Curriculum Design for Writing Instruction: Creating Standards-Based Lesson Plans and Rubrics

"The author′s conversational style hooks and easily engages readers into the four-step curriculum design process, well-sequenced array of design templates and lesson models, synthesis of the six traits and writing process elements, and integration of history, social science, and science content." Carl Zon, Standards and Assessment Consultant/Coach Connections, Sunnyvale, CA "This book effectively walks educators through the standards-based lesson design process in a way that is clear, compelling, and achievable while simultaneously building content knowledge and extending understanding." Ruth Goldhammer, Coordinator, Curriculum and Staff Development San Mateo County Office of Education, CA Design innovative and engaging lessons and units that produce measurable gains! This clever new resource takes the reader step-by-step through the curriculum design process: from identifying national and local standards and translating them into user-friendly language to crafting meaningful writing assignments and assessments that effectively reveal student strengths and weaknesses. Rooted in the six-traits model of instruction and assessment and illuminated by relevant classroom examples, Glass′s four-part process shows teachers how to: Identify grade-level content standards for writing Create a teacher rubric with a clear set of criteria for writing assessment Craft a student checklist that guides students through the unit and prepares them for teacher expectations Design lessons that help students achieve success Replete with tools, strategies, examples and reproducibles, Curriculum Design for Writing Instruction is a valuable resource for any teacher who wants to boost student achievement in writing for any subject and for any grade level!  

Table of Contents:
Foreword - Carol Ann Tomlinson Acknowledgments Introduction: The Tenets of Curriculum Design Why Are Standards Important to Curriculum Design? The Teacher Rubric (Scoring Guide) and Student Checklist Play a Crucial Role Two Scenarios: Curriculum Design Process Analogy Curriculum Design Elements Identify Grade Level Writing Standards Create a Teacher Rubric With a Clear Set of Writing Criteria Craft a Student Checklist to Guide Students and to State Objectives Design Lessons to Achieve Standards One More Connection to Drive Home the Point 1. Identify Grade Level Content Standards (Part 1) Step-by-Step Details for Identifying Grade Level Content Standards Target Writing Type (Application) Identify Supporting Standards Note Existing Lessons and Resources Determine Timing of Unit Standards Identification Samples Personal Narrative/Fall (2nd grade) Slavery Journal/Spring (8th grade) 2. Create/Revise a Rubric (Part 2) Suggestions to Improve Writing Program Create and Revise Rubrics Collect Student Anchor Papers Avoid Bias Use Student Scores to Inform Your Instruction Rubric Definition Rubrics (Six Traits) Rubric Sample and Elements What Rubrics Are Included in This Chapter? Do Teachers Need a Rubric for Each Assignment? Do Students Use These Rubrics? How Many Traits and Their Elements Are Included in a Writing Assignment? Creating a Teacher Rubric for Your Targeted Writing Assignment Step-by-Step Details for Designing a Rubric Peruse Rubrics Identify Elements for Each Trait Compile All Elements to Create a Rubric Revise Rubric Content 3. Craft a Student Checklist (Part 3) Uses for Student Checklist How to Introduce a Student Checklist Students Use the Checklist to Guide Them While Writing Step-by-Step Details for Creating a Student Checklist Quick Review of Suggestions for Using a Checklist 4. Design/Refine Lessons (Part 4) and the Design Process at Work Target Your Search to Find Lessons Step-by-Step Details for Designing Lessons Embrace Your Student Checklist Like a Friend Search for Lessons Organize Your Lessons in Sequential Order Review Lessons Select Student Samples The Parts as a Whole: Comprehensive Lessons Utilizing the Complete Process From Standards Identification to Actual Lessons Single Paragraph Writing for Personal Character Description Using An Anteater Named Arthur by Bernard Waber Multi-Paragraph Writing for Personal Character Description Emphasizing Detailed Examples to Support Personality Traits Single- or Multi-Paragraph Writing for Fictitious Character Description Focusing on Sensory Details Response to Literature Expository Composition 5. Writing Process and Recordkeeping Writing Process Steps Revision Sheets Recordkeeping Whole Class Writing Performance Record Individual Student Writing Performance Record Emphasizing the Importance of Examining Student Work 6. Using the Curiculum Design Process for Science and Social Studies (and Electives) Standards and Worksheet Samples Step-by-Step Process of How to Link Content (or Criteria) With Writing Lessons Miscellaneous Social Studies and Science Writing Activities and Projects Writing Genre Suggestions 7. Time Saving Options for the Curriculum Design Process Colleagues Use a Rubric Only Convert the Student Checklist Into a Scoring Mechanism 8. Reviewing the Steps in the Curriculum Design Process Identify Grade Level Content Standards Create/Revise Rubric Craft a Student Checklist Define or Revise Lessons Resources Theory, Research, Practice/Curriculum Design Models Six Traits Support Lessons, Activities, Assessments Emphasis on Rubrics

About the Author :
Consulting Description Kathy Glass is a former teacher who consults and presents nationally with K-12 teachers and administrators at schools, districts, conferences, and county offices of education. She offers a blend of professional development (PD) topics to target audiences in areas affecting curriculum and instruction. To deliver customized PD, she assists educators with strategic planning to determine objectives. Then she tailors PD based on requested topics such as, but not limited to: · highlights of the ELA Common Core Standards · implementation of the ELA Common Core or other standards-based curriculum using a backward design approach · essential understandings and guiding questions to frame curriculum and instruction · differentiated tools and instructional strategies · pre-, formative, summative, and self-assessments · alignment of six-traits writing instruction and assessment to curriculum goals · unit and yearlong curriculum maps · text-dependent questions to facilitate close reading, and more. To help educators directly translate what she presents into effective classroom practice that impacts students, Kathy can provide a variety of PD opportunities (e.g., presentations, lesson demonstrations and modeling, coaching, collaborative unit design, etc.). She is the author of six books: Mapping Comprehensive Units to the English Language (ELA) Arts Common Core Standards, 6-12 (May, 2013); Mapping Comprehensive Units to the ELA Common Core Standards, K-5 (© 2012); Lesson Design for Differentiated Instruction, Grades 4-9 (©2009); Staff Development Guide for the Parallel Curriculum (©2009); Curriculum Mapping: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Curriculum Year Overviews (©2007); and Curriculum Design for Writing Instruction: Creating Standards-Based Lesson Plans and Rubrics (©2005). In addition, Glass has served as a reader and reviewer for Reader’s Handbook: A Student Guide for Reading and Learning (2002, Great Source Education Group) and as a contributing writer and consultant for the Heath Middle Level Literature series (1995, DC Heath and Co). Website: www.kathyglassconsulting.com; email: kathy@kathyglassconsulting.com

Review :
The author’s conversational style hooks and easily engages readers into the four-step curriculum design process, well sequenced array of design templates and lesson models, synthesis of the six traits and writing process elements, and integration of history, social science, and science content. This book effectively walks educators through the standards-based lesson design process in a way that is clear, compelling, and achievable while simultaneously building content knowledge and extending understanding.