CER 3 Steps to Evidence - based writing in Middle school
TLDRRobin Melum, a children's book author and middle school English teacher, introduces her structured Writers Workshop and its focus on teaching the high-level skill of evidence-based writing to students from fourth grade upwards. She outlines three methods: starting with high-interest topics to form claims from evidence, a fast-paced digital game to familiarize students with claims, evidence, and reasoning, and a hands-on group activity to deeply engage with the concepts. Melum emphasizes the importance of repetition for mastery and offers resources for further training on engaging students and structuring effective classroom time.
Takeaways
- 📚 Robin Melum is a children's book author and a middle school English teacher who has created a writing program called 'Structured Writers Workshop'.
- 🔑 The program emphasizes teaching the skill of evidence-based writing using claims, evidence, and reasoning, even for fourth graders.
- 📈 Robin introduces the concept in three ways: starting with high-interest topics, using a fast-paced digital game, and conducting a deep dive activity.
- 🤔 The first method involves using familiar topics to help students create their own claims based on evidence, emphasizing the connection between claim and evidence.
- 🔍 In the second method, a digital game helps students get comfortable with the terms 'claims', 'evidence', and 'reasoning' through interactive learning.
- 🎮 The digital game features an engaging format where students pick an emoji and match it with corresponding evidence and claims.
- 👥 The third method is a hands-on group activity where students work with physical materials to understand the structure of a constructed response, including identifying missing elements.
- 📝 Students practice creating claims and reasoning by working with evidence, and then as a class, they vote on the best reasoning provided by their peers.
- 🏫 Robin suggests incorporating these skills into history classes as well, to reinforce the learning across different subjects.
- ⏱️ She acknowledges that teaching these skills takes time and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing standards and using formative assessments to guide instruction.
- 📈 Robin offers a free training link for a more in-depth look at her teaching methods and how to structure class time effectively.
Q & A
What is Robin Melum's profession?
-Robin Melum is a children's book author with Disney Hyperion and Harper Collins, and also a middle school English teacher.
What is the structured Writers Workshop?
-The structured Writers Workshop is a writing program created by Robin Melum, which incorporates her experience as a published author and an English teacher.
Why is it important to teach students evidence-based writing?
-Teaching students evidence-based writing is crucial as it helps them develop high-level skills in making claims, providing evidence, and reasoning, which are essential for academic and professional writing.
What are the three methods Robin uses to teach claims, evidence, and reasoning?
-Robin uses three methods: 1) Starting with high interest topics to create claims, 2) A fast-paced digital game to familiarize students with the terms, and 3) A deep dive activity for a more in-depth understanding.
How does Robin help students make claims connected to evidence?
-Robin provides evidence from reliable sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics and guides students to make claims based on that evidence, teaching them to connect their reasoning to the evidence.
What is the purpose of the digital game in Robin's teaching method?
-The digital game helps students get used to the terms 'claims', 'evidence', and 'reasoning' through an interactive and engaging way, reinforcing their understanding.
What is the CER hands-on group activity?
-The CER hands-on group activity is a method where students work in groups to assemble manila envelopes filled with strips of paper containing passages, questions, claims, evidence, and reasoning. They identify missing elements and create their own reasoning.
How does Robin ensure that students understand the difference between claims and evidence?
-Robin uses a combination of high-interest topics, digital games, and hands-on group activities to help students differentiate between claims and evidence, and understand how to connect them through reasoning.
How does Robin use formative assessments in her teaching?
-Robin uses formative assessments to determine students' skill levels and prioritize which standards to focus on, ensuring that she addresses the most important skills and maximizes the use of class time.
What additional resources does Robin offer for teachers interested in her teaching methods?
-Robin offers a free training link for a 30-minute introduction and a more in-depth 10-video, five-hour training on engaging students and structuring class time effectively.
Outlines
📚 Teaching Evidence-Based Writing
Robin Melum, a children's book author and middle school English teacher, discusses her approach to teaching evidence-based writing in a structured Writers Workshop. She emphasizes the importance of developing skills in claims, evidence, and reasoning, even for fourth graders. Melum uses high-interest topics to engage students, guiding them through constructing responses based on evidence. Initially, she helps students form claims connected to evidence, such as linking sleep to health and academic performance. She then introduces a digital game to familiarize students with the terms and concludes with a deep dive activity, demonstrating the process of connecting claims and reasoning to evidence.
🎮 Interactive Learning with Digital Games
Continuing her discussion on teaching evidence-based writing, Robin Melum introduces a digital game as a tool for students to practice identifying claims, evidence, and reasoning. The game is designed to be engaging, with students selecting emojis and matching them with evidence to form claims. This interactive approach helps students understand the distinction between claims and evidence. Melum also describes a hands-on group activity where students work with physical materials to construct responses, identifying missing reasoning in provided essays and creating their own. This activity reinforces the concept of evidence-based writing and encourages peer evaluation, enhancing understanding and engagement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Evidence-based writing
💡Claims
💡Evidence
💡Reasoning
💡Structured Writers Workshop
💡Short Constructed Responses
💡Digital Scoot Activity
💡CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning)
💡Formative Assessments
💡Prioritization
💡Mastery
Highlights
Robin Melum, a children's book author and middle school English teacher, shares her structured Writers Workshop method for teaching evidence-based writing.
The importance of teaching claims, evidence, and reasoning skills from fourth grade upwards is emphasized for effective essay writing.
Melum introduces the concept of short constructed responses as the body paragraphs of essays, essential for evidence-based writing.
Three methods are presented for teaching claims, evidence, and reasoning: high-interest topics, a digital game, and a deep dive activity.
High-interest topics are used to encourage students to create their own claims based on provided evidence.
A digital game is utilized to familiarize students with the terms claims, evidence, and reasoning through an interactive and fast-paced format.
Deep dive activities involve hands-on group work to reinforce understanding of constructed responses and the connection between claims and evidence.
Students are taught to make claims connected to evidence rather than personal opinions, a shift in thinking for effective writing.
The workshop includes writing simple claims and reasoning statements using evidence from credible sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The reasoning should start with 'since' and relate directly back to the evidence provided, a technique taught to students.
A scavenger hunt approach is used to engage students in finding evidence to support given claims.
The digital scoot activity allows students to practice identifying claims and evidence through an enjoyable and interactive method.
Formative assessments are recommended for teachers to understand student skill levels and tailor instruction accordingly.
The structured Writers Workshop includes warm-ups that address minor language standards, ensuring comprehensive skill development.
Robin Melum offers a free training link for a more in-depth look at her teaching methods and essay structuring.
The training covers engaging students, structuring class time, and maximizing educational outcomes.
The method emphasizes the importance of repetition and practice for students to master the skill of evidence-based writing.
A hands-on group activity involving manila envelopes and paper strips helps students physically organize claims, evidence, and reasoning.
The workshop concludes with students voting on the best reasoning, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
Transcripts
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