Quit Kicking it OLD School! - PowerPoint Presentation

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Quit Kicking it OLD School!

HOW TO RE-INTRODUCE Writing instruction into the high school classroom

Samantha

Caulder

English Teacher

9

th

, 10

th

, and 11

th

grade

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poetry

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Expression

Beautiful wordsFigurative langStructure

Breaking rules

Out loud

TempoRhymeSimpleWords that are hard to understand

Sitting on the grass/ WhitmanSandburg quoteImageryRhythmMusicsymbolism

What do you think of when you hear the word “Poetry”?

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On the Playlist…

Instructional RoadblockHistory 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 WritersUnderstanding and Implementing the Writing Workshop

How to Assess Using Writing WorkshopHow Writing Workshop Rights Writing Wrongs

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Teaching writing is a battlefield

MY INSTRUCTIONAL ROADBLOCK

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Kicking it old school

In high school and college, I was taught to read the text, analyze the text, and write about the textPAPERS!!!USUALLY analytic

Thesis at the end of intro

5+ paragraphs

In my own classroom..

Class would study a literary pieceI would assign a paperStudents would write the paperI would grade the paperI DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH WRITING!!

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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 & thesisPaper would be due in 1-2 weeksStudents could e-mail me drafts OR come before and after school

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

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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.

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We’ve only just begun

History of the Writing Workshop Theory

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1971- Janet Emig

The Composing Process of Twelfth GradersStudied 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

1983- Donald Graves and Lucy CalkinsAmong the first to isolate the stages of writing and identify them in a linear order“The Writing Process”PlanningDraftingRevising

Editing

Publishing

The Writing-Rich High School Classroom

Jennifer Berne

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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

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Late 1980’s- early 1990’s

Elementary education programs began introducing writing process concepts and practices to upcoming teacher candidatesWriting 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 Classroom

Jennifer Berne

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The times they are

a’chaningToday, writing instruction is needed more than ever!

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“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

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Where have all the workshops gone?

Why Aren’t More High School Classrooms Implementing Writing Workshop?

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Sure, we can dwell on issues we can’t control such as

PovertyLack of parental involvementEnglish as a second languageTeaching to the test

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

Teaching Adolescent Writers

Kelly Gallagher

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#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 SchoolsTeaching Adolescent WritersKelly Gallagher

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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 Berne

The Writing-Rich High School Classroom

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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 Gallagher

Teaching Adolescent Writers

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I Heard it through the grapevine…

Why students need to be better writers

TEACHING ADOLESCENT WRITERS

Kelly

gallagher

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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?”

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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 verbalizeRelease emotionsTalk to that person you are unable to talk to in person

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Writing reason #3- Writing helps to persuade others

Gives them a voiceMotivates them to be active participants in the world around them

Writing reason #4

- Writing helps to Fight Oppression

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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 Nagin

Because Writing Matters

Better writers tend to be better readersBetter writers tend to read moreBetter readers tend to produce more mature writing

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Writing reason #6- Writing Makes you smarter

Brain = muscleMuscles + exercise= strengthmental 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

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College admissions looks at 4 criteria:

GPAInvolvement on campusInvolvement in community

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

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“…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

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writing reason #8- writing prepares you for the world of work

2005 survey of members of National association of manufacturers

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 years2004- national commission on writingWriting: A Ticket to Work… or a Ticket Outwriting is a “threshold skill” for employment and promotions½ 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

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Understanding and implementing the writing workshop

You say you want a revolution…

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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 Workshop

Steve

Peha

http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

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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 standardsAdhere to processes that minimize off- task behavior

The first few weeks..Careful, up-front preparation AND continual monitoring and refinement are essentialHelps minimize disruptionsHelps students focus and thus reap long-term benefitsThe Writing-Rich High School ClassroomJennifer Berne

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Organize your space

Writing workshop classrooms are modeled after fine-arts classroomsStudents 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 processPlanning– at student deskDrafting– at student desk

Getting/giving feedbackPeer editing– on the floor or at a table, enough space for 4 or 5 studentsTeacher conferencing– at teacher’s deskRevising—at student deskEditing– separated from peer responseOn the floor or at a tablePublishing– computer stations, laptops, computer labs

The Writing-Rich High School Classroom

Jennifer Berne

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Prepare students for participation

Teachers HAVE to explain and model for students the process How to work collaboratively – see handout 1How 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 9How to track who is off task– see handout 10

The Writing-Rich High School ClassroomJennifer Berne

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The writer’s notebook

A place for students to play with their writingHelps students organize thoughts, materials, and products

Section

Title

Purpose

Table of ContentsStudents keep track of all mini-lessons taught for easy referenceWhat Should I write?Brainstorming activitiesWriting/Literary TermsLiterary 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.

Teaching Adolescent Writers

Kelly Gallagher

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The writing workshop format

The basic structure never changes ALTHOUGH it allows for flexibilityIntroducing 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 fineStatus of the Class2-5 minutesQuickly finding out what each student is working onWriting 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 Workshop

Steve

Peha

http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

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What makes a good mini- lesson?

Brevityusually 10-1 5 minutes in order to keep the majority of the time open for writingFocus

Covers a single, narrowly defined topic

Authenticity

Based on real things real writers need to knowPractical and immediately useful

Targeted to address specific challenges a writer may faceWhat are the advantages of the mini-lesson?Students incorporate their writing in an authentic wayStudents are not intimidated by new concepts because they aren’t focused on performing well on a testClass time wasn’t wasted on giving testsStudents spend less time on “busy work”

Students develop greater confidence and independence

Teachers spend less time correcting papers

Most teachers like it, once they get used to it

Students tend to like it better right away

Great things come in small packages:

the perks to using mini- lessons

Welcome to the Writer’s Workshop

Steve

Peha

http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

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Students will be working on different areas at different paces

StrategiesSimply 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

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The right TIME for write time

You write, tooIt is always good for a teacher to model what they are expecting of studentsWrite for 5- 10 minutes before conferencing with students

Conferencing

Important conference questions:

What are you working on?

Can you read me some of what you have written?How’s it coming along? Is there anything I can do to help?What are you going to do next?Welcome to the Writer’s WorkshopSteve Peha

http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

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Sharing well with others

Teachers often run into two problems when it is time to share…

Problem

Solution

So many students want to share

that you can’t get everyone inKeep a record of who wants to share and let them sign up for when they want to shareSo students spend 5- 10 minutes reading a pieceEncourage students to read a small section– a part they are struggling with, a part they like, a part for which they need feedback

Welcome to the Writer’s Workshop

Steve

Peha

http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

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If you like it, then you should put a grade on it

How to assess student progress in the writing workshop

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Grading through the writing workshop

Formative assessmentPeer feedbackTeacher feedback

Summative assessment

The Writing Portfolio

Students have created enough products that they

select what they want to share publiclyTeaches 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

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Bye, bye, bye

How Writing Workshop rights the writing wrongs

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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

Planning

DraftingRevising

Editing Publishing– CCSS 4 and 6Allows students the time to practice their writing– CCSS WS 10WRITING WORKSHOP INHERENTLY INCORPORATES COMMON CORE WRITING STANDARDS

CCSS WS 5

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Effective teenage writers emerge when six student needs are met

Students need a lot more writing practice

Students need teachers who model good writing

Students need the opportunity to read and study other writers

Students need choice when it comes to writing topics

Students need to write for authentic purposes and for authentic audiences

Students need meaningful feedback from both teacher and peers

Teaching Adolescent Writers

Kelly Gallagher

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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.