Powerful Conversations Network 3 rd Quarterly Meeting February, 2014 policy preparation practice

Partners with the Alabama State Department of Education Initiatives 2

Alphabet Soup! ABPC Alabama Best Practices Center KLNKey Leaders Network PCNPowerful Conversations Network SLNSuperintendent Leaders Network IPInstructional Partners Pilot ACCRSAlabama’s College-and Career-Ready Standards FAFormative Assessment

+ Learning Outcomes 1. To deepen our understanding of the ACCRS Writing Standards and their connection to student thinking and learning across the curriculum 2. To reflect on where we are individually, and as a school, in addressing the ACCRS Writing Standards 3. To explore three tools for “writing to learn” and assess their potential for use in our school

+ Learning Outcomes, Cont’d 4. To analyze identified thinking skills and think about ways in which they connect to and might be supportive of student thinking and writing 5. To look at a piece of student writing using a protocol for collaborative examination of student work 6. To conclude work with our cross-district design teams and share products and learnings with other colleagues

Organize Your Teams Facilitator Recorder/Reporter Time Monitor/Materials Manager Directions Clarifier 6

Be open to and respect all points of view Listen with an open mind & expect to learn Accept responsibility for active & equitable participation Check for understanding Allow think time Welcome questions Avoid “cyber” and sidebar conversations Take care of creature comforts Ground Rules/Group Norms 7

+ Increased Emphasis on Writing in ACCRS “Writing is treated as an equal partner to reading, and more than this, writing is assumed to be the vehicle through which a great deal of reading work and reading assessments will occur.” Lucy Calkins, et al., Pathways to the Common Core

+ Rationale for Increased Emphasis on Writing in ACCRS “In this day and age, the ability to convey knowledge is becoming as important as knowledge itself.” Lucy Calkins, et al., p. 110, Pathways to the Common Core “Though writing is an active learning endeavor, not passive as in listening, the act of writing involves more of the entire body in the process and thus will increase the likelihood of learning. What makes writing to learn powerful is the process of reading, thinking, writing, rereading, and rewriting that occurs over time.” Edutopia, College Readiness: Writing to Learn, college-readiness-writing-to-learn-ben-johnson What do you think?

+ Rationale for Increased Emphasis on Writing in ACCRS “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.”—David McCullough “How can writing help students learn content? Because writing, by its nature, forces students to articulate ideas and reasoning, it can help them deepen, develop, and revise their thinking about the subject material.” firstprinciples/writinglearncontent What do you think?

+ Writing, Thinking, Speaking Select one of the four quotes from the previous two slides. In the next minute, write down your thoughts about the quote. When directed, share thoughts aloud as directed.

+ Areas of Emphasis in the ACCRS Writing Standards Three types of writing The writing process The quality of student writing Writing as integral even for very young students Writing across all disciplines and for real purposes

+ Three Types of Writing Opinion and Argument Writing Informational Writing Narrative Writing

+ Writing as a Process “Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)” (ACCRS Writing Anchor Standard 10) “Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, [and] editing” (ACCRS Anchor Writing Anchor Standard 5)

+ Quality of Student Writing “Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.” (ACCRS Writing Anchor Standard 4)

+ Writing as Integral Even for Young Students “All of the skills that are considered essential for high school students actually have their beginnings in the early grades.” Calkins, p. 109

+ Writing Across All Disciplines and For Real Purposes “Writing standards [are] a shared responsibility within the school that all subject areas support.” Calkins, et al., Pathways to the Common Core, p. 110

+ Activity 1: Individual Review of ACCRS Writing Standards, School Team Assessment, and Sharing Across Network WHAT? Review, reflection, and dialogue about writing standards WHY?To make personal meaning, learn from others, and self-assess HOW?Follow directions on pages 3-4 of Activity Packet

+ Link to Writing Standards e.al.us.ccrs/files/DOC.PDF Begins on p. 26

+ What insights, if any, did you gain from colleagues? That enhance your understanding of one or more of the writing standards? About school-wide approaches to improving student writing? About classroom practices to improve student writing?

+ Activity 2: Tools for Use in “Writing to Learn”—Jigsaw Cooperative Learning WHAT? Learn about three tools associated with “writing to learn” WHY?To assess potential of these tools for use with your students HOW?Follow directions on page 5 of Activity Packet as you engage in a modified jigsaw cooperative learning activity

+ “Writing to Learn” A Classroom Example -to-learn

+ Activity 3: Exploring Additional Thinking Skills from How to Teach Thinking Skills Within the Common Core—School Team Dialogue and Review WHAT? Investigate selected thinking skills and their relationship to mastery of writing standards WHY?To make connections between thinking skills and writing HOW?Follow directions on pages 9-10 as you choose thinking skills to explore

+ Embedding Thinking Skills in Writing Instruction Generate (Chapter 4, pages 41-47) Associate (Chapter 5, pages 49-55) Reason (Chapter 16, pages ) Connect (Chapter 17, pages ) Which did you explore?

+ Activity 4: Examining A Student Writing Sample—Looking At Student Work WHAT? Collaborative examination of a student writing sample WHY?To get behind student thinking and understanding in order to decide upon next steps in writing instruction HOW?Follow protocol for looking at student work on pages of Activity Packet

+ What did you learn from LASW? What did you learn about the student’s thinking and understanding? How well did the process work? What went well? What could be improved? What might be the benefits of using this type protocol in your PLCs or grade- department- level meetings?

+ Looking at Student Work Resources The Reading and Writing Project, Teachers College, Columbia U. Achieve the Core writing-for-all-students The Teaching Channel Achieve The Aspen Institute

+ Break-Out Sessions: Principals and Design Teams