Hillcrest’s School Wide Writing and Vocabulary Initiative:

A Guide for Educators

Stephen M. Duch,

Principal

Compiled by David Morrison,

Assistant Principal English/Art/Music

Implementing a Secondary School-Wide Writing Initiative

Why establish a writing policy?

Schools that consistently have students with high levels of achievement in writing have systematically implemented productive teaching and learning practices. When a school commits to creating a culture of writing by subscribing to and supporting sound teaching practices, it offers every learner the conditions needed to learn to think and write clearly.

What is missing at Hillcrest?

Currently, the commonly held view is that the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills is the job of the English/ESL teacher. This is true, but students require steady practice applying the skills and strategies taught in the English/ESL classes. Many of our walkthroughs last year highlighted how these skills are not formally taught or assessed consistently across the subject areas.

What are the characteristics of a secondary school-wide writing policy?

• Administrators are committed to writing and lead by example.
• All teachers in a school are committed to teaching writing.
• Teaching writing is an integral part of all subjects and classes.
• Students are given time and multiple opportunities to write.
• Teachers consistently evaluate their writing instruction.
• Student writing is assessed in multiple ways.

What does a school-wide revision and editing policy accomplish?

It provides vision and direction from which subject areas teachers can develop literacy practices that are specific and consistent. It also supports the student’s independent writing capacity.

What practices do schools with effective writing policies follow?

Research shows that schools that consistently develop fluent, highly competent writers follow established practices:

• Allocate adequate time and resources to advance student learning by having students write every day, in every subject.
• Support teachers in gaining a sophisticated understanding of writing processes and in selecting appropriate strategies to advance every student as a writer.

A few classroom activities commonly associated with writing across the curriculum efforts are described below.

Short in-class writings

Entrance and exit slips: Entrance slips, often taking only a couple of minutes at the beginning of class, ask students to make a list of questions or write a few sentences describing what they already know about the day's topic. They may be collected and read anonymously as a way to begin class. Exit slips, done at the end of class, ask students to summarize what was discussed that day or reflect on strategies they used to learn new material (Gere, 1985). Ideally, these short writings serve two purposes: they give teachers a quick means of assessing what students know about a topic, and they give students an opportunity to process new ideas, identify trouble spots, and review, which may also help activate long-term memory.

Written conversations: By asking students to write for five minutes about a topic to be discussed in class that day, teachers give students time to explore what they think about a topic before being called on to contribute to the discussion. In some cases, teachers ask students to share their initial ideas with a partner, and then write a collaborative response to the question before moving into a whole-class conversation (see Daniels, 1994, for example). Other teachers use these five-minute prompts to model prewriting for students, helping them get started on papers by writing in short increments about related topics.

Self-assessments: Often taking no more than a few minutes, students write short assessments of a project they are currently working on or are about to turn in: What was the most difficult part of this assignment? Why? What part are you most satisfied with? What will this project show me that you have learned? The purpose of self-assessments may be teacher-based, student-based, or both. Teachers may use them primarily to gauge students' understanding of a topic, or to help students monitor their learning themselves.

Ongoing projects

Journals and learning logs: Journals and learning logs ask students to explore course content in writing. An ongoing collection of writing that can be designed to achieve multiple purposes, journals are often used to summarize newly-learned information, dialogue with peers or teacher about areas of confusion, and generate questions for further investigation. A common use of learning logs in math and science classrooms is to have students explain problem-solving processes in writing.

Double entry journals: A variation on learning logs, double entry journals are typically used to help students better understand course readings. On one side of the page, students copy or summarize important passages from the text. In an adjacent column, they may explain the significance of the passage, draw connections to other readings or experiences, or discuss how the idea might be applied in real life (see Bruce & Mansfield, 1994).

Scrapbooks: Scrapbooks are another low-tech twist on learning logs that can be done either individually or collaboratively. In addition to their own writing about course material, students weave in pictures, excerpts from fellow students' writing, teacher and peer feedback, and other "artifacts" of the learning process. Like class portfolios, they provide multiple opportunities for review, reflection, and revision, ostensibly helping students to monitor learning strategies and develop stronger metacognitive skills.

"Blogs," chats, and online discussion forums: While some educators hesitate to use live online journals ("blogs") and discussion forums for their classes due to the difficulty of intercepting inappropriate posts, others have found ways to use these formats successfully. Depending on available software, students may use Web-based learning platforms to post comments to online discussions, brainstorm ideas for group projects, generate and exchange review questions for tests, or provide one another with written feedback on drafts of assignments.

How to Teach the High Frequency and Content Specific Academic Terms and Phrases

There is no single best way to teach academic terms and phrases. However, the research on vocabulary development does point to a few generalizations that provide strong guidance.

1. Initially Provide Students with a Description, Explanation, or Example as Opposed to a Formal Definition

When introducing a new term or phrase it is useful to avoid a formal definition—at least at the start. This is because formal definitions are typically not very “learner friendly.” They make sense after we have a general understanding of a term or phrase, but not in the initial stages of learning. Instead of beginning with a definition, it is advisable to provide students with a description, explanation, or example much like what one would provide a friend who asked what a term or phrase meant.

2. Have Students Generate Their Own Descriptions, Explanations, or Examples

Once a description, explanation, or example has been provided to students they should be asked to restate that information in their own words. It is important that students do not copy exactly what the teacher has offered. Student descriptions, explanations, and examples should be their own constructions using their own background knowledge and experiences to forge linkages between the new term or phrase and what they already know.

3. Have Students Represent Each Term or Phrase Using a Graphic Representation, Picture, or Pictograph

Once students have generated their own description, explanation, or example they should be asked to represent the term or phrase in some graphic, picture, or pictographic form. This allows them to process the information in a different modality—an imagery form as opposed to a linguistic form. It also provides a second processing of the information which should help deepen students’ understanding of the new term or phrase.

4. Have Students Keep an Academic Vocabulary Notebook

One of the basic assumptions underlying the approach outlined is that over time students will develop an understanding of a set of terms and phrases that are important to the academic content in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. This implies that the terms and phrases that are taught using this approach represent a related set of knowledge that expands and deepens from year to year.

To facilitate this cumulative effect it is highly advisable for students to keep an “academic vocabulary” notebook that contains the terms and phrases that have been taught. Enough space should be provided for students to record their initial descriptions, explanations, and examples of the terms and phrases as well as their graphic representations, pictures, and pictographs.

Space should also be provided for students to write additional comments about the terms and phrases as time goes on. Students should be engaged in activities that allow them to review the terms and phrases in their academic vocabulary notebooks and add to their knowledge base regarding specific terms and phrases. As these activities occur, students can be asked to add to the entries in their notebooks perhaps correcting misconceptions, adding new information, or making linkages with other terms and phrases.

Ideally, all terms and phrases are kept in one academic notebook that has a “tab” or divider for each subject area. This would allow students to make comparisons between terms and phrases from different subject areas. The academic notebook might also have a tab or divider entitled “my words.” In this section students would record terms and phrases of interest gleaned from their own reading experiences in or outside of school.

5. Create a Word Wall in your classroom

The Word Wall is an integral part of developing background knowledge. There are many ways to organize it. It is a carefully crafted and very useful word list categorized into context categories, posted for anytime use. Avoid alphabetical lists. This is NOT a spelling list; this is a meaning list. Students will use the Word Wall a lot when they experience how helpful it is. So will you.

Using a Word Wall in the Secondary Classroom

Best Practice Idea

Definition: A word wall is a display area in the classroom devoted strictly to high-frequency vocabulary that will be used or is being used during the course of a particular unit of study.

Background Information:

A word wall is most likely unfamiliar to most high school teachers or is something that may have been encountered in an elementary classroom. From building prior knowledge to providing contextualized information to simply providing students with high-frequency words that will be encountered in particular units of study, no matter what the justification or rationale, no matter what the grade level and no matter what the subject area, word walls are and extremely effective learning and teaching tools.

Pertinent Points About Word Walls:

1. Words selected must be useful to students, usable by students and frequently used in the subject area.

2. Select high-frequency words that are used in the context in which you expect the students to know them.

3. Use the same display area throughout the semester for your word wall. Students, once used to the concept, will look for the wall. Consistency is important when presenting organizational ideas to a class. Refer to the display area as the ‘word wall’ as some students will remember this from their elementary experience.

4. Do not overcrowd the word wall. You may want to remove words as the unit progresses or you may want to display words by unit and then remove the entire word wall when a new unit begins. Some high-frequency words may stay up during the entire course.

5. Creatively display and organize words. It seems that in secondary schools the creative displays are left to the art department. High school students like visual stimuli as much as their elementary counterparts do. Creative displays that incorporate the message behind the words can be fun (time consuming, but fun).

6. Add words in manageable amounts (usually between 5 to 7 new words at a time…per week).

7. Make word wall activities a regular and predictable part of the classroom routine. Word wall activities make for natural class openers or closers. The word wall activity should be only about 5 minutes in length unless incorporated with a larger activity.

8. Use a variety of instructional activities to review words.

Beginning of Unit Word Wall Activity

Description of Activity:

Students are organized in groups of three. 5-7 new words will have been placed on the word wall. Students will be provided with the K-W-L handout as they walk into class. They are to immediately, with their groups, complete the handout using each word for the handout. I use this time to complete my administrative business (attendance, having students sign their absence forms, collecting assignments and ticking off the complete list or having students who have not completed the work sign the incomplete register, etc.). After approximately 5 minutes I call the class back together to discuss the words, specifically what they know already, what they want to know and what they have learned that relates to each of the words given. This serves as a great springboard into discussion around the topic that will be the focus of the daily lesson.

Example K-W-L handout:

Word

What I Know

What I Want to Know

What I’ve Learned

Students are generally familiar with the K-W-L format as it is practiced at the elementary level as part of the active reading program.

Mid-unit Word Wall Activity:

Description of Activity:

Students will work with a partner to complete a word cluster activity. This is designed to have students reflect on what they have learned thus far in the unit. Students place one of the words from the word wall in the center of the cluster hand out and place connecting ideas or words that they have learned in the unit in the surrounding boxes. After the students have completed their handouts, I will select five partner pairs to present briefly the ideas that they have connected with the word from the word wall.

**This is a useful activity as well for having the students explore content area like main idea and supporting facts in any reading assignment that they might do.

End of Unit Word Wall Activity

Description of Activity:

As students near the end of the unit, they will have seen the most pertinent vocabulary associated with the particular area of study. They will have learned the definitions. They will have developed contextual understanding of the words. They will have used the words within the various contexts and will be comfortable with them. The compare and contrast web brings the word wall for the unit to an appropriate closure and can also be used as a quick summative evaluation of the understanding acquired with respect to terminology presented in the unit. The teacher chooses the two words from the unit that will be presented in the web. Students will individually complete the compare and contrast web. Student will have to reach back into what they have learned in the unit to determine how the two terms coincide and how they are different or unique.

Academic Vocabulary – High Frequency Words
A	thorough		survey	of		various		textbooks,	assignments,			content	area		standards,		and
examinations yields the following list of words.
1.		abbreviate			43.		chart			85.	correspond			127.		essential
2.		abstract			44.		chronology			86.	credible			128.		establish
3.		according			45.		citation			87.	credit			129.		estimate
4.		acronym			46.		cite			88.	criteria			130.		evaluate
5.		address			47.		claim			89.	critique			131.		event
6.		affect			48.		clarify			90.	crucial			132.		evidence
7.		alter			49.		class			91.	cumulative			133.		exaggerate
8.		always			50.		clue			92.	debate			134.		examine
9.		analogy			51.		code			93.	deduce			135.		example
10.		analysis			52.		coherent			94.	defend			136.		excerpt
11.		analyze			53.		common			95.	define			137.		exclude
12.		annotate			54.		compare			96.	demand			138.		exercise
13.		anticipate			55.		compile			97.	demonstrate			139.		exhibit
14.		application			56.		complement			98.	depict			140.		explain
15.		apply			57.		complete			99.	derive			141.		explore
16.		approach			58.		compose			100.	describe			142.		expository
17.		appropriate			59.		composition			101.	detail			143.		extract
18.		approximate			60.		conceive			102.	detect			144.		fact
19.		argue			61.		concise			103.	determine			145.		factor
20.		argument			62.		conclude			104.	develop			146.		feature
21.		arrange			63.		conclusion			105.	devise			147.		figurative
22.		articulate			64.		concrete			106.	diction			148.		figure
23.		aspects			65.		conditions			107.	differentiate			149.		focus
24.		assemble			66.		conduct			108.	dimension			150.		footer
25.		assert			67.		confirm			109.	diminish			151.		foreshadow
26.		assess			68.		consequence			110.	direct			152.		form
27.		associate			69.		consider			111.	discipline			153.		format
28.		assume			70.		consist			112.	discover			154.		former
29.		assumption			71.		consistent			113.	discriminate			155.		formulate
30.		audience			72.		consistently			114.	discuss			156.		fragment
31.		authentic			73.		constant			115.	distinguish			157.		frame
32.		background			74.		constitutes			116.	domain			158.		frequently
33.		body			75.		consult			117.	draft			159.		general
34.		brainstorm			76.		contend			118.	draw			160.		genre
35.		brief			77.		context			119.	edit			161.		graph
36.		calculate			78.		continuum			120.	effect			162.		graphic
37.		caption			79.		contradict			121.	elements			163.		header
38.		category			80.		control			122.	emphasize			164.		heading
39.		cause			81.		convert			123.	employ			165.		highlight
40.		character			82.		convey			124.	equal			166.		hypothesize
41.		characteristic			83.		copy			125.	equivalent			167.		identify
42.		characterize			84.		correlate			126.	essay			168.		illustrate

169.	imitate	219.	notice	269.	quotation	319.	strategy
170.	imply	220.	objective	270.	quote	320.	structure
171.	inclined	221.	observe	271.	rank	321.	study
172.	include	222.	occur	272.	rare	322.	style
173.	incorporate	223.	opinion	273.	rarely	323.	subject
174.	indicate	224.	oppose	274.	reaction	324.	subjective
175.	indirect	225.	optional	275.	recall	325.	subsequent
176.	infer	226.	order	276.	reduce	326.	substitute
177.	influence	227.	organize	277.	refer	327.	succinct
178.	inform	228.	origins	278.	reflect	328.	suggest
179.	inquire	229.	outline	279.	regular	329.	sum
180.	instructions	230.	pace	280.	relate	330.	summarize
181.	integrate	231.	paraphrase	281.	relationship	331.	summary
182.	intent	232.	participation	282.	relevant	332.	support
183.	intention	233.	passage	283.	rephrase	333.	survey
184.	interact	234.	pattern	284.	report	334.	symbolize
185.	intermittent	235.	perform	285.	represent	335.	synonym
186.	interpret	236.	perspective	286.	representative	336.	synthesize
187.	introduce	237.	persuade	287.	request	337.	table
188.	introduction	238.	place	288.	require	338.	technique
189.	invariably	239.	plagiarism	289.	requisite	339.	term
190.	investigate	240.	plan	290.	respond	340.	test
191.	involve	241.	plausible	291.	responsible	341.	theme
192.	irony	242.	plot	292.	restate	342.	thesis
193.	irrelevant	243.	point	293.	results	343.	timeline
194.	isolate	244.	point of view	294.	reveal	344.	tone
195.	italics	245.	portray	295.	review	345.	topic
196.	judge	246.	possible	296.	revise	346.	trace
197.	key	247.	preclude	297.	root	347.	trait
198.	label	248.	predict	298.	rule	348.	transition
199.	likely	249.	prefix	299.	scan	349.	translate
200.	list	250.	prepare	300.	score	350.	typically
201.	literal	251.	presume	301.	sequence	351.	unique
202.	locate	252.	preview	302.	series	352.	utilize
203.	logical	253.	previous	303.	set	353.	valid
204.	main	254.	primary	304.	setting	354.	variation
205.	margin	255.	prior	305.	show	355.	vary
206.	mean	256.	probably	306.	signal	356.	verify
207.	measure	257.	procedure	307.	significance	357.	viewpoint
208.	metaphor	258.	process	308.	simile	358.	voice
209.	method	259.	produce	309.	skim
210.	model	260.	profile	310.	solve
211.	modify	261.	project	311.	source
212.	monitor	262.	prompt	312.	spatial
213.	motivation	263.	proofread	313.	specific
214.	narrative	264.	property	314.	speculate
215.	narrator	265.	propose	315.	stance
216.	never	266.	prose	316.	standard
217.	notation	267.	prove	317.	state
218.	note	268.	purpose	318.	statement