WriteWell UpdatesJennifer Evans

Assistant Director ELA

St.Clair County RESA

Evans.jennifer@sccresa.org

http://www.protopage.com/evans.jennifer#Untitled/Home

Kelly Gallagher, Author and Teacherhttp://www.kellygallagher.org/index.html

“Assigning writing is

easy. Teaching writing is

really hard.”

“We need to teach our

students to read like writers and

write like readers.”

The most effective strategy to improve writing…

Increase the amount and quality of writing.

Why WriteWell©?

Increase writing proficiency for life endeavors

Increase test scores

Coordinate and refine writing

instruction

Create a unified writing program

K-12

Increase use of research-based

instructional practices during

writing instruction

WriteWell© Follows Writer’s Workshop Format

Mini-Lesson(10-15 min.)

Independent Practice with Conferring

(30-40 min.)

Sharing( 5-10 min.)

Successful Implementation of Writer’s Workshop

          

How Often

• Everyday• Everyday• Everyday

How Long

• KDG – 45 minutes

• 1st Grade – 45 minutes extending to 60 minutes

• 2nd – 12th Grades – 60 minutes

When

• Beginning the first day of school

• A single block of time at the same time everyday

Management

• Same format used everyday

• Same rules and procedures used everyday

• Keep it simple

Why

• Consistency

• Consistency

• Consistency

Grades 2-5 K-1 staple small unit booklets for their

notebook Specific notebooking directions for grades

2-5 first unit of study in WriteWell Write everyday on mini-lesson topic or other

notebooking ideas

Start with Notebooking

What Should I Write? Notebooking

How Units of Study Tend to GoImmerse in the genre

Identify distinguishing features of the

genre

Choose an idea to write

about

Choose a mentor text to help you write

Plan your draft

Draft long and fast

Revise EditPublish/

Celebrate

Independent Practice with Conferring

30-40 Minutes

Students work independently while the teacher meets with small groups or individual students

• Conferring Talking Cards

Possible mid-workshop teaching point

• Occur naturally when the teacher notices something that needs clarification or further explanation to help students as they write

Conferring

Research

• Ask “What are you working on as a writer?”

• Have the student read aloud his/her work

Decide•Synthesize what is learned •Decide what to compliment: “What has this child done that I can name and make a fuss over?”•Decide what to teach: “What does this child use but misuse? or “What is nearly there in his or her writing that I can help them with right now?”

Compliment

• Point out writing strategies the child used well

• Say “I like how you…”(give specific example)

Teach• Teach only

one thing• Teach to

the compliment

• Teach to today’s teaching point

• Negotiate a strategy

When choosing your teaching point think: Of all the options I have, what can I teach that will make the biggest difference for this writer?

Sharing5-10 Minutes Notice Question Personal Connection Compliment and Suggestion (glow & grow)

Partner

Small Group

Whole Group

◦ Teaching Kids About Revising (Writing Workshop Lesson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBKqgOvmJ8w

Student Sharing Video

Grammar Units

Pre/Post Tests

Updates – see grade level

representative

Information/Explanatory;

Opinion; ReadWell units developed last

summer

Video Lessons

Rubrics

New to WriteWell:

Language/Grammar Minilesson Key Points

Aligned to CCSS

Weekly concepts taught

approximately five minutes a day

Follows Jeff Anderson’s

format

PowerPoint to match each

weekly lesson

New Language Minilessons

New Pre and Post Assessments

Same Assessment to be given at the beginning of the year and the end

of the year

Use to show growth

See Sample

Rubrics

Teachers Teaching WriteWell

Video Library ◦ All grade levels◦ Various lessons

Kindergarten2nd grade10th grade

Writing Look-Fors

Navigating the Website WriteWell©

◦ http://www.sccresa.org/toolsforschools/curriculumtools/writewell/

◦ Select logo

◦ Enter school log in and password:Temporary Log in:Temporary Password:

Online Exploration

Questions?