Middle School GradesWriting Units of Study Training

May 15, 2015

Presentation Link: http://nwgaresa.com/resources/

Architecture of Conference Conferencing Tools and Tips Norming Meetings and Practice Teaching Struggling Writers Showcasing Practitioners Managing Units of Study TAPS Connection to Workshop Model

Architecture of the Conference

Again, the Big Picture

Minilesson

Independent Writing (20 minutes)

Share

Meeting Place

ConferencesOne-on-one andSmall group

With Partners and TeacherShare and TeachOrganization/Rituals

Question:To convene or not convene?

“use transition moves”

Source: Mary Ehrenworth TCRWP Trainer, Oct. 2014

Need: notebook, partner writing

Conferencing: “Where we ended and begin today”

Making the Connection:TAPS Standards and Conferencing

White Handout

The Architecture of a Conference

• Research• Decide• Teach• Link

also in minilesson Green Conferencing Handout

Research

• Take in information by glancing at writer’s page.• Launch inquiry questions:

– Can you tell me about the piece you are working on?– When we last talked you were planning to…Can you fill me in

on what you did since then and what you’re thinking about that work?

• Make sure students know their roles in a conference (coach on articulating goals and strategies).

• Pursue more than one line of questioning in your conference (to arrive at current and future teaching point).

Decide

• Runs concurrent with research phase as you synthesize what’s been learned.

• Be goal driven: Either teach within the direction the writer has set OR help writer reset direction.

• Be thinking: What is the most important way I can help this writer become a dramatically better writer?

• Always teach toward growth—and eventual independence.

Teach

• Similar to minilesson, although condensed.• Offer a compliment on a transferable skill or

strategy. • Teach and coach, reducing the scaffolding as

you work together.

Link

• Be aware of the ticking clock (no longer than 5 minutes).

• Clarify the work the writer still needs to do.• Support transference of what’s taught into the

future writing pieces. • Make sure the writer leaves wanting to write.

Small Group Conferencing with

Kate Roberts

http://vimeo.com/56067219

What did you notice?

CONFERRING COMPONENTS(research and decide already done)

TEACH LINK

Pink Handout

Conferencing Tools and Tips

Ways to Keep Conference Records• Page for “class-at-a-glance” on clipboard.• Sheet of goals/observations from learning

progressions.• Prewritten list of compliments and teaching points.• Notebooks divided into sections by child.• Sticky notes moved to notebooks. • Wall-sized grid visible to students.• Final section of students’ writer’s notebook

(a Lucy preference).

• AND YOURS? A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop,

Primary Grades, pp. 55-56 and Intermediate Grades, p. 58

Conferencing Prompts • Where are you in the writing process?• Tell me a little about your work.• Have you been trying to/rereading to…(getting to the new stuff)? • Show me what you are working on and the plans you have for

today.• How is it going?• What are you working on as a writer?• What are some of the other things you plan to do with this piece

of writing today? • Where are you as far as _____(process, goals, and/or student

work)?

Salmon Handout (cardstock)A Guide to the Common Core Writing WorkshopIntermediate Grades, pp. 72-74

• Easy to use conferencing application• Allows capturing notes which sync with other

devices• Can take pictures of student work• Can record conversations from conferences• Can share notes with parents or colleagues via

email once saved• Get 2G free

• ANY OTHERS?

https://evernote.com/

Conferencing Recap

Research

Decide

Teach

Link

• Observe, interview, and read student’s writing.

• Determine what student has done and is trying to do.

• Pursue more than one line of questioning to obtain info.

• Gets to the “what” and “how.”

• Teach toward growth and independence. • Start by naming a

writing strength. • Decide on a teaching

method.• Teach and coach,

adjusting support. • Name what the writer

has done.• Repeat the teaching

point. • Remember: Writer

leaves wanting to write.

Norming Meetings and Practice

“…doing this work in the company of each other is an illuminating experience

and provides wells that you and your colleagues draw upon when you teach.”

Writing Pathways (chapter 3)

Payoffs

• Developing a school culture using learning progressions, benchmark pieces, and rubrics helps teachers form close-knit grade-specific cohorts to work with each other and their students to accelerate progress.

• Conducting norming work together helps create a plan for scoring student work that informs teaching and promotes consistency of scoring.

Writing Pathways (chapter 3)

General Norming Guidelines

• Become familiar with rubric(s) before norming begins.• Set aside two-period block of time for first meeting.• Understand protocol for how meeting will run.• Collect and bring recent on-demand writing pieces

that match writing of norming meetings.• Make sure collection reflects varied levels of student

work. • Choose pieces that keep everyone engaged.• Make sure pieces are kept anonymous (white out

students’ names). Writing Pathways (chapter 3)

On-Demand Assessments

• Give as pre-assessments at start of year (and each unit) and again at end of unit (eventually end of year) to collect baseline data and calibrate teaching.

• Provide crystal clear demonstration of what students learn to do without assistance.

• Show effectiveness of teaching.

Writing Pathways (chapter 2)

Norming: Series of Steps How good is good enough?

Protocol for Norming Meetings Chapter 3 (pp.26-38), Writing Pathways

Blue Handout

Norming Activity Time • Sharing sample papers, you will work in groups to

complete “two rounds” and “steps 1 and 2” of the norming protocol for the Units of Study.

• Designate an “observer” from the group to watch the process of discussing EVIDENCE, take notes, and report out.

• As a table group, decide whose sample paper to use first.• Based on the identified grade level and genre of the

sample, use copies of the “appropriate” rubric (get from designated resource table.)

• Now, talk as a table and score for Round 1/Step 1 . . . . . .

Got the Right Rubric?

Argument – Pink FolderNarrative – Purple FolderInformation – Orange Folder

Today’s Practice: Step 1

Observer’s Role:RECORD

Observer’s Role

WHAT DID YOU HEAR FROM THE GROUP

ABOUT THEIR EVIDENCE?

Practice Again: Step 2

• Designate a “new observer” from the group to watch the process of reaching CONSENSUS, take notes, and report out.

• As a table group, decide whose sample paper to use for Round 2 scoring.

• Based on the identified grade level and genre of the sample, use copies of the “appropriate” rubric rubric (get from designated resource table.)

• Now, talk as a table and score Round 2/Step 2 . . .

More Practice: Step 2

Observer’s Role:RECORD

Observer’s Role

WHAT DID YOU HEAR FROM THE GROUP

AS THEY WORKED TO REACH CONSENSUS?

“An important goal in a process like this is for the group to align itself. If after doing this work with five papers of different levels, the group finds that it can come to a

consensus, the group can consider itself normed, and people can now score papers individually.”

Writing Pathways, (Chapter 3, pp. 29-30)

RECAP: When Normed?

• Begins in the norming meeting with two benefits:– Leads to faster scoring which increases

teacher confidence– Allows for conversations with colleagues

about any new issues.

Complete the Norming Community(Writing Pathways, Chapter 3, pp. 30-31)

Teaching Struggling Writers

Support for Writers

• Differentiated Teaching• Interventions• Counseling and Mentoring

Source: “Making Dramatic Strides with Students that Struggle” Presentation Mike Oats, TCRWP Institute, August 2014

Differentiated TeachingContent Process Product

• Zone of Proximal Development

• Use of Learning Progressions

• Sketch• Talk• Listen to Writing• Read Writing…then

write!• Speech to Text Software• Typing vs. Writing by

Hand• Write on Paper with

Varied Line Spacing• Extra Time• Methods of Teaching• Emphasize Learning

Strategies vs. Styles• Topic Choice by

Students

• Written/Drawn vs. Typed

• Shorter vs. Longer Length

• One vs. Several Pieces• Use of Creative

Publishing Formats (blogs, YouTube, speeches, letters, etc.)

Interventions

• Teach metacognitive strategies– Think about audience– Consider strategies that work best– Know when and why help is needed

• Use mini-charts, teaching point reminders, and physical manipulatives

• Teach positive learning mindsets– Examples: Dependence vs. independence, approximation vs.

perfectionism, self-efficacy vs. self-handicapped• Use books to teach macrostructures of genres– Examples: Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One, I Wanna Iguana

Counseling and Mentoring

• Research observe, read their writing

• Interview low pressure, get to know writer

• Define issue or problem, share and limit

• Empathize “What I hear you say is…” “You must have felt that…” “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”• Set expectations and goals (independence, volume, engagement, meeting standards)• Co-Create strategy (give them time to think)

Writing Interview Chart

Code Student

Codes:W = writingLA = looking aroundH = hand raisedT = talking

Showcasing Practitioners

Ashworth Middle School Gordon County Schools

• Rituals and Routines• Presenter– Andrea Salmon

Reflection: Our Writing Success This Year

Why Rituals and Routines

“ I plan the first days in more detail than any other week of the school year. A lot has to happen. Kids will get to know each other and start together as a corps of writers and readers. They’ll become acquainted with the space, how it is organized, and what it offers them in terms of materials, resources, equipment and options. Many of the routines and procedures of the workshop are established during the first weeks of school; so is my role as a writer, reader, teacher, and learner." Nancy Atwell, In the Middle

What Does the Research Tell Us ?

“PREDICTABLE” Classrooms

Many students lives are not predictable. Some aren’t sure who will be at home…..IF someone will be at home. There

is no routine for doing homework or getting help. Life might be chaotic. As educators we cannot control these environments. We CAN control the environment of our

classrooms. When students know what happens and when it happens every single day in our classrooms, those

very procedures can provide a sense of security in students’ lives. If only for an hour or two.

The Importance of Community

Gallery Walk of Writing Success

Q and A Clip: Ashworth Middle School

Comments about Community Writer’s Workshop

http://youtu.be/zIDXkJ1AGNs

The Importance of Community

• Relationships• Trust• Respect • Building of Life Skills• Expectations• Sharing• Celebrations

The Importance of Community

“Gathering middle school students into some kind of meeting area defines when you are in a minilesson, versus when you release students to work independently. Pulling and then releasing students thus acts as a metaphor for when you want kids to pay attention to you, and when they need to pay attention to their own work.” - Lucy Calkins

Video Clip: Ashworth Middle School

Importance of Community in the Writer’s Workshop http://youtu.be/BlOFyFWkCws

Structure of Writing Time

Minilesson

Independent Writing (20 minutes)

Share

Meeting Place

ConferencesOne-on-one andSmall group

With Partners and TeacherShare and TeachOrganization/Rituals

Question:To convene or not convene?

“use transition moves”

Source: Mary Ehrenworth TCRWP Trainer, Oct. 2014

Need: notebook, partner writing

Rituals and RoutinesManagement Materials Artifacts –

Tangible Supports that Assist in

Student Learning

Evidence –Proof of Student

Learning

• Transitioning students

• Arranging of desk for optimal space for:

Conferencing Community Independent & Peer Work

• Writing Notebooks

• Writing resource station( pencils, pens, sharpener,

dictionary• thesaurus

• Classroom library

• Writing folders

• Anchor Charts

• Standards posted with related EQ

• Learning Target

• Student work displayed

• Genre checklists and rubrics displayed

• Students can demonstrate/

explain where to obtain and return instructional materials

• Students can explain the procedures and classroom structures

• Work Samples

• Accountable talk

Writer’s Workshop Rituals and Routines Tasks

Task 1 Expectations of Writer's Workshop

Task 2 Heart Map: Moments That "EXPLODE" Into Stories

Task 3 Making Lists

Task 4 Sketching a Memory

Task 5 Organizing the Writer's Notebook

Task 6 The Writing Process

Task 7 Revision

Task 8 Editing

Task 9 Peer Conferencing

Task 10 Rubric and Example #1

Task 11 Rubric and Example #2

Task 12 Rubric and Student Piece

Gallery Walk

ShowYour Students

“It Matters”

-Lucy Calkins

The Importance of Rituals and Routines

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

West End Elementary SchoolRome City Schools

• Research-Based Information Writing (Grade 6, Unit 3)

• Presenters– Cassie Parsons– Jennifer Palmer– Debra Summerville

Managing Units of Study

How to Read a Unit of StudyStep 1

“Keep an open mind. Seriously. You might think that you are willing to try anything, but then by Session 4

you’re starting to think, ‘Well I could just change that…’ By session 10 you’re thinking, ‘Well I could just do this

session the way I did it last year…’ Then you’ll decide to use a different kind of paper, and you’ll skip this and add

that…and by the end of the unit, you’ve actually told yourself that you’re not going to do very much of the unit at all-even though you thought you were being

completely open-minded the whole time.”

https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/how-to-read-a-unit-of-study/

“Instead, I recommend reading each session with the intention of teaching the

session as it is. Then during the school year, you’ll adapt your teaching to the KIDS,

rather than preemptively adapting all the sessions before you’ve even given them a

try. Resist the temptation to try to squeeze the new ideas to fit with what you already

know, or what you’ve always done in the past.”

Monday June 16, 2014 by Elizabeth Moore (TCRWP)

How to Read a Unit of Study (cont.)Step 2 Use as a guide, not a script.

Step 3 Think long-term.

Step 4 Take notes (post-its) on minilesson and use for teaching.

Step 5 Work like the students by trying out the writing.

Making the TAPS Connection

TAPS Activity

Standard 2 Standard 3

Standard 4 Standard 7

Continuing the TAPS Connection

• Find the number (2, 3, 4, or 7) on the top right corner of your TAPS handout.

• Move to the assigned TAPS table with your other “same number” partners.

• Review your TAPS standard and its indicators.• Use sticky notes to list characteristics of the

Writer’s Workshop Model that fit the standard. • Post you chart paper with sticky notes for whole

group Gallery Walk/Carousel.

Refer to White TAPS Handout

Time’s Up!

Now, begin the carousel rotation to review the other standards and group’s feedback.

How do the units of study help streamline your accountability in

the evaluation process?

Sample Observation Checklist

Gold Handout

Architecture of Conference Conferencing Tools and Tips Norming Meetings and Practice Teaching Struggling Writers Showcasing Practitioners Managing Units of Study TAPS Connection to Workshop Model

Where do we go from here?

When I return to my school, I am going to try . . .

Something I can share with

other teachers . . .