Using Spandel to Conquer the FCAT

Writes 2.0

Sally Eubanks
*With Mentor Texts Provided by Ruth Culhams
The Writing Thief

FCAT WRITES 2.0 vs Spandel

FCAT 2.0

Timed Test
Scores writing on a holistic level from 16.
4 basic categories:
Focus
Organization
Support
Conventions

Spandel

System of scoring writing

Scores writing on a analytic level in either
1,3,5 scoring range with examples of how the
writing can improve/
5 basic categories:
IDEAS
ORGANIZATION
VOICE
WORD CHOICE
SENTENCE FLUENCY
CONVENTIONS

Sample Spandel Scoring Sheet

How Spandel Can Improve Writing

Scores
The analytic approach allows instructors to zero in on childs
areas of mastery vs areas they need to work on when writing
Score guides are fun and less terminology loaded, allowing for
students to garner meaning from scores
Spandels scoring rubrics are easy to follow and allow students to
easily act as their own monitor in their writing as well as that of
their peers (in writing workshops).

Mini Lesson Ideas for Success in All

Categories of FCAT Writes 2.0 and
Spandel's Voice

Focus
Mini Lesson Ideas
Binocular Picture Safari
(narrowing down the topic)
From Sort to Short (narrowing
down the topic)
Watermelon Stories
(narrowing down the topic)
Staying on Topic Checklist
(staying on topic)

Mentor Text Selections

*Just Like My Papa by Toni
Buzzeo
Song and Dance Man, by
Karen Ackerman
Thunder Cake, by Patricia
Polacco
*Grandpa Green by Lane
Smith

Organization
Mini Lesson Ideas

Mentor Text Selections

Hamburger/Sandwich Essay
Planning (Essay Planning)
Color Coordination Essay Planning
(developing the body)
Ba-Da-Bing (crafting the lead)
Stop Light Words (using sequence
and transition words)

*The Perfect Pet by Maggie Palatini

*Locomotive by Brina Floca
*Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
*Over and Under Snow by Kate Nessner

Support
Mini Lesson Ideas
Detective Work (supporting thesis
statements)
Show and Don't Tell (using details
instead of one word phrases)
Speeches Are Like Essays
(supporting thesis statements)
Mystery Object( using sensory
details)

Mentor Text Selections

Jake Gander: Storyville Detective:
The Case of the Greedy Granny by
George McClements
Up North at the Cabin, Marsha
Wilson Chall
Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts
About How Animals Adapt by
Joanne Settel
*Inside Out and Back Again by
Thanhha Lai

Conventions
Mini Lesson Ideas
Homophone Memory Game
(checking spelling)
Editing Tweets from Beloved
Children's Book Characters
(checking grammar usage)
Comma Rhapsody
(comma/punctuation)
If You Were a Paragraph
(Punctuation and indenting
paragraphs)

Mentor Text Selections

*Deer Dear: A Book of
Homophones by Gene Barretta
*School Kids Correct Celebrity
Grammar Mistakes" by Lauren
O'Neil. (blog post)
*Eats, Shoots and Leaves: Why
Commas Really Do Make a
Difference! by Lynne Truss
If You Were a Series by Trisha
Speed Shaskan

Voice
Mini Lesson Ideas
Roleplay Writing (establishing a
tone)
Pie Sort (conveying the purpose of
writing)
Dare to Write (taking risks to
create voice)
Speak it Write it (learning to write
in own voice)

Mentor Text Selections

Dear America Series,
Scholastic, Various Authors
*Clemente! By Willie Perdomo
*Bugs in My Hair by David
Shannon
Junie B Jones Series by
Barbara Park

Concluding Thoughts
Spandel provides a more in depth, user friendly way for scoring
writing and allowing teachers identifying areas in which their
student may struggle.
Writing must be practiced in multiple settings and students
should be provided authentic assignments that allows them to do
so.
The fundamentals of writing (such as Spandels 5 categories and
those found on the FCAT Writes 2.0) are universal.
Teaching an aspect of one of FCAT Writes 2.0 or Spandels traits
need only involve 10-15 minutes.

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Binocular Picture Safari

Pass out binoculers to students (directions for binoculars found here:
http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/dress-up/binoculars-craft )*
Place large, detailed print outs of scene pictures around the room.
Have students look at the pictures through their own eyes first and make a list of
what they see.
Now have them use the binoculars to see what they can see and write it down.
Make it clear that they should be able to see less than before.
Discuss how their writing should be like looking through the binoculars, focusing
on just one aspect of the picture, one piece of the story or idea. EX. If the essay is
about animals, it is best to focus on one type of animal (birds, mamals or just
dogs, parrots, ex.)
Inspired by:
http://www.smmusd.org/edservices/writing/writing_pdf/gradek/WritingMiniLessons0
6.pdf

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Staying on Topic Checklist

Create list of questions students can ask themselves when writing or revising an
essay or story in order to gage if they have narrowed down the topic and are not
writing outside of it.
Go over the questions with students and tell them how to answer
Provide a story or essay that slightly deviates from the topic it was written about
and read it aloud (it may help to provide them with a copy of their own or to post it
on the overhead or smart board).
As a answer questions from the checklist to see if the story or essay strays off
topic. Then discuss with students how the writer could have stayed on topic and
tips for doing so in their own writing.
Note: Allow students to use these worksheets until they are able to better focus on
topic and intrensicly ask the questions at hand.

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Watermelon Stories
Pick a topic for a story, such as the a snow day or the beach in summer.
Using a Watermelon Story Chart and fill out story ideas in the accompanying
boxes:
Example: (see picture)
Tell students that good stories, or essays are like

watermelon seeds. They are small and focused on a

singular or small group of moments (details) related
to a larger topic.

From:

http://barkersclass.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/small-moment-stories/

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Speeches Are Like Essays

Explain that a good essay is like a good speech. It has a statement (what the
speech is going to be about), supporting details and more details to back up the
supporting ideas. All details relate back to the main idea of the speech.
Show a speech, such as this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJCLaI3ovvw
Ask students to look for the supporting details and discuss with a partner how they
can do the same in essay writing.

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Mystery Object
Place students into groups of 3-4 and give each group a bag with a mystery object
in it. Make sure each group keeps their object a secret.
Have each group write a short description of their object using sensory details
(how it feels, how it looks (shape, color), ext..)
Have each group place their object in their bags once more.
Have the groups come up to the front and read their description while the rest of
the class tries to decide what object the group is describing.
Note: Make sure objects are something the groups will have a large schema for.)
From:http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/detail/com4d2.cfm

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Detective Work
Students play a quick game of detective to decide the main idea of a brown bag by
using the clues hidden inside.
They have to back up their hypothesis using the clues as details.
Explain that reading and writing can be a lot like detective work. In order for the
reader to understand and accept the main idea they need clues, or details to back
the main idea up.
Inspired by:
http://publicschoolteachersodyssey.blogspot.com/2012/03/more-main-idea-and-s
ome-foldables.html?m=1

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Show and Don't Tell

Compile a list of emotions, and character traits with your students and put them all
in a hat, cup or bowl. you'll want ones that can be acted out or that are obvious.
Split your students into groups of 2-5.
Have each group come up and draw from the container you used
Without telling the class what they drew, have the students act out the card (each
student doing something different, if possible).
Have the rest of the class guess what they are acting out and ask how they know.
Explain that they know because their classmates showed that they were angry or
that they were a doctor, they didn't have to be told. Explain that good writers also
do this for their readers.
Note: This could also be done with a paragraph read aloud if time is short.

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If You Were a Paragraph

Post pairs of connecting paragraphs on each students desks
Have them read the paragraphs and ask them to independently
identify things they notice about structure, not content (capital letters,
punctuation, sentence length and number, ext..)
Have students share their observations with a partner.
As class create a "If You Were a Paragraph" chart to show the rules
you have learned from your paragraph inspection.
Idea: Extend this by writing and illustrating a If You Were a
Paragraph book as a class.
Inspired by the grammar books by Trisha Speed Shaskan

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From Sort to Short

Hand out multiple peices of construction paper or index cards to students.

Give students a standard prompt (either narrative or expository, or you can repeat for two
separate lessons)

Have students write what they think they should write about the topic on cards, including
sparse detail)

Example:

Topic: Things I Do In Winter

Ideas: sports and games, holidays, weather, food, ext

Then have them sort the ideas into related categories (holidays and food, sports, games
and weather)

For each category have them sort topics in each category from area of most relation to the
topic.

Then have them throw out those least related.

Have them put the remaining ideas together and resort, throwing out the least related

Now have them pick the most related topic and write about it,

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Speak it Write it
Preface by saying something like : "I'm going to tell you how I spent my Summer
Vacation"
Tell two versions of the story. The first will be in your own voice, something you
would tell to a collogue or a friend. The second version should be completely
academic, with pompous fancy vocabulary. Allow the syntax to be smooth but
keep the wording vague.
Ask students which story sounds more like their teacher, you.
Explain that while it is wonderful to use good grammar and vocabulary, it is equally
important not to overdo things. The reader wants to here from the author, not an
English professor.
Idea: Expand the idea and have students write their own how I spent my summer
vacation paragraphs (one very academic, the other in their own voice) Then have
the class guess which is which and whose essay is whose.

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Comma Rhapsody
Hand out lyrics to the song to each student.
Play the song once and have students listen to and watch lyrics in
the accompanying PowerPoint, which will need to be constructed.
Play the song a second time and let students sing along.
Have students keep lyrics and play song periodically in class.
Lyrics:
http://swartzlanderenglish.wikispaces.com/Comma+Rhapsody
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlZgEC0LfJ4
Yes this a parody of Bohemian Rhapsody

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Editing Tweets From Beloved Children's

Book Characters
Prepare a small collection of tweets that might be made by beloved
children's book/story characters (Wilbur the Pig, Harry Potter,
Goldilocks, ext...). Be sure to include errors.
Briefly speak with students about common grammar mistakes (fiveseven minutes)
Pass out paper copies of the tweets to students and allow them time
to correct the tweets or to circle errors. Each student should only
have 2-4 tweets.
Have students "tweet" back to one of the book characters to inform
them of their mistakes.
Inspired by:
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2013/06/school-kidscorrect-celebrity-grammar-mistakes-on-twitter.html

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Role-play Writing
Hand out character and plot sheets, along with the D20 to each table.
Do one example of the following with the students then have each group
create their own individual ones.
Roll for character and plot (example of what you might get: an alien goes to
the grocery store to buy some milk)
Ask students how they think the alien might speak and how he/she may
feel in the store. Ask them how this would effect the tone. Do they need to
do research to complete the text?
Have students roll for their own plot and character.
Have them answer the above questions about their own given
characters/plot.
Have students write a few paragraphs about the given plot/character
focusing more on voice then plot.

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Dare to Write
Separate the class into groups of 4-6
As a class come up with a list of topics that students have a lot of background
knowledge in (such as a subject in history or science that has just been wrapped
up or a sport or game.)
Write these ideas on index cards and tape them to the front of zip lock bags.
Then give them to students, along with some more blank cards.
Hand out a one or two bags to each group and have them discuss ways that they
can write about the subject that are fresh and unique to them (such as writing
about the game of soccer from the ball's point of view) and place them on blank
the blank cards.
Students will place the cards into their corrosponding bags.
Place the cards at the literacy center to be used in writing workshop.
Inspired by: Culham, R. (2014). Informational writing. The writing thief: Using
mentor texts to teach the craft of writing (pp. 71-72). Newark,DE: International
Reading Association .

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Pie Sort
Sort students into groups of 4-6 and hand each group three pie tins (one
labeled with P, one with I and one with E. Also give each group a collection
of notecards. Each card will have something written on it (commercial,
novel, textbook, billboard, TV series, ext)
Have a brief discussion on different reasons people write (P: Persuade, I:
Inform and E: Entertain).
Have students sort the cards into the labeled tins.
Briefly discuss the importance of knowing why you are writing and how it
might effect how you write.
Allow students to create a P.I.E. chart based on the sort.
Inspired by: http://elainthemiddle.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/authorspurpose-p-i-e/

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Organization: Sandwich Making

Students use graphic organizers depicting sandwich's to plan essay.
Teacher uses the analogy of the sandwich to explain how an essay
should be structured.
The top bun is the introduction, the bottom is the conclusion and the
toppings and meat are the main ideas.
Example: http://esl.about.com/od/writingadvanced/a/How-To-Write-AHamburger-Essay.htm

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Organization: Color Coordination Essay

Planning
Students are supplied with differently colored paper or post it notes
The separate notes taken on ideas, facts or plot (perhaps cutting up note
cards
They group the ideas facts or plot pieces by pattern, sequence or similarity
(such as an essay about dogs having a category for diet)
Students tape the pieces of information onto different colored sheets of
paper or , post it notes (taking into account what they are about or in their
essay/essay.
Students move the papers around and look for the new patterns that
emerge.
Start drafting the essay by experimenting with leads.
Found here: http://msmcclure.com/?page_id=6531

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Organization: Ba-Da-Bing
After looking at some mentor texts (especially Tuck Everlasting), students
will use the Ba-Da-Bing method to craft a lead.
BA: What I/they did
DA: What I/they saw
Bing: What I/they thought
Found here: http://flamingosandbutterflies.blogspot.com/2012/10/currentlyloving-fall-days.html

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Organization: Stop Light Words

Students and teacher will work together to create a list of transition words
to be used when writing (outside resources such as multiple mentor texts
are encouraged)
Students play traffic light to see if they thing words are green/go words
(words such as first of all, initially, ext.,,,) that begin an argument,
explanation or story; yellow light/ slowly moving on words (words such as
next, then, secondly, ext) that move a story, argument or explanation; or
red light-stop words (words such finial, in conclusion, at last, ext) that end
an essay or story.
Green Light: Move quickly doing one thing (walking, hopping, running, ext.)
Yellow Light: Move and slowly change the way you move
Red Light: Students slowly move to a stopped position, staying very still.
Students can then organize words into the organizer (found on webpage
that inspired this activity: http://classroommagic.blogspot.com/2011/11/blogon-fire.html)