4) Effective Writing Instruction

Rationale: There are various strategies that are available to help students become more effective writers. Here is a Shared/Interactive writing sample that I investigated and will use in my own classroom.

NAME OF STRATEGY	DEFINITION
Shared/Interactive writing:	“The teacher works with the class to construct a piece of writing, using a surface that all the students can see clearly. In the process, the teacher frequently thinks aloud to model problem solving. Depending on the purpose of the lesson, the teacher uses a shared or an interactive writing approach. In shared writing, the teacher is the scribe while the students participate in the composition. In interactive writing, the teacher guides students to actively compose together, considering appropriate words, phrases, organization of text, and layout. At points determined by the teacher for instructional value, individual students take over or “share the pen” with the teacher (McCarrier, Pinnell, & Fountas, 2000) pg 87 Literacy for Learning
HOW I WOULD USE IT?	WHICH STUDENTS WOULD BENEFIT FROM IT?
This strategy really scaffolds the process for younger students and is a great tool. I would make sure to incorporate all aspects of writing, such as: how to hold the pencil, concepts of print, conventions of print, how to form letters, how to space, how to sound out words for spelling, etc. Topics could include a friendly letter, a recipe, a grocery list, a journal entry etc. I would make sure that the students are the writers and that I share the writing with them by modeling, thinking aloud and guiding them.	This is a strategy that really benefits all students. By creating authentic writing tasks and working with the students you can help them to understand themselves as writers and to develop further writing skills. The interactive element motivates students more than a simple writing prompt with no direction and the teacher’s guidance helps to frame the student’s own work. It can be a scaffolding step to further independent work.