10:00-11:15September 8, 2011

PDC

Writing

Balanced Literacy Time Recommendations

Component Early Grades Upper Grades

Word Work 30-40 minutes daily 20 minutes 2-3 days per week

Independent Reading 30-40 minutes daily 120-200 minutes per week

Supported Reading 30-40 minutes daily 150-200 minutes per week

Writing 30-40 minutes daily 150-200 minutes per week

Writing

• Writer’s Workshop• Interactive Writing• Shared Writing• Being A Writer• Journaling and Reflections• Writing in the content areas• Writer’s Notebook

Writer’s Workshop

• Mini-lesson (10-12 min)

• Writing (30-35 min)– Teacher confers with individuals or table groups or

pulls small-groups for strategy instruction

• Mid-Workshop Teaching Point (2-4 min within Writing time)

• Share (3-5 minutes)

Mini-lesson

• Connection (1 min)– Connecting with prior knowledge/teaching with what

will happen today

• Teach (4-5 min)– Introduce a new thought or strategy– Demonstrate through your own writing

• Active Involvement (3-4 min)– Students try out their understanding with a partner

• Link (1 min)– A Teaching Point reminder

Conferences• Research– Observe and listen

• Compliment– Genuine and specific

• Teach– Pick one point and make it a strategy– Do not write on the student’s paper

• Link– Rename the strategy – Student practices

Interactive WritingTeacher shares a pen with a group of childrenTeacher and students collaboratively compose

and construct a written message.

• Helps children learn how written language works.• Supports children in using what they know to get

to what they do not yet know. • Students work alongside a more expert writer.• Clear demonstration of the process of producing

a piece of writing.

Shared Writing

• Teacher acts as a scribe for a group of children.

• Enables children to develop and organize ideas.

Morning Message• Considerations to highlight:– Showing where to start writing and directionality– Say the words, then say each letter as it is written– Using capital letters– Using punctuation– Counting sentences– Counting words in sentences– Finding out which sentence has more words/letters

• Topics to consider:– Names, weather, special visitors, activities or

learning that will take place that day, etc.

Predictable Charts• Based on:– The teacher writes what a child says.– The child can read what the teacher writes.

• Process for a week– Day 1 & 2 – Dictation of Sentences– Day 3 – Touch Reading the Sentences– Day 4 – Sentence Builders– Day 5 – Making a Class Book

Journals

• Type:– Content area– Reflective

• Process:– Whole-group shared writing– Small-group reflection– Individual reflection