Workshop in Illinois: Making Sense of Writing

From http://www.ictfl.org/form/2013-winterfest-relish-writing

Would you like to see your students write with more proficiency? The Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages offers you three opportunities! Making Sense of Writing is a workshop to be held in three different locations in February 2013.

Why are students expected to write and what are they writing? Are they writing to practice language or writing to communicate with others to touch the world? Language teachers are increasingly finding that they must be prepared to teach students how to write in the second language classroom. It is important in this time of high stakes testing that language teachers are familiar with the work that is being done in other disciplines. Participants will have a chance to discuss the importance of the six traits of writing: ideas, fluency, organization, word choice, voice and conventions. The framework that is used will be adapted from Ruth Culham’s 6 +1 Trait Model. Emphasis will be placed on the writing process and teachers will engage in strategies that allow students to begin to express their own thinking as they write. Strategies for writing at different proficiency levels will be shared. Teachers will also examine best practices for scoring writing and will discuss ways that teachers can minimize the paperwork involved.

For more details and to register, go to http://www.ictfl.org/form/2013-winterfest-relish-writing