Activity: Professional Study Team: Writing Workshop and Conferences: Focus on developing a successful writing workshop and student writing samples.
TLC Points for group A: 10
TLC Points for Group B: 20
Teaching and Learning Cooperative Proposal
Proposal Facilitators: Amy Fousek and Christina Glady
Phone Number: 485-0042ext 4101or 4102E-mail: and
Intended Audience: K-5 teachers at Chaparral Elementary
Start Date: November 2005 – June 2006
District Goals Addressed: K-5 Literacy: Writing and Proficiency for all Students
Anticipated Professional Learning Outcomes
Groups A and B will:
1Build a shared understanding of developing a writing workshop that encompasses the K-5 writing standards through reading, reflecting discussing and implementing the writing workshop layout from The Art of Teaching Writing, by Lucy Calkins.
2Develop 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.
3Acquire strategies, resources and tools for establishing a well balanced writing program.
4Gain insights to a variety of writing lessons that are comprehensive and allow for differentiation.
5Develop a professional community that collects, reflects, shares best practices data to improve student learning as well as writing instruction.
6Establish a writing workshop program that is parallel throughout classrooms at Chaparral and at each grade level builds upon the students’ prior knowledge.
Group B will also:
1Build 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 and How’s it Going?, by Carl Anderson for grades 3-5.
2Observe 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.
3. Gather and analyze student writing to inform writing conferences and writing
mini-lessons.
Professional Growth Activities:
Acquiring New Learning Activities
I.Content meetings (6 after school meeting strategically scheduled throughout the 2005-2006 school year)
a.Group A: 45 minutes per meeting (This group attends to activity #1 for each month listed).
b.Group B: 105 minutes per meeting (This group attends to activites #1,2 3, and 4 for each month listed)
Each meeting will have:
Group A and B meeting:
1.20 minutes of reflection and pair share of previous learning and reading.
2. 20 minutes of new learning exploration.
3.5 minutes of wrap up and layout of goals for the next meeting.
Group B meeting
1.15 minutes of reflection and pair share of previous learning and reading.
2.15 minutes of new learning exploration.
3.25 minutes of evaluating student samples, practicing and refinement of new learning
4.5 minutes of wrap up and layout of goals for the next meeting.
c. Monthly Schedule Topics and Time
~ November
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
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
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
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
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
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 Group A: 4.5 hours
Group B: 10.5 hours)
II. Outside Learning Activities.
a. Reading and Reflecting of 2-3 chapters before each meeting The Art of Teaching Writing, by Lucy Calkins.
(Group A and B: 2 hours of reading before each of 6 meeting=12 hours)
b. Journal 2 times per month about best practices, what worked, next best steps and questions.
(Group A and B: 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.
(Group A and B: 1 hour per lesson= 3 hours)
GROUP B ONLY:
b. Reading and Reflecting of 2-3 chapters before each meeting One to One), by Lucy Calkins for K-2 and How’s it Going?, by Carl Anderson for grades 3-5.
(Group B: 2 hours of reading before each of 6 meeting=12 hours)
- Developing a portfolio of writing from a high, medium, and low student in the classroom. Collecting one piece each, per high, medium and low student, per month for reflecting, scoring and sharing throughout the year. Group B will also analyze the writing pieces for next best steps and conferring strategies.
(Group B: 1 hour per month for 6 months= 6 hours)
- Journal 1 time per month reflecting on writing samples gathered, conferring strategies, what worked, best practices and next best steps.
(Group B: 30 minutes per month for 6 months – 3 hours)
Group A Total: 21 Hours
Group B Total: 42 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 Groups A and B may include:
1Planning and delivering mini-lessons based on new learning from reading and monthly meetings. (30 minutes per week)
Group B activities may include:
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)
(Group A: approximately 13 hours
Group B: approximately 39 hours)
Reflection Activities:
Groups A and B:
- 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 for Group A
Content Meetings: 4.5 hours
Outside learning Activities: 21hours
Classroom Implementation and Activities: 13 hours
Sum Total Approximately: 38.5 hours
Time Totals for Group B
Content Meetings: 10.5 hours
Outside learning Activities: 42 hours
Classroom Implementation and Activities: 39 hours
Sum Total Approximately: 94.5 hours