LET'S WRITE 'SMORE...
it's Tool Time!
Presented to you by Shannon Harvey, Ashley Krause, Laura Sites and their first grade students at Forest Trail Elementary School in Eanes ISD...Austin, Texas
ABOUT THE AUTHORS...
ICE BREAKER...
- go on a beach vacation OR go to a cold destination?
- write a poem OR personal narrative?
- brainstorm and plan before writing OR just begin writing?
YOU ARE INVITED...
In your writer's notebook, list struggles that you encounter when conferring with your students during writing workshop.
STUDENT QUESTION...
OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Question: Does a writing toolkit help with conferring?
We know that the key to Writer's Workshop is conferring with our students. We set out to make our conferences more meaningful for our students by using "conferencing toolkits."
Items in our toolkits:
- Mentor text
- Student work samples
- Post-It notes
- Scissors, glue, pens/highlighters/markers
- Extra paper to add to students stories
- Tool to record observations/goals
CURRENT RESEARCH
"Conferences are not mini-lectures but the working talk of fellow writer's sharing their experience with the writing process."-Don Murray
"We confer with students, so they will become "better writers." By "better writers" I mean writers who can do the work we teach them in today's conferences on their own in future pieces." -Carl Anderson
"Conferring is not the icing on the cake, but the cake
itself." - Lucy Caulkins
Why Use a Toolkit?
From Carl Anderson's book How's it Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers (2000)
"When I confer I choose to go to where the student sits in the classroom. Students seem to be more at ease talking with me when I meet them where they are most comfortable."
"Many professionals have special tools that they carry with them as they do their jobs. Doctors drape stethoscopes around their necks. Mathematicians slide calculators into their pockets. Photographers sling cameras on their shoulders.
We writing teachers, too, need special tools to help us confer. As we make plans for our conferences, we should be thinking carefully about the tools we carry with us."
"There is no script that guarantees a magnificent conference...I still find each writing conference with a student to be unique--sometimes difficult--challenge. We can, however, learn ways of thinking , develop repertoires of techniques, and perfect straightforward strategies that will boost our conferring power."
INQUIRY PROCESS
As a team, we decided to write "all about" books focusing on animals. Each child chose an animal that they wanted to research, then we provided books and some websites for the children to gather information about their topic.
We read Sharks by Anne Schreiber and Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons. We made noticing charts for these two books. The shark book used photographs for the illustrations and Monarch Butterfly had paintings and drawings. We also passed out other nonfiction texts about animals and had the students write what they noticed on post it notes.
Then we started the mini-lessons and invited the students to begin that page of their books. Our mini-lessons included:
Day 1- Covers
Day 2- Parts of or Diagram page
Day 3- Leads and Beginnings
Day 5- Fun Facts/More Facts
Day 6- Dedications
Day 7- Table of Contents
Day 9- Meet the Author
Day 10- How do I Know When I am Finished?
Our students wrote every day. If they had to finish something from the day before then we still invited them to begin the new page and then go back. We were conferring during the entire journey and Laura scheduled to visit our classes each day to confer and even teach some mini lessons. We started our toolkits with post its and mentor texts and added student samples along the way. It was so nice to have everything in one spot that could easily be moved from student to student.
'SMORE SAMPLES OF TOOLKITS...
Writing and Reading...
Add Your Fingerprint...
What is Your Passion?
Labels
Conferring
Adding Text Features from Informational Texts
OUR WRITERS ENGAGED IN THE CRAFT...
Non-fiction Text Features
Sharks!
Noticing Chart
Conferring: Table of Contents
Deer Keynote
Inspiration from the book Atlantic by Brian Karas
Hair
I am hair. I get brushed. I get colors in me. I get pink and purple and blue. I get curled. I get straightened. I get rolled up. I even get cut by scissors. I am hair. By Lauren
You are invited to write a compliment for our student authors!
Blogs and Websites
Two Writing Teachers Blog
Teacher's College Rdg. and Wtg. Project with Lucy Calkins
National Council of Teachers of English
DIGITAL RESOURCES
Explore a digital workshop...
Check out this blog with lots of anchor charts...
Smarter Charts from Marjorie Martinelli & Kristine Mraz
Online or twitter...
QUESTIONS...
FINAL REFLECTION...
OUR THANKS GO OUT TO...
*Amanda O'Daniel, Instructional Partner at Barton Creek El., Eanes ISD
*Valerie Taylor, Instructional Partner and English Teacher at Westlake H.S., Eanes ISD
*Janet Couvillion, Ed Technologist at Forest Trail El., Eanes ISD
*First grade students from the classrooms of Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. Krause