Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Lifting Writing
Achievement with
ALL Students
Todd N. Hartman
___________________________
Adjunct Professor, George Mason University
&
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader,
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
AGENDA
Start where they are and lift.
Reading
Levels.
Writing
Levels?
LIFTING READING
Reading Text Levels
L6
L5
L4
L3
L2
L1
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Why write?
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Reading Recovery, abbreviated
hereafter to RR but more correctly
named Reading and Writing Recovery.
 Learning to write contributes to learning to read.
Our interpretation of these results centers on
the importance of writing in early lessons. It
may be that writing can be used very
effectively to help children develop early
strategies and concepts about print. Teachers
who used writing to the full potential might
have been more successful in working for
early learning gains.
(Clay, COT, 217)
(Lyons, Pinnell & DeFord, Partners in Learning: Teachers and Children in Reading Recovery)
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
We know that writing can work
wonders for helping readers develop
fast and efficient visual processing
strategies.
(Dorn & Saffos, Interventions That Work: A Comprehensive Intervention Model
for Preventing Reading Failure in Grades K-3, 73)
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Writing plays a special role in lifting
reading achievement, as writing slows
down the reading process and
increases the reader’s orthographic
and phonological knowledge through
motor production.
(Dorn & Saffos, Interventions That Work: A Comprehensive Intervention Model
for Preventing Reading Failure in Grades K-3, 73)
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Writing plays a special role in lifting
reading achievement, as writing slows
down the reading process and
increases the reader’s orthographic
[eye] and phonological [ear]
knowledge through motor [hand]
production.
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Not all readers are writers, but all
writers are readers.
(Fletcher, Rethinking Mentor Text)
(Dorn & Saffos, Interventions That Work: A Comprehensive Intervention Model
for Preventing Reading Failure in Grades K-3, 73)
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Writing prevents learners from
neglecting or overlooking many things
they must know about print, and
reveals things about the learner’s ways
of working that their teachers need to
know about.
So Reading Recovery children are
expected to reach satisfactory levels in
both aspects of literacy acquisition
before their lesson series ends.
(Clay, COT, 19)
(Clay, COT, 18)
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
IMPORTANCE OF WRITING
Observation by Reading Recovery
Trainers across different countries
indicates that teachers expect too little
progress in writing and consequently
their children are not able to work
independently in writing back in their
classrooms.
(Clay, LLDFI2, 68)
LEVELS OF WRITING
Lift the Level of Writing
LEVELS OF WRITING
RESOURCES FOR LIFTING WRITING
1. Dr. Marie Clay’s Rating Technique
2. Dr. Marie Clay’s LLDFI
3. Dr. Lance Gentile’s OLAI
4. WIDA
5. Mentor Texts
6. Classroom Resources
1. RATING TECHNIQUE
FOR EARLY WRITING
Dr. Marie Clay
2. LITERACY LESSONS
DESIGNED FOR INDIVIDUALS
Dr. Marie Clay
LEVELS OF WRITING
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
3
Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
It is about shifting from simple sentences
at first to complex sentences later, and
about using a variety of ways to
structure sentences, and packing more
interest into the message.
It is about shifting from simple sentences
at first to complex sentences later
[linguistic complexity], and about using
a variety of ways to structure sentences
[language forms], and packing more
interest into the message [vocabulary].
(Clay, LLDFI2, 50)
(Clay, LLDFI2, 50)
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Changes teachers might observe
during lessons
III The messages composed are more
complex and varied.
(Clay, LLDFI1, 50)
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
LLDFI2, 53, chart
Middle Column = 
Right Column = 
Can we identify “simple to complex”?
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Open LLDFI2 to page 53…
Contrast the changes from simple to
complex sentences in the following two
lists. I invented a list of examples we
often see (on the left)…
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 1 = I love my family.
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 15 = I played outside with Jo.
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 65 = I got a bee sting on my
foot.
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 32 = When Grandpa took us to
the fire station, we had a ride on the
fire truck.
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 32 = Grandpa took us to the
fire station.
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 15 = I was outside with Jo, and I
did a trick.
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Lesson 65 = Three days ago I got a
bee sting on my foot when I was
playing outside.
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
LLDFI2, 68, chart
“Fast-moving child”
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Week 8
I did not go to the market day
because I was asleep.
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Week 7
Baby Bear wanted a blue car, and
Father Bear likes trains.
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Week 9
I went to the Christmas parade, and I
saw the kindy.
LEVELS OF WRITING/LLDFI
Week 10
I saw a dog with a broken leg, and
he had a bandage on his leg.
3. ORAL LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION INVENTORY
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
Dr. Lance Gentile
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/OLAI
LEVELS OF WRITING/OLAI
Added by Todd N.
Hartman and the
teachers he
supports…
LEVELS OF WRITING/OLAI
First 30 journal entries
Successful vs. unsuccessful students
# of simple sentences AND # of simple
sentences + prepositional phrase(s)
vs.
# of compound and complex
WIDA
World-class
Instructional Design
and Assessment
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
4. WIDA
SPEAKING AND WRITING
Performance Definitions
What’s good
for ELL
is good for ALL
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/WIDA
LEVELS OF WRITING/WIDA
• 5
• Multiple COMPLEX Sentences
• 4
• Short [SIMPLE], Expanded
[COMPOUND], and some
COMPLEX sentences
• 3
• Short [SIMPLE] and some
Expanded [COMPOUND]
sentences
• 2
• Phrases [INCOMPLETE] or
[SIMPLE] sentences
• 1
• Words, Phrases, or Chunks
[INCOMPLETE] of language
COMPOUND & COMPLEX
What makes them special?
Linking
Linking complete thoughts
Relationship between complete thoughts
How do we get them?
Conjunctions
Coordinate
Subordinate
COMPOUND EXAMPLES
I went to the store, and I got some
milk.
I’ll eat milk chocolate, but I love dark
chocolate!
Should I lose weight, or should I simply
buy bigger pants?
I was tardy to school, so I got a
detention.
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
COMPOUND
Coordinate Conjunctions
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
NON-EXAMPLES
I got some gum and candy at the
store.
I got everything I wanted but a
bike for Christmas.
Do you like Melissa or Morgan?
You are so funny!
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
COMPLEX
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
COMPLEX EXAMPLES
I can’t eat strawberries because
they make my throat swell up.
I’m getting $5 if I get straight A’s.
I read my books while mom was
driving home.
I did my math homework after I
ate dinner.
Subordinate Conjunctions
Because
If
When
After
Before
Since
While
Etc., Etc., Etc.
NON-EXAMPLES
I did my math homework after
dinner.
I ate breakfast before school.
I’ve had these pants since high
school.
Grammatical
Structures
&
Sentence
Patterns
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
What makes complex
sentences slightly ‘better’
than compound?
GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES &
SENTENCE PATTERNS
What parts of speech appear in
the child’s writing?
How does the child arrange his
writing?
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
ROL/PARTS OF SPEECH
Verb phrases
Direct objects
Indirect objects
Prepositional phrases
Adverbs
Relative pronouns
Etc.
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
SENTENCE PATTERNS
Guide the child to predict what
structures come next in the longer
sentences in his text reading. Have
him flexibly alter the arrangement
of phrases in his cut-up story.
(Clay, LLDFI1, 54)
SENTENCE PATTERNS
By about halfway through the
lesson series the child will be
paying attention to alternative
ways of phrasing or arranging the
word order or line breaks.
SENTENCE PATTERNS
II. Is able to pull words into
phrases and may even put a
phrase in a new position.
(Clay, LLDFI1, 51)
(Clay, LLDFI2, 85)
COMPLEX A BIT MORE SPECIAL?
From time to time the teacher could
invite the child to reread one or more
of his previous written messages. This
will be familiar text and written in
‘correct form.’ It indicates the value
placed on writing and the messages
in writing.
1. I’m getting $5 if I get straight A’s.
2. If I get straight A’s, I’m getting
$5.
3. I’m, if I get straight A’s, getting
$5.
(Clay, LLDFI2, 56)
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
10
Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
COMPLEX A BIT MORE SPECIAL?
1. I like reading because it allows
me to travel.
2. Because it allows me to travel, I
like reading.
3. I, because it allows me to travel,
like reading.
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
A NOTE ABOUT LENGTH…
Complex
When I was six, a dog bit me.
Simple with prepositional phrases
I ate my snack on Monday after
school at the kitchen table with
my friend.
Academic Language
HOW DO WE GET THESE SENTENCES?
Technical
1. Through our conversation before writing
2. At the end of the first complete thought
3. Words on cards
As you respond to his effort stay with his
message, but encourage him to expand on
his statement, say a little more or tell what
happened then. (Clay, LLDFI2, 55)
Specific
General
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Technical
Specific
General
The Language
of Mathematics
Sum
Total
In all
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
FIND
or
LOCATE
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Acquiring a wide range of
vocabulary, i.e. important words,
difficult words and colorful or
colloquial words is the basis for
children being able to read and
write at higher levels.
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Before children can exhale
(speaking and writing) language,
they must inhale (listening and
reading) language. Therefore, we
must know what language they
need to inhale and exhale.
(National Reading Panel Report, 2000)
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Content-area language
Character
Setting
Beginning, middle, end
Author
Illustrator
Letter
Word
5/Bridging
Technical
3/Developing
3/Developing
Specific
2/Emerging
1/Entering
Specific
2/Emerging
1/Entering
Hero/Heroine
Main Character
4/Expanding
Technical
4/Expanding
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
5/Bridging
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Characters
General
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Be mindful of our book
introductions. Are we using the
academic language our students
need to inhale?
People
General
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
[Pronouns]
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
If we don’t see academic
language being exhaled in their
writing, it’s our job to lift their
vocabulary by showing them.
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
This is not a time to correct
grammar. Use the correct
grammar in your conversation to
provide the appropriate model for
him to hear. If you alter the child’s
sentence he is very likely to
become confused and may not
remember the alteration. (Clay, LLDFI2, 56)
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
I goed home when I got sick.
Mom said, “Carlos is grounded, and
Anita is at school.”
goed
I went home when I got sick.
said
Mom sighed, “Carlos is grounded,
and Anita is at school.”
LEVELS OF WRITING/MENTOR TEXT
5. MENTOR TEXTS
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
It is not easy to capture what
‘increasing the complexity of a
sentence’ means here. As a speaker of
the language the teacher must become
a good judge of increasing complexity
in the daily composing sessions.
Children’s Library
(Clay, LLDFI2, 68)
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
LEVELS OF WRITING/MENTOR TEXTS
I believe all of our children’s books are
mentor texts.
I believe that when we notice
characteristics in our books that our
children begin to notice them too.
 Children respect what we inspect.
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/MENTOR TEXTS
“I noticed that the author put quotation
marks in this book because characters are
talking. You are an author, so let’s think
about something we’ve heard someone
say.”
LEVELS OF WRITING/MENTOR TEXTS
•Dialogue
•Question marks
•Commas
•Adjectives before a noun
•Italics
•Q&A
•Noun of direct address
•Series
•Space between
paragraphs/speakers
•Grouping words that go
together
•Repeated patterns for
emphasis
•Divided quotations
•Onomatopoeia
•…
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
If a child is to work within the average
band of his class, his writing needs to
become as varied and complex as that
produced by the better children in the
average group in his classroom.
6. CLASSROOM RESOURCES
Classroom Expectations
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
First Grade Writing Expectations…
•Student edits and revises with
guidance.
(Clay, LLDFI2, 67-68)
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
First Grade Writing Expectations…
•Student writes narrative, persuasive,
and informative texts.
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
Writer’s Workshop
Why are we starting a new story
each day?
Shouldn’t our children be writing
sustained stories over time?
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
First Grade Writing Expectations…
•Student includes a sense of closure.
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
Writing portfolios
Bring writing folders into our
lessons?
LEVELS OF WRITING/CLASSROOM
Give child a reason to write
Ask others to read it
How do we celebrate their
writing (just like classroom
celebrations)?
IN CONCLUSION
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
Levels of Writing
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
LANGUAGE LEVEL LIFTING
LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY
Dr. Clay’s Rating Technique…
Clay, Gentile, WIDA
Paragraphed
Story
Complex
Punctuated Story
Simple + Prep
Simple Sentence
Simple
Compound
Words
Fragments
Letters
COT
COT
COT
COT
COT
COT
LANGUAGE FORM COMPLEXITY
VOCABULARY COMPLEXITY
ROL, WIDA
WIDA, National Reading Panel
Relative Pro +
Verb + Subj
Technical
Subj + Prep
Phrase + Verb
Specific
Subj + Verb +
Prep Phrase
General
COT
Subj + Verb
Phrase
COT
COT
Subj + Verb
COT
COT
COT
MENTOR TEXTS COMPLEXITY
Our Authors
MENTOR TEXTS COMPLEXITY
Classroom Expectations
Author craft
Punctuation
Page format
COT
COT
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
COT
COT
COT
COT
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Todd N. Hartman
Prince William County Schools, Virginia
There is no relaxation of the challenges
posed and the teacher is constantly
moving to what can be considered as
the outer limits of the zone of proximal
development. (Clay, LLDFI2, 53)
Reading Recovery Conference
January 2016
Adjunct Professor, George Mason Univ.
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader
Reading Recovery, abbreviated
hereafter to RR but more correctly
named Reading and Writing Recovery.
(Clay, COT, 217)
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