Quit Kicking it OLD School!

1. Quit Kicking it OLD School! HOW TO RE-INTRODUCE Writing instruction into the high school classroom Samantha Caulder English Teacher 9th, 10th, and 11th grade

2. poetry

3. What do you think of when you hear the word “Poetry”? • Sitting on the grass/ Whitman • Sandburg quote • Imagery • Rhythm • Music • symbolism • Expression • Beautiful words • Figurative lang • Structure • Breaking rules • Out loud • Tempo • Rhyme • Simple • Words that are hard to understand

4. On the Playlist… • Instructional Roadblock • History of the Writing Workshop • Why We Need Writing Workshop in the Secondary Classroom • Why Aren’t More High School Classrooms Using Writing Workshop? • Why Students Need to be Better Writers • Understanding and Implementing the Writing Workshop • How to Assess Using Writing Workshop • How Writing Workshop Rights Writing Wrongs

5. Teaching writing is a battlefield MY INSTRUCTIONAL ROADBLOCK

6. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH WRITING!! • In my own classroom.. • Class would study a literary piece • I would assign a paper • Students would write the paper • I would grade the paper • Kicking it old school • In high school and college, I was taught to read the text, analyze the text, and write about the text • PAPERS!!! • USUALLY analytic • Thesis at the end of intro • 5+ paragraphs

7. Workshop? What workshop? • What my idea of “Writing Workshop” USED to be.. • Give students notes of the College Essay Format • Lecture on College Essay Format • Class as a whole would write intro & thesis • Paper would be due in 1-2 weeks • Students could e-mail me drafts OR come before and after school • No time in class because…well, there was NO TIME!

8. And the problem with that was… • I was doing all the work! • I would get frustrated and stop assigning essays • I never let them explore their own ideas OR other genres other than analytic essays • I wasn’t being consistent • My students were failing because I was failing my students.

9. We’ve only just begun History of the Writing Workshop Theory

10. 1971- Janet Emig 1983- Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins Among the first to isolate the stages of writing and identify them in a linear order “The Writing Process” Planning Drafting Revising Editing Publishing • The Composing Process of Twelfth Graders • Studied composition habits of high school students • Described the teaching of writing in high schools as “a neurotic activity” • Think- aloud protocol • Noted that writing came in stages and learning to write may be a matter of practice with the stages The Writing-Rich High School Classroom Jennifer Berne

11. ALTHOUGH THE WRITING PROCESS DEVELOPED THROUGH RESEARCH DONE WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS,THE INSTRUCTION OF THE PROCESS HAS NOT FOUND A SECURE HOME IN THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM

12. Late 1980’s- early 1990’s • Elementary education programs began introducing writing process concepts and practices to upcoming teacher candidates • Writing process is now a commonly accepted practice in K-5 literary instruction • College- level instructors start pushing for writing workshops to remedy the stifled writing style of freshmen students • HOWEVER, little has “trickled up from elementary or down from university to influence process writing theory and practice in high school classroom instruction” The Writing- Rich High School Classroom Jennifer Berne

13. The times they are a’chaning Today, writing instruction is needed more than ever!

14. “Writing ‘is no longer a concern, as it was in Harvard in 1894, of an exclusively white, male elite; in today’s increasingly diverse society, writing is a gateway for success in academia, the new workplace, and the global economy, as well as for our collective success as a participatory democracy’” • – Carl Nagin and the National Writing Project • “The ability to write well, once a luxury, has become a necessity. Today, writing is foundational for success” • - Kelly Gallagher Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher

15. Where have all the workshops gone? Why Aren’t More High School Classrooms Implementing Writing Workshop?

16. Sure, we can dwell on issues we can’t control such as • Poverty • Lack of parental involvement • English as a second language • Teaching to the test • “… well-trained teachers of writing produce student who write better…despite the obstacles we inherit…” Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher

17. Top Ten Writing Wrongs in Secondary Schools • #1 Students are not doing enough writing • #2 Writing is sometimes assigned rather than taught • #3 Below grade level students write LESS when they should write MORE • #4 ELL are often shortchanged • #5 Grammar instruction is ineffective or ignored • #6 Students are not given enough timed writing instruction/ practice • #7 Some teachers have little or no knowledge of district and/or state standards • #8 Writing topics are often teacher mandated • #9 Teachers are doing too much work and students aren’t doing enough! • #10 Teachers need help assessing student writing Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher

18. My BIGGGEST OBSTACLE… • How do I motivate reluctant writers?? • “Although young children scribble and create with great joy, once students reach high school, they often face writing tasks with anxiety and the resulting experience can be painful” • -- Jennifer Berne • The Writing-Rich High School Classroom

19. The Answer… • WRITING HAS TO BE RELEVANT!!! • “Writing his hard, and if students don’t have intrinsic reasons to work hard at developing their writing skills, they won’t diligently develop their writing skills. Simply assuming our students come to us with the desire to improve their writing is a recipe for failure.” • -- Kelly Gallagher • Teaching Adolescent Writers

20. I Heard it through the grapevine… Why students need to be better writers TEACHING ADOLESCENT WRITERS Kelly gallagher

21. Writing reason #1- Writing is hard but hard is rewarding • Don’t sugarcoat! • Writing has been called the “most complex of all human activities” • Use this difficulty as an opportunity for students to create something truly rewarding • “When was the last time you got a lot of satisfaction without trying hard?”

22. Writing reason #2- Writing helps you sort things out • Students are becoming burdened with serious problems more and more each year • Impress upon students that writing is a good place to • sort out thoughts • Say things you couldn’t otherwise verbalize • Release emotions • Talk to that person you are unable to talk to in person

23. Writing reason #3- Writing helps to persuade others Writing reason #4- Writing helps to Fight Oppression • Gives them a voice • Motivates them to be active participants in the world around them

24. Writing Reason #5- Writing makes you a better reader • “Reading development does not take place in isolation; instead a child develops simultaneously as reader, listener, speaker, and writer.” -- Carl NaginBecause Writing Matters • Better writers tend to be better readers • Better writers tend to read more • Better readers tend to produce more mature writing

25. Writing reason #6- Writing Makes you smarter • Brain = muscle • Muscles + exercise= strength • mental stimulation improves brain function and protects against cognitive decline • Writing sharpens the brain • Different writing sharpens different kinds of thinking • “While all writing helps learning, it is important for teachers to be selective about the kinds of writing activities they ask their students to engage in, depending on the kinds of learning they are seeking. Analytic writing leads to a focus on selective parts of the text, to deeper reasoning about less information. Summary writing and note-taking, in contrast, lead to a focus on the whole text in more comprehensive but more superficial ways. Short answer study questions focus attention on particular information with little attention to overall relationships.” -- Langer and Applebee 1978

26. Writing reason #7- Writing helps you get into and through college • Being accepted into college/university is becoming more competitive each year • Decisions often determined by writing ability • College admissions looks at 4 criteria: • GPA • Involvement on campus • Involvement in community • Writing ability

27. “…by the first year of college, more than 50% of the freshman class are unable to produce papers relatively free of language errors or to analyze argument or synthesize information…” • -- National Commission on Writing 2003 • “The writing weaknesses of incoming college students costs our campuses up to $1 billion annually.” • -- C. Peter Magrath • Chair, National Commission on Writing

28. writing reason #8- writing prepares you for the world of work 2005 survey of members of National association of manufacturers 2004- national commission on writing Writing: A Ticket to Work… or a Ticket Out writing is a “threshold skill” for employment and promotions ½ of all companies surveyed take writing into account when hiring and making promotion decisions 2/3 of all salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility • 84% say k-12 schools aren’t doing a good job of preparing students for the workplace • 81% say they are currently facing a moderate to severe shortage of qualified workers • 61% say applicants with high school diplomas were poorly prepared • 51% say employees will need more reading/writing skills within the next three years

29. You say you want a revolution… Understanding and implementing the writing workshop

30. What is writing workshop? • Writer’s Workshop is designed to emphasize the act of writing itself—students spend most of their time putting pencil to paper, not just learning about it. • emphasis is placed on: • sharing work with the class • peer conferencing and editing • Collecting a wide variety of work in a writing folder, and eventually in a portfolio. • Teachers write with their students and share their own work as well. • The workshop setting encourages students to think of themselves as writers, and to take their writing seriously. Welcome to the Writer’s Workshop Steve Peha http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

31. How do I get started? • “I have finally realized that the most creative environments in our society are not the kaleidoscopic environments in which everything is always changing and complex. They are, instead, the predictable and consistent ones– the scholar’s library, the researcher’s laboratory, the artist’s studio. Each of these environments is deliberately kept predictable and simple because the work at hand and the changing interactions around that work are so unpredictable and complex.” • -- Lucy Calkins 1983 • The most productive writing workshops take place in environments where: • Students observe standards • Adhere to processes that minimize off- task behavior • The first few weeks.. • Careful, up-front preparation AND continual monitoring and refinement are essential • Helps minimize disruptions • Helps students focus and thus reap long-term benefits The Writing-Rich High School Classroom Jennifer Berne

32. Organize your space • Writing workshop classrooms are modeled after fine-arts classrooms • Students are always moving ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE • Instructor’s primary role– to circulate among the students as the work AND to provide guidance and feedback • ROWS WILL NOT WORK!! • NEED for areas to follow the writing process • Planning– at student desk • Drafting– at student desk • Getting/giving feedback • Peer editing– on the floor or at a table, enough space for 4 or 5 students • Teacher conferencing– at teacher’s desk • Revising—at student desk • Editing– separated from peer response • On the floor or at a table • Publishing– computer stations, laptops, computer labs The Writing-Rich High School Classroom Jennifer Berne

33. Prepare students for participation • Teachers HAVE to explain and model for students the process • How to work collaboratively – see handout 1 • How to stay on task– see handouts 2 and 3 • How to provide feedback– see handouts 4, 5 and 6 • How to conference with teacher– see handouts 7 and 8 • What to do if in a “holding pattern”– see handout 9 • How to track who is off task– see handout 10 The Writing-Rich High School Classroom Jennifer Berne

34. The writer’s notebook • A place for students to play with their writing • Helps students organize thoughts, materials, and products Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher

35. The writing workshop format • The basic structure never changes ALTHOUGH it allows for flexibility • Introducing and modeling this format early on in the year will help students get into the routine Welcome to Writer’s Workshop Steve Peha http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

36. Great things come in small packages: the perks to using mini- lessons • What makes a good mini- lesson? • Brevity • usually 10-1 5 minutes in order to keep the majority of the time open for writing • Focus • Covers a single, narrowly defined topic • Authenticity • Based on real things real writers need to know • Practical and immediately useful • Targeted to address specific challenges a writer may face • What are the advantages of the mini-lesson? • Students incorporate their writing in an authentic way • Students are not intimidated by new concepts because they aren’t focused on performing well on a test • Class time wasn’t wasted on giving tests • Students spend less time on “busy work” • Students develop greater confidence and independence • Teachers spend less time correcting papers • Most teachers like it, once they get used to it • Students tend to like it better right away Welcome to the Writer’s Workshop Steve Peha http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

37. Just SEEING WHAT YOU’RE UP TO… checking the status of the class • Strategies • Simply ask students where they are and make notations • Use a chart with student names, the dates, and the status/ progress • Clothes- pin chart • Sign up sheets • Students will be working on different areas at different paces

38. The right TIME for write time You write, too Conferencing Important conference questions: What are you working on? Can you read me some of what you have written? How’s it coming along? Is there anything I can do to help? What are you going to do next? • It is always good for a teacher to model what they are expecting of students • Write for 5- 10 minutes before conferencing with students Welcome to the Writer’s Workshop Steve Peha http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

39. Sharing well with others Teachers often run into two problems when it is time to share… Welcome to the Writer’s Workshop Steve Peha http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

40. If you like it, then you should put a grade on it How to assess student progress in the writing workshop

41. Grading through the writing workshop Formative assessment Summative assessment The Writing Portfolio Students have created enough products that they select what they want to share publicly Teaches students to look through and at their own work “The process of looking at all the writing one has done over a period of time, deciding what to present, and pointing to the positive elements of what one has chosen can be a powerful lesson in audience, purpose, and the traits of writing.”– Jennifer Berne The Writing- Rich High School Classroom • Peer feedback • Teacher feedback

42. Bye, bye, bye How Writing Workshop rights the writing wrongs

43. WRITING WORKSHOP INHERENTLY INCORPORATES COMMON CORE WRITING STANDARDS • Allows students to write a variety of styles– CCSS WS 1-3 • Mini-lessons introduce students to various styles and mentor texts– CCSS WS 7-9 • Allows students to move physically through the writing process • Planning • Drafting • Revising • Editing • Publishing– CCSS 4 and 6 • Allows students the time to practice their writing– CCSS WS 10 CCSS WS 5

44. Effective teenage writers emerge when six student needs are met Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher Students need a lot more writing practice Students need choice when it comes to writing topics Students need the opportunity to read and study other writers Students need meaningful feedback from both teacher and peers Students need teachers who model good writing Students need to write for authentic purposes and for authentic audiences

45. Works Cited • Berne, Jennifer. The Writing- Rich Classroom: Engaging Students in the Writing Workshop. New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 2009. Print. • Gallagher, Kelly. Teaching Adolescent Writers. Portland, Me: Stenhouse, 2006. Print. • Peha, Steve. "Welcome to the Writer's Workshop." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2013.