TRANSFORMATIONAL WRITING FRAMEWORK

A Reading to Write Approach

I. The reality vs. the revolutionary approach
II. At the unit-level
III. At the daily level
IV. Tips for investment
V. Best resources for teaching writing


I. The reality vs. the revolutionary approach
The status quo The revolutionary approach
Teaching grammar in isolation or through worksheets
only
Grammar taught as a way to analyze authors purpose
or as a way to access authors meaning.

Grammar as a skill that students apply immediately to
the writing process.
Modeling writing out of context Using mentor texts to evaluate the effectiveness of
authors craft in service of eventual application
Peer editing without guidance or modeling Increasing students metacognitive writing skills
through peer editing
Including only timed essays Walking students through the writing process
Only writing 5-paragraph essays Asking students to write various types of texts across
various contents

The result of the status quo is that students think that writing is for passing a test.
Too often, writing activities are framed separately from reading and grammar, rather than as a natural outcome of
reading, analyzing, and discussing.
Until reading and writing can be married into a process that using reading to understand writing, or using writing
to understand reading, students will see reading and writing as isolated activitiesrather than opportunities to
explore their own thinking.
By using a transformative approach, students can and will use writing to develop their identity, leadership, voice,
agency, and advocacy.

II. At the unit-level
The writing process should MIRROR the skills learned in reading. In other words, whatever skills students use to
analyze should also be the skills students use to write during their full-length writing process.
See some examples of mentor texts here: Mentor Texts PDF

Examples:
Reading Skill Writing Skill
SWBAT analyze figurative language SWBAT write with figurative language
SWBAT analyze tone SWBAT improve their word choice in order to create a
specific tone
SWBAT analyze authors purpose Elementary: SWBAT take a topic and write for different
purposes
MS/HS: SWBAT plan and write a thesis
SWBAT analyze ethos, logos, and pathos SWBAT write using ethos, logos, and pathos and include
appropriate evidence

Below is an abbreviated, sample unit plan for persuasive text objectives. Grammar should be taught in mini-
lessons throughout the unit and writing process.
Middle School / High School Example 45 minutes / 1 hour classes
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week 1

(Reading)
Introduction to
the unit
Analyze
organizational
structures
Analyze authors
purpose
Identify
persuasive
techniques
Analyze
persuasive
techniques
Week 2

(Reading)
Identify ethos,
logos, pathos
Analyze ethos,
logos, pathos
Analyze
persuasive
words
Evaluate the
effectiveness of
persuasive texts
using
SOAPSTone
Evaluate the
effectiveness of
persuasive texts
using
SOAPSTone
Week 3

(Writing)
Brainstorm and
choose an
organizational
structure
Complete
outlining for a
persuasive essay
Write an
introduction
with a strong
thesis
Write body
paragraphs
using ethos,
logos, and
pathos and
include
appropriate
evidence
Write body
paragraphs
using ethos,
logos, and
pathos and
include
appropriate
evidence
Week 4

(Writing)
Write a
conclusion
Revise to include
more persuasive
words
Peer edit using
SOAPSTone
Editing using
grammar skills
learned
throughout the
unit / year

HW: Complete
final draft
Publishing party!
Students share
letters and mail
them off to
politicians /
school officials.


Elementary Example Balanced Literacy Block
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week 1

(Reading,
Writing,
Grammar)
Introduction to
the unit

Introduction to
the unit

SWBAT use
capitalization for
abbreviations,
initials and
acronyms, and
organizations
Analyze
organizational
structures

Dissect a written
piece thats
written to
persuade

SWBAT use
capitalization for
abbreviations,
initials and
acronyms, and
organizations
Analyze
organizational
structures

Pick a subject
and write an
introduction
that persuades

SWBAT use
capitalization for
abbreviations,
initials and
acronyms, and
organizations
Understand
relationships
among ideas:
parallelism,
comparison,
causality

Write a first
paragraph,
including one of
the above
relationships
among ideas

SWBAT use
punctuation
marks including
commas and
compound
sentences and
quotations
Identify the
authors
viewpoint or
position

Write body
paragraphs with
evidence that
furthers your
viewpoint

SWBAT use
punctuation
marks including
commas and
compound
sentences and
quotations
Week 2

(Reading,
Writing,
Grammar)
Identify authors
viewpoint or
position and
explain the
relationships in
the argument

Write body
paragraphs with
evidence that
furthers your
viewpoint

SWBAT use
punctuation
marks including
commas and
compound
sentences and
quotations
Identify authors
viewpoint or
position and
explain the
relationships in
the argument

Write a
conclusion
which
underscores
your viewpoint

SWBAT use
complete
compound
sentence with
correct subject-
verb agreement
Recognize
exaggerated,
contradictory, or
misleading
statements in
text

Peer edit and
looking for
exaggerated,
contradictory, or
misleading
statements to
make the text
stronger

SWBAT use
complete
compound
sentence with
correct subject-
verb agreement
Recognize
exaggerated,
contradictory, or
misleading
statements in
text

Peer edit and
looking for
grammar

SWBAT use
complete
compound
sentence with
correct subject-
verb agreement
Evaluate the
effectiveness of
persuasive texts

Finalize and
present
persuasive texts
III. At the daily level
Planning: Create reproducible, step-based how key points (HOT, RADAR, STOP, ABCD)
Execution:
Step Example (SWBAT write with sensory details)
Analyze model text for skill Students identify sensory details
Students evaluate the effect of sensory details
Introduce them to key points Present the step-by-step how of sensory details
1. Identify an area that needs to be more
descriptive
2. Imagine: Whats it like?
3. Include the sensory details that appeal to 1 2
senses
Model Model using your own writing
1. Use the step-by-step process
2. Model using the document camera
3. Think out loud your process
CFU 1. Ask students to write their own in pairs OR ask
students to write their own independently
2. Have them share out the original and the answer
3. Ask the class to evaluate the effect of the sensory
details
4. Snaps / claps / affirmations / shout-outs
Independent Writing Students start adding in sensory details, while the
teacher conferences with them individually
Shout-outs (optional) Have students swap essays then share out their
partners best lines. Follow up with affirmations!

Common acronyms:

Attack the prompt
Brainstorm answers
Choose your response
Detect errors

Hook
Overview
Thesis

Restate the question
Answer the question
Detail / document
Analyze the detail
Repeat and wrap it up!

Summarize the main conclusions
Thesis, restated
Overview of main messages
Point to the bigger picture
IV. Tips for investment

1. Pump up student confidence by including shout-out structures for students to share their work and their
growth. Consider having a student come up and show his / her improvements at the end of class and
peer-led essays swaps and shout outs.

2. Show off student growth by using trackers in which students can showcase their growth. These could be
individual 6+1 writing traits trackers or writing assignment trackers.

3. Give students choice by making prompts open-ended, or by assigning multiple prompts from which
students can choose. This gives them agency and increases student buy-in.

4. Include vision-aligned prompts that are rigorous and relevant by using topics that are relevant and
realistic. No more writing about uniforms and school lunchesinstead, help develop student voice by
ensuring that they write about the DREAM Act, healthcare, poverty, education, family history, or race
for example.

5. Publish student work officially by sharing with students an official audience at the end of a writing project.
If theyre writing a persuasive essay, mail the letters off to presidents, corporations, government parties,
lobbyists, or newspapers. If theyre writing poetry, block off a day for a publishing party where students
can read their poems to friends and families. If students are creating a writers portfolio, invite
community members, principals, superintendents, families, and other teachers to attend a literacy fair
where they can peruse student work. If students are writing stories or narratives, compile a book that
immortalizes their writing in the school library.


V. Best Resources for Teaching Writing

Books
1. Everyday Editing by Jeff Anderson: Scaffolded, easy-to-adapt mini-lessons for grammar that can be
integrated into any reading / writing lesson easily.

2. Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher: This book provides a comprehensive approach to teaching
writing, and includes tips on everything from teaching writing to using mentor texts to helping struggling
writers. This book is a must-read for any teacher.

3. Sentence Composing for Middle School / Sentence Composing for High School by Don Killgallon: This book
provides extensive, easy-to-use and scaffolded sentence building exercises. The books use mentor texts
from popular teen works to help students chunk, analyze, write, and edit different types of sentences to
create fluid writing.

4. Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Childrens Literature, K-6 by Lynne R. Dorfman and Rose Cappelli:
This book provides mentor texts that can be used to scaffold student work, gives examples of mini writing
lessons using mentor texts, and a list of childrens literature that includes specific suggestions for teaching
points.

5. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss: Truss takes you
through a comical history of grammar to explain the importanceand the rulesof proper punctuation.
A great book for teachers, with some inappropriate or crude jokes that may not be suitable for younger
audiences.

6. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference by Lynne Truss: A comic book written
for younger students on the importance of punctuation, this is the student-friendly version of Truss
original book on grammar for adults. Full of jokes about why moving a comma (or omitting it) is
important, Truss walks readers through age-appropriate sentence variations.

7. When Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver and Lynne Rowe Reed: Similar to Truss student-
friendly book, this is a perfect read-aloud book for younger students on the importance of grammar and
conventions.

Websites
1. Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
2. Mississippi Delta TFA ELA Website: http://tfadeltaela.wordpress.com/
3. One Day for ELA Website: http://ela.onedayfor.org/node (username: tal, password: talrubric)
4. Michigan Department of Education, Writing Across the Curriculum:
http://michigan.gov/documents/mde/SSWAC_225020_7.pdf
5. Jeffrey Andersons Website: http://www.writeguy.net/for-teachers
6. Kelly Gallaghers website: http://kellygallagher.org/