A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
Writer’s workshop crull
1. Jennifer Evans
Assistant Director ELA
St.Clair County RESA
Evans.jennifer@sccresa.org
http://www.protopage.com/evans.jennifer#Untitled/Home
2. 70% of all
students in
grades 4-12
are low
achieving
writers.
9th grade
students in
the lowest
25% of their
class are
twenty times
more likely to
drop out.
50% of high
school
graduates are
not ready for
college level
composition
courses.
3. “Assigning writing
is easy. Teaching
writing is really
hard.”
“We need to teach our
students to read like
writers and write like
readers.”
Kelly Gallagher, Author and Teacher
http://www.kellygallagher.org/index.html
4. The most effective strategy to improve writing…
Increase the amount
and quality of writing.
5. It is a carefully sequenced, coherent K-12 writing
curriculum that follows a Writing Workshop format
designed to:
span the grade levels
meet the needs of all students
increase writing proficiency at every grade
use effective, researched based instructional practices
6. Increase writing
proficiency for life
endeavors
Increase test scores
Create a unified
writing program K-12
Coordinate and
refine writing
instruction
Increase use of
research-based
instructional
practices during
writing instruction
7. Only teach what
writers do.
Writing is telling
what you see
and what you
think about it. It
is both external
and internal.
Teach the writer
not the piece of
writing.
We learn about
writing through
describing
writing not by
having someone
prescribing
writing.
10. How Often
• Everyday
• Everyday
• Everyday
How Long
• KDG – 45
minutes
• 1st Grade –
45 minutes
extending
to 60
minutes
• 2nd – 12th
Grades – 60
minutes
When
Management
Why
• Beginning
the first day
of school
• Same
format used
everyday
• Consistency
• Consistency
• Consistency
• A single
block of
time at the
same time
everyday
• Same rules
and
procedures
used
everyday
• Keep it
simple
11.
Grades 1-5
K staple small unit booklets for their
notebook
Specific directions for grades 2-5 in WriteWell
Write everyday
12.
13.
Three…
◦
◦
◦
◦
Times you laughed really hard
Times you were in physical pain
Memorable Moments
Topics that interest you
Circle the one that you could tell the best
story about
Tell your story to a partner
Write your story in the writing section of
your notebook
Share
14.
Play the contrast game. Write five minutes on
one side and then five minutes on the other
side:
I want…
I don’t want…
I remember…
I don’t remember…
I do…
I don’t…
Last summer…
This summer…
Last Saturday…
Next Saturday…
A scary place…
A safe place…
15.
16. 6 + 1 Writing Traits
One Day in the Life of Bubble Gum
The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups
Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street
17.
18.
19.
Ba-Da-Bing – Gretchen Bernabei
Ba
Da
Bing
Example: As I stepped onto the red carpet of
the darkened room, I noticed a wall lined with
lit candles and an old woman hunched in the
far corner at a round table and I thought
maybe now I’ll get some answers.
20. 30-40 Minutes
Students work independently while the teacher
meets with small groups or individual students
• Conferring Talking Cards
Possible mid-workshop teaching point
• Occur naturally when the teacher notices something that
needs clarification or further explanation to help students as
they write
21. Research
Decide
Compliment
Teach
•Ask “What are
you working on
as a writer?”
•Have the
student read
aloud his/her
work
• Synthesize what
is learned
• Decide what to
compliment:
“What has this
child done that I
can name and
make a fuss
over?”
• Decide what to
teach: “What
does this child use
but misuse? or
“What is nearly
there in his or her
writing that I can
help them with
right now?”
•Point out
writing
strategies the
child used well
•Say “I like how
you…”(give
specific
example)
•Teach only one
thing
•Teach to the
compliment
•Teach to
today’s
teaching point
•Negotiate a
strategy
When choosing your teaching point think: Of all the options I have, what can I teach
that will make the biggest difference for this writer?
22. What to look for when deciding what to confer
about…
•
Structure
•
Meaningful
•
•
– Focused
– Beginning, middle, end
– Moves across time or space
– Writer cares about it
– Reader learns from it
Narrative strategies
Conventions that enhance
–
–
–
–
–
All caps – WOW
Bold – Wow
End marks – Wow!!!
Italics – Wow!
Stacked Words - One!
Two!
Three!
23. Commentary With One-on-One
Reading/Writing Conference
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/topteaching/2011/04/reading-and-writingworkshop-virtual-tours-each-component
24. 5-10 Minutes
Notice
Question
Personal Connection
Compliment and Suggestion (glow & grow)
Small
Group
Partner
Whole
Group
26. Aligned to CCSS
Weekly concepts
taught
approximately five
minutes a day
Follows Jeff
Anderson’s format
PowerPoint to match
each weekly lesson
27.
28. Moved below the line for those who would still like to use it
Test Prep Units of Study embedded in units
(starting in grade 2)
Generate many seed ideas in writer’s notebook “What
Should I Write About?” section
Target! Aim! Score! (beginning, middle, end)
CD with Student Writing & MEAP Released Anchor Papers:
http://tinyurl.com/cvraun
29. Same Assessment to
be given at the
beginning of the year
and the end of the year
See Sample
Use to show
growth
38. Log In and Select Your Grade
Review the Table of Contents
Skim & Scan the Units
Notas do Editor
Research presented April 12, 2011 – Kelly Gallagher workshop session on writing @ Macomb ISD
Assign and assess writing does not teach students the knowledge and skills needed to become better writersWriteWell is designed around the format of Writer’s Workshop where teachers teach students minilessons as well as teach them to read like writers and write like readers.
Model/coach students to elevate their writingRead lots of mentor texts in the genre – have them look at the text with the thought “What did the writer do that I could do?”Turn & talk about the “how” Show them by writing in front of students – write in front of the class and think aloud during the process, modeling about 5-7 minutes at a timeWriteWell is about quality vs. quantity
Discuss alignment process this summer to match CCSSIt is an online product that is revised and improved as needed throughout the year and more extensively each summer, relying on classroom teachers to make the revisions
Structure similar to 90-minute reading block – whole group, small group, independent work
“seed ideas” 20 best moments20 worst momentsKelly Gallaghar’s suggestion for persuasive writing ideas: matrix chart – school issues, local issues, state issues, national issues, global issues (take one class period and give students stacks of newspapers and magazines --- have them generate a list of ideas on the matrix
“seed ideas” 20 best moments20 worst momentsKelly Gallaghar’s suggestion for persuasive writing ideas: matrix chart – school issues, local issues, state issues, national issues, global issues (take one class period and give students stacks of newspapers and magazines --- have them generate a list of ideas on the matrix
Draw an outline of a body in notebook or use the template provided and glue it into the notebooks.
Example of a “to” or “I go”Draw the Ba-Da-Bing graphics in the CRAFT section of the writer’s notebookShare my exampleAsk: What do you notice?
Share “Conferring Talking Points” handout
Show an example of a finished PowerPoint after this slide
Provide Introduction to Language Minilessons handout with this slide
Provide handout of pre/post assessments for each grade level with this slide.
Note – WriteWell does not dictate topic, but does dictate genre – students are more willing to write when they have choice – they can write what they know about, care about, and can tell stories aboutUnits of study related to the genre of test prep – is its own genre with rules
Participants spend some time online exploring the units for their grade level
