Engaging Students with Technology

during Writing Instruction

By Sarah Wiggins
A professional development presentation that teaches how to incorporate
technology into writing lessons.

Title of Unit: Grade Level: All

Engaging Students with Technology
during Writing

Curriculum Area: Writing Time Frame: 1 lesson

Learner Analysis
The following data was taken from the 2009 – 2010 5th grade writing scores. There is evidence for the
need to instruct teachers how to make writing more engaging for students.
Total number students with scorable tests: 183
Target for IE2 Actual from # of students # of students # of students
09-10 we needed last who made it this year
year last year
All Students 10.5% 5% 20 10 18
Hispanic 6% 0% 11 0 8
Students
White Students 11.3% 7% 21 11 20
SWD 2.1% 0% 4 0 4
ELL 1.5% 0% 3 0 3
** This year’s numbers are based on the current enrollment of 162 5th graders

Subgroups break down according to DNM, Meets, Exceeds

DNM M E
All 21% (40 students) 73% (133 students) 5% (10 students)
Hispanic 35% (9 students) 65% (17 students) 0%
White 20% (29 students) 73% (106 students) 7% (10 students)
SWD 67% (8 students) 33% (4 students) 0%
ELL ** Not enough tested to
calculate

Break down according to Domains

Avg. score Persuasive avg. Informational avg. Narrative Avg.
Ideas 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.1
Organization 2.9 2.8 2.8 3.1
Style 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.2
Conventions 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.8

Stage 1: Identifying Desired Results

Content Standards:
Standards for the 21st Century Learner
2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express
new understandings.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways
that others can view, use, and assess.
4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.

Georgia Performance Standards

ELA1W1 The student begins to understand the principles of writing.
ELA1W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive and response
to literature.
ELA2W1 The student begins to demonstrate competency in the writing process.
ELA2W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response
to literature.
ELA3W1 The student demonstrates competency in the writing process.
ELA3W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response
to literature.
ELA4W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context
and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure.
ELA4W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
ELA5W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
ELA5W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing.

Understandings
Teachers will understand that…
• It is essential that we engage our students during writing lessons so that students can
gain a better understanding of the traits of writing.
• In order to help students gain an understanding, technology tools can be used.
• There are several different Web 2.0 tools to engage students in writing.

Related Misconceptions…
• Using technology is time consuming and too complicated.
• Finding resources to use are difficult.

Essential Questions
Overarching Questions: How can Topical Questions: What are technology
technology help students to better tools that can be used to engage students
understand the traits of writing? when teaching writing?

Are the tools easy to access and easy to use?

 Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge & Skills students will know: Skills teachers will be able to do:
Teachers will need prior knowledge of the 6 • Teachers will be able to align the
traits of writing. traits with web 2.0 tools.
• Teachers will see an overview as an
example to help them use the tools.
• Teachers will be supplied with a
wiki that offers further assistance in
using the web tools.

Stage 2
Performance Task(s)
Goal: Your goal is to learn about the web 2.0 tools that can help
foster engagement in students writing.

Role: Your role will be to identify at least 2 different tools you can
take back to your classroom.

Audience: Your audience is the students in your writing

classroom.

Situation: Our students are starting to have a desire to write, but

we need to make sure that the lessons are engaging, and that we
are supplying them with skills they can continue to use.

Product Performance and Purpose: The purpose of using the

web 2.0 tools is to help raise the students engagement in writing
and make sure they are equipped with technology tools to use
them as they continue in their education.

Standards and Criteria for Success:

The standards that align are listed above

Product Performance
The level of writing will improve as students are taught to utilize
 technology tools to enhance their writing.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences
• The teachers will listen to a power point that will walk them through each of
the 6 traits of writing. (The teachers will have the powerpoint on their
laptops so they can follow along and explore the tools)
• With each trait, I will introduce a technology tool that can be used to help
students to apply the trait. The teachers will see a screencast of how to use
the technology tool.
• A wiki will be provided for the teachers to be able to access all of the web
2.0 tools. It will be located on my website.
• The teachers will take a survey to evaluate if the tools they learned about
will be helpful to them, and will try to identify two tools they will implement
in their writing instruction.