Inspired with Writer's Workshop!

Happy Friday Saturday!  I hope your week ended well!  (I tried to write this post yesterday, but fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie with my dad.  Oops!)  Since it is the end of the quarter, students didn't have school yesterday.  Teachers had professional development in the morning, and time to work on grading in the afternoon.

For professional development, we had a group from the University of Minnesota Writing Project come in to teach us about Writer's Workshop and how to implement it in our classroom.  I found it super helpful!  I feel like teaching writing is not one of my strong suits, so I was feverishly taking notes!

After an introductory activity where we learned about the philosophy of writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, we broke into two groups: K-4th, and 5th-8th.  The teacher that presented for us went through the writing process what what to expect in each stage of writing.

For Writer's Workshop, teachers typically follow a basic framework:

1) Mini-lesson (5-10 minutes)
Teachers teach: procedures and organization, strategies and processes, and craft and technique

2) Independent Writing/ Conferencing with Students (30-45 minutes)
Students: write, write, write! Build stamina, and are at different stages in writing
Teachers: 2-4 minute conferences, points out strengths and weaknesses (and uses the information during sharing, small groups, and mini-lessons)

3) Closing/ Sharing (5-10 minutes)
Students and Teachers: modeling student examples, improve speaking skills, and address successes/misconceptions
(can be in the form of an author's chair, partner share, whole group, or individual reflection)



**Right now, I include some "Work on Writing"/ free write time with my Daily 5.  However, it is not as structured as Writer's Workshop, and I don't typically follow the writing process.  The writing process is where I am struggling as a teacher.

Here are some points about the Writing Process that stuck with me:

Drafting:
* Use graphic organizers
* 3rd-5th grade can use lists
*Illustrations! (Yes, even for the older grades!  Think: sketches on the side of notebooks)

Revising:
* Encourage students to NOT erase
* Ask: "Do you have all the information/ details you want?"
* Ask: "How can you make this writing even better?"
* To add a sentence or information, try using a small strip of paper with the new sentence on it, and glue it on the edge of the paper as a flap.

** Give the students the control!  They won't revise everything, maybe just a few parts, and that's OK!

Editing:
*Use checklists and rubrics
* It is NOT your job to edit your students' papers (although it's tempting… don't!)
*For punctuation and mechanics, use mentor texts and read a lot!
*Teach through the writer's lens, not the reader's lens.  (Think: Instead of saying, "Where do you want the reader to stop?" say, "Where do you want your thought to end?"
*Treat your students like a WRITER!


Conferencing:
* Be explicit, name a strength, and explain why it is important (Say, "I love the way you said Walgreens, instead of saying you went to the store, because it really tells the reader exactly where you were."
* If you can, have the student say the skill back to you.  (Say, "What are you going to work on now?")
* Focus on the WRITING (Not, "I see you used a capital letter.")



One AWESOME resource that was shared with us was Mrs. Meacham's Writer's Workshop.  It has great mini-lessons, and tons of printable resources for the writing process, writing traits, writing genres, and printable paper.  Seriously, go check it out!

Here are some of the other resources that were suggested at the workshop:

- Crafting Writers K-6 by Elizabeth Hale

- Writing Workshop the Essential Guide by Ralph Fletcher
(This one was suggested as a good starting point, if you're new to Writer's Workshop.  I will be ordering this one soon!)

- Units of Study for Primary Writing by Lucy Calkins
(Coming from a school without a writing curriculum, I may be suggesting this one to administration!)

When we discussed mentor texts, I instantly thought of this post and Jivey's Mentor Sentences.

Because my students are struggling so much with writing and getting their ideas down on paper, I am going to start with giving them time to free-write, and going through the writing process with those pieces, rather than focusing on specific pieces like narratives or letters.  

I am SO inspired to start a more structured Writer's Workshop on Tuesday!  Wahoo!

How do you tackle your writing time?  What is your favorite part about teaching writing?

Until next time,

- Miss Woodward

Tried it Tuesday- Putting Daily 5 Together

It's time for Tried it Tuesday!  I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper to fill you in on something I tried this week.  

As you know, I am using The Daily 5 to manage my literacy block this year.  It took us over a month to build the habits and behaviors needed for independent reading and writing.  I have been really reluctant to put it all together and give students a choice in what independent work they get to do.  I was also a little slow in putting together reading groups and a reading groups schedule.  Now that I have groups and a schedule done, I decided to mesh the Daily 5 together!

Here is my new Daily 5 Check-In board.  After each "round" of group work (for me) or independent work (for kiddos), we meet on the carpet to "check-in" and see how it went.  We talk about who showed "model behavior", and also share about what they read or wrote about.

On the left, I have my list of reading groups (sorted by color).  Below it is my schedule for the week.  I see each group twice.  But, my lowest group I see every day, and my highest group I see once a week.

Each student has a magnet with their name on it.  When we check in, I first move the students who will be working with me.  The other students tell me where they want to go and I move their magnet for them (eventually, they will move their magnets on their own).  Their choices are: Read to Self, Buddy Read, Word Work, or Work on Writing.  Listening Center is currently closed for repairs.

I'm not crazy about how this board looks (it's just painter's tape and white board marker), but so far, it is functioning well.  I eventually want to make a cute title and picture for each choice.  For now, what I have will work.

The kids were super great about making a fast choice and getting started with their work right away!  AND, when I was working with students, I didn't have to micro-manage from my table!  Everyone was focused and working quietly around the room!  Daily 5 at it's finest!  :)

Tried blending the Daily 5 together… worked!  

Side note:  It is currently snowing here in the Twin Cities… We are forecasted to get 4-7 inches.  Welcome, winter weather!  I missed you so much…

What did you try in your classroom this week?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Tried it Tuesday: E-mailing Students

Today I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday!

I really can't take credit for this idea.  I heard that one of my partners, Ms. Tarah, was doing something like this in her class, and I had to try it!  (Thanks, Ms. Tarah!)  Ms. Tarah uses her classroom computers to give students a chance to e-mail her, and she will e-mail them back.


So, for my Tried it Tuesday, I tried e-mailing with my students!


Here's how I set up my system:

1.  Create an account with Gmail.  You'll need to choose a username and password.  Keep in mind, it will be used by students, so make it kid-friendly.  I made mine without symbols and capital letters.  You'll also have to enter your name, birthday, primary email, and a few other little things to complete the account.

2.  Once you get your account all set up, you need to create e-mail threads for each student.  Click on the "Compose" button to start a new e-mail.  Send it to yourself (your class Gmail username).  In the subject line, enter a student's name.

3.  In the body of the message, type a little something to your student!  To start, I sent them directions of how to send me messages.  Then click "Send" to finish it off.

Other ideas of what to e-mail your students:

- Questions about books they are reading
- Links to game websites
- Links to books they can listen to online

4.  Repeat steps 2-4, creating an e-mail thread for each student.  Once you are all done, they will show up in your class' Inbox.  You can see that all of the messages were sent from "me".  Really, you are just sending messages to yourself.  By creating them this way, you can keep all of your students' e-mails in one spot.  

5.  Then, students can start to e-mail you!  They simply click on their own name from the Inbox page, and click "Reply".  Once they are done typing, they click the "Send" button.  

On the Inbox page, their new message will show up on the top and in bold.  Then I can click on the new messages, and reply to my littles!

I just introduced this yesterday, so we haven't had much practice with it.  But I will update you as we work through the process!  This will be a choice during our Daily 5 time; eventually they will be independent with e-mailing!

What sort of technology do you use in your classroom?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Daily 5 Anchor Charts

I have been using the Daily 5 this year, and so far I am loving it!  My students are loving it, too!  Some of them have even told me that they actually like reading!  :)

If you are unfamiliar with the Daily 5, it is a system that helps manage your literacy block.  Students spend the first month building habits for working independently on reading and writing.  That way, when you are conferencing with students and working with small groups, the other students know exactly what is expected of them, and they can work independently without interrupting your group time.

Setting up the Daily 5 takes about a month.  We are about halfway through the setup, and have introduced Read to Self, Work on Writing, and Buddy Reading (Read to Someone).  We still need to introduce Word Work and Listen to Reading.

As we introduce each new component of the Daily 5, we make a chart as a class, to help us remember behaviors for each component.  The charts tell what the students' job is to do, and what my job as a teacher is to do.

Here are some of my anchor charts.  If you have any questions about them, please ask!  This is my first year doing Daily 5, but I can share my experiences and how I've made it work for my group of kids!

Here are the behavior expectations for Read to Self.  We discuss these expectations before we practice, and also afterwards, to see if we met the expectations or if we can try harder next time.

We also talked about ways we can read a book.  We can read the pictures, read the words, or retell the story using the words and pictures.

I really want my kids to focus on choosing "Good Fit Books" this year.  For example, last week in the library, one of my students insisted on checking out Twilight, because she had seen the movie.  I understand the connection, but that is definitely not a good fit book for a 3rd grader.  To choose a "Good Fit Book", we use "I Pick"

I- I choose a book

P- Purpose (Why do I want to read it?)

I- Interest (Does it interest me?)

C- Comprehend (Do I understand what I read?)

K- Know (I know most of the words.)

These are some of the strategy cards the kids can refer to while they read.  At the beginning of the year, I used a read-aloud to model each strategy.  After practicing Read to Self, I check in with students to see if anyone used a strategy while they read.

After we had a good start with Read to Self, we started Work on Writing.  I gave each student a notebook, and during Work on Writing, their job is to write about whatever they want.  We brainstormed a list of topics, and I sent them on their way.  Now, each day when we check-in, I give them the option of continuing what they started yesterday, or starting something new.

Now on to their favorite (and the most challenging to build stamina for)- Buddy Reading!

For Buddy Reading, students have to sit EEKK (Elbow to Elbow, Knee to Knee).  There are three ways to Buddy Read:

Read 2 Different Books

Check for Understanding

I Read, You Read

(I can go into more detail with these in a later post.  I introduced each one individually, and gave the students a day to practice each one.  On the fourth day, I gave them a choice of which way they'd like to read with their buddy.  It didn't go so well... so we started from the beginning and practiced each one individually before I let them try choosing again.)

My front whiteboard is where I keep all of my anchor charts.  Once we start using Daily 5 independently, I will move these charts to free up my whiteboard space.  But for now, this is like Daily 5 Headquarters.

I am hoping to put together a "Daily 5 Starter Kit" to help teachers who are new to the Daily 5 get started with all of the setup.  Would anyone else find that helpful?  If you have any questions about my anchor charts, please let me know!

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward