Before we talk about writing instruction, give some thought to the behavioral expectations you want to establish for your writing class.
A typical writing lesson includes a teacher-directed portion, independent writing or revising, and a brief sharing at the end. This article discusses expectations for the teacher directed section.
What do you expect? SLANT can help!
Early in the year, I establish some ground rules.
While I’m doing the teacher-directed lesson, students must look attentively at me, or at the materials. You can use any system or acronym you like to set clear expectations for behavior.
I like to use Doug Lemov’s* SLANT acronym.
- Sit up: Sit squarely in your seat with feet under your desk, and both hands on your desk. No lying down on the desk and no playing with objects.
- Listen: Your face should show that you are tuned in to instruction. No talking or side conversations (unless directed by the teacher, or course).
- Ask and Answer questions: I often add “like a scholar”. Students are expected to raise their hand to ask or answer a question. I thank students for any question, because if they need to ask, it’s likely that others need that information, too. Asking a question also shows interest and initiative: the very qualities I want to see in a scholar. Sometimes, I ask students to answer questions raised by other students, which builds a sense of community.
- Nod your head. I tell students that this means they should give me nonverbal feedback to let me know that they are with me. They laugh when I say that I don’t want them to look like bobble-head dolls. A thumbs-up, a smile, eye contact, a little nod. . . these all count.
- Track the speaker. This means that students should follow the speaker with their eyes, turning their heads or bodies, if necessary. The speaker could be me, or it could be another student. This is a different way to say, “Look at the person talking!”, and can lead to some motivating teaching expressions (“Be a ‘track star’!” “Keep yourself on track”, and so on.)
You can get a SLANT chart FREE at my Teacher’s Pay Teachers store here.
For a short video on the SLANT strategy, check out this link.
Pro tips!
- Review and practice SLANT (or your system of choice) DAILY for the first several weeks, then every Monday and after every long weekend or vacation.
2. When you call students to attention (“Class, show me SLANT”), pause and scan the room before moving into instruction. WAIT for everyone to be ready. You can use prompts, such as:
- “Almost everyone looks great, but I’m waiting for 3 more people.”
- “Two people need to check the way they’re sitting.”
- “Joanie? Ready? Show me, please.”
What if students aren’t responding to instruction?
Sometimes my fifth graders’ writing doesn’t reflect the instruction I have given. That’s when I introduce a new expectation:
If I teach a writing concept or strategy: it should show up in your writing.
For example, if I teach how to write an interesting beginning to a report, then I should see that ALL students at least attempt to use one of the opening techniques that I taught. If I see someone writing, “This is my report about. . .”, I redirect them to the teaching chart that I created with examples, and ask them to revise.
I also directly teach how students should give and respond to feedback, both from each other and from me. But that’s for a future article.
MY POINT FOR TODAY:
You must intentionally build a class culture of attention, energy, and positive attitudes toward writing. You do that in part by teaching and reinforcing productive student behaviors.
*Lemov Doug. (2015). Teach Like a Champion 2.0. John Wiley & Sons Inc. pg. 360-1