In this Quick Clip Video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that although informative writing consists of facts, quotes, explanations, and examples, the writer’s word choice is just as valuable. Teach students to intentionally incorporate relevant and accurate vocabulary with these four strategies to add precise word choice when writing about information.

Duration: 3:38

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain how to teach students a variety of ways to add elaboration into their writing. The six types of details are description, vocabulary, evidence, explanations, voices, and importance. Each of these will help students to write additional sentences, thus adding more meat to their writing. 

Duration: 4:56

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that traditional research writing is a long process. It typically starts with days spent on topic selection. Then, several more school days pass as students surf online, click on websites, and print off articles. Often, it’s another couple of weeks before the multi-page final draft is completed. However, these steps can be tightened and even eliminated if you embark on what is called a simulated research task.

Duration: 4:59

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that if we want to teach students how to synthesize ideas, we have to start by teaching kids how to summarize them. After all, a student can’t think beyond the text if he can’t think about the text.

They provide one of their favorite strategies, the Information Pyramid. As implied by its name, this graphic organizer is a perfect tool to help students learn to summarize meaty information—whether it is a content-area concept or a domain-specific vocabulary term.

Duration: 7:45

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain the elements of a successful introduction. When writing an informative introduction, students could include many different pieces in that first paragraph. Rather than giving students a recipe, teach them optional ingredients to build into their introductions. Think of a puzzle rather than a recipe. The ingredients become pieces of the puzzle that are crafted into an introduction. 

Duration: 5:45

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain how to teach students several ways to craft informative conclusions. The standards require students to provide a concluding statement that follows the presented information. This typically includes restating a topic sentence or thesis statement. However, it is not necessary to summarize the entire body of reasons just to beef up the conclusion. There are several more powerful pieces to a concluding paragraph than a rehashing of the middle. 

Duration: 3:23

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that when students are presented new and different graphic organizers all the time, it's hard to foster masterful use of any of them. They suggest utilizing the same core set of tools that have universal application in different writing genres, text structures, grade levels, and subject areas. This consistent and repeated experience with only a couple of graphic organizers keeps the focus on their intended purpose--to support reader/writer organization. Such a set of graphic organizers could be limited to three: the Storyboard, the Dissected Web, and the T-Chart.

Duration: 4:00

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that nonfiction text does not always follow a predictable text structure. Nonfiction text can utilize one of five different text patterns. Consequently, without an understanding of text structures, the reader doesn’t know how to mentally organize the barrage of facts, names, dates, and details that he is consuming. This often leads to confusion and makes nonfiction text intimidating.

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that most students know that their book reviews, persuasive letters, and argumentative essays need to have an introduction. The problem is—they struggle to write one that isn’t literal. Unfortunately, their conclusions aren’t much better. 

The secret to supporting students within these two important facets is NOT to announce how many sentences they should write. Rather, they need to know what type of information could be included in each paragraph.

Duration: 6:11

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that before attempting to write an argumentative thesis statement, it’s important for students to conduct some initial research on the topic. Without this, the claim will be based only on what the student thinks he knows about the topic—often resulting in a thesis that can’t be supported or is too broad.

After acquiring background knowledge on a debatable topic and aligning with a side, it’s time to target the three ingredients of an argumentative claim—the type, the scope, and the certainty.

Duration: 4:10

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that when preparing to write an opinion, persuasive, or argumentative piece, teachers often ask students to generate a list of reasons to support a position. However, the lists students typically generate are not of reasons, but rather of text-based details. A strong reason will produce an entire paragraph. It will include a broad statement that is followed by several specific supporting details. To achieve this, teachers need to first ask students to generate a list of facts and details discovered. Then, they need to model how to cluster similar details to infer reasons.

Duration: 3:52

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain how to move teachers beyond teaching students what to say, and instead teach them how to say it. These craft lessons will focus on rhetorical devices—or different ways to impress opinions and express ideas to a reader. There are dozens of rhetorical devices, but three of the most commonly used are tone, language, and repetition.

Duration: 4:04

This video, from our partners at Smekens Education, answers two important questions about counterclaim: 

1. How do you write the counterclaim? 

2. Where do you put the counterclaim within the overall writing?

Duration: 4:15 

In this Quick Clip video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that students need to practice 5 strategies for writing in response to reading. This video demonstrates how to give students practice: 1. rewriting from a different character's viewpoint; 2. continuing the story; 3. inserting a missing part or page; 4. writing a historical fiction piece; and 5. writing a science fiction piece.

Duration: 5:34 

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that 

describing characters walking and talking does not constitute a narrative. Narratives include a problem. Someone (or something) wants or needs something, but an obstacle is preventing it from happening. This want or need is the problem or conflict.

To ensure every story includes a problem, plan the middle portion first. In other words, determine the conflict the character(s) will face before writing the beginning.

Duration: 1:00

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain that a story comes alive when writers are selective about using literary devices. These include hinting at what’s to come with a foreshadow or creating a surprise or twist ending. Three additional techniques to teach older writers include: suspense, pacing, and tension.

Duration: 3:38

In this Quick Clip teacher video, our partners at Smekens Education explain how to teach students to vary sentence length to achieve a specific effect. Changing up the number of words in a sentence affects the way a piece is read. It creates cadence and rhythm. Sentence fluency is all about how the writing sounds. Determining the number of words for each sentence provides the undercurrent for the tone and message. 

Duration: 6:34