Claim 3
Students' continued practice in writing has increased the complexity of their work.
Growing as Writers
At Brighten Academy we want our young writers to craft their words on purpose. That means that as writers and readers, they also grow into critical and reflective thinkers. This power is applied to words of their own creation and to the words of others. As we have grown as a learning community, so too have the reflective and evaluative tools we use with our students.
Throughout our journey as an EL Education member school, we have focused on developing a culture of writing (Core Practice 14). Our students see writing as a way to share their thinking and express their viewpoints. Our students understand that their writing improves with practice, feedback, and reflection. They learn to write across all disciplines to create text for different audiences and specific purposes.
Our students see themselves as writers. This intentional focus on building and maintaining a culture of writing has led to students being able to increase the complexity of their work.
Throughout our journey as an EL Education member school, we have focused on developing a culture of writing (Core Practice 14). Our students see writing as a way to share their thinking and express their viewpoints. Our students understand that their writing improves with practice, feedback, and reflection. They learn to write across all disciplines to create text for different audiences and specific purposes.
Our students see themselves as writers. This intentional focus on building and maintaining a culture of writing has led to students being able to increase the complexity of their work.
2014 Writing Samples
Click on each image to enlarge.
When looking at student writing from students in our intermediate grades in 2014, we noticed that we primarily relied on multiple choice comprehension questions to determine a student's understanding of the text. Research was presented as a list of facts rather than a tool to connect to bigger concepts and unite disciplines. Students were not required to analyze and evaluate text, and there was little to no use of evidence-based writing.
|
|
Our primary writing samples show the use of research and persuasive writing. The All About Pumpkins research includes some complex content specific vocabulary, but it lacks a connection to bigger concepts. The persuasive writing piece about fruits includes student opinions, but it lacks multiple perspectives and factual information that would add to the complexity of the writing. In hindsight, we can clearly see that students were engaged in thematic based writing and not writing to connect big concepts and a transfer of understanding to new contexts.
|
|
After this discovery, we added writing and thinking with evidence into our workplan with the support of a book study on Transformational Literacy ...and well, the evidence from the next few years speaks for itself!
2015 Writing Samples
Click on each image to enlarge.
When looking at this body of work from 2015, one can see the use of supporting thinking with evidence has markedly improved. We noticed more growth in our intermediate and middle school grades with respect to complexity. The work samples below show that students are beginning to connect important historical figures to character traits. This transfer of understanding serves as the basis to connect to bigger concepts and requires the students to engage in higher order thinking to analyze and evaluate text. The paper on the Chief Knowledge Officer demonstrates multiple sources and the use of evidence-based writing which requires the application of higher order literacy skills.
|
|
|
Our primary students engaged in more research and wrote more often in science and social studies. Rather than presenting a list of facts, students begin to organize their work into concepts like "how animals protect themselves." The use of content specific vocabulary is more evident as students engaged with complex text. We also noted our students were able to write for longer periods of time, thus building their endurance and opportunities to practice.
|
|
On the Quality Work Protocol (QWP) at the end of the school year, we noted the need to focus on utilizing multiple perspectives to increase complexity, and using the information learned to take a stand.
2016 Writing Samples
Click on each image to enlarge.
By 2016, we began to see our intermediate students incorporating their research into persuasive essays and incorporating multiple perspectives to defend their position. The essay on the Safe Carry Protection shows high levels of analysis and evaluation in building an argument about gun laws. The essay on Venezuela helps to demonstrate the student's ability to connect to big conepts like interdependence and human impact. These changes helped to elevate the complexity of student writing and laid the foundation to creating a call to action to contribute to a better world.
|
|
|
|
Our primary students continued to build their ability to research and synthesize information. Students are beginning to study about bigger concepts such as access to books, and connect that learning to specific examples they have studied in class. The students engaged in character analysis as seen in the sample about Mr. Darling. This sample shows high levels of complexity as students use explicit references from the text to support their thinking.
|
|
|
|
2017 Writing Samples
Click on each image to enlarge.
With the 2017 samples, we see writing with evidence improve in our primary grades and students engaging in different ways of presenting information. Students incorporated multiple sources of information (observation, interviews, maps, text) to synthesize their learning as noted in the plant care guide and museum display label.
|
|
|
|
The samples below from our intermediate and middle school students show the continued use of multiple perspectives to help students demonstrate higher order thinking in their writing as they evaluate and analyze text to defend their positions. You can see in the revised summary sample that students are also beginning to engage in bigger concepts, such as theme, as they work to analyze narrative text.
|
|
|
Corinne Part 1
|
Corinne Part 2
|
As students improved on thinking with evidence, their work increased not only in complexity but also in authenticity. Student voice began to become more prominent. Students were beginning to blend informational / narrative writing to meet the needs of their audience, yet relay the same information.
2018 Writing Samples
Click on each image to enlarge.
When looking at the samples from our elementary and primary grades, we see opinion writing take place in short-term assignments. Students are getting stronger at building their arguments and supporting their thinking with multiple facts and varied sources. The topic of reading challenges helps to highlight the complexity of transferring understanding to new contexts. The students applied what they learned about overcoming challenges around the world with access to books to their own challenges related to learning to read. Increased complexity is also noted in the example on Hunger in Georgia. Students incorporated facts and relevant details to build context and create a plan of action to address the concern. The primary students are able to give more specific facts to support their opinions in both the Our School is the Best paragraph and the opinion paragraph on birds.
|
|
|
Sofia Part 1
|
Sofia Part 2
|
When looking at the collection of work from our intermediate and middle school students, it's important to see the advanced use of content specific vocabulary in all samples. In the work related to the Sherpa Documentary, note how students build their understanding, support their thinking, and use this to connect to bigger concepts (exploitation), thus uniting disciplines. Students' ability to compare and contrast text is highlighted in the essay about historical leaders. This student chose to uniquely highlight two leaders who changed the world in a less than positive way. This perspective helps to show that change, when contextualized with evidence, can be either positive or negative. This collection of work also notes the sustained use of persuasive writing, supported with evidence that includes high levels of evaluation in the atomic bomb essay and the letter to Chief Brown.
|
|
|
|
|
As we look at the students' work over time we noticed a new trend: As students get better at making arguments and supporting their thinking using multiple perspectives (the foundation of complexity), it opens the door for them to to connect to real world issues and controversies, so they can do work that matters (the foundation of authenticity).
Looking Back...
When looking at writing before becoming an EL Education network school, we saw more narrative and creative writing. Students were not required to make explicit connections to the text to support their thinking. Our reliance on multiple choice quizzes/tests provided little opportunity for student voice, complexity, and transfer of understanding.
Looking Forward...
Although we feel we've made great strides in writing with complexity, we want to see the frequency of this continue to improve. We want it to be part of our culture where we ask "how do you know?" and "can you show me how you made that connection?" We want to continue to use the power of written text to inform and compel others to action.
