Standards Colorado Academic Standards http://www.cde.state.co.us/scripts/allstandards/costandards.asp?glid=3&stid2=6&glid2=2 Standard: 3. Writing and Composition Concepts and skills students master: 1. Exploring the writing process develops ideas for writing texts that carry meaning Evidence Outcomes Students can: c. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. (CCSS: W.1.3) d. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed. (CCSS: W.1.5) e. Use pictures or graphic organizers to plan writing f. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. (CCSS: W.1.6) Concepts and skills students master: 2. Appropriate spelling, conventions, and grammar are applied when writing Evidence Outcomes Students can: a. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (CCSS: L.1.1) b. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (CCSS: L.1.2) Standard: 4. Research and Reasoning Concepts and skills students master: 2. Purpose, information, and questions about an issue are essential steps in early research Evidence Outcomes Students can: b. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. (CCSS: W.1.8) i. Evaluate information for clarity and accuracy *See more detailed evidence outcomes by clicking the link below http://www.cde.state.co.us/scripts/allstandards/costandards.asp?glid=3&stid2=6&glid2=2 Page 1 of 6
21 st century skills Big Ideas/ Enduring Understandings Essential Questions Learner Outcomes Big Ideas: Writers understand there is a writing process that authors go through as they make decisions about their writing. Writers use workshop structures and tools to develop themselves as writers. Enduring Understandings: Writers know the writing workshop is the opportunity to make and convey meaning Writers need to build stamina, self-assess their volume, and devise strategies to keep themselves writing Writers develop their ideas through rich conversation, lots of storytelling, and detailed drawings Writers know authors can support us with developing ideas and a vision for our writing (how books look and how stories are told) Writers make decisions throughout the writing process Essential Questions: What do I want my writing to say? What do I do when I think I m done? What do I know about how stories work? What have I read that looks like what I am trying to write? What do I notice about what other authors do? Why is it important to go through the writing process? How can thoughts and ideas be organized to prepare for writing? Why is it important to plan before beginning to write? How can a graphic organizer help writers plan their writing? Stages of the Writer Connections: Assessment: Assessment For and Of Learning Learner Outcomes: Writers understand how to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish and can work through this process independently Writers understand how to locate writing tools and/or resources to support themselves Writers understand how to organize themselves for writing http://instruction.aurorak12.org/files/2010/06/stages-of-a-writer-6-3-10.pdf Formative assessment in the writer s workshop is ongoing, based on the Teaching/Learning Cycle, and supports decision-making in standards-based education. Throughout the workshop there are opportunities to gather formative assessment data that show growth toward and movement beyond the standards. Regular monitoring is essential within a standards-based educational system. Page 2 of 6
Monitoring Teachers maintain a daily monitoring system in order to build a growing body of evidence about each student s growth as a writer. Teachers use the monitoring notes to develop instructional next steps in conjunction with the writing stages, grade level planning, standards and pacing guides. Teachers monitoring system includes: Collecting information about student reading and writing behaviors on a regular basis. Monitoring students independent practice to see how they are taking on the learning from whole group and small group instruction. Pay attention to what children can do without you and learn to record what you see Monitoring student conversations to see how they are using talk to enhance, clarify, revise and/or extend meaning in writing. Supporting students through monitoring the goals they set. Students self assessment Teachers use student self-assessment information in order to reflect on student learning and inform teacher instruction. Students ask themselves questions and confer with each other throughout the writing process. Conferring Monitor student learning along the Stages of a Writer and discuss observations with the student. Monitor student application and accountability for new learning. Planning for Instruction: Immersion: Chart what they have noticed and named about the writing process Teachers and students think about the process writers use to craft texts like the ones they are studying. Plan Demonstrations (Modeled or Shared) Considering: Independent Writing Behaviors Find, organize, and take care of my tools for writing Start a new piece on my own Have a system for keeping my writing organized Students know where their work is housed so they can go back and work on it Date writing and skip lines Setting up the Writing Workshop Show students what a whole writing workshop sounds and feels like. Nurture children s sense of what s possible Teach children to find, organize, and take care of their tools for writing Stop the class when the noise level is too loud; remind students to return to the appropriate working noise level Read the room at the beginning of the writing block daily; give writers feedback about how they are getting Page 3 of 6
Process Outcomes Forming Intentions Think about things from life and write about them Listen to books and think about books they might write Practice story/writing orally with a partner and then add details Decide on a topic that is cared about and imagine different ways to write about it Take thinking into the plan started Review procedures for the writing workshop daily Focus on teaching students to proceed independently through the writing process Establish routines for working with a partner Establish timelines as needed Provide a variety of paper for publishing to encourage students to write for a variety of reasons Drafting Recall an event or series of events about what I did Provide closure to the story Write words that are hard to spell and keep going with my draft Revision Keep writing by adding to the plan or by adding words Add, cut, and reword my writing to clarify meaning Proofreading Check and correct writing based on learned grammatical structures Check and correct known beginning and ending punctuation Check and correct both upper and lower case letters Check and correct capitalization of proper nouns Check that learned high- frequency words are spelled correctly using resources Uses letter-sound relationships, word structure, and spelling patterns to check Page 4 of 6
spelling of unknown words Publishing Make decisions about how my text will be published Create detailed illustrations that match the text Share our published pieces Instruction: Whole Group Instruction: Modeled Teachers engage in meaningful writing tasks to provide students with a model of what good writers do. The teacher demonstrates and thinks aloud through various aspects of the writing process. Model routines and procedures for the writing workshop Model choosing a topic and drafting Read books and stories that resemble what they are going to write Show the different types of writing that one author has written Share student examples where writers added more to their writing Create a chart that tells students what to do when they are done After the Workshop Share Provide time (5-10 minutes) to share at the end Small Group and Individual Conferences Group students by focusing on what students know to do as writers, selecting appropriate instructional approach and focus Students use small group instruction to support independent work. respond to the child s message Teach students how to set goals for writing as well as establishing independence Establish a regular conference schedule; establish student expectations/role in a conference While conferring name what a child has done and teach one thing; refer back to minilessons and other conferences you have had Group students based on need (use stages of a writer to support this) Independent Practice: Students need daily opportunities for independent writing Page 5 of 6
References/Resources: Launching the Writing Workshop Calkins, L.M. & Martinelli, M. (2010). Launching the writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: FirstHand. Crevola, C. & Vineis, M. (2006). Pathways to writing - K-3 modeled and shared writing program: Guidebook for instruction. New York, NY: MONDO Publishing. Learning Media. (Ed.). (1992). Dancing with the pen: The learner as a writer. New Zealand: Learning Media Limited. Ray, K.W. (2006). Study driven: A framework for planning units of study in the writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Page 6 of 6