Over the past 12 years, I have had the privilege (and responsibility) of teaching writing to students in Kindergarten, Third, and Fourth. It has been quite the learning curve for me! I don't ever remember hating writing as a child, but I do remember times in college becoming overwhelmed with writing: organizing the content, wording thoughts just right, making clear transitions! Oh, the headaches!!
During my first year of teaching (4th grade) I felt so lost with how to teach writing I literally just put writing to the side. BIG NO-NO!!!!! Less than halfway through the year, a parent commented that her child was not getting a chance to express herself through writing. This parent also happened to be a teacher - I took that comment and decided to do something with it. I signed up for a few different Writing PD's throughout the rest of that year and into the next. My knowledge of writing (stages, process, types, ...) grew and grew! Over the next few years I gained a confidence in how to teach writing to my students, from Kinders learning how to hold a pencil to 3rd graders who had so much they wanted to say but no idea where to start. Now I have a passion for writing and am absolutely THRILLED when a teacher asks me to come support her in establishing Writer's Workshop in her classroom!! <3
Attached below are a few of the resources I recently used with a Kindergarten colleague of mine who was a newbie with the littles. Fourth had been her stomping ground for a few years so she was needing some support in direction on how to effectively teach writing. We began a coaching cycle in March and have been able to meet and model/teach a few different Writer's Workshop lesson together. Although the year is coming to a close, the imprint of this coaching cycle has effected her and her instructional practices from this point forward. I can't wait to pick up again at the start of the year and watch her support and grow her garden of Kinder kiddos!!
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-writing-develops
http://www.ovesc.k12.oh.us/Downloads/Stages%20of%20Writing.pdf
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24sDUhrwvJlbklaME43M3NYQnM/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24sDUhrwvJlUklJUXBzU1F1cEk/view
Friday, April 29, 2016
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Constructing Responses... Steps 1, 2, and 3!
It can take such effort to build a constructed response! Then, add on top of that, having to read all of the responses that your students write on weekly reading tests. Before you pull any more hair out, read on to see if there really is light at the end of the tunnel!! (HINT: there is!) :)
I facilitated a recent PD session for all of our teachers, K-5. This followed a district PD session that involved our 3-5 Reading teachers. However, it is extremely beneficial to have our K-2 students and teachers involved in such weighty matters like creating/writing constructed responses long before it is a REQUIREMENT on a state test. So, with that being the case, I brought the (condensed) training to our teachers, no matter their grade or subject!
The following Powerpoint was used in the presentation. Leading up to the school PLC session, we videoed two teachers working on written responses: one in ELA, one in Math. After each teacher modeled and students were shown engaged in the process on the video, the staff applied their new knowledge to an activity to "try it out" themselves. We used the story Cinderella and used a very basic graphic organizer to aid in the building of our constructed responses. Three teachers shared their final CR with the group, each one having their own different twist but ALL having similar pieces including a solid claim statement (the question turned around and finished as a claim), and two pieces of text evidence to support their claim.
This was a very effective PLC and many staff members from different grades enjoyed the presentation and modeling. Although this took place in April, it was still an effective stepping stone to opening up doors and beginning conversations that will help us further our instruction in the fall!
I facilitated a recent PD session for all of our teachers, K-5. This followed a district PD session that involved our 3-5 Reading teachers. However, it is extremely beneficial to have our K-2 students and teachers involved in such weighty matters like creating/writing constructed responses long before it is a REQUIREMENT on a state test. So, with that being the case, I brought the (condensed) training to our teachers, no matter their grade or subject!
The following Powerpoint was used in the presentation. Leading up to the school PLC session, we videoed two teachers working on written responses: one in ELA, one in Math. After each teacher modeled and students were shown engaged in the process on the video, the staff applied their new knowledge to an activity to "try it out" themselves. We used the story Cinderella and used a very basic graphic organizer to aid in the building of our constructed responses. Three teachers shared their final CR with the group, each one having their own different twist but ALL having similar pieces including a solid claim statement (the question turned around and finished as a claim), and two pieces of text evidence to support their claim.
This was a very effective PLC and many staff members from different grades enjoyed the presentation and modeling. Although this took place in April, it was still an effective stepping stone to opening up doors and beginning conversations that will help us further our instruction in the fall!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)