Here are some questions to guide our discussion for week 2. Again, with what Emily said for the first post, you don’t need to respond to all of these questions, and also feel free to add any other helpful/interesting information you’d like to share!
•How did you foster partner pairing throughout the year? Was it the same all year long or did you change it?
•Did you use scrolls in your classroom? If so, how successful did you find using them to be? Did students prefer writing those or books more?
•Lucy talked about organizing her writer’s workshop with using writing caddies. What have you found to be successful or not when organizing writing materials to be accessible for students?
•Lucy talked about using The Little Engine That Could. Did anyone use this and how influenced were your students by it?
•Is there anything you found while reading that you plan to incorporate into writer’s workshop next year?
Throughout the year in Writer’s workshop I did pair my students in partners. I paired students who I thought would work well together at their table seats. I did not have students start to work with partners until later in the year. Thinking ahead to next year, I plan to have students begin partner work earlier in the year as there are many benefits of it that Lucy talks about. I was able to see these benefits myself when I paired students together. I did keep my writing partners the same all year long. I’m curious to see what it would be like to switch up writing partners occasionally during the school year. Thinking of writing workshop in terms of a guided reading group, I am considering having flexible partners and be able to switch partners based on needs changing.
I did not use scrolls this year in my classroom. I did use the books, but I had books that were premade mostly. I plan to have less of these next year and allow students to be able to create their own books adding pages as they need. There isn’t a child that wouldn’t love to use the stapler or tape, and if it gets them to add more to their writing, then I am all for it!
I liked the idea of using writing caddies. I had one spot in the classroom this year where all students could go to access writing supplies when they needed it, but I sometimes found that students would become distracted when making their way up to get the supplies. I like the idea of having a caddy for each table so that students would have the materials right in front of them to access.
I asked the question about The Little Engine that Could above because of the great benefits I saw in my classroom from using it. I was able to see my students reference this in other subject areas where they found something challenging. I could often hear students whispering to themselves “I think I can”. So I was just curious to see if anyone else had this happen to their class or experience something similar.
One more thing that I plan to add to my writer’s workshop is something Lucy referenced on page 77. One of her mid-workshop teaching points was to have students count the labels they made on one page. She then asked “Who has five or more? Who has three?”. I like this because I could see my students buying into this like it was a game or a challenge. I think it would motivate students to try to write more labels.
Laura, I completely agree! The students love using the staplers and adding pages to their work. I have always done the same thing... I use books as a starting point for most students. I did differentiate this by having some students write different size "books," having a smaller amount of pages based on their ability. I would have other students begin with three pages, knowing that they were expected to add more as their writing grew. I really like how this progressed but could see many benefits to having the students be in control how many pages are in their booklets. They love having control!
I have honestly done the books differently different years. Some years, I have the kids do all their own stapling, and they love it! Some years, I didn't think my class was ready for that much responsibility, and I would provide differentiated booklets. I simply stapled all extra papers at the end of writer's workshop instead of giving the children control over the stapler.
I have used the book The Little Engine that Could. I liked it because it is a simple message that the kids connected to and most were familiar with this story. That is really cute how Laura heard her kids whispering it to themselves. :)
I thought this section touched on a lot of challenges that beginning writers face and gave some suggestions to support those writers towards independence. For example: getting stuck when they don't know how to write or draw something. I am now at summer school and even though many of the students in the class I know have had "Lucy-like" lessons, they are still struggling with some of these barriers that get in the way of them being more independent writers. I can see how some of these lessons would need to be reviewed periodically for the whole group, or maybe as a small group conference with certain students.
It seems like a lot of Lucy's instruction, at least in the beginning, is focusing on creating a writing mindset for students. She uses a lot of good phrases that I'm sure she says repeatedly like "We need a challenge, we don't want easy work" "Be brave" "Writers don't write alone, they get help" etc.
Now that she feels they are more independent, I have liked the examples of conferencing that she has given. I think I tend to spend too much time talking with a few kids, rather than keeping conferences shorter and letting the kids do more of the talking. That is something I'll have to work on.
I appreciated the section on Helping Writer of Varying Abilities. Her comment of "Don't feel that your teaching has fallen on deaf ears when children continue to need support" was right on with how I often feel. It is a good reminder that students are allowed to learn to write at their own pace, even if Lucy's examples look a lot better than what some of our friends are currently producing. In my position, small group conferencing would be most beneficial to work more frequently with these struggling writers to give them repeated repetition with some writing aspects that other students understand more easily.
So I used The Little Engine That could at summer school today and a friend who has a very hard time with writing and drawing things he does not think he knows how to do called me the rusty old engine when I said I could not help him until he gave it a try! :) lol! However, he eventually did it and he wrote the whole sentence when I sat next to him saying "I think I can..."
Other than that, it worked like a charm and you could see the kids be a little more proud of their work when they were done.
In the beginning of the year, I try to keep writing supplies organized in a way that will require as little movement as possible! Each table has a writing bin on a shelf that holds their writing folders, extra writing paper, and a basket of fine-tip markers. Posted by each of these 4 writing bins are a list of names of students at that table. Whoever’s name is marked with a clothespin is the table helper for the week and responsible for carrying his or her table’s writing bin over at the beginning of writer’s workshop. Everything is at their fingertips for the remainder of the time! This process evolves as students become more independent and their needs change. I add mini-plastic shelf with three drawers for different types of paper that they can go to as needed.
I have not tried scrolls yet because I think it would be a logistical nightmare for storage! It’s a big enough challenge to slide flat paper into a folder pocket let alone jam a few scrolls in. If I were to try it, I think I would have a scrap bucket like container for each table that is stored on the shelf with writing bins. Students who write scrolls could roll and store them inside their table’s bucket. The only reason I am even considering it is because I witnessed how motivating using a piece of tape to hang up a sign was during the persuasive writing unit!
Something I hadn’t noticed in prior readings is on page 61. Lucy recommends establishing a writing partner meeting area. For example, there are 2 chairs by the window that partners can sit at to plan their writing. Has anyone tried a partner meeting area? I usually just let them pull a chair near their partner’s seat.
Thank you so much for sharing your writing supplies organization! I will definitely try the table bins this year. I had a writing station set up in one area of the classroom, but I think having the table bins at that area as well will be a great addition. That way, Writer's Workshop can have a smoother transition and the students can still access writing supplies whenever they need them throughout the day.
I have never used scrolls before either. I completely agree that it could be a disaster to store such long pieces but it could also be truly inspirational for the students. That is a great suggestion for each table to have a bin to store their scrolls. The organizer in me wonders if I would try scrolls on certain days, or for a weeks worth of time, but then switch gears back to books. I think this might be a good compromise for me... It would still keep the students interested and excited about writing scrolls but we would only have to store them for a certain time frame. What are you guys thinking?
I must have missed the writing partner meeting area too. I love that idea! I will definitely be adding that to my Writer's Workshop this year. In the past, I have always set up writing partner based on students who would work well together, could help to compliment each other's writing, and also allow for students to behave while working together. I allow them to pick their own writing area anywhere (within reason) in the classroom. It always helped the students to be motivated because they felt independent and in charge of their own writing space. I really love the idea of a meeting area! Can't wait to use that!
I like the idea of having a writing partner meeting area too. I would just be sure to model, model, model how to use this area so that students did not spend their whole writing time there and/or were off task. I agree with Jess that it would be motivating for them to be in charge of their own writing space.
I really like that you let them choose their own writing spots, Jess! It really gives them ownership over this time of their day and I bet that is super motivating! They love it when we treat them like "grown-ups". Do you let these spots change daily, or once they choose then it is set for awhile?
As this was my first year teaching Lucy as a classroom teacher, I have to say that I was a little overwhelmed with the resource. While Lucy is very detailed in her descriptions of the lessons, I was really doubting myself in the beginning of the school year. I couldn't believe the amount of paper the students went through once they started adding pages and making books. I was also weary about the markers and how messy and unstructured their beginning drawings looked. I have to thank you all for helping me throughout the school year, especially Alissa and Jess for letting me observe their class during Writer's Workshop time. As the year progressed, I felt like Writer's Workshop time became stronger and my students truly enjoyed it.
I did not use scrolls last year because I thought it was quite odd. I didn't know how to relate scrolls to the students and in everyday life. It was much easier and more realistic to have the students add pages to their writing. These beginning lessons were about getting the students excited about writing and encouraging them to preserver through challenges. I think Lucy explains how to do this very well. I used The Little Engine That Could and it was effective. I am happy we are taking time to discuss the different texts Lucy suggests to use in the lessons.
Whenever I saw the students start to struggle or "give up" during a unit, we would create an anchor chart to help build stamina. The group of students I had last year thrived on structure and consistent expectations, so along with creating the charts that Lucy suggests, like "When We Are Done, We've Just Begun," we made many others. We made charts to generate writing idea topics, what Writer's Workshop should look like, sound like, and feel like, share circle expectations, and partner time expectations. The students referenced these charts very often. I think it is important to remember that even if we think making charts like these are not useful or effective, many students benefit from having the visual aid always available to them.
I did not start partner writing until much later in the school year. It was difficult to fit partner time in with students getting pulled out for related services during writing time. The students were able to cope with their partner not being there or getting pulled out in the middle of writing time better towards the end of the school year. I also let the students choose their partners during writing time because I thought that it would lend to the love of writing and produce more writing. However, I see the benefits of having consistent partners too, especially as the pieces getting longer and take more time to complete.
I usually pair my students for the entire school year, but I am also thinking about the benefits of changing it up at different times. I really want to see how it would go so I might try it! I give each table their own supply bins with pens and crayons and have the extra paper, books, and staplers at a classroom table for students to get as needed. I bought new caddies at the end of the year that will hold the supplies as well as paper so I am going to try this out in the fall. While I don’t mind students moving independently to get what they need, I want to see what happens (pro’s and con’s) of everything being right at their fingertips! Just for space at the tables, I will continue to have the folder bins and the different kinds of papers at a classroom table…just from experience of students taking up LOTS of space during writing!! The Little Engine That Could was in our Scott Foresman series (one of the few actual good books in the series!) and I totally agree that students really connected to its message! A couple other things stood out to me in this section -I am already planning on a “What Writing Partners Do” class poster! -The idea that writing workshop is where students apply the learning we explicitly teach at other times of the school day. This reconfirmed with me to let writing workshop be a time for students to really explore the idea of writing and show us where it takes them. -I love the quote from Donald Murry about how conferences should make the writer’s energy go up and how he connects it to a teacher’s post observation meeting and all you’re hoping for is that the observer believes in you and when you hear/believe that, you get a boost to better. That is my top goal and something I will keep in the back of my mind when talking with students about their writing!!
Lisa, I have my students move around and get their materials too but I think I'm going to do the same thing and go back to having all of their materials at their tables. I used to do it that way a while back and it worked out great!! It just eliminated the students from getting up and getting distracted from their writing. I'm interested to see what kind of writing caddies that you bought that will hold paper. Do you have a picture of them? I have table captains in my classroom that are "in charge" of their tables. I would go back to having the table captains pass out the writing caddies at the beginning of writer's workshop!!
I got them from Really Good Stuff. They are metallic mesh and seem to be pretty well made. I bought them at the end of the school year so I didn't have a chance to test them out and now they are packed away in my classroom! They are a little expensive, but they seem to be worth it..I hope so! This is the link showing just one, but there's also a set of four (each a different color) which is what I bought.
Oh and it shows them with books underneath so I think you could also have paper at a different location and use the bottom for their folders. I'm going to try it with the paper in the caddies and the folders in a different carrier thingy and see how it goes!
I also have not had students turn their writing into scrolls because I thought it would become hard to manage. I anticipated that students would become overly focused on taping pieces of paper together and not the writing process itself. I am trying to think of how I will organize my writing supplies this year. Last year, each table had its own bin with writing folders in it. The table captain, each week, was responsible for passing out the writing folders to his/her table mates. The different writing papers were located at a central spot in the classroom. I sometimes had blank books stapled ahead of time for my students to use. I have never allowed my students to use the stapler themselves. I’m not sure if I would have felt comfortable with my class last year using staplers independently-I would worry an accident would happen. I did have prearranged learning target partners that the students would brainstorm writing ideas with. I didn’t really establish partners until later in the year. I think I will try to establish it earlier this year, because I see how beneficial it is for the students. I did not use The Little Engine That Could, but I think it is a great idea. I will plan on using it next year as a lesson during writing workshop. I find that anytime you can you use a book to help teach a concept (in any academic area) it really helps the students to remember. As Lucy Calkins mentioned, I do have students use an ABC chart when writing. The ABC chart matches the visuals used in our ABC book. I have a class set that is laminated and the students use it on an as needed basis (It is used more frequently early in the school year).
I also assign partners, and they change several times during the school year. I have not been brave enough to use scrolls, but I realize they would be very motivating! I'll plan to try them out this year. Kylie, I love your idea for storing them! I also utilize table captains and find them helpful. I have writing folders and writing implements in areas by table, but have always kept the writing paper in one central spot. I'm eager to see how you ladies organize the paper in a caddy because I love the idea! Do you have differentiated papers in the caddies?
I honestly paraphrased The Little Engine That Could this year instead of reading the whole book. I have found the book long and repetitive in past years, but I love the message it makes. I wonder if there's a more updated book out there somewhere. (Am I the only person that feels this way about the book?!) Laura, I too heard kids say, "I think I can. I think I can!"
I love how Lucy Calkins uses white boards with the students, and I would like to do that more often with my mini lessons. I also love her share on p. 55 about making sure all the pages in your book go together. This is often a tough concept for kids! However, I think it's easier to define the topic with a nonfiction text than it is with narrative, as I've done in the past. I also love how she uses a phonemic awareness warm-up song on p. 74, and I will definitely use that with my class too.
From how the caddies I just bought are set up I'm not sure if I'll be able to put different kinds of paper in them (I put a link to the site about them in my response under my post). I'll probably put the single papers with 1 line and a illustration box in the caddies and have the stapled books and more/less lined papers available elsewhere...not quite sure yet!!
I love the white board use during lessons too! I've never used them for whole group writing (usually more for math), but it's definitely something that I want to do in writing now also!
Emily,I either paraphrased the book or read a version one of my students brought in for me to read. My main point in using it was just for the message it gets across. I'll have to see if I can get a hold of the version of the text the student brought in for me.
Hi everyone...Kim your rusty old engine comment made me laugh 😀 As many of you already stated I also don't use scrolls. I found it to be a big paper mess. If the idea is to get them to add more pages to their writing, you can easily do it by just adding pages to make booklets. I have a writing bucket for each table that includes pencils (I don't like markers for writing), erasers, spaceman, popcorn word charts and their writing folders. As Kylie stated...as little movement as possible is best because often kids will get up and move around simply to avoid writing. However, I do put their writing paper in a central location because of the different types of paper. It's too much to put in their writing caddy. I also love using The Little Engine That Could. It really motivates them to not give up and keep saying I think I can when they get stuck. And I have definitely seen it transfer into other subject areas. Kelly mentioned making anchor charts. And I definitely do these all the time with the students so they give their input. There was a time when all of my kids wanted to get out of their seats and show me their work. So they were getting out of their seats more than they were reading. So we made an anchor chart about what writing looks like. And that really helped them to focus on what they were supposed to be doing. I also have learning partners in the classroom and a partner up during writing Workshop as well. We practiced several times in a circle first where students share their work and then we gave them compliments about things that we saw that we like such as putting periods, spelling popcorn words correctly, drawing details in picture, leaving spaces etc... finally got to a point where they could partner up and they did two things with their partner. One thing was to give a compliment about their partner's work and then the second thing was to give them a suggestion on something they can do to make their writing even better. It actually went very well and kids listened to their peers even more! Sometimes kids would go over what they fixed the next day when they met with their partners!
I really like the lessons in bend II of Lucy's first unit. I feel like at this point students are beginning to understand the routines and procedures and can begin to dig into a little more content. Obviously it is still very early in the year at this point but I like when my students are planning and writing books etc. I think my favorite lesson in this section is session 9 about asking and answering questions. I like how Lucy uses writing partners to ask questions about their partner's writing. I think it's easier for students to ask questions about the work of others compared to their own initially. I also like how after the students practice asking questions to their partner, Lucy explains that they can ask those same questions to themselves to see what they need to add in their own writing. This year, I plan to teach that part more explicitly. I do not have a set area for partners to meet but I am thinking about including one. Maybe I could keep a timer in that area and show them how to use it. When the time was up they would know they needed to go back to their seats. I keep all of my supplies in one location. I don't mind the movement because they have to sit so much throughout the day. However, it can become a difficult if a student decides to wander more than write. Laura, I agree with you that counting the labels would be a fun game for them. I am definitely doing that!
I loved this section of reading-it is full of good ideas for continuing the writing momentum that begins right away on day one of writer's workshop. I don't think I have used the exact same management system two years in a row. I definitely tailor it to the class-some need more movement, others fall apart with too much freedom. I used scrolls two years ago, and it was super motivating for the kids. They would write and write just to be able to get to the tape dispenser ;) However, I think it had the unintended consequence of taking away from their understanding that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. So last year, I gave my class the freedom to choose to write in a book already assembled (3 pages), or to write a page at a time and use the stapler. They handled it beautifully. I guess I will need to get to know my class this year! Like a few of you said, I also have typically waited to begin my writing partnerships until mid-year. But, as I am reading your reflections and Lucy's chapter, I am going to begin them much sooner this year. Like anything else, they will raise to whatever expectation we give them! I do not have a place in the room dedicated to writing partners. I think it is most effective to assign them spots on the rug together and at tables so they are always handy when they need to chat. I am concerned that having a spot for kids to move to will discourage them from having a quick partner chat then getting right back to work. I think it will just entice them to have a reason to get up and waste precious writing time. I noticed on page 52 that on Lucy's "When you think you're done" chart, she added "reread our writing". I think this is so simple and so smart! It seems intuitive to us, but the students do not typically do this on their own.
Here are some questions to guide our discussion for week 2. Again, with what Emily said for the first post, you don’t need to respond to all of these questions, and also feel free to add any other helpful/interesting information you’d like to share!
ReplyDelete•How did you foster partner pairing throughout the year? Was it the same all year long or did you change it?
•Did you use scrolls in your classroom? If so, how successful did you find using them to be? Did students prefer writing those or books more?
•Lucy talked about organizing her writer’s workshop with using writing caddies. What have you found to be successful or not when organizing writing materials to be accessible for students?
•Lucy talked about using The Little Engine That Could. Did anyone use this and how influenced were your students by it?
•Is there anything you found while reading that you plan to incorporate into writer’s workshop next year?
Throughout the year in Writer’s workshop I did pair my students in partners. I paired students who I thought would work well together at their table seats. I did not have students start to work with partners until later in the year. Thinking ahead to next year, I plan to have students begin partner work earlier in the year as there are many benefits of it that Lucy talks about. I was able to see these benefits myself when I paired students together. I did keep my writing partners the same all year long. I’m curious to see what it would be like to switch up writing partners occasionally during the school year. Thinking of writing workshop in terms of a guided reading group, I am considering having flexible partners and be able to switch partners based on needs changing.
ReplyDeleteI did not use scrolls this year in my classroom. I did use the books, but I had books that were premade mostly. I plan to have less of these next year and allow students to be able to create their own books adding pages as they need. There isn’t a child that wouldn’t love to use the stapler or tape, and if it gets them to add more to their writing, then I am all for it!
I liked the idea of using writing caddies. I had one spot in the classroom this year where all students could go to access writing supplies when they needed it, but I sometimes found that students would become distracted when making their way up to get the supplies. I like the idea of having a caddy for each table so that students would have the materials right in front of them to access.
I asked the question about The Little Engine that Could above because of the great benefits I saw in my classroom from using it. I was able to see my students reference this in other subject areas where they found something challenging. I could often hear students whispering to themselves “I think I can”. So I was just curious to see if anyone else had this happen to their class or experience something similar.
One more thing that I plan to add to my writer’s workshop is something Lucy referenced on page 77. One of her mid-workshop teaching points was to have students count the labels they made on one page. She then asked “Who has five or more? Who has three?”. I like this because I could see my students buying into this like it was a game or a challenge. I think it would motivate students to try to write more labels.
Laura, I completely agree! The students love using the staplers and adding pages to their work. I have always done the same thing... I use books as a starting point for most students. I did differentiate this by having some students write different size "books," having a smaller amount of pages based on their ability. I would have other students begin with three pages, knowing that they were expected to add more as their writing grew. I really like how this progressed but could see many benefits to having the students be in control how many pages are in their booklets. They love having control!
DeleteI have honestly done the books differently different years. Some years, I have the kids do all their own stapling, and they love it! Some years, I didn't think my class was ready for that much responsibility, and I would provide differentiated booklets. I simply stapled all extra papers at the end of writer's workshop instead of giving the children control over the stapler.
DeleteI have used the book The Little Engine that Could. I liked it because it is a simple message that the kids connected to and most were familiar with this story. That is really cute how Laura heard her kids whispering it to themselves. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought this section touched on a lot of challenges that beginning writers face and gave some suggestions to support those writers towards independence. For example: getting stuck when they don't know how to write or draw something. I am now at summer school and even though many of the students in the class I know have had "Lucy-like" lessons, they are still struggling with some of these barriers that get in the way of them being more independent writers. I can see how some of these lessons would need to be reviewed periodically for the whole group, or maybe as a small group conference with certain students.
It seems like a lot of Lucy's instruction, at least in the beginning, is focusing on creating a writing mindset for students. She uses a lot of good phrases that I'm sure she says repeatedly like "We need a challenge, we don't want easy work" "Be brave" "Writers don't write alone, they get help" etc.
Now that she feels they are more independent, I have liked the examples of conferencing that she has given. I think I tend to spend too much time talking with a few kids, rather than keeping conferences shorter and letting the kids do more of the talking. That is something I'll have to work on.
I appreciated the section on Helping Writer of Varying Abilities. Her comment of "Don't feel that your teaching has fallen on deaf ears when children continue to need support" was right on with how I often feel. It is a good reminder that students are allowed to learn to write at their own pace, even if Lucy's examples look a lot better than what some of our friends are currently producing. In my position, small group conferencing would be most beneficial to work more frequently with these struggling writers to give them repeated repetition with some writing aspects that other students understand more easily.
So I used The Little Engine That could at summer school today and a friend who has a very hard time with writing and drawing things he does not think he knows how to do called me the rusty old engine when I said I could not help him until he gave it a try! :) lol!
DeleteHowever, he eventually did it and he wrote the whole sentence when I sat next to him saying "I think I can..."
Other than that, it worked like a charm and you could see the kids be a little more proud of their work when they were done.
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing :)
DeleteThat is hysterical Kim! I think you found yourself a new nickname! :)
DeleteIn the beginning of the year, I try to keep writing supplies organized in a way that will require as little movement as possible! Each table has a writing bin on a shelf that holds their writing folders, extra writing paper, and a basket of fine-tip markers. Posted by each of these 4 writing bins are a list of names of students at that table. Whoever’s name is marked with a clothespin is the table helper for the week and responsible for carrying his or her table’s writing bin over at the beginning of writer’s workshop. Everything is at their fingertips for the remainder of the time! This process evolves as students become more independent and their needs change. I add mini-plastic shelf with three drawers for different types of paper that they can go to as needed.
ReplyDeleteI have not tried scrolls yet because I think it would be a logistical nightmare for storage! It’s a big enough challenge to slide flat paper into a folder pocket let alone jam a few scrolls in. If I were to try it, I think I would have a scrap bucket like container for each table that is stored on the shelf with writing bins. Students who write scrolls could roll and store them inside their table’s bucket. The only reason I am even considering it is because I witnessed how motivating using a piece of tape to hang up a sign was during the persuasive writing unit!
Something I hadn’t noticed in prior readings is on page 61. Lucy recommends establishing a writing partner meeting area. For example, there are 2 chairs by the window that partners can sit at to plan their writing. Has anyone tried a partner meeting area? I usually just let them pull a chair near their partner’s seat.
Kylie,
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your writing supplies organization! I will definitely try the table bins this year. I had a writing station set up in one area of the classroom, but I think having the table bins at that area as well will be a great addition. That way, Writer's Workshop can have a smoother transition and the students can still access writing supplies whenever they need them throughout the day.
Kylie,
DeleteI have never used scrolls before either. I completely agree that it could be a disaster to store such long pieces but it could also be truly inspirational for the students. That is a great suggestion for each table to have a bin to store their scrolls. The organizer in me wonders if I would try scrolls on certain days, or for a weeks worth of time, but then switch gears back to books. I think this might be a good compromise for me... It would still keep the students interested and excited about writing scrolls but we would only have to store them for a certain time frame. What are you guys thinking?
I must have missed the writing partner meeting area too. I love that idea! I will definitely be adding that to my Writer's Workshop this year. In the past, I have always set up writing partner based on students who would work well together, could help to compliment each other's writing, and also allow for students to behave while working together. I allow them to pick their own writing area anywhere (within reason) in the classroom. It always helped the students to be motivated because they felt independent and in charge of their own writing space. I really love the idea of a meeting area! Can't wait to use that!
DeleteI like the idea of having a writing partner meeting area too. I would just be sure to model, model, model how to use this area so that students did not spend their whole writing time there and/or were off task. I agree with Jess that it would be motivating for them to be in charge of their own writing space.
DeleteI really like that you let them choose their own writing spots, Jess! It really gives them ownership over this time of their day and I bet that is super motivating! They love it when we treat them like "grown-ups". Do you let these spots change daily, or once they choose then it is set for awhile?
DeleteAs this was my first year teaching Lucy as a classroom teacher, I have to say that I was a little overwhelmed with the resource. While Lucy is very detailed in her descriptions of the lessons, I was really doubting myself in the beginning of the school year. I couldn't believe the amount of paper the students went through once they started adding pages and making books. I was also weary about the markers and how messy and unstructured their beginning drawings looked. I have to thank you all for helping me throughout the school year, especially Alissa and Jess for letting me observe their class during Writer's Workshop time. As the year progressed, I felt like Writer's Workshop time became stronger and my students truly enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI did not use scrolls last year because I thought it was quite odd. I didn't know how to relate scrolls to the students and in everyday life. It was much easier and more realistic to have the students add pages to their writing. These beginning lessons were about getting the students excited about writing and encouraging them to preserver through challenges. I think Lucy explains how to do this very well. I used The Little Engine That Could and it was effective. I am happy we are taking time to discuss the different texts Lucy suggests to use in the lessons.
Whenever I saw the students start to struggle or "give up" during a unit, we would create an anchor chart to help build stamina. The group of students I had last year thrived on structure and consistent expectations, so along with creating the charts that Lucy suggests, like "When We Are Done, We've Just Begun," we made many others. We made charts to generate writing idea topics, what Writer's Workshop should look like, sound like, and feel like, share circle expectations, and partner time expectations. The students referenced these charts very often. I think it is important to remember that even if we think making charts like these are not useful or effective, many students benefit from having the visual aid always available to them.
I did not start partner writing until much later in the school year. It was difficult to fit partner time in with students getting pulled out for related services during writing time. The students were able to cope with their partner not being there or getting pulled out in the middle of writing time better towards the end of the school year. I also let the students choose their partners during writing time because I thought that it would lend to the love of writing and produce more writing. However, I see the benefits of having consistent partners too, especially as the pieces getting longer and take more time to complete.
I love anchor charts too! You just inspired me to get back into making more of them again.
DeleteI usually pair my students for the entire school year, but I am also thinking about the benefits of changing it up at different times. I really want to see how it would go so I might try it!
ReplyDeleteI give each table their own supply bins with pens and crayons and have the extra paper, books, and staplers at a classroom table for students to get as needed. I bought new caddies at the end of the year that will hold the supplies as well as paper so I am going to try this out in the fall. While I don’t mind students moving independently to get what they need, I want to see what happens (pro’s and con’s) of everything being right at their fingertips! Just for space at the tables, I will continue to have the folder bins and the different kinds of papers at a classroom table…just from experience of students taking up LOTS of space during writing!!
The Little Engine That Could was in our Scott Foresman series (one of the few actual good books in the series!) and I totally agree that students really connected to its message!
A couple other things stood out to me in this section
-I am already planning on a “What Writing Partners Do” class poster!
-The idea that writing workshop is where students apply the learning we explicitly teach at other
times of the school day. This reconfirmed with me to let writing workshop be a time for students to really explore the idea of writing and show us where it takes them.
-I love the quote from Donald Murry about how conferences should make the writer’s energy
go up and how he connects it to a teacher’s post observation meeting and all you’re hoping for is that the observer believes in you and when you hear/believe that, you get a boost to better. That is my top goal and something I will keep in the back of my mind when talking with students about their writing!!
Lisa,
DeleteI have my students move around and get their materials too but I think I'm going to do the same thing and go back to having all of their materials at their tables. I used to do it that way a while back and it worked out great!! It just eliminated the students from getting up and getting distracted from their writing. I'm interested to see what kind of writing caddies that you bought that will hold paper. Do you have a picture of them? I have table captains in my classroom that are "in charge" of their tables. I would go back to having the table captains pass out the writing caddies at the beginning of writer's workshop!!
I got them from Really Good Stuff. They are metallic mesh and seem to be pretty well made. I bought them at the end of the school year so I didn't have a chance to test them out and now they are packed away in my classroom! They are a little expensive, but they seem to be worth it..I hope so! This is the link showing just one, but there's also a set of four (each a different color) which is what I bought.
Deletehttp://www.reallygoodstuff.com/wire-works-group-materials-caddy/p/162765/tab/k8/
Oh and it shows them with books underneath so I think you could also have paper at a different location and use the bottom for their folders. I'm going to try it with the paper in the caddies and the folders in a different carrier thingy and see how it goes!
DeleteI also have not had students turn their writing into scrolls because I thought it would become hard to manage. I anticipated that students would become overly focused on taping pieces of paper together and not the writing process itself. I am trying to think of how I will organize my writing supplies this year. Last year, each table had its own bin with writing folders in it. The table captain, each week, was responsible for passing out the writing folders to his/her table mates. The different writing papers were located at a central spot in the classroom. I sometimes had blank books stapled ahead of time for my students to use. I have never allowed my students to use the stapler themselves. I’m not sure if I would have felt comfortable with my class last year using staplers independently-I would worry an accident would happen.
ReplyDeleteI did have prearranged learning target partners that the students would brainstorm writing ideas with. I didn’t really establish partners until later in the year. I think I will try to establish it earlier this year, because I see how beneficial it is for the students.
I did not use The Little Engine That Could, but I think it is a great idea. I will plan on using it next year as a lesson during writing workshop. I find that anytime you can you use a book to help teach a concept (in any academic area) it really helps the students to remember.
As Lucy Calkins mentioned, I do have students use an ABC chart when writing. The ABC chart matches the visuals used in our ABC book. I have a class set that is laminated and the students use it on an as needed basis (It is used more frequently early in the school year).
I also assign partners, and they change several times during the school year. I have not been brave enough to use scrolls, but I realize they would be very motivating! I'll plan to try them out this year. Kylie, I love your idea for storing them! I also utilize table captains and find them helpful. I have writing folders and writing implements in areas by table, but have always kept the writing paper in one central spot. I'm eager to see how you ladies organize the paper in a caddy because I love the idea! Do you have differentiated papers in the caddies?
ReplyDeleteI honestly paraphrased The Little Engine That Could this year instead of reading the whole book. I have found the book long and repetitive in past years, but I love the message it makes. I wonder if there's a more updated book out there somewhere. (Am I the only person that feels this way about the book?!) Laura, I too heard kids say, "I think I can. I think I can!"
I love how Lucy Calkins uses white boards with the students, and I would like to do that more often with my mini lessons. I also love her share on p. 55 about making sure all the pages in your book go together. This is often a tough concept for kids! However, I think it's easier to define the topic with a nonfiction text than it is with narrative, as I've done in the past. I also love how she uses a phonemic awareness warm-up song on p. 74, and I will definitely use that with my class too.
From how the caddies I just bought are set up I'm not sure if I'll be able to put different kinds of paper in them (I put a link to the site about them in my response under my post). I'll probably put the single papers with 1 line and a illustration box in the caddies and have the stapled books and more/less lined papers available elsewhere...not quite sure yet!!
DeleteI love the white board use during lessons too! I've never used them for whole group writing (usually more for math), but it's definitely something that I want to do in writing now also!
Emily,I either paraphrased the book or read a version one of my students brought in for me to read. My main point in using it was just for the message it gets across. I'll have to see if I can get a hold of the version of the text the student brought in for me.
DeleteHi everyone...Kim your rusty old engine comment made me laugh 😀 As many of you already stated I also don't use scrolls. I found it to be a big paper mess. If the idea is to get them to add more pages to their writing, you can easily do it by just adding pages to make booklets. I have a writing bucket for each table that includes pencils (I don't like markers for writing), erasers, spaceman, popcorn word charts and their writing folders. As Kylie stated...as little movement as possible is best because often kids will get up and move around simply to avoid writing. However, I do put their writing paper in a central location because of the different types of paper. It's too much to put in their writing caddy. I also love using The Little Engine That Could. It really motivates them to not give up and keep saying I think I can when they get stuck. And I have definitely seen it transfer into other subject areas. Kelly mentioned making anchor charts. And I definitely do these all the time with the students so they give their input. There was a time when all of my kids wanted to get out of their seats and show me their work. So they were getting out of their seats more than they were reading. So we made an anchor chart about what writing looks like. And that really helped them to focus on what they were supposed to be doing. I also have learning partners in the classroom and a partner up during writing Workshop as well. We practiced several times in a circle first where students share their work and then we gave them compliments about things that we saw that we like such as putting periods, spelling popcorn words correctly, drawing details in picture, leaving spaces etc... finally got to a point where they could partner up and they did two things with their partner. One thing was to give a compliment about their partner's work and then the second thing was to give them a suggestion on something they can do to make their writing even better. It actually went very well and kids listened to their peers even more! Sometimes kids would go over what they fixed the next day when they met with their partners!
DeleteI really like the lessons in bend II of Lucy's first unit. I feel like at this point students are beginning to understand the routines and procedures and can begin to dig into a little more content. Obviously it is still very early in the year at this point but I like when my students are planning and writing books etc. I think my favorite lesson in this section is session 9 about asking and answering questions. I like how Lucy uses writing partners to ask questions about their partner's writing. I think it's easier for students to ask questions about the work of others compared to their own initially. I also like how after the students practice asking questions to their partner, Lucy explains that they can ask those same questions to themselves to see what they need to add in their own writing. This year, I plan to teach that part more explicitly.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a set area for partners to meet but I am thinking about including one. Maybe I could keep a timer in that area and show them how to use it. When the time was up they would know they needed to go back to their seats.
I keep all of my supplies in one location. I don't mind the movement because they have to sit so much throughout the day. However, it can become a difficult if a student decides to wander more than write.
Laura, I agree with you that counting the labels would be a fun game for them. I am definitely doing that!
I loved this section of reading-it is full of good ideas for continuing the writing momentum that begins right away on day one of writer's workshop. I don't think I have used the exact same management system two years in a row. I definitely tailor it to the class-some need more movement, others fall apart with too much freedom. I used scrolls two years ago, and it was super motivating for the kids. They would write and write just to be able to get to the tape dispenser ;) However, I think it had the unintended consequence of taking away from their understanding that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. So last year, I gave my class the freedom to choose to write in a book already assembled (3 pages), or to write a page at a time and use the stapler. They handled it beautifully. I guess I will need to get to know my class this year! Like a few of you said, I also have typically waited to begin my writing partnerships until mid-year. But, as I am reading your reflections and Lucy's chapter, I am going to begin them much sooner this year. Like anything else, they will raise to whatever expectation we give them! I do not have a place in the room dedicated to writing partners. I think it is most effective to assign them spots on the rug together and at tables so they are always handy when they need to chat. I am concerned that having a spot for kids to move to will discourage them from having a quick partner chat then getting right back to work. I think it will just entice them to have a reason to get up and waste precious writing time. I noticed on page 52 that on Lucy's "When you think you're done" chart, she added "reread our writing". I think this is so simple and so smart! It seems intuitive to us, but the students do not typically do this on their own.
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