Activity: Professional Study Team: Writing Workshop and Conferences: Focus on developing a successful writing workshop and student writing samples.
TLC Points 10
Teaching and Learning Cooperative Proposal
Proposal Facilitators: Christina Glady and Amy Fousek
Phone Number: 485-0042ext 4101E-mail:
Intended Audience: K-5 teachers at Chaparral Elementary
Start Date: November 2006 – June 2007
District Goals Addressed: K-5 Literacy: Writing and Proficiency for all Students
Anticipated Professional Learning Outcomes
1Collaborate to develop writing lessons that align with the K-5 standards to be implemented during writing workshop from the book Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum, by Lucy Calkins.
2Acquire strategies, resources and tools for establishing a well-balanced writing program.
3Gain insights to a variety of writing lessons that are comprehensive and allow for differentiation.
4Develop a professional community that collects, reflects, shares best practices data to improve student learning as well as writing instruction.
5Explore/research a writing workshop program that is parallel throughout classrooms at Chaparral and at each grade level builds upon the students’ prior knowledge.
6Build a deeper understanding of conferring with young writers through reading, reflecting, discussing and implementing conferring strategies within wiring workshop from One to One, by Lucy Calkins for grades K-2
7Observe conferring in action from video taped sessions of group member volunteers conferring with students in their classroom or from Lucy Calkin’s Conferring With Primary Writers, the companion CD-Rom to the above book.
8. Gather and analyze student writing to inform writing conferences and writing
mini-lessons.
Professional Growth Activities:
Acquiring New Learning Activities
I.Content meetings (6 before school meeting strategically scheduled throughout the 2006-2007 school year) We will meet from 7:45 until 8:30.
This is the second phase of this project for us. We will be working with the same group of people. Last year we focused on more of the theory. This year we will be focusing on the units of study and the actually writing lessons and Writers Workshop.
a.45 minutes per meeting
~ November (November 1)
Reading: Book 1: Launching the Writers Workshop
The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing
Book 2: Small Moments and Personal Narratives Writing
1. Introduction, overview and expectations (45 minutes)
a. TLC requirements
b. Book introduction and time line for reading.
c. Journal reflecting procedure
2. Introduction, overview and expectations (15 minutes)
3. Conferring with Writers video Watch and discuss. (25 minutes)
4. Decide on high, medium and low student to track through portfolio and discuss organization of portfolio. (20 minutes)
~ December (December 6)
Reading Book 5: Authors as Mentors
1.Reflections and pair share from reflective journaling
a.Discuss successes and struggles
b. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapters
c.Discuss current classroom format for writing workshop
d. Layout a writing workshop schedule
2.Discuss current writing assessments and expectations
e. Decide on bench marks using the standards for September, November, January and May.
3.Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapters as well as journal reflections.
f. What went well
g. Areas for individual growth
4. Discuss high medium and low student work samples, conferring strategies and journal reflection on these students.
~January (January 3)
Reading Book 5: Authors as Mentors contd.
Conferring Handbook
1. Reflections and pair share from reflective journaling
a. Discuss successes and struggles
b. oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapter
c. Discuss how writing workshop is running and next best steps.
d. Share out of writing lesson
2. Grade-alike facilitated small grouping to review writing assessments in relations to benchmarks
a. look at conferring strategies that can be applied to each writing sample
3. Grade alike facilitated small grouping to practice assessments, answer questions and begin partner exchange.
4. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapters as well as journal reflections.
a. What went well
b. Areas for individual growth
5. . Discuss high medium and low student work samples, conferring strategies and journal reflection on these students.
~February (February 7)
Reading Book 3: Writing for Readers Teaching Skills and Strategies
1. Reflections and pair share from reflective journaling
a. Discuss successes and struggles
b. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapter
c. Discuss how writing workshop is running and next best steps.
d. Share out of writing lesson
e. What went well
2. Conferring with Young Writers video or video of group member conferring with students. Watch, discuss, and reflect on classroom implementation.
3. Grade alike facilitated small grouping to decide on next best instructional steps, practice assessments and begin partner exchange.
4. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapters as well as journal reflections.
a. what went well
b. areas for individual growth
5. Discuss high medium and low student work samples, conferring strategies and journal reflection on these students.
~April (April 4)
Reading Book 4: The Craft of Revision
Book 6: Nonfiction Writing Procedures and Reports
1. Reflections and pair share from reflective journaling
a. Discuss successes and struggles
b. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapter
c. Discuss how writing workshop is running and next best steps.
d. Share out of writing lesson
e. What went well
2. Conferring With Young Writers video or watch a video of group member conferring with students. Watch, discuss, and reflect on classroom implementation.
3. Grade alike facilitated small grouping to decide on next best instructional steps, practice assessments and begin partner exchange.
4. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapters as well as journal reflections.
5.. Discuss high medium and low student work samples, conferring strategies and journal reflection on these students.
~ May (May 2)
Reading Book 7: Poetry: Powerful thoughts in Tiny Packages
1. Reflections and pair share from reflective journaling
a. Discuss successes and struggles
b. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapter
c. Discuss overall success of writing workshop and struggles
d .Share ideas for next year
2. Conferring with Young Writers video or video of group member conferring with students. Watch, discuss, and reflect on classroom implementation.
3. Oral sharing of book reflections from assigned chapters as well as journal reflections.
4. Discuss high medium and low student work samples, conferring strategies and journal reflection on these students.
5. Recap of learning
a. successes
b. ideas for next year
c. final reflection
(Total: 4.5 hours)
II. Outside Learning Activities.
6a. Reading and Reflecting of the Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum, by Lucy Calkins.
(1.5 hours of reading before each of 6 meeting= 9 hours)
b. Journal 2 times per month about best practices, what worked,next best steps and questions.
(1 hour per month for 6 months = 6 hours)
c. Develop 3 lesson plans from Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum, by Lucy Calkins.
(1 hour per lesson= 3 hours)
Total: 22.5 Hours
Classroom Implementation Activities
Participants will implement and reflect on writing workshop. These activities within writing workshop will go beyond the normal classroom routine in the depth of reflection and the stretch to meet the needs of a variety of learners.
Activities for may include:
1Planning and delivering mini-lessons based on new learning from reading and monthly meetings. (30 minutes per week)
2Implementation and management of conferring strategies and assessments. (30 minutes per week)
3Monitoring, tracking and analyzing the results of the implementations using 3 students of high, medium and low ability through a portfolio of student work and assessments. Use this as a tool for collegial sharing as well as source for which instructional decisions are made. (30 minutes per week)
1.5 hours per week for at least 15 weeks =
( approximately 22 hours)
Reflection Activities:
- The identified sharing and reflecting activities built into each session
- Reflection journal
- Summary of personal learning and the impact on students in the last session.
Time Totals
Outside learning Activities: 22.5hours
Classroom Implementation and Activities: 22 hours
Sum Total Approximately: 44.5 hours
Estimated Budget
Teacher hours for facilitators - 4
(2 hours for each facilitator)