Annotated Bibliography

Strategies to Get Parents More Involved in the

Writing Process: An Annotated Bibliography

References

Department of Education, W. C., & WestEd, S. A. (2007). Engaging parents in education: Lessons from five parental information and resource centers. US Department of Education, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

The U.S. Department of Education conducted a study on five federally funded Parental Information and Resource Centers across the nation and successful strategies implemented in school districts to increase parental involvement as set forth through NCLB requirements to close the achievement gap between students. Their strategies include provided training for parents and parent-school liaisons to understand their rights as set forth by NCLB and what they can do to be active in their child’s education, thinking outside of the box for ways to connect with hard to reach parents, providing training for both parents and educators on how they can collaborate more for student achievement, and create a larger community base by working with other organizations that have similar goals to prevent overlapping and wider supports. The strategies conducted in this 2007 report seem more geared towards administrators and superintendents rather than school teachers to implement programs for parental involvement. It also does not include information that gauges success of student achievement due to such efforts.

Epstein, J. L. & Salinas, K.C. (2004). Partnering with families and communities. Educational Leadership, 61 (8), 12-18.

Joyce L Epstein and Karen Clark Salinas, researchers at John Hopkins University, report that school, family, and community partnerships improve schools, strengthen families, and invigorate community support, and increase student achievement and success. Their studies looked at hundreds of schools in the Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University. The article did not provide results of their study, however provided models or strategies different schools used to get schools, parents, and community members involved with the learning process, which is specific to my research. It would be interesting to find information on student success rates at these schools that implemented such programs. This article was written in May 2004, for teachers and administrators, encouraging partnerships with parents and the community.

Hill, N. E., & Taylor, L. C. (2004). Parental school involvement and children's academic achievement. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(4), 161-164. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00298

Nancy Hill and Lorraine Taylor, researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina, outline how parental involvement impact student achievement via increasing parent social capital and social control; how ethnic, socioeconomic status, and self perception affect parental involvement; and how school commitment to reach out effect parental involvement. Hill and Taylor also raise questions on the current research that has been conducted, citing the lack of common definitions between schools; the many types of parental involvement; how some studies show only moderate correlation between parental involvement and student achievement; teacher biases; and lack of information for secondary levels. Hill and Taylor suggest each school must create programs for parental involvement based on the type of community that they work in and might want to mimic the types of supports that are ideal in home at the school level. Hill and Taylor’s article was written in 2004 and was intended for teachers, policy makers, and other researchers in order to look at why parental involvement is important and what factors affect the extent of how involved parents become in their children’s education.

Marschall, M. (2006). Parent involvement and educational outcomes for latino students. Review of Policy Research, 23(5), 1053-1076. doi:10.1111/j.1541-1338.2006.00249

Melissa Marschall, a researcher at Rice University, reports that schools that implemented successful strategies for parental involvement had a large impact on Latino students’ successful achievement in schools. Marschall study was conducted in Chicago schools. Marchall published her study in 2006 for school administrators, teachers, parents, and policy makers to encourage schools to decentralize their board of education and have more local entities, in particular Latinos, help govern schools. Her studies found that when there was more Latino representation in local school councils, there was an increase in parental involvement at school levels that created better partnerships between parents and educators. When Latino parents became involved in school, it resulted in increases in math and reading scores and when teachers became more aware of their community through parental involvement there were even greater gains in math and reading scores.

Rosenzweig, C. (2001). A Meta-Analysis of Parenting and School Success: The Role of Parents in Promoting Students' Academic Performance. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Dr. Charlotte Rosenzweig, a researcher at Hofstra University, through her meta-analysis of available studies and literature, report that a combination of twenty different parenting practices can account for one quarter of student achievement and a combination of eight different parenting practices can account for a third of student failure. Rosenzweig’s study narrowed student success to seven parenting practices that accounted for the greatest impact on student achievement, which included an authoritative parenting style, educational aspirations and expectations, and support. Interestingly, Rosenzweig only found two types of parental involvement that was closely linked to student achievement: “attending volunteer activities and participation in school governance.” Therefore parental involvement programs should be more geared to creating positive parenting practices at home in lieu of asking parents to be punitive with unmotivated or unruly students. Rosenzweig’s research was published in 2001 and was intended for parents, teachers, and school policy makers in order to pinpoint what parental practices yield student success or failure.

Where I'm From

Where I’m From

By Marissa Rosenbloom

I am from unpaved roads, from Oscar Mayer and bologna sandwiches.

I am from the white two story house with many, many rooms and even more beds for anyone who needed to lay their head.

I am from the marungay tree, tall, strong, bearing fruits and leaves that fed us when we were hungry.

I am from Timotea, the Menors, and Tamontes, honest to a fault, officious sages, slow to anger, and sometimes frightening to bear.

I am from celebrating every birth, death, marriage, baptism, graduation, anniversary that life provides with family and friends close or far.

I am from “You better not get pregnant,” and, “You better graduate from college.”

I am from Voodoo Catholics, pictures of Mary and Baby Jesus, keeping a watchful eye on our prayers and sins.

I'm from Oahu and 5,000 miles east to the Philippines, pancit and sticky bibingka.

From a mother whose strength kept a dividing family together. From a father with too strong an addiction to what can destroy, but an even stronger addiction to the woman who helped him survive.

I am from ling hing mui memories of childhood, on the tip of your tongue, with only a moment to taste, but a lifetime to savor.

Example Rhetorical Precis

Rhetorical Précis for "End Homework Now"

In the article “End Homework Now” (2001), Etta Kralovec and John Buell claim

that the practice of assigning homework is not an effective teaching method because its

negative effects outweigh its benefits. Kralovec and Buell support their claims by

providing examples of how homework disrupts families, overburdens children and limits

learning and by dispelling myths about the benefits of homework and providing

alternative practices that would lead to improvement in student achievement. The

authors’ purpose is to make the reader question a practice that is a trademark of the U.S.

education system and decide whether it is conducive to creating a “smarter” student.

They seem to be speaking to the entire educational community: administrators, teachers,

students and parents.

Inside Out Strategies for Teaching Writing Ch. 7

Growing Toward a Sense of Audience

"When students write only to teachers, they often end up writing not as the act of communicating to people but as performing for a grade," Peter Elbow. I'm not really good at teaching audience to my students. I try to make them aware of audience and ask them who are they writing for. The general response is for you, the teacher. For the most part, I believe they essentially are writing for me and for a grade, which makes their writing one dimensional. I need to figure out a way to take their writing outside the classroom and make their writing not just for me or a grade, but a wider audience.

The main point of writing is to what is written by the writer to the audience. What some call the rhetorical triangle consists of the writer, text, and audience. The authors assert that "an acute sense of audience is one of the hallmarks of a mature writer."

Different audiences to write to:

• Peers
• teachers
• Parents, relatives, principals, local community
• Editors, authors, athletes, governmental bodies, corporations
• Imaginary characters: from books, TV, videos, or film

Exercises for growing a sense of audience.

• Have students speak directly to the audience; address them in the text.
• Anticipate audience response: have students write a persuasive piece that addresses someone they want something from. Using their knowledge about who they are addressing craft a message that anticipates any questions or concerns they may have.
• Personalizing an audience: have students imagine who their audience is as part of the pre-writing stage. Let them think about their beliefs, where they live, what is their education, or how old they are.
• Rewriting for different audience. Ask students about effective commercials and analyze one in class, discussing the types of appeals that were used and who their intended audience is. Then have students take the same product and rewrite another commercial for a different audience.
• Writing for younger children: connect with a lower grade level teacher and have your students visit that class and interview their audience for what kind of stories they like. Then ask your students to write a story for their audience. Ideally your students will go back to the same class and read their stories to the younger students or you can video tape and send tape to elementary level.
• Audience adaptation: Haves students write to three different people describing a car accident: one to a relative of the driver, one to a police officer, and one to the owner of the automobile company of the car that was driven.
• Real Audiences: Basically make your students work shine. Don't let the final product end with the you, the teacher and evaluator of work. Have students read their writing aloud to classmates or publish their work outside of class.

The main idea is to not let student writing end with you. It has to go beyond the grader and the writer and for others to hear. The authors of this book has made this point several times throughout the text and as far as I'm concerned I hear them loud and clear. At the very least I will ask my students to read their final products to a classmate and for pieces that are awesome ask to have them read aloud in class and perhaps in our school's morning bulletin to broadcast to the school. This makes the writing experience authentic and real, contrary to another class assignment.

Inside Out Strategies for Teaching Writing Chapter 15

Publishing Student Writing with and Without Computers

"Walk into any business, any professional workplace, and there's a computer on every desk." This quote is not only true to businesses and workplaces, but basically every where you go. Almost everyone in the U.S. has computer that they keep in their pockets that allow them to search the net, take pictures or videos, record music, and even write poems or essays. It's unavoidable and it is our responsibility as teachers to help our students used this new technology efficiently and effectively.

Benefits of Using a Computers

• writing process is more visible
• revising, editing, and proofreading is much easier
• provides smooth transition from school to work.

Getting Started

• Get to know school's IT for troubleshooting.
• Schedule regular time for computer use.

Cautions About Computers and Writing

• Not all students like computers; encourage and praise them.
• Be specific about plagiarism.
• Remind students that just because its printed doesn't mean its "done."

Ways to Publish in the Classroom

• Have students read the work aloud with peer or class.
• When exhibiting good writing; use your students writing even if its just a line or two.
• Have them make books; can use Jeanne's many different techniques for making books.
• Build a class website.
• Room Displays.

Producing a Literary Magazine

• Should be student centered; if they show interest in producing a magazine, then have them produce it with your guidance.
• You can photocopy work, staple, and distribute.
• Try offset printing through local printer.

Alternative to Literary Magazine

• Ask local paper if they would be willing to feature student writing.
• Ask local television station if they would like to feature student writing in their program.
• Ask local library if they will display student work.
• Check for writing contests.

A lot of the information in this chapter is something most teachers are familiar with. The main idea I walk away with from this chapter is to do something, anything with students' writing after they have completed their final version of it. Whether its reading it to one classmate or displaying the work in the classwork. Student writing should be revered and celebrated. I'm often guilty with correcting work and returning it to students and moving on to the next unit. I must take the time to celebrate their work because quite a few of my students write well and their work should be read by more people besides me and them. Also it takes time, effort, and creativity to produce their work, so some time and effort must be made for celebrating it.

Story Time

As an English teacher I knew that it was important to facilitate a love for reading at an early age. Even when my son was still in my womb I read him stories. Naturally when he came out, I knew I would be reading to him. Ironically though whenever I read to my baby boy, he cried and cried. When Noah became more mobile every time I started reading a book to him, he would grab the book and hurl it as far as he can from him. I would retrieve the book and start again, and he would grab the book and hurl it as far away as he could again. He probably thought it was a game.

I gave a heavy sigh. How can my son, the son of an English teacher, not be interested in books? He was surrounded by them, but couldn’t be bothered with hearing any of the stories waiting to be told. Sometimes I would have play dates with my friends’ children and read stories to them. They would eat every word, while I watched my son playing with his trucks, with the opposite shoe on the wrong foot. I worried for my son’s future. If he didn’t care for books now, what was to become of him when he started school? Would he become one of the many misguided teens I teach because they were poor readers? I feared for his bleak future.

Upon a recent visit my sister gave Noah Tikki Tikki Tembo, a book about a boy with a really long name signifying that he was the first and most honored son. I remembered loving this book when I was a child and hoped that my son would love it too. I lifted Noah on to my lap and proceeded to read him the book, this time however I decided that I would make up a new story starring Noah, using the pictures as a guide. What once used to be a story about Tikki Tikki Tembo, his brother: Chang, his mom, and the old man were now about Noah, his cousin: Jossiah, grandma and pop-pop.

And for the first time, Noah listened and followed along with the whole story. He didn’t cry. He didn’t throw the book across the room. We read Where the Wild Things Are and many other books this way for a while. Slowly I started reading parts of the actual story to him. Before he knew it, I was reading many books word for word, and before I knew it, reading had become one of his favorite past times.

Lesson Plan: Rhetorical Precis

Length of Time: 90 minutes

Grade: 10th grade

Common Core Standards

• Reading: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
• Writing: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Content Concepts:

• What is a summary?
• What are the parts of a Rhetorical Precis? thesis, genre, evidence, author's purpose, tone and audience

GLO’S:

• Self-Directed Learner
• Community Contributor
• Complex Thinker
• Quality Producer
• Effective Communicator
• Effective and Ethical User of Technology

Objectives:

• SWBAT identify the parts of a rhetorical precis: thesis, evidence, author's purpose, tone and intended audience.
• SWBAT write a group rhetorical precis.

Assessment(s) and or Evaluation:

Rhetorical Precis Rubric

5= Exceeds the standards.	4= Meets the standards.	3.5= Approaches the standards.	3=Below the standards.
Follows format perfectly. (no errors in formatting)	Mostly follows format. (1 error in formatting)	Some parts missing. (2 errors in formatting)	Most parts missing. (3 or more errors in formatting)
Identifies accurate thesis, evidence, tone and audience as presented by the author.	One error in identifying thesis, evidence, tone and audience as presented by the author.	Two errors in identifying thesis, evidence, tone and audience as presented by the author.	Three or more errors in identifying thesis, evidence, tone and audience as presented by the author.
No or a few errors in language and conventions.	Some errors in language and conventions.	Some errors in language and conventions that interfere with meaning.	Many errors in language and conventions that interfere with meaning.

Resources:
15 each Copies of "The Case for The Graduated License" and "I Want a Wife"

Beginning Procedures (Lesson Introduction/Anticipatory Set/Connection to Prior Knowledge)

1. Ask class to raise their hands if they know what a summary is.
2. Ask class to raise hand if they had to write a summary before.
3. Ask student to tell me in their own words what a summary is.
4. Write answers on chart paper.
5. Advise students that they will learn a new way of writing a summary called a Rhetorical Precis.

Middle Procedures (Learning Activities)

1. Ask students to read example precis on blog.
2. Read example precis.
3. Ask students to identify what they think are the parts of a rhetorical precis in their groups then as a whole class.
4. Give students format of what is in a rhetorical precis.
5. Read "The Case for Graduated License" silently; annotate for thesis and gist.
6. Read Rubric for Rhetorical Precis.
7. Model how to write a precis for "The Case for Graduated License.
8. Read Rubric for Rhetorical Precis.
9. Distribute copies of "I Want a Wife."
10. Ask students to read "I Want a Wife," and annotate for gist and to think about the following: What is Brady writing about? Who is she writing for? What is the purpose of writing this piece?
11. In pairs students will write precis for "I Want a Wife."
12. Give students 25 minutes to read and write precis. Walk around the class to check for understanding.
13. Have a couple students share precis.

Closing Procedures

1. On a post it ask students to write two things they learned and one thing that confused them.

Modifications for Diverse Learners:



Teacher’s Reflection on Lesson: