PELHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OFFICE OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT
Elementary Writing Instruction and Professional Learning Process
Board of Education Report
Dr. Richard P. Limato
Director of Elementary Education
Historical overview of writing instruction and why we decided to
implement a workshop model:
In Pelham, we have always embraced the practice that effective school districts
engage in a process of continuous improvement. This is especially true for the
areas of curriculum and instruction. Over the past few years, we have been
working to implement recommendations made to improve the quality of
instruction and student achievement in English Language Arts and Mathematics
based upon external reviews conducted by the Tri States Consortium, a peer
review process. Periodically, we also conduct our own internal reviews through
the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Council (CIAC). Often these
internal audits of curriculum and instruction result from teacher and
administrator feedback based upon classroom instructional practice, student
achievement results, and the monitoring of best practices. This review and
evaluation process has guided our curriculum development and professional
development plan.
Almost three years ago, with the advent of my work as the Director of
Elementary Education, we identified the need to standardize instruction across
our elementary schools to ensure that our students, regardless of school
affiliation, have access to a high quality core instructional program. The first
two years of our work focused on the continued development of the Standardsbased learning initiative and reporting process. Student benchmarks for
performance were identified and standardized for all curriculum areas across
the district. We developed common learning experiences, assessments, and
identified instructional resources. At the same time, we solidified our on-going
implementation of the use of Investigations as a primary instructional resource
and engaged teachers in professional development to support the effective
implementation of this math initiative.
With common writing benchmarks in place, we recognized a significant gap
between standardized outcomes and our diverse approaches to instruction. The
faculty, administrators and I identified the need as well as our own readiness to
strengthen reading and writing instruction across the elementary schools. With
the advent of the NYS Common Core Learning Standards, writing instruction
was designated an immediate priority. We sought to standardize the student’s
experience of writing across the schools and explored ways to increase our
teacher’s capacity to be more effective writing instructors.
Prior to establishing these goals, writing instruction across the district varied
from classroom to classroom and school to school.
Our instructional
approaches to writing were sometimes based upon a writing process and
sometimes not. Instructional techniques varied, a teacher’s capacity to provide
quality feedback to students varied, and we had not kept pace with current
instructional practice with other curriculum priorities preventing us from doing
so. Writing instruction had not been the focus of an in-depth curriculum review
or update for quite some time.
During the spring of 2010, we recommended the hiring of consultants to train
our staff and to assist in our implementation of a writing process based upon
the Teachers College Reading and Writing Process. The Teachers College model
is a research based effective means for establishing a high quality, systemic
writing instructional program throughout our elementary classrooms.
In September 2010, with Dr. Lauro’s approval and the support of the
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Council, we tapped grant funding to
hire Dr. Gravity Goldberg and Ms. Renee Hauser to work with our staff on this
endeavor. Thus far, this multiyear initiative has realized great success and has
also identified additional work to be accomplished.
Moreover, the
implementation of the New York State Common Core Learning Standards, with
increased rigor across the literacy areas, makes this curriculum and
professional development initiative even more critical.
This report will outline the goals of our work, the benchmarks reached thus far
and recommendations for our next steps.
A brief overview of the goals of our work:
The goals of our writing program implementation and our professional
development align with the research for best practices and are based upon the
foundations of the Writing Workshop approach to writing instruction. They
include:
1. The implementation of a systemic and sustained approach to writing
instruction across the elementary schools.
2. Teaching every child to write through explicit instruction, student
practice and rich teacher feedback.
3. Teaching children to write text for authentic purposes for an audience of
readers and not just as an isolated assignment.
4. Engaging children in a writing process where they are invested to select
topics, and to write about subjects that are important to them.
5. To explicitly teach writing skills and language conventions within the
context of authentic writing experiences.
6. To provide children with the opportunity for instruction that cycles
through the writing process as they write, rehearse, draft, revise, edit and
publish their writing.
7. To personalize writing instruction based upon student needs through
individualized teacher feedback delivered through teacher-student
conferencing over writing.
8. To have teachers study the teaching of writing, to develop consistent
units of study and to be responsive to the personalized needs of students
with feedback and instruction based upon research based effective
practices.
Accomplishments thus far:
1. Teachers continue to meet in grade level teams to develop common units
of instruction integrating the New York State Common Core Learning
Standards.
Brief sampling of units developed:
Kindergarten:
Unit Title: Writing for Many Purposes
Objective:
The students will understand that we write as a means of communication for real life
purposes (to make lists, cards, or signs).
Common Core Learning Standards integrated into this unit:
Use
combination
of
drawing,
dictating,
and
writing
to
compose
informative/explanatory text in which students name what they are writing about and
supply some information about a topic; With guidance and support from adults,
explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing including in
collaboration with peers; With guidance and support from adults recall information
from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Student writing produced as part of this unit:
The students will write lists, signs, and cards.
Grade 3:
Unit title: Personal Narrative
Objective:
Personal Narrative:
Students will relate a small moment idea using step-by-step details with a beginning,
middle and end. Students try to infuse internal and external dialogue to tell the
internal and external story.
Common Core Learning Standards integrated into this unit:
Write narratives to develop real experiences and events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences
 Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop
experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
 Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
 Provides a sense of closure.
Student writing produced as part of this unit:
Students will produce a well focused, step-by-step personal narrative that includes true,
exact details. Writers have zoomed in on the most important part and told more about
that part.
Grade 4:
Unit Title: Personal Essay
Objective:
For students to develop a multi-paragraph piece with a particular perspective or point
of view
Common Core Learning Standards integrated into this unit:
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and
information
Student writing produced:
Students will publish a multiple paragraph (at least 5) piece/essay
Grade 5:
Unit Title: Realistic Fiction
Objective:
The students will write and develop story elements with:
Characters that change over time
Plot (containing scenes)
Setting
Clear theme;
and develop dialogue that supports the plot;
Students will develop an understanding of genre
Common Core Learning Standards integrated into this unit:

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, descriptive details and clear event sequences.
Student writing produced as part of this unit:
Students will publish a piece of realistic fiction.
2. Across our classrooms and schools, the instructional schedules now
include a standardized allocation of time for writing instruction; 50-60
minutes per day, per cycle.
3. In Pelham classrooms, explicit instruction is now based upon a
standardized writing process, the Writing Workshop. Writing instruction
includes a mini lesson – the explicit teaching of a skill or conventions; the
active engagement of students through guided practice; student
independent application of skills into their own writing; student sharing
with peers and time to conference with teachers.
4. Teachers are engaged with one another in studying how to teach writing
as a process and are developing their own capacity to use a variety of
writing instructional strategies designed to enhance student
performance.
Professional development sessions include teacher
discussions, collaborative planning, analysis of student writing, lesson
observations, and the opportunity for teachers to receive feedback from
the consultants and their colleagues.
5. We have achieved consistency in instructional content (what is taught)
and instructional method (how this content is taught) across our grade
levels and schools. Our teachers now value that writing is broader than
teaching conventions, assigning and grading tasks. They understand that
writing has structure, purpose, focus and that this elaborated craft must
be consistently and sequentially developed over time through direct
instruction, guided practice, student writing and teacher feedback.
6. We have achieved exceptionally positive teacher engagement and “buy
in.” Teachers are excited about this work and have become more
enthusiastic about the teaching of writing.
Goals for future work:
As we plan for the future our next steps include:
1. The continued development of common units of instruction, writing
assignments and assessments based upon the NYS Common Core
Learning Standards as well as the new state assessments.
2. The continued review of student work; the identification of exemplars
across all levels of proficiency to standardize grading.
3. Opportunities for teachers to strengthen their own capacity as writing
instructors through peer coaching and feedback.
4. Training in Reading Workshop to implement a standardized approach to
reading instruction across classrooms and schools.