Creating Rigorous and Joyous Writing Workshops

1. Creating Rigorous and Joyous Writing Workshops A Close look at organizing and planning for work that makes a difference A Day with Bergenfield’s Middle School Teachers Presented by Ginny lockwood March 2011

2. Our Morning Together Reflect on our current practices in writing instruction Discuss the “basics” of successful writing workshops Clarify and come to better understand the purpose and importance of each phase of the writing process Look closely at how national standards translate into monthly, weekly and daily writing instruction Engage in the writing process ourselves

3. There is a striking difference between simply guiding young writers through the writing process and, conversely, helping them to feel the qualities of living the life of a purposeful and effective writer. That difference lies in a well organized and well structured Writing Workshop.

4. In Writing Workshops, writers… • Become fully invested in their writing work • Write freely and write A LOT • Fully understand the purpose of each phase of the writing process • Come to know the writing styles of others • Develop comfort in giving and receiving constructive feedback • Write with authenticity and purpose

5. Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning Immersion Demonstration Expectation Responsibility Use Approximation Response Must be accompanied by engagement Probability of engagement increases when these conditions are present

6. The Writing Process • Collect Entries • Choose an Idea • Develop the Idea • Draft • Revise • Edit • Publish Within the writer’s notebook Outside of the writer’s notebook, on paper kept in a drafting folder

7. Questions To Consider: Leaning into Process What do I know about this kind of writing? How might a writer of this kind of writing live in a writer’s notebook? Why might a writer of this kind of writing go public with what s/he writes? What is the impact of this kind of writing on the reader? Where are excellent examples of this kind of writing and how can they help?

8. Teaching Toward Specific Outcomes • Kind of Writing: _______________________ • How might I quickly define this kind of writing? • What is the structure? • What is the content? • What makes it high quality (craft)? • What makes it more easily readable? • Construct Indicators of Understanding

9. “Value” is at the root of the word “evaluation” and so what we evaluate needs to come from what we value as a writing community. -Katie Ray A note from a trusted voice…

10. Planning in the Upper Grade Writing Process

11. A Day in Writing Workshop • Mini-Lesson • Independent work time • Students work independently adding daily mini-lessons to ongoing repertoire • Teacher confers with individual writers or meets with small groups • Share Consistency of routine allows for a great variety of content!

12. Flexibility Within Boundaries Writing workshop is a structured time utilizing consistent daily teaching methods Within these structures, children benefit from lots of room for exploration and discovery within the parameters of the curriculum Teach HOW to write particular kinds of writing not WHAT to write for each piece

13. “The writing you get out of your students can only as be as good as the classroom literature that surrounds it.” -Ralph Fletcher A note from a trusted voice…

14. Parts of a Well Structured Lesson • Connection • Teach (I do) • Demonstration • Explanation with strong example • Teach What, Why and How • Active Engagement (We do) • Link (You do)

15. Lessons that Transfer to Independence Rather than asking who remembers what you did yesterday, tell them what you want them to think about as you start teaching Demonstrate and name the work Stay focused…avoid the “teachable moment” Fewer voices contributing during the “Teach” part All writers busy during the “Active Engagement” part And above all…avoid “Highlight and Hope” lessons!

16. Variety in “Active Engagement” Part of Lessons After you teach and before they leave the lesson, writers actively engage in “trying on” the lesson and can: • Try what was taught • On a shared piece • On children’s own pieces in their notebooks or folders • Comment on what seems hard about it • Discuss how to do it better • Notice and name differences between two demonstrations or pieces (of differing quality) • Critique and question the demonstration or piece • Advise on how to improve a demonstration or piece

17. Making the Most of Share Time Students who have actively engaged in trying the day’s teaching point Students who have done well in a different or unexpected way Students who typically struggle, and who have had a breakthrough Students who have done the very thing you plan to teach tomorrow Students who want help from the community

18. Units of Study and Six(+One) Traits Writing Traits and Writing Units Comprehension Strategies and Reading Units Strategies are taught in isolation briefly Strategies are revisited across the year Strategies support the work of all Units of Study Traits are taught in isolation Traits are revisited across the year Traits support the work of all Units of Study

19. Unit of Study: _________________

20. Next Steps… What predictable issues will you face as you take on this work? What is one way your understanding of Writing Workshop was clarified such that your teaching will be different in the coming year? What is one area in which you would like more support or knowledge? Was there anything today that stands out as particularly helpful or transformative to your understanding?