Connected Class Engagement and Volume Monitoring Record
This is a tool to record student engagement and the volume of work created during the writing block. Enter in your students’ names, and every ten minutes stop and record their behavior. For example: put a check mark if they are writing or a D if they are distracted. Refer to the KEY to help the process go quickly. Once the students are done with the writing block then you can record how much they wrote. Tracking student progress over time can give you valuable information that shows improvement as well as students that might be showing signs of being off task and needing more support.
Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers
Are you looking for ways to help your students become better writers? This article by Steve Graham from the Reading Rockets website offers recommendations along with ways to implement the plans to improve student writing. The article recommends providing time each day for students to write, teaching students to write for multiple purposes, making sure students are fluent with basic writing skills, and creating a supportive community of writers in the classroom.
Nation’s Report Card: Writing
The Nation’s Report Card for Writing from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a summary of the results of a writing assessment given in grades eight and twelve. This assessment data is used to evaluate the state of the nation’s education progress. Students write to persuade, to explain, and to convey experiences for the test. The test questions are available along with sample graded responses with explanations as to why the grade was given.
FLDOE FSA Resources
The Florida Standards Assessments Resources provides writing rubrics and writing practice tests on their website. The rubrics provide teachers with specific descriptions for each score. If you are looking for a strong rubric to help your students write, try these. The links to the rubrics can be found on the page below while the practice tests can be found on the FSA portal. Scroll down and look for these!
