Summer Institute – Reading and Writing Project
Monday
Keynote Speech – Lucy Calkins – Teaching the Inner Writer: Putting Our Lives on the Line
Lucy feels that you need to have students experience why we write rather than how to write. Imagine a school where students care about writing.
Start with “A Small Moment” Believes in learning to observe and make meaning. Take the moments and determine what the story is about.
First Session: Barb Golub (Section 2D – Union Theological Room 207)
Read Aloud
The Best Story by Elizabeth Spinelli – the young girl receives advice throughout the story on how to write the best story. The turning point for her as a writer comes when you write from the heart.
Conclusions from Discussion
- Writing comes from purpose
- Reflection around assigning vs. generating self selected topics
- Setting up and maintaining a workshop environment
- Workshop vs. writing assignment
Studies show that teachers who read and write have students who will read and write. Therefore this week will have teachers experience the adult writing process.
Collected Entries
The format for writer’s workshop begins with “Collecting Entries”
Students are asked to jot down interests, hobbies, people, and places in their lives.
Then pick a moment and make a movie in your mind.
Write a story of that moment.
We then wrote for about a half an hour on some of the collected entries. The idea was to create short entries.
Next step was to work with partners.
- Story tell (read your story)
- The partners listen for the parts that are really showing, not just telling
- Share parts that we can really see-like a movie.
- Give a tip, give a compliment.
Conference Notes
Example: Kathy
(Notice lots of feeling, dialogue, and show not tell internal thinking. Seems she has a lot of stories.)
Things to Notice about conferences
Not every conference is a mini-lesson
There are some patterns in the classroom
Find teaching moments that can be brought to whole class
Try to confer with as many people in a short amount of time. You can also confer at a table. (Sharing one conference with many students)
Barb (the leader) shared “kid” writing. Two examples – one without details and dialogue and then one where there was revision.
Afternoon Session
Ami Shah Mehta
Read aloud from children’s writing…as an introduction
Brian Cambourne – Conditions of Learning – He was researching language acquisition and found similarities to conditions of learning.
- Immersion
- Demonstration
- Engagement
- Expectations
- Responsibility
- Approximation
- Practice
- Response
Principles of Writing Workshop
- Write everyday (they will become more independent, they will be thinking of what they want to write about during the day))
- Investment ( Topic choice, easier to write from their own experience, think about audience, think about purpose in writing)
- Unit of Study (Teach within a unit of study, gives traction to your teaching, organizes your teaching around something; you are creating a writer’s life. Creates independence)
- Explicit Teaching ( Throughout writer’s workshop you can have explicit teaching)
- Process
Primary Writing Process
Rehearsal, then draft, then revision
Rehearsal – tell the story, across the fingers, through drawings
Draft – the student write that down
Revision – students add or edit their story
They start another story and so on…..In one unit they go through the process many times.
Before further revision, they choose one piece to further revise. They edit one piece. Revision makes the story better. (The content) Editing makes it easier to read…Publishing may mean: drawing a picture, making a cover. Therefore, do not let them color until they have revised and edited the piece that will be published.
Each unit of study is four to six weeks. During the school year the process will change about once a month.
Balanced Literacy
Reading Workshop 40-45 minutes
Writing Workshop 45-55 minutes
Shared Reading – content -10-15 minutes
Interactive Writing – mechanics of writing 15 minutes
Shared Writing 10 minutes
Read Aloud – 15 minutes
Phonics/ Word Study (Fundations, Words Their Way)
Writing Workshop Structures
- Mini-Lesson – Teach one thing (5 minutes)
- Independent Writing Time (the students are writing, the teacher is conferring or small group strategy session) Mid-Workshop Teaching Point: Writers can I tell you about this, students continue writing) (25 minutes)
- Teaching Share (5 minutes)
Use Units of Study Book – and follow the process.
Management Routines to Support Independence
Writing Folder - one side for finished work, one side for drafts. At the end of the month clean out the folder, save one or two for portfolio. Send work home with letter to parents explaining “Unit of Study”
Routines – Materials: Set-up before Mini-Lesson. Put out folder, writing utensil, and story that they are working on BEFORE the mini-lesson. Use table captains if folders are not in desks.
Transitions – “Off you go” This needs to be taught.
Conferring
- Research – process, intentions, qualities of good writing (1-2 minutes)
- Compliment – specific compliment that can apply to all the stories (1 minute)
- Teach – 3 Methods (choose 1) Demonstrate or Explain and give an example or Guided Practice. Whichever method you choose, the child has to try it. (3-4 minutes)
- Link – restate your teaching point and remind student to always use it. (less than a minute)
|
|
TEACHER
|
STUDENT
|
| Research |
|
|
| Compliment |
|
|
| Teach |
|
|
| Link |
|
|
Use this table when showing a video of some of the conferences that we have at school.
We watched video of a girl adding excitement to her story about baking a cake with her mom.
Teacher describes actions, what they were saying, and what they were thinking. Teacher used another story to show how to add excited dialogue. Added sentence, “I thought”
Closing Session
Lucy Calkins on Conferring
Research – What are you working on? You also have to teach the students how to be part of a conference. Give them feedback that when you ask the question that you want them to articulate what they are doing as a writer. (Sometimes you may have to give them the words) You are teaching them to do their part in a conference. The teacher’s temptation is to go to the content of the essay (you don’t need information on the new puppy) but you want to go to what the student is working on as a writer. (Zooming in, writing with details,)
Think: What can I compliment and what is the link? What is the writer up to right now?
Rather than complimenting and teaching, start another line of inquiry. What are some other things that you are trying to do? How are you feeling about writing right now? Do you have a sense of audience? When has writing worked for you?
Lucy then asked for a volunteer and used the process described above to compliment and teaches the writer.
Then Lucy used “Adam” from the Unit of Study, “Memoir Writing” Adam writes about when his brother goes off to college.
Lucy does the research, and backs up to get a second line of inquiry…You want to compliment this writer so that the writer feels uniquely seen. In Adam’s case we compliment the honesty of the piece, Compliment him on the action so that he can use the action to develop his writing.
Conference should not be the mini-lesson.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Nikki Grimes
Keynote: The Color of Poetry
Consider that if we only show black, Asian, Hispanic literature in Feb., Jan, and May is actually marginalizing the intent of the author.
Second Session of Adult Writing
We start the day writing a “kid’s” piece. At the beginning of second grade, the paper is picture plus six lines.
Writers Plan Their Writing Before They Draft
Think of a feeling then story tell
Try to story tell in a few different ways.
Use a double timeline (action on top of timeline and feeling on the bottom of time line)
Minibooklet – Author sketches, and then writes a few words to remind you of what you may write.
Role play with an exemplar writing…Jeneva (at the beach)
Jeneva has a focused time and place
- She has a structured beginning, middle and end
- Reflective Ending
- Includes setting
- Includes action
- Picture matches the word.
p. 52 – One on One
Research Tips – Big Picture – purpose, audience, independence (not a Q and A about content)
Ask questions that I don’t know the answer….keep questions brief – give a compliment and teach…
Afternoon Session
Narrative – Something happens to a person or character. There will be a progression through time.
Qualities of Good Writing p. 62 in white loose-leaf
Bulleted Parts for K-8
Parts in Italics: for second grade
- Structure (Sequence and Focus)
Narrative, focus, endings
- Elaboration (show setting, show action, show dialogue)
Character Development, show-not-tell, details
- Concept of Writing – spelling and conventions
Spelling: vowel patterns, parts of words, using known words to spell unknown words
Sentences – more complex and varied sentence structure
Punctuation: Varied end punctuation, quotation marks, capitalization (proper nouns, initials, “I”
- Craft (writing well, having an effect on the reader, may have a mentor-author)
- Meaning (thinking of an audience, why are you writing the story)
(Editing and Spelling is not part of the narrative continuum)
The project took the qualities of good writing and wrote the narrative continuum. They wrote it for K-8. See page 62 of the handout. The continuum is for assessment, writing is developmental.
The continuum is on the website as well.
Launching Writer’s Workshop
Unit 1 is Launching; Unit 2 is “small moments”
A small moment is a focused, personal, narrative that happens over a small period of time. It teaches students structure. It is important to have students write small moments before they write longer pieces.
The Units are written in parts… (Bends in the road)
Beginning Small Moment Stories
- How do I come up with story ideas? (Think of a feeling and tell them to make a story that goes with that feeling.)
- Plan (Tell a story across your fingers, write two words that tell what is going to happen, tell the story to your partner, sketch the story)
- Make your story stay in the same place. Then make them stay in the same time.
Getting More Writing on the Page
1. Sketch – rather than draw
2. Tell the story.
3. Teach them to add dialogue. (Comma and quotation marks can come when you are editing)
4. What were you thinking?
Teaching Revision Strategies
What is the most important part? What is the internal part?
End with a feeling. What happened nest? What is the reaction?
Preparing for Publication – Further revisions, edit, or publish
Other Books for Small Moments
Max’s Bedtime by Rosemary Wells
Max’s Breakfast by Rosemary Wells
Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick by Kevin Henkes (A Box of Treats)
Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
A Chair for My Mother
The Kissing Hand
Wave by Suzie Lee
Knuffle Bunny by Moe Willems
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
Small Groups
The mini-lesson is what the majority of the class needs. The small group is by need.
When you pull together a group of students that have the same need (plan your stories) The groups are flexible. The groups are 3-6 students. The strategy lessons are between 7-10 minutes long. While the students do independent writing the teacher is conferring or having a small group.
The Structure of the Small Group Lesson
- Quick Intro
- Quick Teach ( Explain and Give an example, Demo, Guided Practice
- Students Try/Teachers Coach
- Link
Closing Session
Types of Charts for K-2 – Kristi Mraz
Routine Charts
Exemplar Chart (make it teach – science or writing)
Strategy Chart (goes with your mini-lesson that you are teaching) Example: Making a movie in the Reader’s Mind) You generate 3 to 4 a unit of study. They are tied to the Mini Lesson…
Procedural Chart
Use of Visuals
Helps students and carries meanings.
- Draw simple icons
- Use symbols
- Digital camera (children doing it or a gesture)
- Student Work
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Keynote: Pam Munoz Ryan (see webpage)
Morning Session
Read, “ At Night” by Jonathan Bean
As teacher reads the book:
Think about:
In what way did the author create mood?
How could the author have written the text that would not be as effective?
| Jonathan Bean Creates Mood |
|
| |
|
| What we see/hear |
What It Does |
| |
|
| Pillow…sheets..blanket |
Slows it down and makes us think – what’s next |
| Zooming in on picture |
Creates intimacy |
| Breeze, show, not tell |
Reminds me of |
| Illustrations |
Match story |
At end of independent writing, we discussed conference notes. We also discussed the narrative continuum. (in white looseleaf on p. 62)
Conferring Notes can be taken during the “research phase” and all conferences.
Afternoon Session: Ami Shah Mehta
Mini Lesson Highlights
- Short
- Invitation (actually instructing students to practice what you are teaching after you model it, they are going to practice it)
- One teaching point
- Follows a predictable structure
Minilesson Structure
- Connection: Activate prior knowledge. ; .i.e. “Yesterday, we worked on.. State the teaching point; Today I want to teach you and tell them how they are going to be able to. (The what is the skill and the how is the strategy) You also want to state why you are teaching it.
- Teach:
“Watch how I…
Demonstrate what they are going to do (not just tell them directions- add in think aloud
Did you notice how I “added small actions to my story”
Add gestures if possible
- Active Involvement: Now it’s your turn
Turn and talk
Teacher shares out 1 or 2 ideas
Today and every day; You already know….. now you know how to
Ami showed a video of her teaching students to add small actions to a story (her story the blender; the students worked on their story about the sprinkler
|
Teacher |
Student |
| Connection |
Talked about nephew “walking” |
|
| Teach |
Adding small actions to the story:
Told the story about the blender “spewing out” the sweet potato;
Explained (and acted out) how to add words (jumped back, my arms flew up, my mouth dropped. |
Students act out the actions that Ami wrote. |
| Active Involvement |
Acting out: first the blender and later the story class wrote about going to sprinklers |
Students act out and then pair up and with a partner come up with the words. (jumped up and my arms flew up in the sky) |
| Link |
Add small actions when you write the story that describe what your body does |
Students went off to write |
You need:
A Demo Story
A Class Story (that they worked on in a shared writing)
Mentor Texts
- Choosing a mentor text – love it and have it display what it teaches . Have it be the approximate level of development in their writing. The amount of writing per page is about what the students write .Consider having multiple copies. Hopefully it will have several examples.
- Reading Like a Writer – the first time let the students experience the book.The second time have students read it like a writer to see how it is written. Students are looking for craft (the way it is written)
- When this work happens: Hopefully this happens during the “Read Aloud” time.
Mentor Text: My Best Friend by Mary Ann Rodman
| Where |
What do you notice? |
Why did the author do this? |
Name |
Other Places |
|
| My Best Friend |
Short sentences |
To create tension |
montage |
|
|
Spin on when there are punctuation rules….only “once” when you need it and it has to be correct everywhere else…
Revision
- What is it?
- Makes the content better. Revise the leads, the ends, the structure.
- You could revise for elaboration (adding dialogue, adding thinking, adding show not tell, adding small actions)_
- You can revise for meaning. (your audience)
2. When does it happen?
- Either during a unit or there is a whole unit of study on revision.
3.Tools
- Post its
- Astericks – where they want to add it
- Add another page
4. Checklists
