K-5 Writing Units of Study August 2014 Presentation Link: http://nwgaresa.com/resources/ (Go to Resources Tab – Then K-5 Units of Study)

“This is the graduate writing course you never had.” Anne Marie Johnston, TCRWP Trainer TODAY’S TOPICS Minilesson Resources Assessment

Architecture of the Minilesson …YOUR TURN…

Minilesson Videos Grade Level Link K-2 http://vimeo.com/55954401 (K-2 on spelling patterns) http://vimeo.com/55951305 (K-2 on small group closure) 3-5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKY_7AhnS3o (Narrative) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCA0EY_8lhU (Informational)

Minilesson Cheat Sheet “…intervals (10 minutes long) for explicit, brief instruction in skills and strategies that then become part of a writer’s ongoing repertoire to be drawn on as needed.” (Guide, Chapter 7, p. 60-61) Connection “Writers, yesterday we…” Teaching Point: “Today, I want to teach you…” (what + how) Teaching Teach: “Watch me…” Active Engagement “Now it’s your turn to try…” Link “Today and every day, remember you can…”

Connection Teaching Active Engagement Link Kindergarten Minilesson We Are All Writers: Putting Ideas on Paper with Pictures and Words Connection Teaching Active Engagement Link Why go to the carpet? (Or Huddle? Or Circle Time?) Engaging Focus Purpose Movement, Physical Intimate On-task

Connection The “huddle” Show the children different kinds of books, pointing out that writers wrote them all. Tell all children that this year, they will write too. Name the Teaching Point: So, writers, today what I want to teach you is that it is not just grown-ups who write to teach people what they know. You can do that as well. You think of something you know about, and then with drawings and writing, you put what you know on the paper.

Teaching Watch me!! Demonstrate how you go about making a teaching text--coming up with topics, picturing those topics, and getting ready to put what you know on the page. Example: What does my grandmother’s garden look like?

Active Engagement Channel writers to think of a topic they could teach others and to tell what they might put on their page. What could I teach others about gardening? Now it’s your turn to try. Right now, think of what you know about that you could teach others. Picture it. Tell the people near you what you will draw and write about in your teaching piece.

Link Remind students that they can write to teach people things, just like grown-ups. Today and every day, remember you can be a writer and teach others.

After the Minilesson… Writing Conferring (individual and small group) Mid-workshop Teaching Share WW Expectation Guide Handout

Writing Workshop Tips Establish routines. Pay attention to “getting ready.” Get prepared. Make focus of minilessons narrow (all set up same way). Try to get through three sessions in a week but know it’s okay to break up a session into two days. Shorten the connection and add your own personal stories, analogies, and metaphors. Know that . . . YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE LUCY’S SCRIPT. Refer to WW Expectation Guide Handout

Reminders Teacher’s Job Student’s Job Teach one thing Keep it mini Give time to practice Student’s Job Hyper-focus Turn and Talk Hold your questions

Understandings about Writing

Writing: Key Conceptual Understandings Writing needs to be explicitly taught with ample opportunity for children to practice and cycle through the writing process. Children invest themselves in their writing when they choose topics that are important to them. To write well, children need opportunities to read and to hear texts read, and to read as writers. Children need clear goals and frequent feedback. BOTTOM LINE CONDITIONS (CH. 3) Kit Source: A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop (Chapter 3, p. 23)

Understandings…Digging Deeper Teach the WRITER, not the WRITING. Study and emulate REAL writers. Teach kids to EXPLODE the moment. Keep multiple pieces of writing “in progress” (flash drafts). Know that students do not have to finish every piece of writing and every piece does not have to be graded. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Understandings…Digging Deeper Start each year with Narrative Writing. Teach students the power of VOLUME and INDEPENDENCE. Write with students. Write for REAL purposes. Don’t expect significant impact unless writing is a SCHOOLWIDE PRIORITY.

Small Group Conferencing

Conferencing Tips To make effective… Know that small groups can be led like one-on-one conferences so try not to fret over it. Use the architecture of the conference and assessment tools as resources (learning progressions, checklists, etc.) Coach while allowing students to work most of the time. Be direct in letting students know “why” they are called together. Teach toward a goal or two (not perfect writing). Make sure references to mentor texts are familiar to students.

Conferencing Videos Grade Level Link K-2 http://vimeo.com/55954402 (K-2) or http://vimeo.com/55951305 (K-2) 3-5 http://vimeo.com/55966096 (3-5) or http://vimeo.com/55966102 (5-8)

Tips for Teaching Units

Tips for Teaching Units Know that the units are already “multi-leveled.” Use conferring and small group instruction for responsive teaching. Remember that “early in the school year” students are realistically working at standards “one year below” (allow full school year for meeting current grade level standards). Call the students writers, scientists, historians, etc. based on the unit you are teaching. Know that writing is a messy process. The writer’s notebook is messy. Finished products for publishing are pretty. Use the writer’s notebook as a tool for thinking, brainstorming, and jotting down notes. It can be a journal, lab book, book of facts, etc. depending on the kind of writing.

Unit Overviews

Reminders Review the “Welcome to the Unit” so that you will have a big picture of the unit. This will help you understand the intentions of the unit. Before teaching a unit, carefully look at the unit overview. You will decide if there are lessons that will not be taught based on a lack of time and if there are lessons that need to be added based on assessments.

Unit Overview (K-2) Overview Handouts

Unit Overview (3-5) Overview Handouts

Resources

Navigating and Using the Series KIT FOCUS Four Common Core-aligned Units Methods and Principles Affecting Classroom A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop Workshop Model (its architecture) and Management System If…Then…Curriculum: Assessment-based Instruction Differentiation with 5-7 Alternate and Additional Units CD-ROM Additional Resources: sample student writing, reproducible checklists, units, web links Writing Pathways Assessment System and Learning Progressions Unit 1

CD-ROM: Start Up Windows Users: Insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. Double-click on My Computer, and then on "UOS" (CD-ROM). Double-click on "start.html." Mac Users: Double-click on the CD icon (named "UOS") on your desktop. Double-click on "start.html.”

CD-ROM Learning Progressions Student Writing Leveled Exemplars Rubrics for Teacher Use Checklists for Student Use Teacher and Student Planning Forms Teaching Charts ….AND…much more!!

Writing Pathways: Assessment Tools “a powerfully practical resource” 13 chapters about the Assessment System (very important guidance) On-Demand Assessment Prompts (located behind each learning progression) Assessment Rubrics Writing Checklists Student Writing Samples (per and across grade levels) Learning Progressions

Assessment System

Learning Progressions . . . Allow the teacher to zoom in on one or more skills so that teaching can have the greatest impact on performance. Are used to drive instruction. Determine the student’s strengths and weaknesses so that instructional time is used efficiently. Serve as a “security blanket” when conferring. Learning Progression Handout

On-Demand Assessments Give as pre-assessments at start of start and end of each unit to collect baseline data and calibrate teaching. Provide crystal clear demonstration of what students learn to do without assistance. Are simple to administer and score using the rubric. Show effectiveness of teaching. Provide opportunities for goal setting and feedback. Writing Pathways (chapter 2) On Demand Handout

Boot Camp After scoring on-demand assessments, teachers analyze the writing to determine areas that need additional instruction. Additional instruction can become a two-day intensive course known as a “boot camp” where students revise their writing. Boot camps give students a blast of targeted instruction as well as opportunities for repeated practice addressing skills they need to develop right away. Writing Pathways: pages 21 and 34

Examples of Boot Camp Topics Use On-demand Assessments to Select Topics Unit 1 Transitions Spelling Patterns Unit 2 Dialogue and Quotation Marks Leads Unit 3 Citing Information Revising and Editing Unit 4

Norming Meetings

Norming Payoffs Norming is the process of looking at student work. Conducting norming work together helps create a plan for scoring student work that informs teaching. Norming uses learning progressions, benchmark pieces, and rubrics to help teachers work with each other and their students to accelerate progress. Writing Pathways (chapter 3, page 31)

Getting Ready Become familiar with rubric(s) before norming begins. Set aside two-period blocks of time for the first meeting. Collect and bring recent on-demand writing pieces that match writing for the unit. Make sure the collection reflects varied levels of student work and are engaging pieces. Be sure pieces are kept anonymous (white out students’ names). Writing Pathways (chapter 3)

Norming Steps Norming Handout

Step 3 Ready “An important goal in a process like this is for the group to align itself. If after doing this work with five papers of different levels, the group finds that it can come to a consensus, the group can consider itself normed, and people can now score papers individually.” Writing Pathways, (Chapter 3, pp. 29-30)

Planning Calendars Know you have flexibility to move the units around like a puzzle. Allow six weeks per unit and “lop off” a bend if needed. Determine if there are any units in the If…Then…Curriculum guide that you would like to use. Decide if there are units from a different grade (usually a lower grade) that will be used.

Map Out the “Training” Year TIME FRAME TOPIC OR FOCUS PERSON RESPONSIBLE August 11-12, 2014 Map out the “teaching” year and Prepare for administering On-Demand Assessment and Unit One (Narrative) Instructional Coach and Grade Level Teachers August 2014 Lead discussion on Norming Meetings (chapter 3) Writing Pathways Model Architecture of Minilesson Instructional Coach September 2014 Analyze Student Work via On-Demand Assessments by conducting norming sessions Calendar Handout

Map Out the “Teaching” Year UNIT TIME DATES CONTENT 2 Weeks On-Demand Assessments (Baseline Data) Classroom Expectations for the Writing Workshop Unit 1 6 Weeks Prepare for Next Unit and Conduct Boot Camp Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 On Demand Assessments (End of Year Assessment) Reverse Side of Calendar Handout

Other Web Resources Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (Check Facebook and Twitter for latest updates/webinars.) http://readingandwritingproject.com/ Heinemann http://www.heinemann.com/authors/430.aspx National Writing Project http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/teaching_writing ReadWriteThink http://www.readwritethink.org/ Teaching Channel https://www.teachingchannel.org