Motivating Students to Write:
Multimedia Images and Technology Tools

Michael Krauss, J.D., M.A.T.
English Language Specialist

Available on the Internet at
 http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/russiaweb2005/sie2005.html

Overview of Presentation:

Symbols used in this handout:
Teachers participate!
How to construct it:
Useful resources:

Warm-up: Look at the image at the top of the page. Freewrite for five minutes about whatever this image brings to your mind. Freewriting means that you should write, without stopping. Keep your pencil moving (even if you just draw loops or circles until more ideas come to mind), but don't stop writing!

After the freewrite: Now that you've written, trade your papers around with a group of three teachers to read what others have written. Were the texts produced different from one another? How? How did you feel about the freewriting process? Why might it be beneficial for your students?

Question 1: Aren't there a variety of different types of writing tasks? What kind of writing tasks are you going to present today?

Answer 1: James Kinneavy offered a useful framework for teachers planning writing assignments. He used a communication triangle to show the different aims of discourse. The elements of discourse (the writer, the audience, the subject matter, and the message itself) are all represented in the communication triangle.

By emphasizing one or more of the various elements of discourse represented in the triangle, the writer chooses modes of discourse. Kinneavy described the modes as follows:

The techniques presented below can produce writing in any of the above categories. Teachers can use these for "starters" leading to short duration assignments to be completed in one class period or, using a process approach, can encourage students to revise and edit their work.

Think about the freewriting you just completed in the warm-up activity. If you had continued to develop that piece of writing, which of Kinneavy's discourse modes would apply?

University of Maryland University College Effective Writing Program has some excellent suggestions for writing teachers and students, including ways to avoid plagiarism and how to develop research-based papers.

Click here to find out how to save Web pages to your local computer for playback (just as I am doing in this workshop).

Question 2: Shouldn't writing assignments be related to the content of the course? And what about the other English skill areas--are you ignoring them?

Answer 2: Today, we are looking at activities, many of which can be used to motivate writing that can be done in a class period. However, the techniques introduced should be implemented based on content that is relevant to your students and curriculum. Also think about extension activities you can design to insure that all language skills are covered, and that encourage longer, more complex writing. This is SMART teaching!

Synthesis of language and thinking skills
Motivating content and meaningful communication
Appropriate for culture, age and language ability of students
Relevant to curriculum and students' lives
Tangible product with evaluation and feedback

Teaching SMART with the Web

Question 3: Can you show me some examples of motivating and interesting uses of images to stimulate writing? Also could you help me learn the computer skills I need to create these activities?

Answer 3: Sure, the writing activities are the heart of this workshop. Here is a sampling that I've used with students and teachers. Remember, some of these activities can be done without technology aids. But I'll also give you a few basic "how-to" computer lessons.

1. Student creates a graphic image with free software. The student learns electronic literacy skills (use of a graphics application, how to incorporate images into a word processor, and how to complete an illustrated story that can be printed out or posted to the Internet). Here's a student sample.

Work with me as a student would to create an image in Tux Paint. How could you use Tux Paint to create an image that would lend itself to a comparison/contrast assignment?

Tux Paint (features); Post student writing for them on the Internet with Web Worksheet Wizard. Or register your class and then have students post their own reports at Project Poster. Here's a student sample posted on Web Worksheet Wizard. (49061).

Click here to see how to copy/paste your painting into a word processor.

2. Teacher provides an image downloaded from the Internet .

Discuss with your groupmates what questions you would pose to students for their written response. Which types of questions would encourage students to think critically? Would you like to have an audio hint related to this image?

Alta Vista search result (best search engine for images and sound); Permission Letter Generator (the easy way for you or students to get permission to use media); Using Images in Digital Lessons (Jamie McKenzie)

Click here to see how to download an image, audio or video file from the Web to your local computer.

3. Teacher shows a video clip downloaded from the Internet.

Brainstorm ways to use this video in class for vocabulary generation, grammar study, speaking practice and a writing assignment.
  1. Digital Media Resources (Dr. Alice Christie); Use Inspiration software to facilitate brainstorming and organization of writing (free trial). Take a quick interactive tour of Inspiration.

    Click here to see how to download an image, audio or video file from the Web to your local computer.

4. Teacher finds interesting images or manipulates images with free/low cost software to pose mysteries to be solved.

Be the student and write your comments as you look at "Friends or Foes" (pairs of animals) and "What's Happening?" (blurred images). Want to know more about "What's Happening?" (Thanks to Greg Kaminski, who developed this activity).

Graphic Converter - Inexpensive image processing software for Mac or Windows; Nicenet is a free electronic bulletin board: students can conference, post documents, Web links and send email to participants. Password protected, ad-free.

Click here to see how to size or blur an image using image processing software.

5. Ecards - Combine image stimulus with a real-life communicative activity. Ecards are the greeting cards of the 21st century!

Look at this particular Ecards site. I like it because all advertising revenue, after costs, are donated to the World Wildlife Fund. Look at the "Special Occasions" pull down menu on the ECards site. With your groupmates, brainstorm a quick lesson that could end with the writing of an Ecard for a special occasion.

"Imagination Voyages" is a very S.M.A.R.T. travel simulation to the Grand Canyon that ends with an Ecard; Find more Ecards at the ESL Independent Study Lab (Writing section, scroll down midway); Need more? Try a Google search for "free ecards".

6. Teacher uses Frog Dissection video as a motivating site for a "process essay."

What would you need to do to prepare students to write their Frog Dissection Process essay? What types of criteria would you use to assess their writing?

Graphic organizers are great for helping students set up their writing;; Teachers can save their mental energy by using a free rubric maker to create written checklists for assessment; Here's an example of a checklist for a middle school writer.

7. Poetry is a great way for students to express their emotions/opinions after experiencing a powerful media image. Watch this video clip on the LA Riots, which began after the controversial acquittal of L.A. police officers after the Rodney King trial in 1992. (Rodney King down; Rodney King before/after)

Teachers join your group mates and create either an "Up and Down" or a "Diamond Poem" related to the video clip you just saw. Here are some of my students' Diamond Poems. Here is a sample Up and Down poem.
The L.A. Riots

P

______________

E

______________ ______________

A

______________ ______________ ______________

C

______________ ______________ ______________ ______________

E

______________ ______________ ______________

F

______________ ______________

U

______________

L

Pizzaz (Leslie Opp-Beckman) has printable lessons for a wide variety of creative writing assignments. Simply read the instructions, print off the lessons, and you're ready for class; More Diamante lesson plans from Read/Write/Think

8. Painting the Weather: A Scenario by Elena Danilova - This Scenario certainly qualifies as a S.M.A.R.T. lesson as it integrates all skills with a content focus, is a creative and motivating activity, and ends with a tangible product that with feedback. This lesson, created with a word processor, is printed out on the last page of your handout. Click here to download the Scenario.

Teachers, follow along in your handout to see how the Scenario unfolds. Would your students find this activity interesting? Do they have Internet access and the surfing skills to complete the assignment? In addition to the Ecard, what ideas do you have for a follow-up writing assignment or report?

Here are the steps in the assignment for Painting the Weather

1) Coloring Page and Van Gogh's Sunflowers line drawing
2) Van Gogh's Sunflowers original
3) Audio Tour: Van Gogh's Rain at Auvers; Text of audio tour
4) Paintings organized by artist; Van Gogh's Self-Portrait
5) National Gallery of Art; Search results Van Gogh
6) Send E-card; Send image to cell phone.

  More information on creating scenarios by Joan Berger.

9. Miniature World - This powerful multimedia slide show can be a stimulus for critical thinking, leading to writing in any of Kinneavy's modes of discourse introduced at the beginning of the workshop. Watch the short movie once through. You might watch it again, this time taking notes on the statistics given. Movie | Text

With your groupmates, brainstorm an assignment that exploits this multimedia resource. Try to make it a S.M.A.R.T. lesson. Encourage your students to think critically given the information they have, perhaps do further research on some aspect of the film, and to produce, ideally with other class members, a joint product that moves the class ahead in their understanding of the issues presented in the movie. Generate your ideas for an assignment and share them with the group.

Five Types of Slam Dunk Digital Lessons (Jamie McKenzie)

Question 4: Are there additional resources related to writing instruction and digital media that would be useful to me?

Answer 4: Here are a few of my favorites. Hope you find them helpful.

 
This presentation was created for:
Summer Institute of English
Petrozavodsk, Russia
June 11-18, 2005
Images on this page used with the permission of
Discoveryschool.com from their ClipArt Gallery.

©2005 Michael Krauss
All Rights Reserved

Created by krauss@lclark.edu
Updated 5/11/06