Finding the Middle Ground: A Writing Program Overview for K-1

1. Finding the Middle Ground: A Writing Program Overview for K-1 Erin Monn January 16, 2012 In-Service New Bloomfield Elementary

2. Please Do Now! Think about what you enjoy about teaching writing and what frustrates you about teaching writing. List at least three of each. Please share with a partner.

3. Purposes for Today • Provide a K-5 overview of the writing program • Provide a Kid Writing refresher • Discuss what writing looks like in first grade

4. K-5 Writing Program Overview • K-Kid Writing • 1-Kid Writing/Process Writing (Depending on student need) • 2-Review and Develop Process Writing/Introduce Collins Writing • 3-Develop Collins Writing • 4-Use Collins Writing • 5-Use Collins Writing

5. How does Harcourt fit in with all of this? • K-Continue to use Harcourt as it fits with Kid Writing • First Grade • Start the year with Kid Writing • Begin to introduce process writing as students become ready for it • Use Harcourt to know what writing skills you need to cover • You do not need to do a new piece of writing every week • Allows for: • More creativity on your part • Use all those great ideas from blogs, websites, etc. • More time to spend teaching, modeling, practicing different steps in writing process • More time to conference with students • Increase amount of time students spend writing

6. What is Collins Writing? • “…A model for a writing-across-the-curriculum/writing-to -learn program that explains exactly how to “write more-grade less” by defining five types of writing assignments and the outcomes expected for each.” (Collins, page vii) • Emphasizes frequency, focus, and feedback • Includes informal writing and formal writing • Encourages students to “think on paper” • Utilizes Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) • Selective approach to correcting student writing • Become focus for instruction, modeling, practice, assessment • Handout

7. Kid Writing Refresher • Set-up • Various options • Organization of writing groups • What are the other students doing? • Literacy centers that include reading and writing • Cut-a-part sentences • Picture sorts • Handwriting • Write the room • Response to story

8. Kid Writing Refresher-cont. • Minilesson • Based on students’ writing • Whole group minilesson OR • Small group minilessons • Teacher Modeling • During minilesson, model what you want students to work on • Think alouds are important

9. Kid Writing Refresher-cont. • Small groups • Review whole class minilesson or do your group minilesson • Give students a minute or so to think about what they want to write • Student choice • Can encourage students to “branch out” • Can have students write about same thing (Ex. Letter to Santa) • Students draw pictures first • Encourage detail

10. Kid Writing Refresher-cont. • Kid Writing (Support you give varies on needs of students) • “Tell me about your picture.” • Provide sentence for student or help student form sentence(s) • Count number of words in sentence • Enunciate sounds in words as student writes • As student writes, have him/her go back and reread sentence from beginning • Remind student to use resources • Word wall, Kid Crowns, environmental print

11. Kid Writing Refresher-cont. • Adult Writing • After student has finished writing • Read sentence(s) word by word writing the correct spelling of word underneath student writing • As do so, point out the sounds student heard and letters student wrote correctly • Acknowledge words student spelled correctly • Rereading • After adult writing, reread sentence(s) for student and have student reread sentence(s) • 2 stars and a wish • 2 things student did well • 1 thing to work on

12. Writing in First Grade • Start year with Kid Writing • Begin to shift groups into process writing as students show they are ready • Process Writing • Steps • Brainstorming, Graphic Organizer, Rough Draft, Editing, Revising, Final Draft • Goal • By the end of the year, students have been introduced to all steps in the writing process

13. Writing in First Grade-cont. • How do I teach process writing? • Gradual Release of Responsibility Model • Introduce • Model • Guided Practice • Independent Practice • Use consistent vocabulary • Step 1-Brainstorming • Describe brainstorming • Model how to brainstorm ideas • Think alouds are important • Brainstorm together • Students do it on their own • Build in student choice

14. Writing in First Grade-cont. • How do I teach process writing? • Step 2-Developing a graphic organizer • Same process • Use brainstorming lists already have • Step 3-Writing a rough draft • Same process • Build off of brainstorming lists and graphic organizers already have • After Steps 1-3 have been introduced, modeled and practiced, stop and do a few writing pieces just focusing on these three steps

15. Writing in First Grade-cont. • After practicing first three steps of writing process, introduce editing • Same process • Use pieces already written • Introduce revising • Same process • Use pieces already written

16. Writing in First Grade-cont. • Step 5-Writing final draft • Same process • Use pieces already written • After you have introduced, modeled, and practiced all five steps, have one writing assignment where they go from start to finish (Steps 1-5)

17. What are Our Expectations for this Year? • K-Continue with Kid Writing • First Grade • If not doing so already: • Incorporate teacher modeling/think alouds • Introduce process writing steps • Have students do some writing that does not go through the entire process • Pull in some of your own ideas for writing activities

18. Key Points • Editing and revising are NOT the same thing! • Editing-capitalization, spelling, punctuation • Revising-changing words/sentences, taking away/adding in • Modeling is Key! • Think alouds • Making mistakes • Starting over • Getting stuck

19. Key Points-cont. If nothing else, remember this from today: NOT EVERY PIECE OF WRITING NEEDS TO GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE WRITING PROCESS!

20. Ticket Out the Door • Complete the 3..2..1 on a note card and leave in the basket on your way out. • 3-List three things you learned about writing today • 2-List two questions or comments about what you learned about writing today • 1-List one idea you plan to try in your classroom

21. Resources Collins, J.J. Ed.D. (2007). The Collins Writing Program: Improving student writing and thinking across the curriculum. Massachusetts: Collins Education Associates. Hines, Debra. “PLN Course 1: Critical Reading and Writing in Support of Secondary Learning”. Capital Area Intermediate Unit, Summerdale, PA. 7 December 2010. Lecture.