may not recognize that I got the Kindergarten ideas from author Lucy Caulkins and her books on writer's workshop. Her work reinforces my conviction that sharing my writing with students is a sure way to prime their creative pump.)

Writing Strategies Web Site

I'd like to recommend the Writing Strategies Web Site. Jim Collins of the University at Buffalo has created a website worth your attention. This is a rich resource for information about 6-traits, the writing process, and writing across the curriculum. If you need classroom poster materials, teaching ideas, or advice on how to teach the traits as part of the writing process, this site will be a treasure chest of goodies for you.

You'll be able to download a series of fourteen traits specific PDF files. These files are richly illustrated and would make a great writing center display, or presentation set for an in-service.

Here's a clever presentation of the traits and the writing process:

This diagram shows how you might roll out a traits based writing process in your classroom:


Take the time to visit this site! You'll be glad you did.

Search Engine for 6-Traits Writing

I've been seeing a lot of search activity on the personalized 6-Traits search engine I set up at: http://six-traits-search-swicki.eurekster.com/

It's gratifying to know this tool is getting some use. I just spent 15 minutes 'training' the system. I added a few new terms to the 'Tag Cloud' of suggested keywords. Then I went through and removed weak results for the keywords 'conventions' and 'voice'. The idea is to tune the system to only retrieve results relevant to writing!

This search engine is build on the Eurekster server. Eurekster provides 'community powered' search. Users can promote or tag a good site, suggest keywords, and add new target resources.

Ultimately, the idea is to provide rich resources just a quick search away.

Drop by and give it a whirl! 6traits Search Swicki.

Full Book: Free Online

Teaching Adolescent Writers
http://www.stenhouse.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=9032&r=sb070117

Right the writing wrongs in your secondary classroom! In his new book Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher shares instructional strategies that focus on six key needs: ample practice, teacher modeling, reading great writers, topic choice, authentic purposes, and meaningful feedback. Click here to browse the entire book online!

Stenhouse Publishers Professional Development Materials feature PDF versions of the book. Sometimes the just the first chapter. Sometimes the entire book. This one is a full book. Worth skimming to say the least!

Expanding Writing's Role in Learning

Expanding Writing's Role in Learning

Rick Allen discusses the importance of building a community of writing teachers like that found in the National Writing Project.

This quote from the National Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges caught my attention:

"As a nation we can barely begin to imagine how powerful K-16 education might be if writing were put in its proper focus. Facility with writing opens students up to the pleasure of exercising their minds in ways that grinding on facts, details, and information never will. More than a way of knowing, writing is an act of discovery."

I'm a dedicated ed-tech believer... mainly because writing with technology (and all it implies) seems to me to be the best path to critical thinking and discovery. I think you'll find Allen's article thought provoking.