ON-SITE WITH
BALANCED LITERACY AND
THE WRITING WORKSHOP
E. NICHOLSON and R. STEWART, MS ACADEMIC FACILITATORS
Do Now
1. Create a name tent (first name only.)
2. On your desks find 3 index cards.
3. You will use these cards at different
intervals throughout our sessions.
4. For the first card, respond to the
following question. What do you know or
think you know about Balanced Literacy
and The Writing Workshop?
Balanced Literacy
• Students often work collaboratively and
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talk with classmates.
Strategies and skills are taught explicitly
with gradual release of responsibility to
students.
Students are more motivated and
engaged when they participate in
authentic literacy activities.
Balanced Literacy
• Literacy involves both reading and
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•
writing.
Oral language is integrated with
reading and writing.
Reading and writing are used as tools
for content-area learning.
Balanced Literacy
Reading Instruction
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Phonemic awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Writing Instruction
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The writing process
The qualities of good
writing to
communicate ideas
effectively
Conventional spelling,
grammar, and
punctuation to make
those ideas more
readable
Dallas ISD Core Beliefs
• Our main purpose is to improve student
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achievement.
Effective instruction makes the most difference
in student academic performance.
There is no excuse for poor quality instruction.
With our help, at risk students will achieve at the
same rate as non-at risk students.
Staff members must have a commitment to
children and a commit to the pursuit of
excellence.
Gradual Release Model
•
Gradual Release Model
• How would using the, "I do it, We do it, You do it
together, You do it alone," model change the way
you plan your lessons?
•
How do the post-its hold students accountable and
push them to think about their own cognition?
•
Beyond shifting the cognitive load, what are the
benefits of structuring lessons in this way?
Balanced Literacy Week
ELAR Curriculum Updates &
Documents
Semester Maps
Six Weeks Maps
ACP blueprints
Curriculum Calendar &
Digital CPGs: available only for 5th, 8th,
and 9th grade (this is a 3 year phase in
process)
Balanced Literacy
Review the data from the 2013 6th- 8th
grade STAAR Test. What are our challenges?
Do you recognize the need for Balanced
Literacy? Explain.
Break Time
10 minutes
What is Writing Workshop?
Writing Workshop is a
framework for writing
instruction and practice in
the classroom.
Digging into the video:
1. What purpose does writing serve for
this student?
2. Based on the type of writing done by
the student, what literature pieces
would support his growth as a writer?
Things that need to be in place for
writing…
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Literacy-rich classroom
Permanent place for mini-lessons
Desks in groups
Location for Writing Notebooks or Folders
Writer’s Toolboxes for groups:
May include pencils, colored pencils, strips of
paper, sticky notes, stapler, staples, extra
paper, etc.
Procedures for Writing Workshop
• Procedures make your classroom run
smoothly.
• Procedures may include when students can
sharpen their pencils, where to find important
papers, or what to do if they are done.
• Always work toward independence and
building stamina in the students.
Writer’s Notebook
•
•A place to write
•A place to
•A place to
•A place to
•A place to
publish
think
respond
develop a draft
revise, edit, and
Mentor Texts
• Read Alouds are a way to use authors as
mentors for writing styles, author’s craft, and
genres.
• Students can see how writers use different
styles and literary elements.
• Students become an apprentice of the writing
craft of the author and imitate the author’s
style or technique.
Components of Writing
Workshop
•Writing Workshop follows a
predictable pattern of:
•I Do:
•We Do:
•You Do Together:
•You Do Alone:
Mini-lesson
Mentor Writing
Guided/Managed
Writing
Independent
Writing (Conferencing)
What are mini-lessons?
•A mini-lesson is explicit
instruction taught in a short
5-10 minute period at the
start of the workshop.
•Components
•Connection
•Teaching
•Active Engagement
•Link
CONFERENCING
Conferencing occurs during the independent
writing time of the workshop.
Architecture of a conference
Research
Compliment
Decide
Teach
Link
SHARING
Students are given opportunities to share their
writing pieces.
This time allows students to learn from and
with each other.
AUTHOR’S CHAIR
• REALLY emphasize listening
• Make a list of questions children can ask
during Author’s Chair
• Give a compliment
• Give a thumbs up when you hear a certain
skill used
• Teacher writes a “next step” on a sticky note
for the author to take away
“Symphony Share”
• Each student shares 1 sentence that they did
as writers that day OR
• Each student links to the mini-lesson that was
taught that day and shares that
“Invitation Share”
• The teacher invites those students that
used the day’s strategy to share in
Author’s Chair
In the words of a Writing Guru. . .
*Every child needs to write everyday.
*Children need to be explicitly taught the skills and
strategies of effective writing.
*Children learn to be writers from reading all sorts of
texts.
Lucy Calkins