ERRR #029. Judith Hochman on How to Teach Students to Write
Apr 30, 2019
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Dr. Judith C. Hochman, creator of the Hochman Method, discusses teaching students to write. Topics include sentence types, unscrambling sentences, teaching positives in writing, note taking, assessments and writing prompts, teaching cursive, and advice for first-year teachers.
Note-taking and expansion are critical skills in writing instruction, enhancing comprehension and organizing thoughts for writing.
Teaching sentence types and conjunctions improves writing instruction and helps students understand cause and effect relationships.
Sentence expansion aids in summarizing content effectively, enhancing comprehension and allowing clear communication of ideas.
Structured templates can help students interpret and communicate complex ideas, ensuring clarity and organization in their writing.
Deep dives
The importance of note-taking and expansion in writing instruction
Note-taking and expansion are critical skills in writing instruction. Note-taking helps students separate essential from nonessential information, enhances comprehension and retention, and aids in organizing thoughts for writing. Expansion, on the other hand, involves taking a simple sentence and using question words to add more information and detail. It helps students develop extended responses and improves their ability to summarize content. These skills are important for students in all subjects and grades.
Teaching sentence types and conjunctions
Teaching sentence types, such as statements, commands, questions, and exclamations, and conjunctions like 'because,' 'but,' and 'so' can greatly improve writing instruction. Students learn how to vary their sentence structure, understand cause and effect relationships, and develop more coherent and clear writing. These strategies can be embedded in content instruction and enhance students' understanding of specific subjects, such as math or science.
The power of sentence expansion in summarizing
Sentence expansion is a valuable skill that helps students summarize content effectively. By using expansion, students add more information and detail to a simple sentence through question words like 'who,' 'what,' 'why,' 'when,' and 'how.' This process enhances comprehension, identifies main points, and allows students to communicate ideas clearly and efficiently. Note-taking, along with expansion, is a crucial skill that aids in summarizing and organizing thoughts for writing.
Using templates to interpret and communicate complex ideas
Templates can be effective tools in teaching students to interpret and communicate complex ideas. By providing a structured framework, such as a template for interpreting graphs or data, students can develop a better understanding of the concepts being presented and communicate their observations and findings more clearly. Templates can help students organize their thoughts and ensure they include relevant information in their analysis. It is important, however, to balance the use of templates with fostering creativity and critical thinking skills.
The Importance of Structure and Modeling in Writing Instruction
The podcast episode emphasizes the benefits of using highly structured templates in writing instruction. It highlights the importance of providing students with clear models and expectations to guide their writing. By giving students a structure and modeling the desired outcome, teachers can support their understanding and provide valuable feedback. This approach helps students gain confidence in their writing and allows them to progressively develop their own unique writing style.
The Role of Planning in Longer Form Writing
The podcast discusses the importance of planning in longer form writing. Planning helps students to manage the cognitive load involved in writing by breaking down the task into manageable steps. It enables students to organize their thoughts, sequence their ideas, and make the writing process more efficient. By using linear outlines, students can develop a roadmap for their writing, which helps them to stay focused and coherent. Planning not only reduces the cognitive load on students but also improves the quality and clarity of their writing.
The Power of Structure and Progression in Writing Instruction
The podcast explores the power of structure and progression in writing instruction. It highlights the usefulness of acronyms, such as TS (topic sentence) and CS (concluding sentence), to support the development of standalone paragraphs. The use of outlines, including single paragraph outlines (SPO) and multiple paragraph outlines (MPO), helps students to organize their thoughts and create cohesive and coherent longer form writing. The podcast also discusses the importance of introducing GST (general statements, specific statements, thesis statement) in introductions and TSG (thesis statement, specific statement, general statement) in conclusions for longer form writing. This structured approach helps students effectively communicate their ideas and engage the reader.
