Received: from [209.75.187.203] (HELO ) by MDCCLXXVI.com (Stalker SMTP Server 1.8b6) with SMTP id S.0000285255 for <6Tarchive@CyberSpaces.net>; Fri, 13 Aug 1999 23:10:02 -0700 Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 23:10:01 -0700 Subject: 6Traits Digest #54 - 08/13/99 From: "SixTraitsMailring" <6Traits@> To: "SixTraitsMailring" <6Traits@> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Sender: <6Traits@> Precedence: Bulk List-Software: LetterRip Pro 3.0.5 by Fog City Software, Inc. List-Subscribe: List-Digest: List-Unsubscribe: Message-Id: 6Traits Digest #54 - Friday, August 13, 1999 Conventions--short version by "Barbara D. Martin" ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** by "Paul Nixon" ***6 Traits - Conventions #5 - 8/13/99*** by "Paul Nixon" ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** by "Paul Nixon" ***6Traits - Conventions #7 - 8/13/99*** by "Paul Nixon" Re: 6Traits- ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** by Re: 6Traits- ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** by ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Conventions--short version From: "Barbara D. Martin" Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 06:55:17 -0700 #1--severity and frequency of errors are so overwhelming that the reader finds it difficut to focus on the message and must reread for meaning. #2--frequent, significant errors impede readability #3--limited control of standard writing conventions #4--The writing demonstrates control of standard writing conventions . Minor errors do not impede readabiilty. #5---strong control of standard writing conventions, little need for editing. #6--The writing demonstrates strong control of standard writing conventions used effectivly to enhance communication. Little need for editing. Barbara D. Martin ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** From: Paul Nixon Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 08:45:20 -0700 Time to think about Strategies for teaching conventions. I know we all have dozens! Here are some from our training: 1. Morning Message with Conventions Patrol (more about MM momentarily.) 2. To drag those kinesthetic learners kicking and screaming into conventions, try having them punctuate a sentence strip sentence, using pasta shaped somewhat like the necessary punctuation. 3. Identify a story character who does not use standard grammar. Ask students to find something the character said and why it is not standard, as well as how it would be said, using standard grammar. Going into the text is good practice for students who will use a rubric. 4. Give students a piece of diaglog which has been written correctly. = Ask them to use two different colored crayons, markers or pens to highlight = the words of each speaker. Then ask what they notice about paragraph breaks and quotation marks. Ask them how this would apply to their own writing. 5. Create individual spelling dictionaries for students. Have a separate section for each letter of the alphabet. When students ask you to spell a word, write it in their personal dictionaries for continued use. (More about this in the next message also.) Now what are some strategies you would recommend? Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6 Traits - Conventions #5 - 8/13/99*** From: Paul Nixon Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 08:44:40 -0700 Time to think about Strategies for teaching conventions. I know we all have dozens! Here are some from our training: 1. Morning Message with Conventions Patrol (more about MM momentarily.) 2. To drag those kinesthetic learners kicking and screaming into conventions, try having them punctuate a sentence strip sentence, using pasta shaped somewhat like the necessary punctuation. 3. Identify a story character who does not use standard grammar. Ask students to find something the character said and why it is not standard, as well as how it would be said, using standard grammar. Going into the text is good practice for students who will use a rubric. 4. Give students a piece of diaglog which has been written correctly. = Ask them to use two different colored crayons, markers or pens to highlight = the words of each speaker. Then ask what they notice about paragraph breaks and quotation marks. Ask them how this would apply to their own writing. 5. Create individual spelling dictionaries for students. Have a separate section for each letter of the alphabet. When students ask you to spell a word, write it in their personal dictionaries for continued use. (More about this in the next message also.) Now what are some strategies you would recommend? Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** From: Paul Nixon Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 09:01:07 -0700 Duh! #6 wasn't supposed to go out! Eudora sent it anyway, while I was working on it. Discard that one and use this one. Apologies. 1. Morning Message with Conventions Patrol (more about MM momentarily.) Morning Message and Daily Edit are very controversial issues in some literacy programs. I believe that their effectiveness, if any, depends on the way in which they are conducted. I have found it to be an effective way to get my students to use the conventions in their own writing, in = both 5th grade and 2nd grade. Here is how I do it, and it is very interactive. When students come in, the message is already on the board. Everything except the final sentence is written correctly. The final sentence has = the same general errors for a week, or more, at a time. More types of errors are added as the year goes on. I allow approximately 30 minutes for this, and it starts during attendance/pledge/moment of silence/morning announcements. Students are to read the message, checking the last sentence for errors = and finding as many as they can, because they don't know on whom I will call for answers. Most mornings, everyone gets a chance. Some mornings, we do the cooperative strategy of Numbered Heads Together. If you are = unfamiliar with this strategy, write to me and I'll share it with you. It's from = Kaplan. After opening activities are finished, I begin by having all students choral read the message. We go over it several times. We talk about the punctuation, why it's there, how it affects the voice when reading. We talk about capital letters and why they are there. We talk about a particular spelling pattern that might be included in the message. We really discuss these things - the students have to be able to tell me the whys and wherefores after each skill has been introduced. Then we look at the last sentence carefully. I may use the can of sticks with student names to choose who will come up to fix something wrong in = the sentence. When they have done so, all students need to look at the correction and decide if they agree or disagree. It helps to keep their attention if I ask them to do different things each time. "Put your hands on your head (right ear, knee, in your lap, etc.) if you agree (disagree) with this change." If there is agreement, someone will be called to tell why that change was needed. If there is disagreement someone will be called to tell why they disagree. This is especially important if the change was correct and students disagree. It helps give an insight to why they are making = errors. Later in the year, I ask them to write the message, making corrections, then we go through the same routine. Over and over I have found that when morning message is conducted in this interactive, time-consuming way, it = is effective in getting children to know and use conventions. I keep a chart on my wall with questions on it to help students remember when they are doing this activity and their own writing. I put up questions in the order in which we cover the topic. 1. Do I need to capitalize the beginning? 2. Do I need punctuation at the end? Those are the two with which we start the year, and these are added as we = go: 3. Do I need to capitalize the name of anything or anyone? 4. Do I need to capitalize "I" by itself? 5. Are there commas missing? 6. Do I need quotation marks? 7. Are any words misspelled? 8. Is there something that could be said more clearly? Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6Traits - Conventions #7 - 8/13/99*** From: Paul Nixon Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 09:07:33 -0700 5. Create individual spelling dictionaries for students. Have a separate section for each letter of the alphabet. When students ask you to spell a word, write it in their personal dictionaries for continued use. (More about this in the next message also.) There are many ways to make these dictionaries. One way that has proved useful to me is this. 1. Type a Dolch List in about 14-25 type, depending on your grade level. Separate each group of words with a couple of blank lines. 2. Copy enough for your class. 3. Have students cut the word strips apart and glue them onto the edges = of paper (then stapling inside construction paper to make a booklet), or on pages in spiral notebooks. They do not need to be tabbed; however, you might have students color the edges of the pages for beginning, middle and end of the alphabet. There are other ways to make them, as well. I'm fortunate because our IMC prints these for us each year. Before that, this is what I did. You may be able to find an appropriate list in a book. Susan Petreshene used to have a book out with the lists ready to copy and cut, for instance. Susan Nixon Grade 2 Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: 6Traits- ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** From: MBShelow@aol.com Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 12:52:49 EDT This was e-mailed to me today and it gives me ideas of how to teach the conventions. Leave out all punctuation and see how children would put punctuation in. Model how different punctuation causes different meanings without changing word order. Thought for the day -- ------------------------ An English professor wrote the words, "a woman without her man is nothing" on the blackboard and directed the students to punctuate it correctly. The men wrote: "A woman, without her man, is nothing." The women wrote: "A woman: without her, man is nothing." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: 6Traits- ***6 Traits - Conventions #6 - 8/13/99*** From: Billiej43@aol.com Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 17:26:28 EDT Love it!!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- End of 6Traits Digest -- To unsubscribe, send any message at all to: 6Traits-off@. Archive of past digests is at: