Silver Creek High School Writing Skills

Design Document

Presented to
Shelley Wessels
by
Crystala Button, Eric Zachary, Gia Devlin, and Kelly Bettencourt
June 19th, 2018

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Project Overview
Our client, Shelley Wessels, has requested training material on fundamental writing skills
for her high school students. Team 2, The Wolfpack, has been tasked with creating
asynchronous learning modules, which will be assigned through a Google Site and will
link to a variety of online instructional media and materials. Wessels is a high school
Social Science teacher working mostly with eleventh-grade and twelfth-grade students.
She has identified a gap in her students’ ability to use appropriate writing practices when
completing both formal and informal writing assignments. Ms. Wessels has indicated that
many teachers of core classes other than English Language Arts, math, science, etc., have
limited requirements or have completely stopped assigning substantial writing
assignments due to their students’ lack of basic writing skills and teachers’ lack of
instructional time to remedy stated skill deficits. Training is necessary to address the
identified gaps, and it is important that this training does not get in the way of the already
tight curriculum map.
The goal of this project will be to create learning activities that can be assigned to
students for completion outside of the classroom, thus minimizing lost instructional time.
In addition, the asynchronous design of the training will limit the need for teacher
involvement in the remedial writing instruction. The Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) mandate that formal writing be completed in all content areas. To meet these
mandated standards, Wessels’s students must possess appropriate grade-level writing
skills. The desired outcome of this training is for the students in Wessels’s classes to
successfully use the writing skills presented in the instructional materials to write at or
above their grade-level. The training will employ formative assessments periodically;
however, as these training modules will be assigned on an as needed basis, a summative
assessment will not be administered. Wessels will have the opportunity to evaluate the
learning through noted improvement in students’ writing assignments throughout the
school-year.

Client and Organizational Goals

This training is necessary for students in our client’s class to be able to master the Social
Science content. Her students are expected to have a solid understanding of English-
related skills when they come to her Social Science class. Since their mastery is assumed,
Wessels does not take the time out of her curriculum plan to include writing skills review.
The client goal of this training will be for students to learn and review writing skills
independently so that this remediation does not disrupt Wessels’s lesson design. Based on
a conversation with Wessels, her students are mostly English-Language Learners, and
they suffer from a lack of academic writing skills. As these students are both in her
regular Social Science and Advanced Placement Social Science classes, it is important
that they are writing at or above grade-level. Some of those academic writing issues are
defined as grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. This training will work to address
most of the issues outlined by Wessels in her “Essay Issues” document (Appendix A).

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In creating this training program, Team 2 will be considering the Santa Clara County
Office of Education’s 2017-2018 Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). Santa Clara
County has lofty goals for its students and teachers. A simple summary of their five
LCAP goals reads as follows: all students will be engaged in rigorous learning in a
safe/responsive environment where the needs of the whole child are in the forefront so
that Santa Clara County students are prepared for a future of their choice (Santa Clara
County Board of Education, 2017). A training that focuses on writing skills and is
delivered through a technology-based learning environment will allow students to
“participate in rigorous, relevant and engaging instruction aligned to 21st century skills to
eliminate barriers and promote achievement” and will assist in preparing students for a
“successful transition to college and/or career as a result of quality programs, services
and curriculum” (Santa Clara County Board of Education, 2017).

Learner Analysis
The learners completing this training are mostly eleventh-grade and twelfth-grade
students at Silver Creek High School. Many of these students are English-Language
Learners. These students are enrolled in at least one of the following Social Science
classes with Wessels: Law and Society, Sociology, Social Problems, Economics,
Advanced Placement U.S. Government, and/or Politics. According to the Silver Creek
High School’s most recent Academic Performance Index (API), this school was at one
point in project improvement, which means the subgroups, determined by race,
socioeconomic status, and other special needs, were not meeting targets set forth by the
state of California (California Department of Education, 2013). In knowing that, our
training can better focus on assisting these students in meeting and exceeding the
proficiency level for Language Arts, which will, in turn, boost their proficiency in Social
Science and promote college and career readiness (Wessels, 2018).

Primary Concerns and Attitudes

Students completing the online modules will need access to an electronic device that
allows for internet usage in order to complete the modules. This can include, but is not
limited to, cell phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and/or laptops. Wessels has stated that
students have access to some technology on her campus as they have computer carts
available in many classrooms. Therefore, students can do these modules in the classroom,
or, if they have any available technology, they can complete the modules at home.
It is intended that this learning event not interfere with Wessels actual curriculum, so
those students who only have access to the internet at school must take personal time out
of their day to complete these modules. Wessels has indicated that many students lack the
motivation or concern to improve their writing skills and may not be willing to put in
personal time to remediate. This is a consideration of Team 2’s and, in knowing that, we
are working to make the modules short and concise so that students can easily complete
them during lunch or quickly after school.

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Most students have cell phones and are in the habit of using them regularly. Knowing this
guided the design of the learning activities. The modules are functional on cell phones
and tablets alike. Since these lessons are not being presented to a whole class and are
self-paced, there is no need for an instructor to lead them or any materials required for a
whole class presentation. By designing the instruction in a way that is asynchronously
administered and requires a minimal amount of time, Team 2 can meet the needs of both
the client as well as the learners.

Content Analysis

There are two main topics to the writing skills training portion of this project, which will
be located on the Google Site. The site will house the online modules associated with
each main topic, Writing Skills and Editing Skills. Team 2 is exclusively creating
materials for the Writing Skills portion of the site. Team 5 will be responsible for the
Editing Skills portion of the site, but we will combine both projects on the same site for
ease of usage. Once the students open the site, they will be greeted with a how-to video
that describes what the purpose of the modules are and how to use them properly. Once a
student chooses “Writing Skills”, they will be met with the “Quick-Start Writing Guide”.
From there, the learners will choose either the writing format Hyperdoc module or the
grammar and spelling Hyperdoc modules. The modules will focus on increasing students’
understanding and use of writing skills, as well as grammar and spelling skills by
utilizing outside sources and sources created by members of Team 2. A breakdown of the
Hyperdocs’ module contents are as follows:

Formal Writing Skills:

● MLA Format: It is what it is!: an introduction to MLA format and what it looks
like in a formal essay.
● Citing my sources: an introduction to plagiarism and how to prevent accidental
plagiarism.
● What should my essay look like?: a description of essay format.
● Care for a sample?: a complete essay example and guide.
● What’s in a thesis?: an introduction to writing a solid thesis.
● Test your skills: formative assessment.
● Did I miss anything?: a review of skills and more advanced tips.

Grammar and Spelling Skills:

● Apostrophes: When to use apostrophes.
● Capitalization: Appropriate capitalization rules.
● Homophones: Check common homonym mistakes.
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 ● Spell/Grammar Check: Use the spell/grammar checker within Google Docs and
Grammarly.
● Are you using complete sentences?: Use complete sentences, not sentence
fragments
● Subject verb agreement: A check to ensure that subjects and verbs are aligned.
● Prepositions: Proper use of prepositions and prepositional phrases.

These modules are specifically designed for differentiation. They can be done in order if
needed, or if a student only needs help in one of the areas, they can access the specific
one that they need. The modules are not meant to be completed in succession.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing the writing skills training, student learners will be able to:

1. Follow a grade-level writing structure that includes an introduction, body

paragraph(s), and a conclusion.
2. Consistently defend their thesis statement by utilizing proper evidence and
support.
3. Employ near-mastery MLA formatting.
4. Identify grammatical errors and rectify said errors.
a. Possible errors learners will identify and rectify: possessives, contractions,
homonyms, complete sentences, fragments, run-on sentences,
capitalization, and/or subject verb agreement.

Evaluation Strategy

Level I—Participant Reaction

Prior to completion of the project, Wessels’s co-worker, an English teacher at Silver
Creek High School, and two English teachers from Pioneer High School, located in
Woodland, California, will beta-test the Google Site for feedback regarding content and
usability. In order to gauge participant response, and to determine whether it is meeting
the needs of the students for developing writing skills, a Google Form will be embedded
on the main page of the Google Site. The Google Form will include questions on what

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resources the students are using and how they have used them in their content classes.
There will be an additional question included on the Google Form about what further
resources might be needed so that they may be added to the training program in the
future.

Level II—Performance
Learner performance will be analyzed through the use of formative assessments within
each main writing topic. Final performance evaluation will be achieved by evaluating
usage of the online portal to student’s writing scores in the targeted content classes.

Design

Course Title
Silver Creek High School Writing Skills

Agenda and Teaching/Learning Activity Descriptions

Introduction
Utilizing Gagné’s events pertaining to “gaining attention” and “presenting content”,
(Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, n.d.)
students will obtain the website address from their teacher. Once they are on the landing
page for the site, the students will be met with an introductory video explaining how to
use the deliverables linked to this site. The video will detail what a Hyperdoc is, how to
use it, and which Hyperdoc is for improving which writing skills.

Activities
Quick-Start Guides for Writing:
● The Quick-Start Guide for Writing is an infographic detailing basics rules for
writing a good essay, steps to writing a good essay, including basic essay
structure and common mistakes in essays.
● A second infographic will include an essay checklist for students to refer to
during their writing process.
Hyperdoc 1: Formal Writing
● Hyperdoc 1 will include skills based learning as it pertains to using the Modern
Language Association (MLA) format as well a grade level appropriate writing
outline. This writing outline would include items such as an introduction
paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
● Some of the more specific format issues that will be practiced are as follows: (a)
outlining an essay, (b) basic MLA paper format, (c) citing sources in an MLA
formatted essay, and (d) creating a sound thesis statement that connects to an

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 argument.
Hyperdoc 2: Grammar and Spelling
● Hyperdoc 2 will contain the following major topics of remediation or
reinforcement of content. Each topic within the Hyperdoc will link to online
resources containing information on the topic as well as practice with formative
feedback embedded within the site.
● The topics in Hyperdoc 2 are as follows: (a) when to use apostrophes, (b)
appropriate capitalization rules, (c) common homonym mistakes, (d) utilizing a
spelling and grammar checker, (e) using complete sentences, (f) subject verb
agreement, and (g) preposition usage.

Development Notes
Resources
On the main Google Site, a “Resources” page will contain all of the resources used in
each Hyperdoc. This page will break down the resources by topic, i.e.: MLA format,
grammar, spelling, editing, etc.. The resources can be used by students should they want
more information or additional practice on topics not covered within the scope of this
project. The resources subtopic can also be used by all Silver Creek teachers as a
continuing source for finding topics related to issues he/she might be finding in student
writing as the year progresses. Ms. Wessels has expressed her desire to share this Google
Site with her campus in the hopes that many teachers from all departments can reference
the materials and send students to these resources when they are in need of assistance.
References
In preparing for the instructional design of this training, Team 2 researched the Common
Core State Standards as well state and local accountability requirements as they pertained
to Silver Creek High School. The following resources were used in designing the
instruction to meet the academic needs of Wessels and her students:
● California Department of Education. Analysis, Measurement, & Accountability
Reporting Division (Ed.). (2013, July 30). 2012 -13 Accountability Progress
Reporting (APR). Retrieved June 2, 2018, from CA Department of Education
Data Quest website:
https://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2013/2013SchSummary.aspx?allcds=43694274337903
● Common Core State Standards Initiative. English Language Arts Standards
History/Social Studies Grades 11-12 (2018). Retrieved June 3, 2018, from
Common Core State Standards Initiative
website:http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/11-12/
● Santa Clara County Board of Education (Ed.). (2017, June 21). Local Control
Accountability Plan and Annual Update. Retrieved June 5, 2018, from SCCOE
website: https://
www.sccoe.org/depts/students/Documents/LCAP.pdf#search=goal

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 ● Wessels, S. (2018, May 29). [Video conference interview by MIST Team 2: The
Wolfpack].
Additionally, Team 2 used some instructional material that was already created and
linked them to the Hyperdoc modules. The resources to be used were discovered through
multiple web searches and are provided below:

● Bissett, A. (2018, March 29). How To Write An Essay: Structure [Videoblog

post]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PnsKg7hkIo
● Bissett, A. (2018, March 29). How To Write An Essay: Structure [Videoblog
post]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PnsKg7hkIo
● Bissett, A. (2018, March 30). How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements
[Videoblog post]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tota
RoYh60Y
● Donavan, M., (December 15, 2016). Homophones: Affect vs. Effect. Retrieved
from https://www.writingforward.com/grammar/homophones/homophones-
affect-vs-effect
● East Side Union High School District (Ed.). (2016). 2016-2017 Parent Handbook.
Retrieved June 19, 2018, from http://www.esuhsd.org/documents/Students%20-
%20Parents/Resources/Parent%20Resources/ 2016-
17%20English%20Parent%20Handbook.pdf
● Great Essay Writing a Checklist for Success. Retrieved from
https://www.teachers discovery.com/product/18935/english
● Past Perfect Exercise 1. Retrieved from https://www.perfect-english-grammar.co
m/past-perfect-exercise-1.html
● Past Perfect and Simple Past (Statements) - Exercise. Retrieved from
https://www. englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/past_perfect_simple_past.htm
● Plagiarism Detector Academicplagiarism. (2015, May 8). Types of Plagiarism
Infographic[Infographic]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net
/100000974282680/types-of-plagiarism-infographic?from_action=save
● Purdue OWL Writing Lab (Ed.). (n.d.). MLA Formatting and Style Guide.
Retrieved June 19, 2018, from Purdue OWL Writing Lab website:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/?_ga=2.19623804.558179429
.1522454400-1709346682.1522454400
● Steelman Library. (2017, August 17). How to Avoid Plagiarism: In 5 Easy Steps
[Videoblog post]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsFcU
1PH_8E
● Top Tips on How to Write an Essay and How to Get Your Essay Done. Retrieved
from https://eliteessaywriters.com/how-to-write-an-essay/
● Wingate, N. (2010, April 20). Sample MLA. Retrieved June 19, 2018, from
SlideShare website: https://www.slideshare.net/nwingate/sample-mla-7-paper- w-
annotations-from-owl-at-purdue-university

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Budget
There will be no need for any cost to be accrued as a result of this training. All of the
technology will be either provided by the student or by the school and The Wolfpack will
only be utilizing free products for our deliverables. At some point, if Silver Creek High
School decides to, it would be possible to purchase advanced memberships for some of
these collected sites to have more access to other resources. However, it does not seem
like that is a possibility at this point in time.

Implementation Notes

Training Delivery
The main deliverable for this project will be several Hyperdocs, often referred to as
modules throughout this document. Hyperdocs are digital-documents that contain “hot
links”, otherwise known as live links. The user can click on a hot link and, by doing so,
that selection will take him/her to other sites for further information. These particular
Hyperdocs will have links to various skills reviews to increase student knowledge as it
pertains to writing skills and needs outlined by Wessels. Since time is a consideration in
creating the project, the Hyperdocs will serve a similar purpose as a Captivate module
would have in its place. The Hyperdocs will include links to topics such as: Grammarly
as a writing tool, EdPuzzle videos for reviewing grammar needs, formative grammar
assessments, editing various texts for format, and other such small practices of the skills
outlined in Appendix A.
Another deliverable will be a Google Site that will be created by the Wolfpack and Team
5, the other team assigned to complete the self-editing portion of this client project. This
site will house the Hyperdocs with links/embedded assignments for students to work
through. The website will open with a video instructing the students how to navigate the
site and which documents allow for remediation on writing skills versus editing skills.
Both teams will work together to make this deliverable easy for students to navigate
independently.

Materials
The Wolfpack and Team 5 will create a Google Site to house all of the materials. The
writing skills portion of this project located on the site will include:
● Writing Quick Start Guide
● One Hyperdoc for formal writing
● One Hyperdoc for grammar and spelling skills
● Resources
● Writing Checklist

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Project Contributors and Schedule

Training Blueprint Contributors

Role Name Title

Instructional Designer MIST Team 2: The MIST Students
Wolfpack
Project Manager Crystala Button MIST Student, English
Teacher, and Technology
Coach
Client Shelley Wessels Social Science Teacher
Subject-Matter Experts Shelley Wessels, Social Science Teacher,
Crystala Button English Teacher and
Technology Coach
Editor Crystala Button MIST Student, English
Teacher, and Technology
Coach

Project Schedule

Week Date Milestone Comments

2 May 23, First contact with Sent email to Shelley Wessels with
2018 client. regards to project.

2 May 29, Zoom video meeting Details and expectation discussed with
2018 with client. Shelley Wessels and Team 2

3 May 30, Shared notes and Shared Google Doc matrix of her needs
2018 outline with client. and our plan with Shelley Wessels. She
was given editing rights to add as she
pleases as well.

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 3 May 31, Zoom video meeting Discussion of expectations of the writing
2018 with Team 5. project and the self-editing project of our
shared client.

3 June 5, Project definition due. N/A

2018

4 June 6- Create deliverables for Each group member will work on one
12, 2018 modules. module.

5 June 15, Scheduled meeting Discuss progress of design document and

2018 with client deliverables.

5 June 19, Design document due

2018 to client.

5 June 19, Design document due

2018 IST 626.

6 June 26, Submit storyboard and

2018 draft of deliverables to
client and IST 626.

7 June 27- Continue work on

July 3 deliverables and
review needs with
client.

8 July 4-10 Testing the usability of

our training

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 8 July 4-10 Work on design project Due 7/24
report

8 July 16 Scheduled meeting Discuss the usability results and any other
2018 with client concerns.

9 July 11- Final edits and

17 submissions to project
manager due.

9 July 11- Blend project together

17 with Team 5

10 July 24 Final meeting with Wrap up final details and address any
2018 client final concerns.

10 July 18- Final submission of Due 7/24

24 project to both IST 626
and the client.

Critical Success Factors

Project timeline: This client’s request will be difficult to fulfill within the timeline of this
course. However, The Wolfpack feels as if using our Hyperdoc as a frame will allow for
us to address most, if not all, of the needs outlined by the client. Having a very detailed
outline of our project requirements as well as scheduled meetings with our client will
help to meet all of these goals.
Content: Our subject matter expert (SME) will be Shelley Wessels, our client, and
Crystala Button, our project manager. Wessels will provide the context and necessary
background to create this training. She will also be testing the deliverables as the
project is created. Button, a secondary English teacher and technology coach, will
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provide the skill required for teaching writing skills at the secondary level through
technology-based learning. She also has a background in teaching English as a second
language. These skills will be applied to the creation of the deliverables.
Client involvement: As we are all teachers on summer break, it can be hard to find time
that works best for everyone. To curb this issue, we have scheduled all of our meetings
with our client well ahead of time. The client is also willing to respond to various email
requests within a very timely manner, thus making communication almost seamless. It is
critical that this communication line stay open over the course of this project to keep up
with the very tight timeline.
Learner motivation: One of the most critical factors for success in this project will be to
make sure students are entertained throughout the modules. Wessels expressed a great
desire to have these modules not only serve the purpose of teaching writing skills, but
also engaging student attention with entertaining and fun attributes. If students are
interested in how the content is presented, it will help keep them engaged, which will
assist in retaining the material. This could also lead to the students being able to apply
this knowledge across various curricula, which is one of Wessels’s long-term goals.
Students must also know where to access these modules when they need them and be
comfortable using the technology pieces that are embedded into the deliverables. This
critical success factor will be met by creating a simple website that contains both the
writing skills modules and the modules created by Team 5 for self-editing.

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 Appendix
Appendix A: Essay Issues

Essay issues
The look as a whole
Use MLA format.
Include a title and heading.
Organize writing into paragraphs.
Align text flush left.
Indent each paragraph.
Double-space essays.
Form and spelling
Use apostrophes appropriately (especially in possessives and contractions).
Capitalize as appropriate, including the word “I.”
Check common homonym mistakes.
there/their/they’re
it’s/its
affect/effect
to/too/two
any others that you have trouble with
Use the spell checker.
Treat quotations appropriately, either by surrounding them with quotation marks or
block indenting any quotation over 50 words.
Grammar
Use complete sentences, not sentence fragments.
Avoid run-on sentences.
Be sure the verb in each sentence agrees with the subject of that sentence in number.
E.g., in the sentence, “the bottles in the trash can was not supposed to be there,”
the verb “was” is incorrect. The verb should be “were,” because “bottles,” not
“trash can,” is the subject of the sentence.
Check your verb tense.
Pay particular attention to whether you use the past perfect (e.g., “she had gone”)
when you should be using the past tense (e.g., “she went”).
Make sure you have used all prepositions correctly.
Use the grammar checker – although be careful, because the grammar checker
sometimes isn’t correct.
Content
Use academic English, not slang or text speak.
Watch out for “thesaurus words” – words that you got from the thesaurus but whose
meaning you’re not sure of, especially in the context in which you want to use the
word.
Make sense.
Be sure you have a thesis statement that states the position you take in the essay.
Appendix A Continued

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 Be sure each body paragraph supports your thesis statement.
Be sure each body paragraph has a topic sentence that summarizes what you say in
that paragraph.
Be sure everything in each paragraph supports its topic sentence.
Provide citations as needed, according to MLA form.

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 References

California Department of Education. Analysis, Measurement, & Accountability

Reporting Division (Ed.). (2013, July 30). 2012 -13 Accountability Progress

Reporting (APR). Retrieved June 2, 2018, from CA Department of Education

Data Quest website: https://api.cde.ca.gov/

Acnt2013/2013SchSummary.aspx?allcds=43694274337903

Common Core State Standards Initiative. English Language Arts Standards

History/Social Studies Grades 11-12 (2018). Retrieved June 3, 2018, from

Common Core State Standards Initiative website:

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/11-12/

Santa Clara County Board of Education (Ed.). (2017, June 21). Local Control

Accountability Plan and Annual Update. Retrieved June 5, 2018, from SCCOE

website: https://

www.sccoe.org/depts/students/Documents/LCAP.pdf#search=goal

Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center (Ed.).

(n.d.). Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction. Retrieved June 19, 2018, from

www.niu.edu/facdev website: https://www.niu.edu/facdev/_pdf/guide/learning

/gagnes_nine_events_instruction.pdf

Wessels, S. (2018, May 29). [Video conference interview by MIST Team 2: The

Wolfpack].

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