Begin at 8:30Welcome to Day 2 of Utah Standards Academy 2014

A little humor in the morning is always a good way to start. Do you sometimes feel that students are conspiring against you? Is this how you feel after end of year assessments?

Make sure participants know that their comments will help drive our instruction.

Make a poster of this outline to display in the room.

How do you typically get your students’ attention. Turn and talk. Show videoPoem (direct them to handout)

Children should have opportunities to do different levels of writing throughout instruction in all content areas each day.

Expectations for student writing are found in our ELA State Standards.

Anchor Standard 10 says: read #10

This is a quick overview. We will follow these steps with actual activities in content areas.Prewriting: conversations, annotations, notes, and graphic organizersDrafting: handwriting or keyboardingRevising: changing content including word choice, order of content, vocabulary, etc.Editing: fixing mechanics including punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc.Publishing: Publishing a “practically perfect” piece should only occur once a year.

Read through chart – discuss5 Levels of Writing (handout)*Make sure you discuss the idea that the Level 5 writing can be a piece that was begun at the beginning of the school year, revised and edited for different aspects of conventions or traits, and perfected for publishing. How much pride would a student feel at having a perfect piece THEY had worked on throughout the school year? Sometimes I’ve asked myself about writing products – did this reflect what I know about writing, or what the students know about writing? Maybe the answer to this question helps us understand how nervous we’ve been about the SAGE writing assessment. What do you think?

An adult with ADD found this quote and sent it to one of our presenters. He found this to be very true. He admits that information often is confusing, out of order, or connected to the wrong things in his head. He excitedly noted that writing things out really does help him figure out what he really knows and understands. It helps him catch errors in his thinking and organize what he’s learned. We teach, and we want to teach well, but if our students haven’t learned the information, we’ve done too much of the work. Writing allows our students to constantly be engaged in the learning process.

This book was given out during Standards Academy of 2011 and reviewed last year.

We learned about Quick Bursts of Writing in Core Academy last year. How many have tried it? With what success? This informal assessment will help us to decide how long you should spend in the next section.

Each team will need the handout that goes with their assignment for the jigsaw.Make a connection with the levels of writing. Where do each of these types of writing fit on the Levels of Writing chart?

Quick Jot (handout)The first informal writing technique is the “Quick Jot”Go to -www.davis.k12.ut.us/164-Faculty and Staff-JanielClick on Quick Bursts of Writing Across the Curriculum Informal Strategies Summary Posters, then Poster for Quick Jots (There is also a shorter handout/note-taking page on your cd.)Review and discuss the document, then look at the following two slides and examples of Quick Jots on your cd. What are the benefits of incorporating Quick Jots into your daily curriculum? What adjustments do you need to make to incorporate Quick Jots?

This is a Quick Jot done with a group of Kindergarten students. The students were getting ready to learn about birds. They were asked to compile a list of ‘birds you know’.Humming birds, peacie bird, eagle bird, parrot bird, then the list: pelican, robin, eagle, geese, ducks, humming bird, ?, hawk, penguin, vulture.

This was a 3rd grade Quick Jot given during a unit on Force and Motion. The students were to list ways you could move play dough. This student came up with things like roll it, flick it, chuck it, smash it, etc.

These samples are from Denice Prince at Windridge Elementary. She has the kids write often so she can find out what they are understanding. First she has them write a line after their last entry, and then write the date in red pen. This makes it easy to go back and reread things they have already written.In the first sample – Aug 23: this was her baseline or beginning point. The kids wrote what they did during the summer. On Aug. 29th, the kids needed to review procedures they were to follow when entering the room in the morning. Rather than give ANOTHER lecture, she had the kids write and share out. This was a much more effective review of the procedure. Aug 31: they wrote in response to their favorite part of the anthology story that day. Another student – Sept. 6, Everyone wanted to share what they had done for Labor Day. A quick write was an easy way for everyone to write and share what they did. Sept. 6 – they needed another review of procedures in the halls.

Quick Try (handout)The next informal writing technique is the “Quick Try”Go to -www.davis.k12.ut.us/164-Faculty and Staff-JanielClick on Quick Bursts of Writing Across the Curriculum Informal Strategies Summary Posters, then Poster for Quick Tries (There is also a shorter handout/note-taking page on your cd.)Review and discuss the document, then look at the following two slides and examples of Quick Tries on your cd. What are the benefits of incorporating Quick Tries into your daily curriculum? How are Quick Tries different from Quick Jots? What adjustments do you need to make to incorporate Quick Tries?

Here is a Kindergarten Quick Try which combines science and math: What does our weather graph show? Read from the example.

Here’s a Second Grade Quick Try in Math. Students were given manipulatives and asked to show how they solved a problem through writing and sketching. Read from the example.

Denice Prince’s class: She wanted to know what they had learned about the food pyramid that day. Read from the example.

Quick Write (handout)The next informal writing technique is the “Quick Write”Go to -www.davis.k12.ut.us/164-Faculty and Staff-JanielClick on Quick Bursts of Writing Across the Curriculum Informal Strategies Summary Posters, then Poster for Quick Writes (There is also a shorter handout/note-taking page on your cd.) Additionally, click on the link Rules for Quick Writes on Janiel’s webpage or access this document on the cd. (Note: poster-sized, full- color versions of the Rules for Quick Writes is available through Dave in district printing services.)Review and discuss the documents, then look at the following two slides and examples of Quick Writes on your cd. What are the benefits of incorporating Quick Writes into your curriculum? How are Quick Writes different from the other informal Quick Burst strategies covered so far? What adjustments do you need to make to incorporate Quick Writes?

Quick writes start with smaller amounts of time and build up as kids gain stamina. Here’s a First Grade Quick Write about plants.

Here’s a Second Grade Quick Write. The teacher gave students ten minutes to write about life cycles as a culmination to their unit of study in science.

Thinking Boxes (handout)The last informal writing technique is “Thinking Boxes”Go to -www.davis.k12.ut.us/164-Faculty and Staff-JanielClick on Quick Bursts of Writing Across the Curriculum Informal Strategies Summary Posters, then Poster for Thinking Boxes (There is also a shorter handout/note-taking page on your cd.)Review and discuss the document, then look at the following two slides and examples of Thinking Boxes on your cd. What are the benefits of incorporating Thinking Boxes into your curriculum? How are Thinking Boxes different from the other informal techniques? What adjustments do you need to make to incorporate Thinking Boxes?

Here is a teacher-model of Thinking Boxes done with fourth graders as the class read a USOE article on the water cycle. Important note about Thinking Boxes: This is meant to be an interactive strategy; not simply boxes to be filled in on a worksheet. When students share as they complete boxes, they build and clarify knowledge together and the teacher’s immediate feedback plays an important role. This doesn’t happen if students are working independently on worksheets. Consider how this is true for all of the Quick Burst strategies.

Here: Kindergarten (in April) Thinking Boxes based on a read aloud of a book on spring. In Box 1 students jotted the topic, in Box 2 they noted and added sketches in response to the question: “What are changes you SEE in the spring?”, in Box 3 they responded to, “What changes do you FEEL in the spring?” and in Box 4 they noted their favorite SPRING activity.

We will give you an electronic copy so you can print this up in color for your classroom.Have the kids read these rules together just before writing to remind them what they should be dong.After saying “ready begin,” wait until every child’s pencil is moving before leaving from your teaching spot. If a child raises their hand, refer to the poster and make writing motions in the air – smile.

See handout. Go through the steps as a class. To be used journal during journal writing – next slide.

In the 1970’s, a high number of BYU students were drowning in the Provo River. While tubing down the river, they couldn’t see the branches under the surface that might snag and hold them under. When the floods of 1983 came, the river was dredged so the flood waters could flow down more efficiently. As teachers we need to look for what might “snag” student understanding so we can help students navigate through what might otherwise be treacherous reading.

We learned about Close Reading in Core Academy last year. How many have tried it? With what success? This informal assessment will help you to decide how long you should spend in the next Close Reading section.

We got this idea from Connie Stone from the Provo District1st read – key ideas and details, like looking at appearance only2nd read – like picking up the can and shaking it3rd read – like opening the can to see inside = candy!

Watch this video with the class

Close Reading Template (handout) You will be going through this planning tool three times:

1. Briefly we’ll go through the information on this template using the next several slides.

2. Jigsaw activity: you will study a section and present to the class as groups

3. Practice using the planning tool with the poem stanza as groups

4. DiscussionRemember: We close read to study the aspect(s) of the text that make it difficult. Once you’ve established what makes a text complex, it is easier to plan a focused close reading activity. These activities do not ALWAYS have to move through all three levels of understanding.

There are two sections to this planning tool. As with any tool, you can rely heavily on it to help you plan when you are uncertain about how to make Close Reading effective in your classroom. This will take work and planning on paper. After you’ve gone through the process with your students several times, you will not need to rely on the tool so much and may only choose to plan parts of your Close Read on paper, but can refer to the planning tool to make sure your lesson will be strongly effective.

The next few slides will give a quick overview or review of the steps need for Close Reading. (Don’t spend a lot of time on this introduction because participants will be teaching it to each other, then using it for the poem.)

The first read is used to establish general understanding of the content and to identify key ideas and details.

The second read is meant to take student understanding of the text to the next level and study the author’s craft and/or the structure of the text.

The third read takes us to the third level of understanding.

The most important component is to reflect on how the lesson went and if purposes were met. Also make notes on what should be repeated as well as what instruction should be adjusted.

Jigsaw Activity. Teachers present the components to the whole class.

Poem Stanza (handout)Your turn to plan out a Close Reading using a stanza from “The Night Before Christmas”.

We got this idea from one of the 4th-5th Core instructors last year:True story of Carly, the daughters of one of the presenters. Although she grew up going to the pool often, she wasn’t a strong swimmer and never liked putting her face in the water. As an adult Carly didn’t want to go on a trip to Cancun because she knew everyone in the group was diving certified and she was happy to stay on the beach or wade in the water. Besides, she had heard countless horrific stories of divers being swept out to sea, or meeting some other terrible fate. Her husband bought the plane ticket and her in-laws signed her up for diving lessons. She was concerned she wouldn’t even make it across the pool to pass off her swimming portion of the training. She couldn’t sink like the others once she got in the pool. She overcame the odds and became a certified diver. In Mexico she first went snorkeling and got sick in the boat. She was sure she would die while scuba diving. As she dove for the first time off the Island of Cozumel, a stunning new world teaming with life and color surrounded her. Carly knew she was hooked on diving for the rest of her life. Wouldn’t we love to have our reluctant readers overcome their fears of difficult text and have them become hooked on reading for the rest of their lives?!Some teachers have dressed up in diving or snorkeling equipment to do this lesson.1st read – key ideas and details, like looking down into the water2nd read – like snorkeling, going a little deeper and seeing as much as you can from the surface, or near the surface.3rd read – like scuba diving, really diving deep to see what is there.

Give participants time to discuss, but not time enough to begin personal conversations. Usually 3-5 minutes – tops!

Vermont Writing Samples and Worksheet (handouts)

Pertinent Standards on next slide

We will focus on Writing Standards for 2nd and 3rd grades, but write observations on how the elements of the responses change throughout the grades.

More humor - read comic

Read comic – Do our students know how to write without adult help? Have we taught our students HOW to gather information and HOW to write so they can complete this task independently?

Divide class into groups. Provide highlighters. Give participants 5 minutes to highlight what is meaningful, unclear, etc. Have each group share with each other what they highlighted for about 2 minutes. Pick several individuals to share what was said in their group with the whole class. If time, participants can share how they might have taught one of the bullets in their own classroom.SAGE was graded from this rubric this year. Changes made be made for next year.

Writing for Understanding (handout)Writing for Understanding Template (handout)We are going to follow these handouts as we walk you through an actual classroom lesson.

What question will I pose so that students can see how to approach this thinking and writing in a specific, appropriate, manageable way?

The central idea should align with Utah Standards. Notice the color at the top of the slide remains the same for each topic and matches our master slide and poster.

What question will I pose so that students can see how to approach this thinking and writing in a specific, appropriate, manageable way?

How will I make sure the students know enough about the subject to actually write about it?

The Year at Maple Hill Farm Lesson Plan (handout)Passages (handout)

2nd read – help students notice contextual clues for vocabulary

Create thinking boxes: blank sheet of paper or fold paper in spiral bound in half (vertically) and draw a line horizontally. This way students can create thinking boxes without tearing out the page. Number and label boxes. (I always give students a choice of using their paper landscape or portrait.)

Read September pages 19-22 (next two slides)Record information in thinking boxes

Reread September pages 19-20

Reread September pages 21-22Record information in thinking boxes

Record September information in thinking boxes

Reread October pages 23-24Record information in thinking boxes

Record October information in thinking boxes

Reread November pages 25-26Record information in thinking boxes

Record November information in thinking boxes

Reread December pages 27-28Record information in thinking boxes

Record December information in thinking boxes

Reread January pages 1-2Record information in thinking boxes

Record January information in thinking boxes

Reread February pages 3-4Record information in thinking boxes

Record February information in thinking boxes

Thinking Boxes: Teacher modeled. This was guided and completed together as a class. This is how you start. As you go along, release the recording to the students. It helps to discuss first, so students can get ideas of what to write. Then let them write. Share, and correct any misconceptions you detect. Quick bursts of writing help us determine student understanding of content, and it helps THEM know what they understand because they have to write something about it – that’s a commitment of thinking!(second grade students, Title I school, very little writing experience)

A structured writing experience can be used as notes for students to write and the beginning. Then students can use those notes to write on their own.OR visa versaStudents can quick write, then (if they need support in writing complete sentences) you can use the information in quick writes to complete a structured report as a class, as small peer groups, etc. This kind of writing really lends itself to differentiation. Some students could quick write, and others could complete a structured paper in a small group with adult support. Writing will benefit students at every skill level. We just need to give them the support to help them towards independence.(second grade students, Title I school, little writing experience)How will I make sure they know enough about the craft of writing?How will the students know how to organize their ideas and construct a piece of writing?

How will I make sure they know enough about the craft of writing?How will students draft / revise so that their final writing is clearly focused, organized, and developed to show understanding of the central ideas?

What is it I want students to understand and know about the content? This next lesson adds to their content knowledge.

What question will I pose so that students can see how to approach this thinking and writing in a specific, appropriate, manageable way?

How will I make sure the students know enough about the subject to actually write about it?

Wild Child Lesson Plan (handout) This book will be a paired text with our last book.

This is everything we will be doing during the next lesson. We will break it down into smaller steps as we go along.Make thinking boxes just like you did in the last lesson. Number them one to four. Writing page numbers in your book will help you keep track of where you need to be reading.

Label box number one as shown in the example. Go back and reread the two previous slides to find bulleted answers from the text.

Label box number two as seen in the example. Read the two previous slides to find the answers.

Label box number 3 following the example. Reread text from the previous two slides to find answers.

They need to keep these pages for day 4. Class pair/share Handout needs to be copied for class members. It wasn’t included in our packet.

Students filled in thinking boxes. Teacher did and “I do” in box #1, We do in box #2 and #3. Kids did “you do” on their own in box #4. This class hadn’t done much writing, so the teacher scaffolded this writing piece by giving the kids a paragraph frame, one sentence at a time. They all wrote the last sentence by themselves.

Teacher “I do” on first sentence, students copies. Second sentence, “we do”. Third sentence, students wrote on their own. Read each example.

How will I make sure they know enough about the craft of writing?How will the students know how to organize their ideas and construct a piece of writing?

This is a powerpoint that one of our presenters has used in many classrooms to helps students to understand why it is important to use a structure to organize ideas before writing.

This is a little house in Sunset Utah. It was built on the ground without a foundation. As the residents wanted more room, they haphazardly built rooms in all directions. Someone bought the house to flip it. Without a plan, they covered it in siding that had gaps between the pieces, left the bad windows and poorly constructed rooms.

It was like the house flippers filled a dump truck full of good materials to fix up the little house, but didn’t have a plan to use them well.

When the latest owners bought the house, they made a plan to make it better. In home building, these are called blue prints.

The new owners tore off all of the poorly constructed rooms and materials. Following a plan, they jacked up the house, put it on cinder blocks and poured a strong foundation before lowering it.

Following the plan, they build a new roof, and high ceilings inside.

This is how the little house looks today. A family of three lives inside it’s cozy walls.

When we read an informative text, we fill our brains with smart ideas that we can write about. If we don’t make a plan, or fill out a structure, its like dumping those smart ideas on the ground and trying to make something marvelous out of them. Our writing may end of like the little house did before the builder followed a plan.

Introduction might be written from a prompt like: What changes take place as fall turns to winter? Main ideas might include: Animals, Plants, Weather. Students should remember to use Tarzan, not Jane words and phrases to fill in supporting details.

How will I make sure they know enough about the craft of writing?How will students draft / revise so that their final writing is clearly focused, organized, and developed to show understanding of the central ideas?

Do the writing from the structure on Day 4.

Some more humor: When students use content and academic vocabulary in their writing – their vocabularies will improve. Janiel Wagstaff has students write content vocabulary on paper. The students cut out the word (configuration), and place it on a trifold science board. Then when students write, she opens the board where they can see it. This way they can use the vocabulary in their writing.*She also does this with spelling words. Each week students choose 1 or 2 spelling words that will help them remember the spelling pattern throughout the year. They place these words on a different trifold science board. When they write (Level 3 – 5), the board is placed so they can see it and utilize it. Students are responsible to spell words with those spelling patterns correctly in all their writing. Janiel teaches, “We always practice what we know and do our best writing.”

Informational Writing: 3rd graders must write at least one paragraphThis is an example of how you can teach students how to write to a prompt. First, I looked to the State Standards in Science. Second, I started with passages from two separate texts. I simply pulled two informational texts about the moon, then copied sections of the texts that were similar.

Second, I started with finding content that related to the standards from two separate texts. I simply pulled two informational books about the moon, then copied sections of the texts that were similar. (These books have been given to participants of previous Academies. Libraries have them too.)Another resource for passages is readworks.org

All that was needed for this lesson, was copies of the passages, a blank sheet of paper, a lined sheet of paper, and a pencil.

I taught in 30 minute sessions. Most classes required two sessions, but I had to add another session or two for classes that had not been doing much writing.

Utah State Standards Anchor Standards for Writing(and information) addition to third grade

A little humor – but seriously, we need to be teaching writing mechanics, grammar, spelling, etc. ALL YEAR! Students need to practice these skills, not on a worksheet, but in revising their own writing. If quick bursts of writing are in journals or learning logs, students can practice “making their writing stronger” by revising editing their own quick bursts of writing. These are short pieces that kids are willing to revisit.

Teach and practice these aspects of writing independent of each other.

Students may not take a structure into testing situations. Therefore, they need to be able to organize their thinking in an easy structure. The next two slides show student notes and structures created before writing.

Students may not take a structure into testing situations. Therefore, they need to be able to organize their thinking in an easy structure. The next two slides show student notes and structures created before writing.

Third grade student, guided practice

Many students veer from the prompt, or do not cover the topic as asked. This skill can be practiced in isolation.

Different prompts can be given and students can write just introductory and conclusion statements for practice.

Third grade, scaffolded practice

Third grade, scaffolded practice

Third grade, scaffolded practice. Note, this student even started revising.

(SLIDE came out blank on here, but it is about reflection)

Please write three things you enjoyed today, and one wish for something you’d like to know more about. Please do not ask for things we can do nothing about such as, “I wish this building was air conditioned.” Turn in your Hearts & Wishes before you leave today. We appreciate your feedback and will address your responses tomorrow.