Dr. Louis' Blog

Dear Dr. Louis,

I need help with prompt writing, please!

Eileen V.

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Dear Eileen,

Well, the first step is asking for help!

When I first started teaching eleventh grade English Language Arts, I would become discouraged as I began scoring the 180-200 essays that I had assigned to my students. “Why weren’t they getting it?” I would ask myself as I sat at my dining room table, scoring one after another until the wee hours of the morning. Their responses were just not in sync with what I had wanted. Why? What was wrong with these kids? The next day, with little sleep and not a great attitude, my kids would arrive, and I when the bell rang, I would shake the stack of papers at them, saying “Y’all weren’t listening! I’m the only one working around here! We’re going to have to start all over again!”

Well, that was a long time ago, and I’ve gained some wisdom and a little humility since then (getting a divorce and fumbling with technology helped). I realized that when class sets of papers are not up to par, the problem is not the students; it's the prompt; and, more importantly, the prompter.

I set forth on a mission to discover what elements are included in a prompt that would yield essays of which my students and I could be proud. I discovered that an effective prompt has three components: one or several background sentences; a trigger sentence; a task. Background Sentences: These are opening statements in a prompt that serve several purposes. First, they are there to engage the students, pique their interest. Gilgamesh is the first superhero text. Or If we didn’t have photosynthesis, we all would be dead! Background sentences provide students with what Aristotle would call the occasion. In other words, what motivates this piece of writing? If it’s understanding symbolism, then perhaps I give the definition of symbolism first. Perhaps I then give an example from the story, providing the students with insight into the significance of the symbol. A symbol is a tangible object that represents an abstract idea. During the first half of the 19^th century, known as the Romantic Era, one important symbol was nature. It was such an important symbol that authors would sometimes capitalize it, personifying it with the status equal to that of an actual character in a literary work. Trigger Sentence: As I continued my research while teaching my eleventh graders, I studied Advanced Placement® prompts. Their prompts would include the following statement: Read the passage carefully. I asked myself, “Why in the world would they say that? What were the students going to do – Read the passage haphazardly?” Then it dawned on me that this was a trigger sentence, designed to separate the background sentences from the task, the third element of an effective prompt. The trigger sentence was there to say to the students, “Everything above me is designed to help you, to give you insight into the content, to set the tone. Everything below me is what you are supposed to do.”

‍Read Chapter 19 in The Scarlet Letter.

Task: The task gives the students the specifications of what should be in the essay.

Then, in a well-developed multiparagraph essay, trace the Nature motif and explain its significance. You might consider the tone that is created when Nature is present and how it contributes to the meaning of the text. Once I learned how to write effective prompts, scoring essays did not seem as burdensome. My students understood what I wanted and did their best to show me their understanding. We all felt more successful. I realized that receiving good essays from my students begins with me and my ability to create good writing prompts.

Here are a couple more prompts that I’ve been working on with teachers of late: A Long Walk to Water Writing

Prompt: The orphaned boys from Sudan have come to be called “Lost Boys.” This is a reference to the book Peter Pan by JM Barrie. In Peter Pan, the Lost Boys are a group of young orphans who join in Peter’s adventures, fighting pirates, and saving an Indian Princess. Despite the fun and the freedom they enjoy, the Lost Boys choose to leave Neverland at the end of the story to find families.  Please read the attached Peter Pan excerpt.   Then, in a well-developed one- to two-chunk paragraph (1:2+), interpret why "lost boys" is an appropriate name to give to boys like Salva.

‍Tangerine Writing Prompt:

In Edward Bloor’s Tangerine, the narrator portrays two communities: Lake Windsor Downs and Tangerine. Though these two communities share many similarities, they are also very different from one another.  Read the novel, carefully, annotating the similarities and differences of these two communities. In a well-developed two paragraph literary analysis (1:2+), compare and contrast Paul’s community (Lake Windsor Downs) with Victor’s community (Tangerine). The first paragraph will be how the communities are alike, and the second paragraph will be how the communities are different. Be sure to focus on the residents, their behaviors and attitudes, family relationships, and economic differences.

‍Keep reading and writing,

Dr. Louis

Dear Dr. Louis,

My son's middle school is using your program. I have searched your website looking for how your curriculum is used in a middle school special education setting for a student entering 6th grade reading and writing on 1st grade level because of dyslexia . . . . I would appreciate it if you could send me information on how your program works, especially in a middle school special education setting, and the implementation/fidelity recommendations.                                Thank you,

F.T.

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‍Dear F.T.,

Thank you for your email. For this question, I am going to engage my two national trainers, who are also educational therapists, and have them answer your question. While I demonstrate and discuss differentiation for special education students, I’d like to have my credentialed and experienced authorities respond to your astute question. They are Ms. Lauren Roedy-Vaughn and Ms. Carrie Robinson.

#1: Lauren Roedy Vaughn has an undergraduate degree in drama, a master’s degree in special education, and a learning specialist credential with a subject qualification in English. For the past two decades, she has worked in the United States and abroad as an educator and writing specialist. She is a Board Member for the International Dyslexia Association’s Los Angeles branch and a member of the Association of Educational Therapists. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with other civic leaders, presented her with The Walk of Heart’s Teaching Award in 2005. She is the author of the young adult novel, OCD, The Dude, and Me, which made the American Library Association’s list of best books for teens and the Capitol Choice Selections for 2014.

‍Here is Lauren’s response:

The first philosophical tenet of The Jane Schaffer Writing Program is that “all students can think and all students can write.” All students deserve explicit, structured, and sustained writing instruction as part of their literacy curriculum. In fact, just like with effective reading programs, the “explicit, structured, and sustained” parts are key. The Jane Schaffer Writing Program explicitly teaches the language of academic writing and the steps involved in the thinking process of building paragraphs and essays. Too often, these steps remain implicit, and students are unclear about how to answer a prompt or write a paragraph or essay. They often don’t even know where to begin. This program is first and foremost a thinking program, and it acknowledges that writing is a process. Thus, there are steps to writing an academic paragraph and essay, and these steps can be taught.

Explicit instruction from a teacher is key to the success of this program. The teacher first teaches the students the terminology for the parts of the paragraph and the color-coding of each part, so that students learn that different parts of a paragraph function in different ways. This is important information for all students to have before they write. Students with dyslexia benefit from the direct teaching of the vocabulary of the program and then the subsequent steps of building a paragraph. While a student may struggle with spelling, the physical act of writing, and/or getting his ideas down on paper, this program supports his formulation of ideas. Thinking must happen before writing can happen.  The program is structured. When the program is implemented with fidelity, teachers work through the steps of the process with the students. First, the teacher provides a paragraph model. After the model is discussed and the parts are understood, then the teacher provides a model of the steps to build that paragraph. The teacher presents each step and discusses the thinking behind each step with the students. Next, the teacher writes a paragraph collaboratively with the students following each step. We follow the “gradual release of responsibility” model, so that students are not writing independently until they are ready.

The graphic organizers that make up our program provide a visual model for the steps and guide students in their thinking and composition. It is part of the structure of the program.  The program is designed to be taught in a sustained way. This is not a “one and done” program. When this program is used throughout a child’s middle school years, he is markedly more prepared for writing in high school. In my opinion, middle school is the perfect time to teach this program.

For students with dyslexia, there are accommodations that can be used with this program. The student can dictate his responses either to a scribe or through the use of speech-to-text software. Students with dyslexia benefit from working with someone, one-to-one, or in small groups to make incremental improvements with their writing; those add up over time. This program provides a template for what to teach. How quickly a teacher and student move through the steps is up to the student’s individual needs. Our mantra here is that we go “as quickly as we can and as slow as we must.”

Writing is an integral part of any literacy program, and this is especially true for students with dyslexia. While your son may need extensive scaffolding and support to build a paragraph or an essay, he deserves the chance to be taught how. At first, the teacher or tutor may have to do a lot of modeling, but that’s okay. He may have to dictate all his ideas for a while.Finally, working with someone on explicit writing instruction can support his other literacy skills. Additionally, using high-interest material or topics from his own life in his writing may help him engage in the instruction more effectively.

I have a Learning Specialist Credential and a Master’s degree in Special Education. I taught high school English for 20 years to students with language-based learning disabilities, most of whom were students with dyslexia. Some of my high school students read on the second-grade level. I went searching for a writing program for my kids. This was the best one – hands down – that I found. In my classroom, I paired the Jane Schaffer Writing Program instruction with the University of Kansas’s Sentence Writing Program to help my students learn to write functional sentences. I’m actively involved with the International Dyslexia Association and served on their Board in Los Angeles for several years. I care deeply about students who struggle with literacy, and it’s why I use the Jane Schaffer Writing Program. My experience with the program over the last three decades makes me passionate about sharing it with teachers, students, and parents.  I hope this helps you learn more about The Jane Schaffer Writing Program, and I wish you and your son the best of teachers and instruction for his entire academic career.

Best,

Lauren Roedy Vaughn

‍#2: Ms. Carrie Robinson received her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech and Theatre. She is currently an educational therapist who works privately with students who have language-based learning disabilities. Her areas of specialty are reading (decoding and comprehension), writing composition, and study skills. She has experience both as an administrator and as a teacher. At Westmark School in Encino, California, a school for special-needs students, Carrie was the assistant principal for students and teachers, grades 9-12, creating and implementing individualized educational programs for students. As a classroom teacher for ten years, Carrie taught English Language Arts and World History to 9th-grade students as well as study skills remediation to grades 4-12.  

Here is Carrie’s response:

The Jane Schaffer Writing Program is ideal for students with learning disabilities because of the combination of intuitive graphic organizers and an explicit process for generating and organizing ideas. As an educational therapist for over 25 years, I was attracted to the JSWP for that very reason. I needed to find a way to help my students – that didn’t include my putting words in their mouths. One frustrating day, I remember sitting with a student who had asked for help with a writing assignment and thinking, “I know what I would write, but I don’t know how to get you to write it.” Thankfully, Jane gave us all a valuable gift, and I have been sharing this gift with my students for many years with great success.  I work with students and teachers on how to break down skills effectively in multiple ways and to address all types of learning styles. Countless times I’ve had teachers exclaim when I’ve shown them a method that might work for my student in their class, “Wow! ALL my students would benefit from this approach.” That’s what Jane provides teachers. Jane was an [On-Level and] AP English teacher and taught very high-level students, but her program explicitly teaches writing (and even some reading techniques) — she makes what is implicit about writing explicit, and that’s what students at all levels need. This program gives students a vocabulary with which to demystify the writing process.

What drew me to Jane Schaffer’s approach was how the program is scaffolded—a critical component for struggling learners. This method trains teachers to help students to break down the components of paragraphs and essays and gives them a footing to accomplish each step of the process. First of all, Jane color-codes the parts of a paragraph, which helps the brain embed the concepts of topic sentence, concrete detail, commentary, and concluding sentence using a visual cue. Each sentence has a job to do and it’s easy to “see” as the colors blue, red, green, and blue appear on the page. Additionally, the program allows teachers to build skills by taking each step of the writing process and teaching it in isolation if needed. That way, teachers can tailor the program to meet the needs of individual students; they can simplify or make the process more advanced as students become more proficient.

Importantly, students with learning differences need a process—a step-by-step approach for completing a complicated task, and Jane gives them that. Every time they undertake a writing assignment, they know to start with decoding the prompt and finding CDs to help answer it. This approach has them begin with their evidence when most of our challenged students want simply to answer a prompt with an opinion and be done with it. The t-chart is magical because it helps students to corral their overflowing thoughts and to organize those thoughts while also helping students, who never know what to say, find they have all kinds of intelligent responses lurking in their brains. The meta-cognitive process of asking oneself questions about the evidence teaches critical thinking and gives them a way of getting their ideas from their brain to the page. “Picking and stitching” helps them to write more grammatically complex and sophisticated sentences. Finally, the shaping sheet helps them to refine, to edit, to improve, and to connect all their sentences into a coherent paragraph without overwhelming them with revision after revision. In fact, most students don’t even realize it, but each step of the process is its own revision.  For my students who learn differently, knowing there is a writing process on which to rely takes the apprehension out of composing paragraphs and essays. As the process becomes more familiar, it becomes automatic and eventually allows these kids to become independent writers.

Jane has educators using an “I do, we do, you do” pedagogy that allows for lots of practice and support. Teachers begin by modeling the process. They then write with the student—taking them through each step – and they will continue to write together as long as the student needs it. Eventually, students will complete the process independently. This gradual release of responsibility takes the student writer’s individual needs into account every step of the way.I’ve used this approach with students in grade school, middle school, high school, and college and have not found a better program out there that teaches LD students how to write. Jane’s genius is that she knew “all students can think, so all students can write.”No doubt, your son will find “writing with Jane” a very rewarding experience.

Best regards,

Carrie Robinson

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‍Please do not hesitate to contact me with further questions. I am at your service.

Warm regards,

Dr. Louis

Dear Dr. D,

I have students stating that they struggle to reach the minimum word count while following the Jane Schaffer structure. For example, if the essay is to be 600-800 words, they may have only 450 words but state that they are following the formula. Any advice as to what you would do? - Julianna K, Grades 7-12

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‍Dear Julianna,

Are they writing only one-chunk paragraphs? Or are they writing two chunks per paragraph? Sounds like they need to increase the chunks as an option!

In an expository essay, the ratio of CD:CM is 2+:1. Are the students writing only two sentences of concrete details? Or are they writing two or more sentences of concrete details (hence, the plus [+])? In my class, if they write only two simple sentences of concrete detail, that’s a “C.” With the ratio at 2+:1, they could write five or six sentences of CDs and two or three sentences of CMs. Don't allow them to write the minimum -- push them.

Are they writing a solid topic sentence and a reflective, thoughtful concluding sentence?Look at the students' thesis statements. Sharon Kingston, one of my mentors and a valued friend of Jane's, used to say, "A thesis statement should be a compound-complex thought; therefore, it should be written as a compound-complex sentence."Are the students' introductions and conclusions 10% of the length of their essays? For example, if the essay is 600-800 words, then the introduction and conclusion might be somewhere between 60 and 80+ words each. That's a good guideline for students that I use.

Are the students varying their sentence types and sentence lengths? They should be writing simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences of varying lengths. That’s simply good writing and has nothing to do with the formula or word counts.

For the upper level students and more sophisticated students, are you working with syntax? Are they ready for practicing parallelism? Style?When the students go to college, their professors might ask for a 5,000 word essay. Think 10% intro (500), 10% conclusion (500), and 80% body (4,000). That body could be two body paragraphs (2,000), three body paragraphs (1,300), four body paragraphs (1,000), five body paragraphs (800), etc.Move each student beyond the formula when s/he is ready. Jane expects teachers to move on-level students beyond the formula.

Keep reading and writing!

Happy New Year!

Dr. D'

Dear Dr. Louis,‍

Would you please take a look at the following prompt and give me some suggestions for revision?

In the Greek Tragedy by Sophocles, “Oedipus Rex,” the protagonist, Oedipus lives a life both cursed and blessed by the gods. Read Oedipus Rex by Edith Hamilton looking closely at the author’s use of ethical appeal. Develop a well thought out two-chunk paragraph (2+:1) where you defend whether Oedipus is a victim of his circumstances or in control of his destiny. Use examples of ethos to support your claim. Consider the gods as you develop your paragraph.

Thank you,

John

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‍Dear John,

Of course, I am delighted to look at your prompt!

I firmly believe that teaching writing to students begins with the teacher knowing how to write effective prompts, prompts that allow student insight and creativity while also providing guidance and expectations. Students are often blind-sided by the vagueness of their teachers' prompts. And, unless we are trained in writing effective prompts, we write prompts that might make a lot of sense to us but confuses and even shuts down our students. Consequently, we receive from some of our students either nothing or a product completely different from what we anticipated. For that reason, I always appreciate when a master teacher, such as yourself, calls upon a colleague to provide feedback on a prompt before the former gives that prompt to 150-200 students. That's a smart teacher!

Let's look at your prompt!

• Your ratio: I understand why you are suggesting 2+:1; you are working with ethos, a rhetorical device used in argumentation, and you are asking them to defend a position. But you are asking the students to interpret literature. Any time we ask students to provide a literary analysis, even when argumentation is part of that assignment, the best papers will have more commentary. So, I think you'll be happier with a 1:2+ ratio.
• Your request: This topic could easily become a beautiful essay. That you're asking your students to write a paragraph concerns me, but if a paragraph is what you want, let's help your students by being more succinct in your instructions. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, lives a life both cursed and blessed by the gods. Read carefully Edith Hamilton’s translation of Sophocles’ famous tragedy, Oedipus Rex, paying special attention to Sophocles’ use of ethical appeal to characterize Oedipus and those who surround him, including the gods. Then, develop a well thought out two-chunk paragraph (1:2+) where you defend whether Oedipus is a victim of his circumstances or in control of his destiny (TS). Support your decision by embedding evidence  (CDs) from the text of ethos to support your claim. Your commentary (CMs) and concluding sentence (CS) might include how the evidence you choose contributes to the tone(s) of the piece, the meaning/theme/universal truth you derive, and/or the author's purpose.

I look forward to hearing about how they perform on this assignment. Send me samples to share!

Keep reading and writing!

Best regards,

Dr. Louis

P.S. I sure would like to see you teach those kids Oedipus at Colonus! It goes brilliantly with your teaching free will and destiny and how they relate to blame and guilt. And teaching this piece also allows us to discuss the idea of acceptance and being able to work with letting go of those issues in our lives that do not provide any answers or answer and riddles. I have written an essay on why teachers should teach this text. Let me know if you'd like to read it. DL

Hi. My name is Melissa. I was trained by you last school year with junior high and high school teachers of Ennis ISD. My seventh-grade students are writing a biography about an author. I'm requiring them to use the Jane Schaffer expository format, but most of them are struggling to form a topic sentence, commentary, or concluding sentences for their chunks. They seem to want to fill their paragraphs with nothing but concrete details. Is the Jane Schaffer format appropriate for a biography?

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‍Dear Melissa,

Yes. Use the 2+:1 ratio for the paragraphs, Melissa. Also, think of the biography in terms of a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end..Above the introduction: Title and Quote from the author (The title must be something from one of her works – it may not be her/his name)Introduction• Broad statements - Why do people read? Why do different people resonate with different authors?• Introduce author – name, century s/he lived, known best for• Thesis: Her/his life is meaningful because . . .Body Paragraph 1:TS – Early LifeCD – Details CD – Details CD+ – DetailsCM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact?CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on societyBody Paragraph 2:TS – Education, Mid-Life, First Book or PoemCD – Details CD – Details CD+ – DetailsCM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact? Does first writing relate to her/his hardships, relationships?

CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on societyBody Paragraph 3:TS – Late in LifeCD – Details - Awards CD – Details - CD+ – Details - DeathCM – What is interesting, odd, unusual? Impact? Does first writing relate to her/his hardships, relationships? CS – Unexpected, Defied the odds, Impact on society Conclusion - why out of all the authors you could have chosen did you choose this one? What makes him/her stand out above the rest?

Keep reading and writing!

Best regards,

Dr. Louis

Hi, Dr. Louis:

My name is Jaime, and I'm a teacher in Los Angeles. We spoke on the phone about a month ago or so. I'm just sort of in a quandary using the Jane Schaffer Method with my students right now. I'm mostly teaching 9th graders, more at the remedial end of the spectrum. So [. . .] the method [has] been extraordinarily helpful in helping my more remedial students learn how to organize their thoughts into paragraphs and eventually essays.

But I also have more advanced students in my classes who, for some reason, through better teaching in middle school or just natural aptitude, are more able to organize their thoughts more maturely into paragraphs and essays. I just don't know if I should require them to rewrite their work strictly using the format: topic sentence, concrete detail, etc., really strictly or give them more latitude with regard to their work. Student writing that for some reason just has a more natural flow to it with more advanced organization skills – I just don't know if I should like have them back up and rewrite strictly adhering to the Jane Schaffer format.

Anyway I'm sort of struggling with this quandary and thought you might have some feedback on the issue.

Thanks!

Jaime

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Dear Jaime,

Great question! Thank you for asking. Let's start with Jane's response to your question; then, I'll add a little more of my own commentary; then, I'll let Ralph Waldo Emerson finish this blog for me. From Jane's voice, straight to your ears: "Formula/structure is a place to start for students who need it; some don’t need it at all. We want students to leave the formula behind when they are ready to do so. Breaking the formula is called weaving –- mixing fact and opinion/concrete detail and commentary." Jane was adamant about valuing teachers' intuitions about students and the decisions that ensued, based on those intuitions.

For me, I have to tell a story. One year, on the very first day of school, I was busy greeting my ninth graders, and as I looked toward the back of the classroom, I saw a young man walking toward me. Normally, on the first day of school, ninth graders are shy, timid, and reserved. Not this ninth grader. His name was Adam, and he had a blue disk in his hand. As he approached me, his hand lifted and he said, "Ms. Louis, I would like you to read my novel.""Why, Mr. F (I called students by their last names), I'd be glad to read your novel," I said.

When I read the first few pages of his novel, I realized that this child was a natural writer. The next day, I gave the ninth graders a diagnostic essay prompt. It was a narrative assignment designed to provide me with their writing acumen. I told them to do their best writing so that I would be able to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses and plan their writing instruction accordingly. Adam's essay was exemplary. I knew that he did not need to start from scratch.

I pulled Adam aside the next day and said, Mr. F, your writing is beautiful. You have a natural talent. This year, your class and I will be working with a program called the Jane Schaffer Writing Program (JSWP). I would like for you to learn the terminology and the process for two reasons: 1) I'd like for us to use the terminology when we discuss your writing; and 2) I would like you to be one of my student writing coaches. However, when I assign paragraphs and essays to you and your classmates, you do not need to work through the JSWP process or graphic organizers unless you choose to do so. You may opt to write without the method. I'm fine with that." I tell you this story, Jaime, to reveal that there was no way I was going to take this child (or any child, for that matter) backward. He naturally understood the importance of the ratio in literary analysis; he naturally understood the purpose of an introduction and conclusion; he naturally understood how to create a logical, organized, cohesive piece of writing. When I gave prompts to Adam's class, I noticed that sometimes Adam would integrate a piece of JSWP if only to get him started. But that call was his, and I was happy that he had a variety of tools to access.

In my career, I had few students like Adam -- well, no student was like Adam. But I had few students with natural writing ability. When those students entered my classroom, however, I was comfortable and so was Jane with my having a conversation with those students about how they and I would handle writing assignments.

You are the expert in your classroom. Do what is best for each and every student. Have private conversations with students. Be respectful about the program, so other students won't feel like they are inept. Move individual students beyond the formula (see "weaving" in the guides) when they are ready.Back to Adam, at the age of fourteen, this young man was a Russian Revolution scholar. So, when I taught Animal Farm, I asked him to team teach with me. When he was a sophomore, University of North Texas (UNT) invited him to matriculate into their program his junior year. He was amazing. Every night, I prayed that I help and not hurt his academic progress. About four years after I had Adam in class, I received a letter in the mail from UNT, inviting me to attend their Math and Science Banquet. To my surprise, Adam had requested that the school invite me as the teacher who made the greatest impact in his life. I was humbled. I think he regarded me in that manner because I let him soar; I let him take the lead regarding how he would approach his assignments.

Some teachers are like Adam. Administrators need to just leave them alone and let them soar! I had administrators like that: Dr. Tribble, Dr. Clingman, Dr. Patton. Emerson said, "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." Go with that advice!

Warm regards,

Dr. Louis