(1/2/2009)
GRADE SCHOOLS IMPLEMENTING NEW
WRITING CURRICULUM
In regards to the writing curriculum question that was posted - we
work with Dr. Peggy Allan. She is from Greenville, Il and has worked
with ISBE for many, many years on ISAT writing. She works with our
teachers a couple of times a year and they really love her. She is
great with them. She has practical ideas and strategies AND she
really knows her stuff! Her number is 618-558-5918.
We've used Gretchen Courtney for literacy and writing trainings with positive
results. Her people are effective, practical presenters, and our faculty was very
receptive. Google Gretchen Courtney, Ltd., and you can find her information.
Our district has recently gone to 6+1 Trait Writing. We have are currently inserviced by Kristina Smekens. You can access her web site at
www.smekenseducation.com. We have wonderful results and our whole district,
staff, students, and families are all using the same writing terms.
We implemented Write Source for grades K-6 this year. It is a product from
Great Source. We did not have any set writing curriculum, so this was the best
that we could find that would at least get us headed in the right direction as far
as consistency in our building. The rep. was wonderful. She did our in-service
trainings. She was supposed to come last week and follow up to help with
questions and concerns, but she called me on Thursday the 5th to let me know
that the company is downsizing and she would no longer have a job as of the
11th. She answered questions via e-mail with my staff, but unfortunately, we
lost a good rep. The company is reorganizing and will let us know when we
have a new rep. Rumors have it that the reps will now have 4-5 counties to
cover, instead of 2, which means less services for us.
We worked on trying to establish a building wide writing program for 2 years.
We formed a writing committee that consisted of a teacher from each grade level
K - 8. The first year we looked at first draft writing samples from each grade
level so that we could establish reasonable expectations. Then we wanted to
establish a common vocabulary for the writing process--ex: "main idea sentence
“or "topic sentence", etc. During the second year we decided to look at various
commercial writing programs. We looked at 3 writing programs and had the
reps come in to explain the programs to the committee. The committee was
impressed with Write Source from Great Source. We purchased that for grades
3, 4, 5, 6 to use as our English/Writing program along with a Daily Language
Review program from Evan Moore that we use every day for grammar, etc. The
Jr High (Grades 7 & 8) use Write Source as a supplemental text. The K, 1, 2
grades do not use Write Source, but they infuse writing into their reading
lessons.
Principals meet with grade level teachers each semester to look at first draft
writing samples. We discuss whether or not we are meeting the grade level
writing expectations we developed.
We just adopted Scott Foresman's Reading Street curriculum, which has some
pieces of a writing curriculum, but doesn't have enough, in my opinion. We have
gone through so many attempts at improving writing instruction and nothing has
'stuck'. I attended a Regie Routman train the trainer’s workshop in November
and really like her philosophy. (Her book is Writing Essentials). She has a staff
development piece (cost is around $100/teacher) that provides videos, activities,
and background knowledge. The staff development is spread over a year (or
more). (Check it out at www.regieroutman.com) First I am having my teachers
read her book as part of a staff book study, in the hopes that they will want to
learn more. (Right now, they're overwhelmed with implementing a new reading
series.) My goal is to train my school improvement team (or whoever is
interested) and have them help me deliver the staff development next year.
we researched various writing programs and chose Write Traits. The kits are
expensive, but our principals and teachers like them, as they seem to provide a
good comprehensive method. Write Traits provided an initial introduction to the
kits.
Then, for writing in-service, instead of going with the 'Write Traits trainers, we
chose Rebecca Chairs, a PhD candidate from U of I, to help guide our teachers
through the 'how to teach writing' process.
Now, our teachers all have a set of materials k-5 that is cohesive. We just
implemented the program this fall, so we have no testing data yet, but thus far,
the teachers are happy and are beginning to use the Write Traits materials as
they teach the writing process
I am a principal at a K-4 building, and we have a building wide writing curriculum
that scaffolds on each year. The staff received the initial training from Michael
Heggerty and then we added components to make it our own. I would be more
than happy to discuss it with you. I can be reached at 815-697-2642 or 815954-0736.
My staff and I have transformed the writing curriculum 2 years ago from the
most hated subject by staff and students to the most loved.
We use the Lucy Calkins Units of Study--look at her website. I had someone
come in and train but we mostly did it ourselves.
We have implemented Step Up to Writing in K-8. Sopris West provided two days
of training for $2000.
I know our grades K-8 have been working extensively with writing. Dr. Michael
Heggerty worked with them this summer. I know they have continued this fall
but I am not certain who presented the professional development. It might have
been in conjunction with the reading series.