Scaffolding Writing
The final step for scaffolding literacy is writing, through the strategies teachers and students have explored they have built a shared language or (metalanguage) for talking about the author's text. Teachers aim for students to ‘think like writers’ that is reading with critical awareness and writing with an audience in mind. Rather than reading for meaning the focus changes to conventional spelling and sentence structure (grammar).
Thinking like a writer is using language as a rich resource for expressing meaning, students should understand that grammar, spelling and using appropriate vocabulary are not rules to be followed but aids to communicating in writing. Students then begin to think like editors and writers asking themselves ‘does it make sense’ and ‘does it look right’.
Teachers and learners work together to reconstruct the author’s text where students are then able to construct their own independent text. The aim is to provide students with high levels of support to enable them to undertake high level and challenging tasks.
Step 1: Preparing the Writing Plan
Teachers generate a writing plan for students that consists of two columns the authors text and writing plan. The author’s text column is made up of extracts from the novel and the writing plan is what the author’s language does. When writing the writing plan teachers need to consider the authors writing techniques (word picture) rather than the grammatical function of the language (how words function in a sentence). This approach to writing allows students to build their own stories based on their knowledge of how the author constructed their story. The writing plan allows students and teachers to discuss the author's language and what the language is doing in a particular text. When writing a writing plan make sure the focus is ‘chunks of meaning’ not the grammatical function of the sentence this will build literacy development and meaning making for students.
Step 2: Reconstructing the author text
There are three levels of reconstructed writing shared, tandem and independent.
Shared reconstructed writing
This strategy is important because it builds comprehension skills by reinforcing the need to employ making meaning strategies. Within shared reconstructed writing the teacher and student work together to put the individual words back into context. Shared level of support provides the highest level of support, teacher’s assist students with unfamiliar words and the use of chunking when spelling. The writing plan is introduced at this stage, the teacher needs to take the time to explain its purpose. The teacher and student will work through the writing plan together where the student rewrites the writing plan and the teacher corrects any spelling mistakes.
Tandem Reconstructed Writing
In this teaching sequence, the author’s text is not available for students to refer to. The teachers do not interrupt the students whilst they are writing or spelling independently until the students check their work using the teachers writing and spelling as a reference. Teachers can use the tandem reconstructed writing as a diagnostic tool to inform their teaching.
Independent Reconstructed Writing
This is the most difficult stage of reconstructed writing this requires learners to attempt the task without the support of the teachers work. To practice before writing the task, the teachers may ask the students to generate the words orally. Once the students have rewritten the writing plan students are able to read aloud their writing to the group to see if they managed to recall the authors language. The aim of independent reconstructed writing is to give students the confidence to self-correct and to take responsibility for their own spelling and writing.
Step 3: Generating new text using Text Patterning
The aim of text patterning is to make the authors text a resource the students can use to construct their own text. Using their own subject matter and their own language, students can use the pattern provided by the author to generate a new text. This process assists students to tap into their creativity. The first step for text patterning is for the teacher and student to brainstorm ideas for a new piece of writing. Teachers may even model a joint story to students therefore it gives weaker learners the opportunity to understand the task. Teachers may inform students to use the writing plan to inform their language choices, the more able students are encouraged to develop a few different pieces. Students are able to understand and apply the effective writing techniques that good authors use as their own resources to craft their own narrative texts.
Step 4: Providing constructive feedback
Teachers need to provide explicit suggestions and constructive feedback to learners on how to develop their writing further.
Vague feedback: Very good, but can you write more/give better descriptions/expand on the main point
Specific feedback: You remember how Patricia Scott let us know how difficult and isolated Androcles’ life as a shepherd was? Could you use that technique to build more tension in your story about the fireman?
Thinking like a writer is using language as a rich resource for expressing meaning, students should understand that grammar, spelling and using appropriate vocabulary are not rules to be followed but aids to communicating in writing. Students then begin to think like editors and writers asking themselves ‘does it make sense’ and ‘does it look right’.
Teachers and learners work together to reconstruct the author’s text where students are then able to construct their own independent text. The aim is to provide students with high levels of support to enable them to undertake high level and challenging tasks.
Step 1: Preparing the Writing Plan
Teachers generate a writing plan for students that consists of two columns the authors text and writing plan. The author’s text column is made up of extracts from the novel and the writing plan is what the author’s language does. When writing the writing plan teachers need to consider the authors writing techniques (word picture) rather than the grammatical function of the language (how words function in a sentence). This approach to writing allows students to build their own stories based on their knowledge of how the author constructed their story. The writing plan allows students and teachers to discuss the author's language and what the language is doing in a particular text. When writing a writing plan make sure the focus is ‘chunks of meaning’ not the grammatical function of the sentence this will build literacy development and meaning making for students.
Step 2: Reconstructing the author text
There are three levels of reconstructed writing shared, tandem and independent.
Shared reconstructed writing
This strategy is important because it builds comprehension skills by reinforcing the need to employ making meaning strategies. Within shared reconstructed writing the teacher and student work together to put the individual words back into context. Shared level of support provides the highest level of support, teacher’s assist students with unfamiliar words and the use of chunking when spelling. The writing plan is introduced at this stage, the teacher needs to take the time to explain its purpose. The teacher and student will work through the writing plan together where the student rewrites the writing plan and the teacher corrects any spelling mistakes.
Tandem Reconstructed Writing
In this teaching sequence, the author’s text is not available for students to refer to. The teachers do not interrupt the students whilst they are writing or spelling independently until the students check their work using the teachers writing and spelling as a reference. Teachers can use the tandem reconstructed writing as a diagnostic tool to inform their teaching.
Independent Reconstructed Writing
This is the most difficult stage of reconstructed writing this requires learners to attempt the task without the support of the teachers work. To practice before writing the task, the teachers may ask the students to generate the words orally. Once the students have rewritten the writing plan students are able to read aloud their writing to the group to see if they managed to recall the authors language. The aim of independent reconstructed writing is to give students the confidence to self-correct and to take responsibility for their own spelling and writing.
Step 3: Generating new text using Text Patterning
The aim of text patterning is to make the authors text a resource the students can use to construct their own text. Using their own subject matter and their own language, students can use the pattern provided by the author to generate a new text. This process assists students to tap into their creativity. The first step for text patterning is for the teacher and student to brainstorm ideas for a new piece of writing. Teachers may even model a joint story to students therefore it gives weaker learners the opportunity to understand the task. Teachers may inform students to use the writing plan to inform their language choices, the more able students are encouraged to develop a few different pieces. Students are able to understand and apply the effective writing techniques that good authors use as their own resources to craft their own narrative texts.
Step 4: Providing constructive feedback
Teachers need to provide explicit suggestions and constructive feedback to learners on how to develop their writing further.
Vague feedback: Very good, but can you write more/give better descriptions/expand on the main point
Specific feedback: You remember how Patricia Scott let us know how difficult and isolated Androcles’ life as a shepherd was? Could you use that technique to build more tension in your story about the fireman?