quit kicking it old school!

QUIT K

ICKIN

G

IT O

LD

SCHOOL!

HO

W T

O R

E- IN

TROD

UCE

WRIT

ING

IN

STRUCTION

IN

TO

THE H

IGH

SCH

OO

L

CLASSROO

M

Samantha CaulderEnglish Teacher9th, 10th, and 11th grade

POETR

Y

• Expression• Beautiful words• Figurative lang• Structure• Breaking rules• Out loud• Tempo• Rhyme• Simple• Words that are hard

to understand

• Sitting on the grass/ Whitman

• Sandburg quote

• Imagery• Rhythm• Music• symbolism

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD “POETRY”?

ON THE PLAYLIST…• Instructional Roadblock• History of the Writing Workshop• Why We Need Writing Workshop in the

Secondary Classroom• Why Aren’t More High School

Classrooms Using Writing Workshop?• Why Students Need to be Better Writers• Understanding and Implementing the

Writing Workshop• How to Assess Using Writing Workshop• How Writing Workshop Rights Writing

Wrongs

TEACHIN

G

WRIT

ING IS

A

BATTL

EFIELD

MY I

NSTR

UCTIO

NAL

RO

AD

BLO

CK

• Kicking it old school• In high school and

college, I was taught to read the text, analyze the text, and write about the text• PAPERS!!!• USUALLY analytic• Thesis at the end of

intro• 5+ paragraphs

• In my own classroom..• Class would study

a literary piece• I would assign a

paper• Students would

write the paper• I would grade the

paper

I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH WRITING!!

WORKSHOP? WHAT WORKSHOP?

• What my idea of “Writing Workshop” USED to be..• Give students notes of the College Essay Format• Lecture on College Essay Format• Class as a whole would write intro & thesis• Paper would be due in 1-2 weeks• Students could e-mail me drafts OR come before and

after school• No time in class because…well, there was NO TIME!

AND THE PROBLEM WITH THAT WAS…

• I was doing all the work!

• I would get frustrated and stop assigning essays

• I never let them explore their own ideas OR other genres other than analytic essays

• I wasn’t being consistent

• My students were failing because I was failing my students.

WE’V

E ONLY

JUST

BEGUN

History of the Writing Workshop Theory

1 9 7 1 - JA N E T E M I G

The Composing Process of Twelfth Graders

• Studied composition habits of high school students

• Described the teaching of writing in high schools as “a neurotic activity”

• Think- aloud protocol

• Noted that writing came in stages and learning to write may be a matter of practice with the stages

1 9 8 3 - D O N A L D G R AV E S A N D LU C Y C A L K I N S

• Among the first to isolate the stages of writing and identify them in a linear order

• “The Writing Process”

1. Planning2. Drafting3. Revising4. Editing5. PublishingThe Writing-Rich High School

ClassroomJennifer Berne

ALTHOUGH THE WRITING PROCESS DEVELOPED THROUGH RESEARCH DONE WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS,THE INSTRUCTION OF THE PROCESS HAS NOT FOUND A SECURE HOME IN THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM

• Late 1980’s- early 1990’s• Elementary education programs began introducing

writing process concepts and practices to upcoming teacher candidates• Writing process is now a commonly accepted practice

in K-5 literary instruction

• College- level instructors start pushing for writing workshops to remedy the stifled writing style of freshmen students

• HOWEVER, little has “trickled up from elementary or down from university to influence process writing theory and practice in high school classroom instruction”

The Writing- Rich High School ClassroomJennifer Berne

THE T

IMES T

HEY

ARE A’C

HANING

Today, writing instruction is needed more

than ever!

“Writing ‘is no longer a concern, as it was in Harvard in 1894, of an exclusively white, male elite; in today’s increasingly diverse society, writing is a gateway for success in academia, the new workplace, and the global economy, as well as for our collective success as a participatory democracy’”

– Carl Nagin and the National Writing Project

“The ability to write well, once a luxury, has become a necessity. Today, writing is foundational for success”

- Kelly Gallagher

Teaching Adolescent WritersKelly Gallagher

WHERE H

AVE A

LL

THE W

ORKSHOPS

GONE?

Why Aren’t More High School Classrooms

Implementing Writing Workshop?

Sure, we can dwell on issues we can’t control such as •Poverty•Lack of parental involvement•English as a second language•Teaching to the test

“… well-trained teachers of writing produce student who write better…despite the obstacles we inherit…”


#1 Students are not doing enough writing

#2 Writing is sometimes assigned rather than taught

#3 Below grade level students write LESS when they should write MORE

#4 ELL are often shortchanged

#5 Grammar instruction is ineffective or ignored

#6 Students are not given enough timed writing instruction/ practice

#7 Some teachers have little or no knowledge of district and/or state standards

#8 Writing topics are often teacher mandated

#9 Teachers are doing too much work and students aren’t doing enough!

#10 Teachers need help assessing student writing

TOP TEN WRITING WRONGS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS


MY BIGGGEST OBSTACLE…

How do I motivate reluctant writers??

“Although young children scribble and create with great joy, once students reach high school, they often face writing tasks with anxiety and the resulting experience can be painful”-- Jennifer BerneThe Writing-Rich High School Classroom

THE ANSWER…WRITING HAS TO BE

RELEVANT!!!

“Writing his hard, and if students don’t have intrinsic reasons to work hard at developing their writing skills, they won’t diligently develop their writing skills. Simply assuming our students come to us with the desire to improve their writing is a recipe for failure.”

-- Kelly GallagherTeaching Adolescent Writers

I HEARD IT

THROUGH T

HE

GRAPEVIN

E…

WHY STUDENTS NEED TO BE BETTER WRITERS

T E A C H I N G A D O L E S C E N T W R I T E R S

K E L LY G A L L A G H E R

WRITING REASON #1- WRITING IS HARD BUT HARD IS REWARDING

• Don’t sugarcoat!

• Writing has been called the “most complex of all human activities”

• Use this difficulty as an opportunity for students to create something truly rewarding

• “When was the last time you got a lot of satisfaction without trying hard?”

WRITING REASON #2- WRITING HELPS YOU SORT THINGS OUT

• Students are becoming burdened with serious problems more and more each year

• Impress upon students that writing is a good place to • sort out thoughts•Say things you couldn’t otherwise verbalize•Release emotions• Talk to that person you are unable to talk to in person

W R I T I N G R E A S O N # 3 - W R I T I N G H E L P S T O P E R S U A D E O T H E R S

• Gives them a voice

• Motivates them to be active participants in the world around them

W R I T I N G R E A S O N # 4 - W R I T I N G H E L P S T O F I G H T O P P R E S S I O N

WRITING REASON #5- WRITING MAKES YOU A BETTER READER

“Reading development does not take place in isolation; instead a child develops simultaneously as reader, listener, speaker, and writer.”

-- Carl NaginBecause Writing Matters

• Better writers tend to be better readers

• Better writers tend to read more• Better readers tend to produce

more mature writing

WRITING REASON #6- WRITING MAKES YOU SMARTER• Brain = muscle

• Muscles + exercise= strength

• mental stimulation improves brain function and protects against cognitive decline

• Writing sharpens the brain

• Different writing sharpens different kinds of thinking• “While all writing helps learning, it is important for teachers to be

selective about the kinds of writing activities they ask their students to engage in, depending on the kinds of learning they are seeking. Analytic writing leads to a focus on selective parts of the text, to deeper reasoning about less information. Summary writing and note-taking, in contrast, lead to a focus on the whole text in more comprehensive but more superficial ways. Short answer study questions focus attention on particular information with little attention to overall relationships.”

-- Langer and Applebee 1978

College admissions looks at 4 criteria:

1. GPA

2. Involvement on campus

3. Involvement in community

4. Writing ability

• Being accepted into college/university is becoming more competitive each year

• Decisions often determined by writing ability

WRITING REASON #7- WRITING HELPS YOU GET INTO AND THROUGH COLLEGE

“…by the first year of college, more than 50% of the freshman class are unable to produce papers relatively free of language errors or to analyze argument or synthesize information…”

-- National Commission on Writing 2003

“The writing weaknesses of incoming college students costs our campuses up to $1 billion annually.”

-- C. Peter Magrath

Chair, National Commission on Writing

WRITING REASON #8- WRITING PREPARES YOU FOR THE WORLD OF WORK2 0 0 5 S U R V E Y O F M E M B E R S O F N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F M A N U F A C T U R E R S

• 84% say k-12 schools aren’t doing a good job of preparing students for the workplace

• 81% say they are currently facing a moderate to severe shortage of qualified workers

• 61% say applicants with high school diplomas were poorly prepared

• 51% say employees will need more reading/writing skills within the next three years

2 0 0 4 - N A T I O N A L C O M M I S S I O N O N W R I T I N G

Writing: A Ticket to Work… or a Ticket Out

• writing is a “threshold skill” for employment and promotions

• ½ of all companies surveyed take writing into account when hiring and making promotion decisions

• 2/3 of all salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility

UNDERSTANDING AND

IMPLEMENTING THE WRITING WORKSHOP

YOU S

AY YO

U

WANT

A

REVOLUTI

ON…

WHAT IS WRITING WORKSHOP?

• Writer’s Workshop is designed to emphasize the act of writing itself—students spend most of their time putting pencil to paper, not just learning about it.

• emphasis is placed on:• sharing work with the class• peer conferencing and editing• Collecting a wide variety of work in a writing folder, and

eventually in a portfolio.

• Teachers write with their students and share their own work as well.

• The workshop setting encourages students to think of themselves as writers, and to take their writing seriously.

Welcome to the Writer’s WorkshopSteve Pehahttp://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

“I have finally realized that the most creative environments in our society are not the kaleidoscopic environments in which everything is always changing and complex. They are, instead, the predictable and consistent ones– the scholar’s library, the researcher’s laboratory, the artist’s studio. Each of these environments is deliberately kept predictable and simple because the work at hand and the changing interactions around that work are so unpredictable and complex.”

-- Lucy Calkins 1983

• The most productive writing workshops take place in environments where:• Students observe standards• Adhere to processes that minimize off- task behavior

• The first few weeks..• Careful, up-front preparation AND continual monitoring and

refinement are essential• Helps minimize disruptions• Helps students focus and thus reap long-term benefits

The Writing-Rich High School ClassroomJennifer Berne

ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE

• Writing workshop classrooms are modeled after fine-arts classrooms• Students are always moving ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE• Instructor’s primary role– to circulate among the students as the

work AND to provide guidance and feedback

• ROWS WILL NOT WORK!!

• NEED for areas to follow the writing process• Planning– at student desk• Drafting– at student desk• Getting/giving feedback

1. Peer editing– on the floor or at a table, enough space for 4 or 5 students

2. Teacher conferencing– at teacher’s desk• Revising—at student desk• Editing– separated from peer response

• On the floor or at a table• Publishing– computer stations, laptops, computer labs


PREPARE STUDENTS FOR PARTICIPATION

• Teachers HAVE to explain and model for students the process •How to work collaboratively – see handout 1•How to stay on task– see handouts 2 and 3•How to provide feedback– see handouts 4, 5 and 6•How to conference with teacher– see handouts 7 and 8•What to do if in a “holding pattern”– see handout 9•How to track who is off task– see handout 10


THE WRITER’S NOTEBOOK• A place for students to play with their writing

• Helps students organize thoughts, materials, and products

Section Title Purpose

Table of Contents

Students keep track of all mini-lessons taught for easy reference

What Should I write?

Brainstorming activities

Writing/Literary Terms

Literary terms and definitions for reference

Spelling Demons

Students track their own spelling issues

Craft “Craft” mini-lessons– those things that good writers do (good intros, syntax, voice, etc.)

Editing “Editing” mini-lessons– mechanical/ grammatical mistakes (run-ons, improper citations, etc.)

Writing The heart of the writer’s notebook. Writing created throughout the year.


THE WRITING WORKSHOP FORMAT

The basic structure never changes ALTHOUGH it allows for flexibility

Introducing and modeling this format early on in the year will help students get into the routine

Mini- lesson 5- 15 minutes A short lesson on a single topic; don’t have to give each day; 2-3 times a week is fine

Status of the Class

2-5 minutes Quickly finding out what each student is working on

Writing Time 20-45 minutes Students write. Teacher writes OR conferences with individuals/ small groups

Sharing 5-15 minutes Writers read what they have written, seek feedback. Teacher shares, too

Welcome to Writer’s WorkshopSteve Pehahttp://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

What makes a good mini- lesson?

• Brevity• usually 10-1 5 minutes

in order to keep the majority of the time open for writing

• Focus• Covers a single,

narrowly defined topic

• Authenticity• Based on real things

real writers need to know

• Practical and immediately useful

• Targeted to address specific challenges a writer may face

What are the advantages of the mini-lesson?

1. Students incorporate their writing in an authentic way

2. Students are not intimidated by new concepts because they aren’t focused on performing well on a test

3. Class time wasn’t wasted on giving tests

4. Students spend less time on “busy work”

5. Students develop greater confidence and independence

6. Teachers spend less time correcting papers

7. Most teachers like it, once they get used to it

8. Students tend to like it better right away

GREAT THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES: THE PERKS TO USING MINI- LESSONS


Students will be working on different areas at different paces

Strategies• Simply ask

students where they are and make notations

• Use a chart with student names, the dates, and the status/ progress

• Clothes- pin chart

• Sign up sheets

JUST SEEING WHAT YOU’RE UP TO… CHECKING THE STATUS OF THE CLASS

THE RIGHT TIME FOR WRITE TIME

Y O U W R I T E , T O O

It is always good for a teacher to model what they are expecting of students

• Write for 5- 10 minutes before conferencing with students

C O N F E R E N C I N G

Important conference questions:

1. What are you working on?

2. Can you read me some of what you have written?

3. How’s it coming along? Is there anything I can do to help?

4. What are you going to do next?


SHARING WELL WITH OTHERS

T E A C H E R S O F T E N R U N I N T O T W O P R O B L E M S W H E N I T I S T I M E T O S H A R E …

Problem Solution

So many students want to share that you can’t get everyone in

Keep a record of who wants to share and let them sign up for when they want to share

So students spend 5- 10 minutes reading a piece

Encourage students to read a small section– a part they are struggling with, a part they like, a part for which they need feedback


IF YO

U LIKE IT

,

THEN YO

U SHOULD

PUT

A GRADE O

N

IT

HOW TO ASSESS STUDENT PROGRESS IN THE WRIT ING WORKSHOP

GRADING THROUGH THE WRITING WORKSHOPF O R M A T I V E A S S E S S M E N T

• Peer feedback

• Teacher feedback

S U M M A T I V E A S S E S S M E N T

The Writing Portfolio

• Students have created enough products that they select what they want to share publicly

• Teaches students to look through and at their own work

• “The process of looking at all the writing one has done over a period of time, deciding what to present, and pointing to the positive elements of what one has chosen can be a powerful lesson in audience, purpose, and the traits of writing.”– Jennifer Berne

The Writing- Rich High School Classroom

BYE, B

YE, B

YE

HOW WRITING WORKSHOP RIGHTS THE WRITING WRONGS

• Allows students to write a variety of styles– CCSS WS 1-3

• Mini-lessons introduce students to various styles and mentor texts– CCSS WS 7-9

• Allows students to move physically through the writing process

1. Planning2. Drafting3. Revising4. Editing 5. Publishing– CCSS 4 and 6

• Allows students the time to practice their writing– CCSS WS 10

WRITING WORKSHOP INHERENTLY INCORPORATES COMMON CORE WRITING

STANDARDS

CCSS WS 5

EFFECTIVE TEENAGE WRITERS EMERGE WHEN SIX STUDENT NEEDS ARE MET

Stu

dents

need a

lot

more

w

riti

ng p

ract

ice

Stu

dents

need t

each

ers

who

model good w

riti

ng

Stu

dents

need t

he o

pport

unit

y

to r

ead a

nd s

tud

y o

ther

wri

ters

Stu

dents

need c

hoic

e w

hen it

com

es

to w

riti

ng t

opic

s

Stu

dents

need t

o w

rite

for

au

thenti

c purp

ose

s and f

or

au

thenti

c audie

nce

s

Stu

dents

need m

eanin

gfu

l fe

edb

ack

fro

m b

oth

teach

er

and

peers

Teaching Adolescent

Writers

Kelly Gallagher

WORKS CITED

Berne, Jennifer. The Writing- Rich Classroom: Engaging Students in the Writing Workshop. New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 2009. Print.

Gallagher, Kelly. Teaching Adolescent Writers. Portland, Me: Stenhouse, 2006. Print.

Peha, Steve. "Welcome to the Writer's Workshop." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2013.

quit kicking it old school!

Documents

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