1. South Plainfield’s Writing Initiative 2010 -2011

2. BOE adopted Being a Writer for grades K – 6 as the writing curriculum Helping students get better at writing is a K – 12 responsibility (not today’s topic) Helping students get better at writing is an interdisciplinary responsibility

3. What do these phrases mean to you? Writing across the curriculum Assigning writing v. Teaching writing Teaching content specific writing

4. Types of “Interdisciplinary” Writing Journals Editorials Position papers Articles/Reviews Cause and Effect I-Search papers Comparison and Contrast Memoir Lab report analysis Multi-genre writing Critical analysis papers ‘How to’ writing Writing to explain Historical fiction

5. Journals History/Social Studies/Geography Health &PE Art Music Theatre Language Arts/English Spanish Math Science The Journal Book by Toby Fulwiler

6. BOE adopted Being a Writer for grades K – 6 as the writing curriculum What Being a Writer IS Packaged program that unifies the best of a methodology commonly referred to as Writing Workshop What Being a Writer is NOT How is Reading Workshop different from Writing Workshop

7. What Being a Writer is NOT Not reading workshop Not teaching reading strategies/comprehension strategies Not writing about reading Not focusing on meaning making of text Writing generated by reading in all content areas Responses to textOpen-ended questions Comparisons to other textsSummarizing or retelling Character analysisChange endings or other what if scenarios EssaysOpinion pieces Letters to authors/charactersAny “creative” writing connected to a text

8. What stays when we teach reading? Reading Series Reading Practice Book – stays Anthology and activities that relate to the selection – stays Writing about selection – stays Vocabulary - stays

9. What Exactly is Writing Workshop? And/or Being a Writer Being a Writer creates a rigorous learning environment that positions students as producers of texts – students produce drafts, revise, edit and publish within particular writing cycles or genre studies. The focus is on how texts are written … Teachers become facilitators who provide both direct and indirect instruction and various assessments. Mini-lessons, conferencing, writer’s notebook, mentor texts, genre study, author study, craft lessons, assessment, skills, read alouds, contextualize grammar instruction, self assessment, strategies, living as a writer, audience, word choice, reading like a writer….

10. Writing generated by Being a Writer Personal narrative (aka) memoir Fiction Expository Nonfiction (article, persuasive, informational) Poetry

11. Teacher’s Manual – Units of Study Calendar for the Year of writing is set Spelling and Grammar are incorporated contextually Mentor texts are included Assessment rubrics are included Being a Writer

12. Teachers who have piloted the program Mary Rodger’s offering My availability (interdisciplinary writing or to expand upon teaching writing v. assigning writing)

13. Questions Discussion Comments Thank you. Please email us any additional questions or concerns. lcella@spnet.k12.nj.us mrodger@spnet.k12.nj.us