Course Listing

Virtual 1 Day Workshops

Writing Instruction: Teaching Text Structure, Virtual – Summer Institute 2021

If you sign up for this section, you are signing up for a virtual section. There are a limited in-person spaces for this course. If you want to take the course in-person, you must register for the in-person section so we can ensure social distancing.

The content for the virtual section and in-person section is the same.

COURSE LOGISTICS

• Event type: One-day workshop
• Section delivery mode: Virtual. The instructor will be on-site, and participants will be virtual.
• Attendance: Live, on the date and time listed in the course information section. Please be prepared to be available for a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction for the entire duration of this course.
• Platform: Canvas and Zoom. You will need access to a reliable internet connection and computer with video and audio. Login credentials emailed the day before the course begins.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Writing is a complex task that requires the cooperation of many different academic skills at once. One of the most important elements of writing, however, is understanding the expectations for text structure. Though it may seem that “write a paragraph” is a clear task, the directional words that come after that instruction are key to the crafting of an accurate response. For instance, the direction to “write a paragraph that explains …” requires a very different organizational approach than one with the directive to “compare and/or contrast.” Students need to understand the words in a prompt that provide direction to their writing structure before they can appropriately plan their ideas. Moreover, teachers need to be aware of the significance that these words carry when creating a prompt for writing.

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Identify a variety of text structures and the directional words that indicate these types of writing
• Create writing prompts for their students that specifically require relevant test structures
• Choose appropriate writing templates that best lend themselves to various text structures
• Instruct students to identify and understand the words in a prompt that help them to identify the expected text structure

LEVEL

This course is appropriate for educators at all grade levels.

MATERIALS

All necessary materials will be shared electronically.