Perfecting the Writing Workshop in Your Classroom Leon County Schools Office of Curriculum Services December 11, 2012

Todays Agenda Writing Workshop in the Classroom Planning Instruction from Writes Upon Request Transitioning from FCAT 2.0 Writing to Common Core ELA Standards Next Steps

Writing Towards Home

Personal Writing Still Has a Place in our Schools I, myself, write to change my life, to make it come out the way I want it to. But other people write for other reasons: to see more closely what it is they are thinking about, what they may be afraid of. Sometimes writers write to solve a problem, to answer their own question. All these reasons are good reasons. And that is the most important thing I'll ever tell you. Maybe it is the most important thing you'll ever hear. Ever. Patricia MacLachlan, Word After Word After WordPatricia MacLachlanWord After Word

Writing Next Report from Carnegie pages 3-5 pages 15-21

The process writing approach stresses activities that emphasize: extended opportunities for writing, writing for real audiences, self-reflection, personalized instruction and goals, and cycles of planning, translating, and reviewing. Writing Next A report from the Carnegie Foundation

Writing Workshop

Building a successful writing community requires: A reliable, consistent, and sufficient block of time for daily writing-at least 45 minutes* Physical environment conducive to sustained writing experience-desk arrangement: groups or partners, writing resources (dictionaries, thesauruses, pencils, highlighters etc.) easily accessible A set of rehearsed writing workshop procedures involving materials, movement, and writing process components-writer s workshop schedule, strong classroom management routines A continuing curriculum of content and skills---the tools of writing all writer s use-writing process, traits of writing, grade level standards and benchmarks Use of writer s vocabulary Self evaluation procedures for all writers-progress monitoring schedule, revising/editing rubrics/strategies, mentor texts/anchor papers Efficient record keeping- Writer s Notebook, papers scored with feedback in timely fashion so that students can revise and edit those papers, goal setting, charts

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday * Students will work in the prewriting stage and be able to read prompt, analyze prompt and decide purpose for writing. *They will brainstorm ideas before planning through oral discussion, shared writing experiences, listening to literature, or watching video clips. Purpose is to build background experiences and increase topic related vocabulary. *Students will share ideas orally so that any problems with ideas (too similar-one is a detail of the other) can be clarified. *Students will be able to move from the prewriting stage to the drafting stage. *Teacher will model writing introduction. *Students will draft introduction. *Teacher will model writing first reason supporting paragraph. *Students will draft first reason supporting paragraph. *Teacher will hold conferences with students while students are drafting- attempting to read each students progress. *Students that wander off task easily will sit within close proximity to teacher to avoid off task behavior. * Students will share their supportive paragraph with a partner, small group, or the whole class. *Students continue drafting their first reason supporting paragraph. *Review their plan for the second reason supporting paragraph and begin drafting it. *They will continue on to the conclusion only if they have supported both reasons completely. *Students will share their supportive paragraph with a partner, small group, or the whole class. *Students will revise for word choice and quality of support. *Teacher will share samples of writing. *Students will analyze sample for strong vocabulary. *They will then delete and add vocabulary to their essay as necessary. *Teacher will model what an anecdote or personal memory looks like- Students will add at least one to their writing for elaborative support. *More conferencing will continue while students are revising for word choice and adding their anecdote. *Students will share one part of their paper that they made a revision to either for word choice or elaboration. *Students will edit their paper for punctuation errors, capitalization errors, spelling and basic organization. *Teacher will model editing marks they will focus on. * Students will rewrite paper if this is a writing sample that is going to be displayed. *All students will share their completed essay with a partner, small group, or the whole class to celebrate their success. *All writing-from prewriting to final copy will be kept in students Writers Notebook. *All writing samples will be scored using the state rubric and 2012-most recent Calibration Set. Organization of the Writing Workshop

Mini-Lesson: 5-10 minutes Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5-20 minutes Tuesday and Thursday Focus target lesson, modeled writing, read aloud to illustrate target skill Independent Writing: minutes Monday, Wednesday and Friday minutes Tuesday and Thursday During the writing session, students are actively writing with or without your guidance. Students: Prewriting independently or in groups Writing a practice piece Drafting an ongoing piece Drafting a new piece Peer conferencing Revising with a focus Editing using a checklist Conferencing with teacher Conferencing with a partner Teacher: Roving to encourage, guide, and help Conferencing with students Conducting small group focus lesson or conference Sharing Component: 5-10 minutes Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5-15 minutes Tuesday and Thursday Author s Chair-1-4 students present writing to class or small group and ask for classmates to Bless (give specific praise); Press (offer constructive criticism with solutions to improve); or Address (concentrate and give feedback on a specified area of focus). Peer sharing- Every writer shares with a buddy before putting writing away.

Instructional Support for the Writing Workshop Annotated Writing Workshop Lesson Plan: Introduction for Teacher Hook Prewriting Revising Editing

Using Writes Upon Request to Drive Instruction

Using Writes Upon Request to Plan Instruction Study high scoring papers to see what the students do well in their writing. Study 2s, 3s, and 4s to see what the student writers do not know how to do that the high scoring students do well. Plan course of action for your class and individual students.

5 and 5.5 papers Read the student paper out loud in your group. Individually, annotate the parts of the paper that show student strengths in writing. As a group, make a list of what this student does well that is earning him or her a high score. Study Common Language of FCAT 2.0 Scoring to see if you have covered all of the students strengths.

4.0 Paper Read the student paper out loud in your group. Individually annotate the parts of the paper that show student strengths in writing. As a group: Make a list of what this student was unable to do that the previous writer did well. List what you would you do to work with this student.

3.5 Paper Read the student paper out loud in your group. Individually annotate specific places in the paper where the student could have included missing elements that were in the 4.0 paper. As a group: Make a list of what this student was unable to do that the writer of the 4.0 did well. Explain the difference between this paper and the 4.0 paper. List what you would you do to work with this student.

3.0 Paper As a group, read the student paper out loud in your group. Individually, annotate specific places in the paper where the student could have included missing elements that were in the 4.0 paper. As a group: Make a list of what this student was unable to do that the writer of the 4.0 did well. Explain the difference between this paper and the 4.0 paper. List what you would you do to work with this student.

2.5 and 2.0 Papers As a group, read the student paper out loud in your group. Individually, annotate specific places in the paper where the student could have included missing elements that were in the 4.0 paper. As a group: Make a list of what this student was unable to do that the writer of the 4.0 did well. List what you would you do to work with this student.

Whole-class Instruction Assuming your entire class had similar results to these students, how would this impact your whole-class instruction for writing?

Writing and Reading Connection

2 nd Quarter Weeks 1 & 2 (Week of October 29 th ) (Week of November 5 th ) Weeks 3 & 4 (Week of November 12 th ) (Week of November 19 th ) Week 5 (Week of November 26 th ) Writing Workshop Think about why you think it is important to be a good reader. Write to explain why you think it is important to be a good reader. Think about the effects of having homework on the weekend. Write to convince teachers whether students should have homework on the weekend. Writes Upon Request Preparation Prentice Hall Literature Book Connection Emancipation by Russell Freedman p. 600 Brown vs. Board of Education by Walter Dean Myers p. 605 Supplement- Great Books Roundtable Sample Unit Level 2 Harrison Bergeron Who can replace a man? By Brain Aldiss p. 248 Achieve3000 Article Connection An American HeroToo much Homework? NO way! Are you ready, Schools? (Please assign and give feedback on the setting the purpose and thought question this week) Vocabulary* Predominantly Deliberating Oppressed Affluence Recoiled Degrading Distinction Respectively Deficiency Bell Work Focus Area Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary HomeworkReinforcement of previously taught skills

Writing and Reading Connection: A Sample Lesson

How do you think industrialization impacted the lives of early Americans? Take the next 5-7 minutes to create a response.

From Hard Times by Charles Dickens It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it…it was a town of machinery and tall chimneys, out of which interminable serpents of smoke trailed themselves forever and ever…It contained several large streets all very like one another, and many small streets still more like one another, inhabited by people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the same pavements, to do the same work, and to whom every day was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next.

From Hard Times by Charles Dickens It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it…it was a town of machinery and tall chimneys, out of which interminable serpents of smoke trailed themselves forever and ever. What does it mean to terminate something? What does the prefix in mean? How does the suffix able affect the meaning of the word? How do the words forever and ever help you understand the meaning?

From Hard Times by Charles Dickens It contained several large streets all very like one another, and many small streets still more like one another, inhabited by people equally like one another. What is a habitat? What does the prefix in mean in this word? What does it mean to inhabit?

From Hard Times by Charles Dickens ….every day was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next. What clues in this sentence helps us understand the meaning of the word counterpart?

What is the Text Structure? Narrative Descriptive Problem-Solution Comparative Cause-Effect Sequence Question-Answer Cyclical Identify clues to the text structure in the text.

What is the Text Structure? Narrative Descriptive Problem-Solution Comparative Cause-Effect Sequence Question-Answer Cyclical Identify clues to the text structure in the text.

Text Marking Write the letter T over any words in the text describing the town in the passage. Write the letter P over any words describing the people in the passage.

Challenging Text-based Questions Work with a partner in creating challenging text- based-questions based on the passage and text markings.

Text-based Writing What is the authors view of industrialization? Use evidence from the passage to support your position.

Authors Chair Bless - The listener tells the writer what he or she did well, providing specific examples. Address – The writer asks the listener to provide specific feedback on one element of the writing. Press – The listener provides the author constructive feedback on improving the draft.

Analysis of Text-Based Writing Lets first take a look at the evaluation tool based on FCAT 2.0 Writing. Together lets evaluate the first student paper.

Student Paper #1 In this passage, the author is attempting to illustrate the negative impact of industrialization in a town. Even in the title, Hard Times, he expresses that industrialization has brought about some difficulties in life in this community. He begins this passage by detailing how the smoke from chimneys has hidden the beauty of the rich brick buildings that once lined the streets. He shows the prevalence of the smoke by using descriptions such as interminable serpents of smoke (trailing) forever and ever. This image portrays the town of machinery as one which is draped in smoke from the factories. He transitions from this factory city to the homogenous lives of the people with a description of the city streets which all look the same. Like the factory lined streets, the people have become uniform with little differences in their lives. In other words, all the people look the same and do the same things over and over. The writer is clearly trying to show that factories have ruined the city and resulted in a mundane and uninteresting existence for its people whose lives revolve around the town of machinery.

Student Paper #2 The author doesnt like industrialization because it is smoky with a lot of ashes. There is a lot of machinery and tall chimneys, smoke is coming out of buildings like snakes and it is every where. All the streets look the same, the people work the same hours and make the same sounds when they walk on the pavement. They all do the same thing every day and every year. He does not like industrialization.

Student Paper #3 The author thinks industrialization is bad. He says there is a lot of smoke and ashes with tall chimneys. He says the smoke is like snakes coming out of the chimneys. Smoke is not good for people, it can give you cancer and make you sick, so the author thinks the smoke is bad. All the streets are the same with a lot of people who are doing the same thing all the time, he doesnt like industrialization. All the streets look the same. There is a lot of machinery in the town.

Feedback on Student Writing Sufficient Timely Focused Appropriate Acted upon

Feedback on Student Writing Student Conferences Marginal/Global Comments Opportunities for Revision Goal Setting Others?

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