Professional Literature Groups Posting #5

Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide

By Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi

Chapter 9 Assessment and Evaluation

The authors caution teachers about the power grades have over students. However, teachers do need to know how students are doing in writing, both to inform teaching and to assign letter grades. Certain advise was given for both categories.

Using Writing to Inform Teaching:

*You can take the “status of the class” at the beginning of the writing period. This is having students state what they will be doing during writing time (i.e. drafting, editing, etc.)

*Teachers can take notes about student needs and progress during writing conferences.

Grading Writing:

*Not every piece of writing needs a grade assigned to it! Students need to feel free to explore new genres and styles of writing without fear of a grade attached.

*Students can learn to make evaluative comments on their own writing. I think this is important because self-reflection has a much deeper meaning to many.

*Arrive at report card grades by reviewing notes and writing folders.

The authors also talked about statewide writing tests and how to prepare students. We no longer do state writing tests, although we do have high stakes testing where the students need to know how to respond to reading. I think that by having a balanced writing workshop, students will be better prepared for testing.

Things I will take to heart as a teacher:

*Yay, I don’t have to put a grade on everything! I currently don’t, but I didn’t have the verbal reasoning why before.

*Student-self evaluation is a powerful tool!

Professional Literature Groups Posting #4

Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide

By Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi

Chapter 11 Yearlong Horizons

This chapter talked about the problem of needing to plan ahead and the need for teaching in a way that responds to the writers’ needs. It gave a basic outline of what each month should look like.

August: The authors suggest the first month is for setting the tone. I plan on using this month to build my rituals and routines as well as to create a safe environment.

September: The authors suggest using this time to celebrate the writing of students. Students should have published piece. An idea is given to send out writers as “visiting authors” to other classrooms.

October: The suggestion is given that students should pause to reflect on the writing done so far. I agree that students need time to reflect on their writing. I would also take the time to teach students how to use rubrics.

November: According to the authors, this is the time to introduce new challenges, perhaps introducing new genres. We traditionally work on our reports of information. I will have to think about whether I want to continue that path or work on something new.

December: Is the time to establish closure by finishing a genre study.

January: Begin the year anew! In my class that means the start of a folktale unit!

February: The authors suggest using this month to begin research projects. We usually do that earlier in the year in my class.

March: Is another time for reflection.

April: The authors suggest challenging students during writing conference time and to give some test practice. In our school we will definitely be doing test prep during this time!

May: Have students gather finished pieces and look ahead as writers.

Professional Literature Groups Posting #3

Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide

By Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi

Chapter 7 Literature in the Writing Workshop

This chapter talked about how writing and reading are intertwined. Good writers are usually good readers with heads filled with stories and such that they have read and reread many times. Teachers can help students make the reading and writing connections that some children do on their own, and others need some help.

Picture books are ideal to use for lessons because they are short and usually transparent. Teachers can develop craft lessons where they use picture books to illustrate a certain way that authors write. They might use a picture book to show how authors use transition words. Literature can also be a good place for students to get ideas to write about. I know from personal experience that by hearing somebody else’s poem or story I oftentimes jump to an idea that I would have never thought to write about. Teachers can also use picture books during student writing conferences. If I notice one of my students is struggling with a kind of writing I will have the student study authors and books to see how it is done.

In my classroom I already use picture books as a basis for mini lessons. This chapter helped me to remember why that is a best practice and also gave me some suggestions on books to use.

Professional Literature Groups Posting #2

Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide

Chapter 5 Conferring With Writers

The writing conference is an essential part of the writing workshop. It is a one-on-one meeting with a student to help guide them the student in his/her writing. Some teachers might feel uncomfortable conferring in this way because they do not remember it from their own schooling experience.

Things to remember:

1.     Listen-The writing workshop puts children in an active role and has the teacher be the facilitator. The conference gives us a chance to show that we are listening to the student.

2.   Be Present as a Reader-Respond the way you would respond to any other piece of reading that you like.

3.   Build on the strengths of the student you are conferring with.

The suggestions given that I can use for my own third graders as writers were:

*Focus on the most important thing

*Separate different ideas to different stories

*Teaching students to cut and tape to add different information.

I do confer with my students but find these suggestions helpful. I don’t always like to do one-on-one conferences, partly because I am not sure what my students what help on besides editing. This chapter gave important ideas that I can use to help improve my writing conferences.

Kaloko-Honokohau Harbor

Kaloko-Honokohau Harbor

Daily Log Friday, June 17

http://youtu.be/NBM3N5W-BLE

Professional Literature Groups

Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide by Fletcher & Portalupi
Chapter 8 What About Skills

Things that stuck with me:

We must rethink the way we have traditionally taught language arts if we are to teacher writers' workshop. There is not enough time to teach isolated skills. Portalupi found in her own classroom that if she taught skills in an isolated context, her students were less likely to apply these skills in the context of their own writing. She felt that the students benefitted most when they were embedded in the lessons because they needed them while they wrote and in a way that helped them to consciously apply the rules. So she started by writing down a list of particular skills her students were expected to know. She focused on the skills that dealt with spelling, punctuation, and grammar. She then made a grid with her students names where she could keep track of their acquisition of each skill. Portalupi compared testing skills in isolation like coaching soccer and only looking at isolated drills instead of how a child plays in a game.

Other important ideas:

*Use students' own writing (strengths/shortcomings) to determine which skills to teach & when
*Always present ideas from the perspective of a writer (i.e. writers use commas in different ways...)
*Teach students the process of editing
*Students should be their own first editors
*Editing conferences should selectively teach one to two skills that students are reading to learn
*Teach students that proofreaders often read a piece backwards to check for spelling
*Different colored pens/pencils can help show types of errors found during editing
*Teach students that a well-marked piece means that the editor was doing a careful job
*Teacher editing is most important when you use it as a process to change the writing

Ways I will change as a teacher/writer:
It was laid out clearly why skills should be embedded in the workshop. We currently have a 30 minute block of time to teach skills as well as an hour a day for writers' workshop. Maybe I will try teaching the lessons in both time frames and seeing if double-dipping proves an effective use of time. I definitely will keep spelling separate from my writers' workshop, but I do need to work on getting my students to apply the spelling rules in their own writing.
I also like the idea of creating an editing routine. I know in my own writing I make many mistakes the first time and need to carefully read it over before submitting. I need to teach my students that as well.
I also liked how this book really made it clear that teacher editing was not as important as imparting the skills to create self-directed learners.

Research Question

How do reading journals reflect students' progress as critical thinkers? What conclusion can I draw from analyzing the progression of responses over the school year?

Lesson Plan for Editing

Name: Shawna Fischer

Length of Time: 90 minutes

Grade: 5

HCPS Standards:

Topic         Sentence Structure and Grammar

Benchmark LA.5.4.2    Form and use the following grammatical constructions correctly when editing writing:

• complex sentences

• introductory phrases and subordinate clauses

• noun-pronoun agreement with intervening words or phrases

• appositives

• relative clauses

Topic         Punctuation, Capitalization, and Spelling

Benchmark LA.5.4.5    Edit writing to correct use of following punctuation:

• parentheses

• commas with relative clauses

• commas with appositives, if needed

Rubric

Advanced

Write and edit for grade-appropriate sentence structure and grammar, with accuracy

Proficient

Write and edit for grade-appropriate sentence structure and grammar, with no significant errors

Developing Proficiency   

Write and edit for grade-appropriate sentence structure and grammar, with a few significant errors and/or many minor errors        

Well Below

Write and edit for grade-appropriate sentence structure and grammar, with many significant errors

Content Concepts:

Students will be able to create a routine where they become their own first editors of their writing.

GLO’S: Self-directed Learner, Effective Communicator

Ojectives: Student will be able to edit their narrative draft.

Assessment(s) and or Evaluation:

Resources:

Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! by Lynne Truss and Bonnie Timmons

Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, Every Punctuation Mark Counts! by Lynne Truss and Bonnie Timmons

The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage without Apostrophes! by Lynne Truss and Bonnie Timmons

Beginning Procedures (Lesson Introduction/Anticipatory Set/Connection to Prior Knowledge)

Class will make a T-chart that lists the differences between revision and editing. Students will share when they use one of the other during their own writing.

Middle Procedures (Learning Activities)

In groups students will read the books on punctuation rules. Books handed out include Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference, Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, Every Punctuation Mark Counts, The Girl’s like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage without Apostrophes. Groups will then make a list of punctuation rules that they should look for in their own writing.

Groups will then share out what they learned with the class. They will then create an editing checklist of 3-5 skills they believe are important to check for in their own writing. Each item will be color-coded and students will be encouraged to refer to the list the groups made. For example, one item on the editing checklist might be use of apostrophes. Students will check their writing for this skill and will circle the needed corrections in the corresponding color.

Closing Procedures:

Students will then have a peer editor check their work for agreed upon skills. Peer editors will not mark their classmate’s paper. Instead the peer editor will write suggestions and notes on a sticky note. Author will apply changes as agreed upon. Class will close with a discussion of what was learned that day.

Modifications for Diverse Learners:

Students may not be at grade level. The teacher will monitor these students through conferencing and will encourage those students to set appropriate goals.

Teacher’s Reflection on Lesson: 
Today I taught, rather reluctantly, I lesson on editing. I personally do not like editing nor do I always know how to get my third grade students to like it. But I read Ralph Fletcher's take on it and borrowed some children's books, and made gave it my best shot.


I was unprepared to find that some for commas for American English were wrong. The authors of the books I used are British, so there was some differences in the rules we use. I think it was helpful to use an approach that was student-centered, since the subject is such a dry one for most people. I would probably use a modified version of this lesson in my own classroom. I would probably photocopy the page of the book with the particular lesson in mind. I would then provide extra examples of the same rule for conventions and then have groups generalize the rule.

May 18

         He rested the chainsaw on his dirt caked jeans, startled by the growing darkness. Framed between the boughs of the Ponderosa Pines, he could no longer see the horizon even though the sun had just risen a few hours before. His sweaty forearm felt the prick of….rain? No, these specks falling from the sky did not dissolve into relief but instead smudged into the grime already there.

         His buddy had stopped too, soon after he felled the last tree. They both were alert now as the sky was turning into consuming blackness.

         They got into the old pickup truck, hastily tossing chainsaws into the bed, cranking the knob on the old radio. The crackling on the radio cleared and they could hear that which they already knew: that mountain had awoken fiercely! Yet then the announcer said that which alter my family forever: a cropduster plane was missing!

         Knowing the pilot was either his father-in-law or brother-in-law, my dad changed courses and barreled the truck towards my grandma’s house. And there he found his wife, long red hair tangled with the baby in the sling, vinegar tears spilling over onto my downy head. He learned what the family already knew, the man they adored, the one who had skipped school at 15 to take flying lessons, the one who started a flying business in a small Washington town, the one who would later be honored by the Washington Aviation Hall of Fame, lay crumpled in twisted metal in a farmer’s field.