Creating Learning Partners: A facilitator’s guide for training effective adult literacy tutors

Section 5 Putting It all Together

In this section, tutors will be able to practise how to look at learners’ writing samples and determine what writing skills to work on. Tutors can then use this information to develop a lesson plan.

Activity A

Assessing writing needs

Work in pairs, use of handouts, discussion
Materials and equipment Handout 7.9: Writing Checklist Handout 7.10: Writing Sample Analysis (2 pages) Handout 7.14: Profiles of Learners and Their Writing Samples (8 pages) Flip chart and markers Preparation Copy handouts. STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS Have tutors work in pairs or in small groups. Give each group a profile and sample of a learner’s writing. Ask tutors to record on the flip chart what they think might be some of their learners’ writing needs. They can use the Writing Checklist and Writing Sample Analysis from Section 3, Activity E to determine their learner’s writing strengths and weaknesses. Have tutors share the profile and what they determined were the writing needs, strengths and weaknesses of the learner.

Work in pairs, use of handouts, discussion

Materials and equipment

Handout 7.9: Writing Checklist
Handout 7.10: Writing Sample Analysis (2 pages)
Handout 7.14: Profiles of Learners and Their Writing Samples (8 pages)
Flip chart and markers

Preparation

Copy handouts.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

Have tutors work in pairs or in small groups.
Give each group a profile and sample of a learner’s writing.
Ask tutors to record on the flip chart what they think might be some of their learners’ writing needs. They can use the Writing Checklist and Writing Sample Analysis from Section 3, Activity E to determine their learner’s writing strengths and weaknesses.
Have tutors share the profile and what they determined were the writing needs, strengths and weaknesses of the learner.

Activity B

Developing a lesson plan

Reflection, use of handouts, discussion
Materials and equipment Variety of writing handbooks and strategies (Patricia Frey’s LITSTART, Deborah Morgan’s Writing Out Loud and the Saskatchewan Level I Tutor Training Kit have some good ideas.) Handout 7.15: Writing Topic Sentences Handout 7.16: Sentence Expansion through Questions Handout 7.2: Brainstorming or Mind-mapping (2 pages)

Reflection, use of handouts, discussion

Materials and equipment

Variety of writing handbooks and strategies (Patricia Frey’s LITSTART, Deborah Morgan’s Writing Out Loud and the Saskatchewan Level I Tutor Training Kit have some good ideas.)
Handout 7.15: Writing Topic Sentences
Handout 7.16: Sentence Expansion through Questions
Handout 7.2: Brainstorming or Mind-mapping (2 pages)