Writing Brag Tag Freebie!

Do your students love collecting brag tags?  Mine do!  I love the fact that I can use these inexpensive and readily available  resources to inspire and reward my kids.  Last week I shared how I use an "Author of the Week" routine to share student work as writing mentors.  I recently created these brag tags as another way to shine the spotlight on great student writing.

Grab your freebie here.

I hope you can use them too!  Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate the Student Author of the Week

Student writing mentors are great!

Want a great way to motivate your writers?  Try having a student "Author of the Week." This little addition to our classroom routine is having quite a positive impact on the students.

Each week, while conferring with the students, I look for one piece to highlight in the classroom.  I try to find a specific "craft move" or practice that I can share from the piece.  In this way, the student writer becomes a mentor for others.

Whoever is chosen as the "Author of the Week" not only gets to have their piece hung up in the classroom for the week (I make a copy so the student still has the original), but they also win some fabulous prizes.

The author of the week gets a blank book (usually one from the Target dollar section) to use in any way they choose.  They also get a brag tag that says "Awesome Author."

Here are a few pics from some of my colleagues that also do a similar thing.

Another fabulous writer...

This teacher actually has a spotlight shining on the poster!

This teacher makes color copies to show.

Thanks for visiting!  Please share your thoughts and ideas with me!  Do you have student mentors in your class?  How do you showcase student writing?

How to Use Inquiry Based Group Research Projects- Step 5

This is the 5th and final post in a series about how to use inquiry based group research projects.  Don't forget your freebie at the end of this post!

We are ready for the last step:

5. Share.

In the last post, I explained how to take the individual sections and combine into one finished group product.  Before beginning the project, you thought about your audience.  Now is the time to share and shine!  Your students will be so excited to share these projects.  Consider setting up a display in the hallway or other common area so that more people can view the projects.

You may also want to have feedback forms available for the audience to respond.  My students were excited to take their finished reports to younger grade levels to share.  We visited a few first grade classes and read our finished reports.

If you have stuck with me through all of these posts, THANK YOU!  Here's a freebie to do your own inquiry based animal reports.  I hope you find it useful.

Please let me know your thoughts, feedback, or ideas on the inquiry based approach.  I would LOVE to hear from you!

How to Use Inquiry Based Group Research Projects- Step 4

This is the 4th in a series of posts on using inquiry based research projects.  We are ready for the next step:

4. Polish and Publish.

Rubric for the Animal Project

Now that students have completed their section of the project, they will need to double check it for errors and fix anything that stands out.  They can do this on their own or with a partner.  Although my students used a rubric to help them check their work throughout the project, it was a good time to let the group reflect together.

Remind students to think about the audience.  I often tell the writers to look at their project through the eyes of the readers.  It can be difficult for students, especially young students, to edit their work independently.  Providing support through groups and partnerships helps ease this challenge.

Collect the finished papers from each person and sort them into groups according to topic.  In my class, I had 4 groups total (sharks, wolves, snakes, and frogs).  I put the papers in the same order for each group: Appearance, Habitat, Predators and Prey, and Interesting Facts.  Now I had a "book" that could be copied for each person in the group.  If there were 6 people in the wolf group, I made 7 copies of the book.  One for each person to keep and one for the class library.

Because we know that non-fiction books have certain text features that help the reader locate information and understand the text, you may want to have your students add these features to their books.  In my class, we added a table of contents, a glossary page, and an index. We added a laminated cover to each book too. ( The next post includes a freebie with these forms!)

Once you have the projects "published", you will want to share.  I'll talk about that in the next post.

Thanks for sticking with me!

How to Use Inquiry Based Group Research Projects- Step 3

This post is the 3rd in a series of posts on how to use inquiry based group research projects.  The previous post covered asking and answering questions.  In this post, we will:

3. Summarize, synthesize, and write.

The next step in the process requires students to work together. At this point in the project, students should have the answers to most of their questions on their post-its.  They may even have additional information they think is important to include.  Although students have been working independently to read and gather information, it is now time for each group to work collaboratively.  Prior to releasing them to their groups, you will want to model the expectations.

For this part, you will need your post-it notes on the topic you are modeling.  As my students are researching animals, I chose to model using turtles as my focus. I also had a large poster sized paper on display.  I gathered the students together as a class and showed how I could group my notes into categories.  I did a "think aloud" as I read some of the post-its and noticed ways they were alike.  I discovered that I could group my post-its into the following categories: Appearance, Habitat, Predators and Prey, and Interesting Facts.

I took a large poster sized paper and divided it into these categories.  Next, I read each post-it and decided where it fit on the poster. After modeling my thinking, I sent the students back into their animal groups to do the same.  Again, everyone was accountable because each person had several post-it notes to categorize.

The great thing about this part of the activity is that the students really have to talk and work together to decide where certain notes will be placed. Also, if there are 2 notes that say the same thing, they have to decide which one to eliminate.  Students will develop their negotiation and compromising skills during this step. Depending on how frequently your students have worked together in the past, you may need to do a mini-lesson on how to respectfully and politely discuss ideas.  This part of the project can be difficult for some students.  You will want to teach those students how to compromise.

One interesting thing that happened with one of my groups was that 2 students found conflicting information in different texts.  One source stated a certain speed that a wolf could run while another book gave a different number.  This led to a great discussion on why they thought that happened. They also talked about how to decide which fact to include.  As the facilitator of this lesson, I just prompted by asking questions.  I left the decision making up to the group.

Once all of the notes are sorted, it's time to assign individual roles to the group project.  Each person in the group will become accountable for one category.  In some cases you may have 2-3 students assigned to one category.  In a six person group, I  assigned 1 person to Appearance, 1 to Habitat, 2 to Predators and Prey, and 2 to Facts.  Again, although this is a group project, there is individual accountability.

Remember that all of the group's notes have been sorted and categorized on a large poster.  Each group's poster will need to be cut apart so that individuals can work on their section of the project.
The person (or people) will be responsible for taking all of the notes for their category and synthesizing the information.  They will need to write a paragraph or page (depending on the amount of information gathered) that will be shared with all of the members of their group.  The need for neat writing and use of conventions becomes critical here.  Students have to write legibly and coherently because their team is depending on them!  (more on that in the next post)

This is another step that needs to be explicitly modeled.  Using my own information about turtles, I showed the students how I thought of a question to guide me for each category.  For example, when looking at the "Appearance" section, I needed to answer, "What does a turtle look like?"  Keeping the question in mind will help the students stay focused on writing about their topic which is the next step.

This is where another shift in the project will occur.  You will want to meet with all of the students who are responsible for the same category as one group. For example, there was one person from the shark groups, one from the wolf group, etc. who was assigned to work on "Appearance."  By working with small groups you can provide support and modeling when needed.  I usually met with these small groups during our Daily 5 time.  Think about what mini-lessons these groups will need.  How will you model synthesizing the information?  You may decide to model these lessons to the whole class as one group, or you may differentiate the lessons based on what each small group needs.

So, let's look at what has happened so far.  We started with a broad topic: animals.  Students were then assigned one animal to research.  This created 4 smaller groups.  Each person in the group had to think of questions and gather information related to their animal.  These questions and answers were pulled together on a large poster sized chart and grouped into the following categories: Appearance, Habitat, Predators and Prey, and Interesting Facts.  Students were then assigned one category from the poster.  Next students used all of the notes gathered by their group to work on one section of the project.  The next step will bring the individuals back to the group.

In the next post, I will explain how to bring the pieces together and polish and publish the project.

Thanks for stopping by!

How to Use Inquiry Based Group Research Projects- Step 2

This is the second in a series of posts on how to implement an inquiry based group research project. In the first post, I explained the power of the project and the first step in the plan.  Today I am going to share how to...

2. Gather information by asking and answering questions.

Once you have your topics and resources, you'll want to get the students motivated and excited about the project.  They will be eager to get started and you will want to capitalize on that.  You will want to provide an area for each group to meet and have access to their resources.  I had a basket of books for each different animal the students were researching. (wolves, sharks, snakes, and frogs)

Although each group is gathered together, they will still be working independently on the next part. However, by sitting with their group, they can support one another and model for one another. By having the students sit with each other in my class and share the resources, the students were able to share interesting discoveries and questions.  It became a team effort to find the answer to some of the questions.

I suggest just giving them time to explore the resources that you have gathered.  I wanted to get the kids thinking about what they knew and what they wanted to know.  Rather than starting off with a KWL, I just gave them time to look at the books in their tubs and talk with their team members.  This was my way of getting their brains focused on the topic and generating excitement.  I hadn't asked them to do any real "work" yet.  This got them naturally thinking, talking, and questioning.

Next, you will want to gather the class as a whole group.   One of the biggest factors that impacts the success of this project is the gradual release of responsibility.  You can't just turn the kids loose and expect they will know what to do. (Yep, I tried that before too.  It flopped.)  So the next thing I did is model for the whole class "asking questions."  I didn't want to model using one of the animals the kids had selected, so I decided to model using turtles.

I had 2 sheets of paper with post-it note sized boxes on it.  In these boxes, I wrote questions about turtles.  Of course, I modeled the process through a think aloud as the students observed.  I explained that these question sheets would be used to guide my research.  You may want to determine a certain number of questions that each student must have or just set aside a certain amount of time for asking questions and recording them on post-its.  In my class, we set aside 2 days for thinking and recording questions.

At this point in the group project, students are working independently.  Each student is held accountable because he or she is expected to be thinking about questions they have about the topic. In my classroom, each student was expected to write a minimum of 6 questions.   This way, not one person in a group is doing all of the work or asking all of the questions.

Once students have recorded several questions, they are ready to read and gather information. This part of the process should take 2-3 days as well. That all depends on how much class time you devote to the project and if you allow students to work on it during other times of the day. Although we typically worked for about 45 minutes each day as a whole class, many students chose to continue questioning, reading, and gathering information during Daily 5.  They were working on this project by choice!

You will need to think about what mini-lessons need to be modeled during this project.  For my students, I modeled several things including: how to use non-fiction text features to locate information, how to read and summarize a passage or text, how to determine the most important information, and what to do when you read conflicting information. ( more on that later)

As students read, they will write down on post-it notes the answers to questions that they find. Then cover up the question with the post-it note.  This helps students to see what questions still need to be answered.  One lesson my students learned during this part of the process is that sometimes we can't find the answers to all of our questions.  As researchers, that is bound to happen.  We have to decide whether or not we want to spend more time trying to locate the answer to a certain question or just let it go.

Another thing to prepare for is that students will find interesting facts that do not necessarily relate to their questions.  This is a time for a lesson on determining importance.  Students will have to decide if that information is worth recording and using in their project.

After giving your students a few days to gather information by asking and answering questions, you will be ready for the next step in the process.  My next post will give details about the responsibility of each person in the group and how that group comes together.

Thanks for stopping by!

How to Use Inquiry Based Group Research Projects- Step 1

Collaboration, negotiation, and compromise. Although these may be considered "soft skills",  the development of these skills is critical to the success of our students in the 21st Century. In this series of posts, I'll share how to meet multiple language arts, science, and social studies standards with one engaging project that also helps students develop important life skills.

With so much to teach, we have to be fiercely protective of our instructional time. An inquiry based group research project is a great way to teach so much: asking questions, determining importance, summarizing, finding the main idea, synthesizing, non-fiction text features, writing conventions... not to mention the science and social studies content the students are learning!  As a bonus, students are learning real life skills like collaboration, negotiation, and compromise. Whew!   Now that's a powerful project!

Here's what you need to do to get started:

1. Pick the topics, determine groups, and gather resources.

There are so many topics that could be used for this research project. You can start by looking at your standards or just asking your kids what topics they are interested in learning about.  Knowing that my students loved to learn about animals, I chose this as a topic for our inquiry project.  We discussed ideas and voted for 4 that we wanted to research. We had to narrow the focus to make it more manageable. The students decided to research frogs, sharks, wolves, and snakes.

Once you have determined the focus of your research, you will want to divide the students into groups.  You can assign the groups or let them choose.  I like giving choice because it motivates the students even more.

Next, gather resources that your students will need to complete the project.  Depending on the age of your students, finding appropriate resources could be part of the project itself.  In my second grade classroom, I gathered books (at a large range of reading levels) and magazines that my students could use and placed them into bins.  You may also want to consider digital resources.  We used "Facts4Me" for one.

I would also recommend picking a separate topic that you as the teacher can use for modeling purposes.  I picked turtles as my animal to use for modeling.  The gradual release of responsibility is so important!

You will also need to consider your audience and final product.  Creating a rubric together or providing one to guide the students is a good way to keep the project on track. Will students be creating a book or report?  How about a mural?  Maybe student creations will be shared digitally. Who will see or read these creations?  Keeping your audience and final product in mind helps guide the project and keeps the students motivated.  You will want to have this discussion with your students.  Again, when students have some choice in the direction and purpose of the project, they are typically more engaged.

Now that you have your topics, your groups, and your resources, you are ready to begin!  My next post will explain how to model asking and answering questions.

Follow me in this series to learn how to:
1) Pick the topics, determine groups, and gather resources.
2) Gather information by asking and answering questions.
3) Summarize, Synthesize, and Write!
4) Polish and Publish
5) Share

**If you stick with me until the end of this series, I will have a freebie for you! Follow me to get the updates!

Revision Success- Tips to Help Young Writers

Revision can be a difficult process for young writers to grasp.  Though part of the writing process, it's not frequently done with enthusiasm, especially by primary grade writers. It's hard enough for these little darlings to get their thoughts out the first time.  "Now you want me to change or add more?  But I'm done." How can you avoid this frustration and still have kids experience revision?

One key point is to get into the writing BEFORE the student is "finished."  I hate to admit this, but until the last few years, I often conferred with students just at the end of the writing process.  When a student had a completed piece, I would meet with them and offer suggestions.  Now I see the error of my ways! I have learned to confer early in the process and ask questions instead of offer suggestions.

When I am conferring with students, I often ask "What is the one thing you want your readers to remember after hearing your story?  What sort of sums it all up?'  If you are teaching with the traits, they already know about having one clear message and thinking about their audience and purpose. If they can't really answer those questions, and it's not clear in the piece, I need to ask some more questions to help the writer uncover his or her focus.

I also ask, "Who is this piece for?  Who do you think would want to hear or needs to hear this piece?" I am trying to get the writer to think about the audience.  Considering the audience helps the writer strengthen his or her voice in the piece.  Connecting with the reader is an important goal for the author.

Here's an example that recently occurred in my second grade class.  While conferring with a writer, I noticed her piece seemed to lack a clear message.  It appeared to be a list of things she did in the day. (I call these "list" writings.  Others call them "bed to bed" stories.)  She wrote "First I do ….., then I do…after that I do…."  It was not a very captivating story to say the least.  I was wondering where she was headed with this piece.

At first, I didn't think she had any real message in mind while she was writing.  I think of these stories like diary entries.  This is usually what I tell the kids too. Sometimes I write things like that in my diary because I want to recall things I did on a certain day.  But those are not stories that anyone other than me would want to read.  It doesn't mean I can't write them. I just don't expect to share them.

One of the things she told me was that the writing was for other kids to learn.  As I  talked to her, I got the feeling that she had something else in mind when writing her piece.  When I  started asking more direct questions, she revealed that the heart of her piece was  really a lesson.  She wanted other kids to know that they should get their work done before playing.  The lesson was "Put first things first" so to speak.  She had not yet mentioned that anywhere in her piece though.  Through questioning, we were able to uncover her one clear main idea.

We talked about what she could do to make her message more clear.  She was very motivated to go back and add some new details to her piece.  She really just adjusted her beginning to include a few more direct statements.  These adjustments also made it easier for her to end the piece.  She now knew what her concluding statement should be. It made a HUGE difference in the quality of her writing.  She was so proud to share and to explain how she had revised her work.

By conferring with her while she was still drafting, she was much more willing to revise.  Revision does not only come at the end!  Asking questions helped her to reflect on her piece and find places where changes would improve her message.

Do you have any tips for revision?  What questions do you ask writers?

Books for Babies

Several years ago, while teaching kindergarten, I started a service project with my students.  Our goals were to promote reading and to give one book to parents of newborns.  We called this project "Books for Babies."

In order to get books into the hands of new parents, we needed a supply of new or gently used board books.  Scholastic Book Clubs gives bonus points for purchases students make throughout the year.  These points are what I use to "buy" books for our service project.

I still do this project with my second graders.  Twice a year, at Christmas time and at the end of the year, we give a shipment of books to a nearby hospital.

First I collect enough books for each student in my class to give one.  I try to have some extras so that students have choice in what they give.  The students help make wrapping paper.  We also write letters to the families who will receive our gifts.  Each student writes a letter explaining the importance of reading and why you should start reading to your baby now.  They usually also tell what they like to read and often let the families know that they have been reading all of their lives.  (LOL!)

The students get to choose which book they want to give.  They, of course, read the book before they wrap it up.  This project gives us a chance to participate in a service for our community while developing our reading and writing skills in an authentic way.  I always provide contact information in the letters we send.  Frequently, we receive notes back from the families who receive our books.

It's really a pretty simple project to implement.  The students help earn the books by placing book orders through Scholastic.  We take one day to write letters and make wrapping paper.  We spend about 45 minutes wrapping the books and letters the next day.  Then I send the books to the hospital.  The students feel a great sense of accomplishment, especially when we get thank you notes from the recipients.

Do you do any service projects with your students?  I would love to hear about them!

Writer's Workshop - 5 Reasons to Share

One of the most important things I have learned as a teacher of writers is that writers need to share.  I'm embarrassed to say that in the past I was one of those teachers who left out sharing on a regular basis.  I had the best of intentions, but it just seemed to get squeezed out.  Was it really that big of a deal?   The answer is YES!

Not sharing in writer's workshop is like leaving the movie before the final scene. It's like eating all the crust off the pizza and leaving the rest. It's like quitting the game when your team is winning.  Skipping "the share" is missing the best part!!

The share is the most powerful part of writer's workshop and here's why:

1) The writer gets to hear his/her story aloud.  So many times, the act of reading the story out loud causes the writer to notice missing words or information that is crucial to the piece.  Reading it aloud, especially before it is finished, can lead the writer to revision.

2) The writer can get feedback from audience questions.  When the audience asks questions, it helps the writer notice things that may need some revision.  It really helps the writer see and hear things from the reader's point of view.

3) The writer can see the reaction of the audience.  Did everyone laugh at the funny part?  Did you see smiles or nods from the audience?  I like to remind my writer's to think about the reader throughout the writing process.  (What do your readers need to know?  What do you want your readers to remember when they finish reading this piece?  How do you want your readers to feel?)

4) The writer develops confidence when positive feedback and praise are given.  As the teacher, when I want to reinforce a practice, I make sure to point it out to the whole class.  "I love the way Susie used descriptive words.  I can really see the scene in my head.  I almost feel like I was there!"  Now others are going to try to add more descriptive words to their writing as well.

5) Sharing helps other writers get ideas.  Often when one person shares a topic, it sparks an idea for someone else.  Our brains are designed to seek connections.  When a writer shares, another person may think, "Hey, a similar thing happened to me."  Those connections can inspire new writing.

Sharing can be done in so many ways.  While students are writing, I am walking throughout the room, conferring and noticing writing samples that I want to share.  I will often ask the writer if I can share all or part of their writing.  Sometimes I only want to point out a single word, sentence,  or small part.  In that case it's not necessary to read the entire piece. (Another important thing I learned!)  I usually ask the author to read it to the class while I show it on the Smart Board with the document camera.

Another option is to have students share with a partner.  This often happens when we have little time.  When partners share, each one gets to read his or her piece and get feedback.  If we have more time, I will have each person at a team table read his or her piece aloud to the group.  (There are usually 6 students on a team).

On some occasions, we have an inner/outer circle for sharing.  We might share with 2-3 people in this way.  It's a novel way to share that the students seem to like.

I used to use random sticks for students to share, but I rarely do that anymore.  It makes me think of Forest Gump.  You know… "Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you are going to get."  I like to have a positive focus point in my head before the author shares.

Whatever way you choose to share, just don't let it get pushed out of your writing time.  Treasure it!  So many teachable moments that empower the writer arise through sharing!  The bottom line is that if the students don't get to share on a regular basis, they will not be motivated and inspired to continue writing.

How do your writer's share?  Do you have any tips for sharing routines?

Write On! Mentor Text Independence!

Most of us use children's books as writing mentors.  These texts serve as models of what great writing looks like while also inspiring and motivating students. Mentor texts can be identified for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes we want to show the structure of a story.  Sometimes we want to introduce a new genre.  Other times we want to focus on a a very specific writing trait.  Whatever the reason, mentor texts are great tools for the classroom.

My classroom display of mentor texts.

In the past, I have always been the one who identified the mentor texts and shared them with students.  After all, I am the teacher so shouldn't I be doing all the teaching?  This is the way it is for most classrooms, I would assume.  As teachers, we know that if students can teach others, they have developed their thinking to a higher level (I'm thinking Bloom's Taxonomy and/or Webb's Depth of Knowledge).

Mentor texts and graphic organizers for writing.

One of the driving questions that shapes my teaching is "How can I move my students toward independence?"  This applies to everything, but for the moment, I am talking about writing.  If I want to equip my students with the strategies and tools they need to be successful writers, I want them to learn to identify their own writing mentors.  Sure, I will still point out great examples and share them with the kids.  Now my students can also identify mentor texts on their own.  Yep, my students are teachers too! The students are capable of recognizing what great writing looks like and using it to inspire themselves and others.  Woohoo!  They are moving toward independence.

Students identify mentor texts and add bookmarks.

Because I want my students to learn to identify strong writing mentors, I created these bookmarks for them.  We use "The 6Traits" in our classroom, so the bookmarks correlate with those.  I made one bookmark for each of the traits.  Well, I didn't make one for conventions because it's understood that all PUBLISHED books have strong conventions or they wouldn't be published.

You can check them out here:

I would love to hear from others about how they inspire young authors.  How do you help your writers move toward independence?

Writing Mini-Lessons Continued

Writing is such a rich subject to teach.  There are layers upon layers of content, skills, and strategies.  Besides teaching students about the 6 Traits and how they help us identify a strong piece of writing, I am also teaching students about the writing process.  This is woven through the lessons in a cyclical fashion because that is truly what the writing process is- a cycle.

I don't really think it is of paramount importance that young writers can NAME the writing process.  I do want them to understand that writer's move back and forth and in and out of the process though.  I like to show the students using my own writings.  I let them see  how I brainstorm and add to my idea lists.  I choose a topic and start on a piece.  I may or may not finish that piece right away.  I usually have several pieces of writing going at the same time.  One day I revise an old piece.  The next day I might start a new piece.  That's the great thing about writing!  It's not a linear process, so I can move about depending on my thoughts, ideas, and moods.  I use the language of brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing as I model each of these. (I write often with my students.)

Just as the writing process is integrated into our mini-lessons, I also teach students about writing genres.  When we begin the year, we focus mainly on personal narratives.  I like to start the year with this genre because all students have a story to tell.  Every student can be successful writing a personal narrative. We start by doing lots of oral sharing.  If a student can't tell the story, they certainly can't write it down. We learn about small moments and how to narrow our topic.  Again, I model, model, model this!

We focus on writing personal narratives for the first month or two.  Then we move on to informational writing.  My second graders love to read non-fiction books, especially about animals.  Our reading leads us into writing about animals.  One project we do each year is a collaborative report on animals.  I will share that in another post though.  We also write reports on famous Americans.

We also work on opinion writing during the year.  Though we focus on one genre for a portion of the year, that doesn't mean that students can only write in those genres while we are learning about them.  I strongly believe in choice during writer's workshop, so students are often writing many different  pieces.  In addition to personal narratives, informational, and opinion writing, we also focus on poetry.  Although it's not the focus of second grade writing in the Common Core, I think it is valuable to teach students about poetry.

When I stop and think about all of the things that we teach writers to do, it's a bit mind boggling!  It's such a complex process, yet it's so exciting to teach.  I continue to learn more and more about teaching writing, but there are a few things that have become foundational in my writer's workshop.  Always model everything!  Use a variety of models throughout the process.  Provide many experiences with mentor texts.  Let the students see you write and share your mistakes and triumphs.  Use lots of student writing , both past and present.  It's so powerful when you use a child's writing to point out something great a writer does.  And most importantly, LET THEM SHARE!!

Thanks for letting me share with you!

Procedural Tips for Writer's Workshop

So, I have already shared how I get started with the 6 Traits in writing.  I follow the same basic procedure for introducing each trait. (See yesterday's post for more info.)  While we are working on each trait for 2-3 weeks, I am also integrating various mini-lessons.

One type of mini-lesson that I provide more frequently in the beginning is procedural.  This takes time to decide how you want things to go in your classroom.  Are your students going to use folders, writing notebooks, or journals to store their writings?  Are they allowed to use pens or markers during this time?  What do they do when they finish a piece of writing?  Are they allowed to sit anywhere in the room or do they stay at their desks?  All of these (and more) are questions that the teacher needs to determine ahead of time.  You have to decide what works for you and your students.

Once you decide on these type of things you need to explain and model them explicitly for your students.  I have learned that although it takes some extra time in the beginning, it is very worth it to set up clear expectations and follow them consistently. Model, model, model!!   Nothing can destroy your precious learning time faster than procedural or behavioral distractions.

Here are a few procedural tips that might help:

1)  Have a central location for paper and offer a variety of types.  I usually have 3-4 trays with various types of paper (lined, unlined, with borders or clip art…)  Students do not need to ask for paper.  They may get it themselves but only one sheet at a time.  (I have encountered a few hoarders).

2)  Have a bin of already sharpened pencils.  I really do not like the distraction of a pencil sharpener of any kind!  If a student needs another pencil, they just take one from the sharp bin and leave the unsharp one in another bin.

3)  Have a place where you meet students that is *sacred*.  At my kidney shaped table, I meet with students for conferencing.  When I am at the table, other students may not approach me or ask a question unless they are bleeding or on fire.  Before implementing this rule, it is a good idea to have a mini-lesson on problem solving.  Make an anchor chart about different types of problems and how they can be solved.  This will help eliminate the need for interruptions.

4)  Have various spelling resources available.  I have some dictionaries available to help with spelling.  I also have various phonics charts and resources posted in the room.  We have a class book of "Hunks and Chunks" to help with spelling.  Each student has a phonics chart in his or her TIGERS binder.  Be sure to model how to use each of these resources.  Also, when you notice a student using these resources, be sure to point that out during your sharing time.  Make a big deal of problem solving and the students will follow that lead.



5)  Have an area or procedure for students to gain writing ideas.  There are always a few students who have difficulty getting started.  They say they can't think of an idea.  One thing you can do to help with that is have a place where you provide topics or prompts that students may use.  Also, train the students that talking to others is a great place to get ideas.  (You have to train the students in "3 inch voices")  If they are stuck, they should ask the people at their table to share what they are working on.

6)  Tighten your transitions.  I am very protective of instructional time, so I strive to make transitions quick and smooth.  Typically, we have mini-lessons at the beginning of writer's workshop and on our carpet whole group meeting area.  Once I am finished with the mini-lessons, I want students to get started writing.  I don't send them all at once.  First, if I know of a student or students that I want to conference with, I tell them to go to the table and begin with a certain task.  I might say, "Be ready to share the piece you are working on and share your bold beginning." That way they are ready when I get there.  Then I release the other students back to their desk a few at a time.  I usually have my students sitting in groups of 6.  I refer to them as "teams."  I will send one team at a time to get started. This prevents a backlog at the paper station or a frenzy of movement that tends to distract individuals.  Also, you can stagger students getting started by asking about writing goals for the day.  But that will need to be a post for another day…    
(I get so excited about sharing that I get a little long winded!)

It seems as I write this post, I think of more and more to share.  I know that I have learned so much over the years by people sharing these ideas with me.  I am still getting great ideas from others and trying them out!  It is so exciting to me!

If you have a great tip to share, please let me know!  I love learning new stuff!!

My "How to" with the 6 Traits

Once we have completed our first baseline and introductory piece of writing, I get started right away with the traits.  First I introduce "Ideas" by explaining that writers need to think about what they want to say or what they want their readers to know.  I share my own idea list from my writer's notebook.  We do a great amount of verbal sharing, and students begin creating idea lists to keep in their writing folders.

We also read lots of books and talk about how we think the writers came up with the idea to write that book.  It's important to share lots of mentor texts and teach the students how to think like a writer.  We talk about the books we read in the context of writing.  I love when there is information included on the back of a book or inside cover that tells more about the author.  Often times it explains where the idea came from for the book.  I want my students to understand that writers get ideas from their own life and experiences.

I also show my students the rubric that we use for "ideas." There are 4 indicators on the rubric:
* I have one clear main idea.
* I have great details to explain my idea.
* My writing stays on topic.
* My writing is focused and not too broad.
I do mini-lessons on each of these indicators.  I use samples of writing from past students, samples from current students (only show the positive), and mentor texts.  I think it is so important for students to have lots of experiences with anchor pieces and models.

After we have learned about each of the indicators on the "idea" rubric, I put students into small groups and give them 3 or 4 samples of writing.  These samples provide a range on the continuum from strong to weak.  I don't tell the students the scores or which pieces are strong or weak.  I have the groups look at each piece, discuss it using the rubric as a guide, and put the pieces in order from weakest to strongest.  We don't actually score each piece, we just want to put them in order.  Then we talk about it as a whole class.  Often times the students have different ideas about which is the strongest piece.  This is fine.  I think it's most important that we have the conversation about what we think.  I want the students to tell why they think a certain way.  When they have to explain their reasoning it gives them an opportunity to really reflect and sometimes revise their thinking.  This is the good part because it helps the students define what they think is "strong" writing.  (I don't like to use the words "good" or "best" when referring to writing.  I prefer "stronger" and "weaker.")

After working with a team to put pieces in order, we then work in pairs to score a different piece.  I give each pair of students the same writing sample. They have to discuss it with their partner and write a final score on the sample.  Then we again, talk as a whole class about what we think.  The more practice the students receive scoring other pieces and discussing ideas, the more comfortable and capable they become in scoring their own writing.

While we are working on learning about "ideas" through mini-lessons and models, the students are also working on writing.  During my writer's workshop time, I usually start with a mini-lesson for the first 10 minutes or so. This is where I am sharing mentor texts and modeling.  Next I give students time to write (and sometimes draw).  This usually lasts about 30-40 minutes.  We always end with sharing time.  I try to vary this as well.  We share with partners, I call on random students, or we do some whole class sharing.  It depends on how much time we have and if I have noticed certain students that I really want to share.  The important thing is that you never skip the sharing.  If the students don't have the chance to share, they will stop writing.  They need to have an authentic audience and purpose for writing.

All of this practice with sample pieces really helps students learn to identify what makes a piece of writing strong or weak.  They learn what to look for and what to do in their own writing to make it better.  By this time, they have had several days of writing and mini-lessons on the featured trait.  The final step is for students to complete one piece of writing and score it for "ideas."

At the beginning of the year, the students usually score themselves very high.  I guess it's good that they are so confident. LOL!  But soon I begin to see a shift in their self scoring that shows me they understand the traits and can identify their own strengths and weaknesses.  This is important because when I am conferencing I can usually start by looking at how they have self scored.

Speaking of conferencing, this is what I do while the students are working on writing.  I sometimes conference with students one on one.  Other times, I have a group of 3 students.  I don't like to have more than 3 at the table at once because I need to be able to attend to each one and provide guidance and feedback.  The more students I have at the table, the less effective it becomes.

Whenever I introduce a new trait, we usually work on that trait for a couple of weeks.  During that time we are doing the mini-lessons that I have mentioned above.  (I may also have mini-lessons on procedural  things woven in there.)  I work with individuals and small groups during the writing time.  This gives me a chance to listen to the students read their writing, ask questions to help them reflect, and provide scaffolds or modeling where needed.  Writer's workshop is naturally differentiated because the students will work at the level they are capable.  My job is to  meet them where they are and nudge them forward.

Once students begin turning in final drafts, I start pulling them to the table in groups of 3.  Each student reads his or her writing to the group.  We then start by looking at how the student self scored on the rubric. (I have them attach the rubric to the draft before they turn it in.)  We discuss whether or not we agree or disagree and why.  The listening students can ask questions of the writer.  When other students ask questions, it helps the writer reflect and see areas that may need revision.  That's another reason it's so powerful to have students share.  The writer may do some revision right then and there at the table or they may decide to take the piece back and rework it at their table.  When the writer is satisfied that his or her piece of writing is "finished", we work in groups of 3 to share and score.  Many times that occurs the first time the student is at the table.  If not, I will pull them back to the table at another time and we'll repeat the above process.

I want the writer to be satisfied and proud of the writing they have completed.  I always focus on positive parts and praise the student for what is strong in the writing.  If a writer's final scores are less than 4's, I ask them if they know what to do to move it to the next level.  If they can tell me, that's great!  If they are clueless, I give them some specific suggestions or show them some models to help clarify.  When conferencing, I keep in mind that I want the student to be able to use the skills and strategies independently.  I want to teach for transfer.  Before a student leaves the conferencing table, I want to be sure they are confident in what they have done as well as know where they are going as a writer.  In other words, they know the next steps.  I will usually ask them, "So what are you going to do now?"
 
The answer they give tells me a great deal about their thinking.  If a student says, "I am going to go back and work on my bold beginning"  or "I am going to add some sparkly words" I know they are thinking as a writer.  If they say, "I am going to start on a new piece.  I have a great idea that I need to share," I know they are thinking as a writer.  If they look at me and say,"I'm done.  Can I do something else?" we have some work to do!

Basically, I follow the procedure I just explained for each of the 6 traits.   We usually work on each trait from 2-3 weeks.  When it comes to scoring, the rubric builds as we learn the traits.  At first, I only score for ideas.  Then I score for ideas and organization.  Then I score for ideas, organization, and voice…
This makes it less overwhelming to students.  They have the opportunity to build on what they know.  We are usually using all of the traits by Januaryish.

I feel like this post was long and a bit of a ramble.  (Maybe I should score myself and revise it).  Hopefully,  it's not too confusing.  I still have lots to share on the topic of writing!  Overall, I really like the way my Writer's Workshop time is structured.  I am still learning and improving my teaching practices, but I feel like at least there's a solid foundation.

How do you structure your writing time?  Do you use the 6 Traits?  Can you share any successes or challenges?

Introducing the 6 Traits of Writing

I absolutely love teaching with the 6 Traits.  It is a framework that works from kindergarten to high school.  Learning to teach with the traits has also helped me become a better writer.  I can identify what's strong or weak in my own writing and work to improve it.  This is my hope for my students.

So how do you get started with the traits?  On the first day of school, I tell my students that I am going to share a piece of writing about me.  It's kind of an introduction or getting to know you piece.  (I actually have 3 pieces that I share on the smart board.)

The first piece that I show and read to the class is very simple and full of convention errors.  It is really short and pretty boring.  The students listen and usually don't say much about this piece.  When I finish reading it I tell them that I actually have another piece that I should read.  (This one is a little better than the first.  I have a few more details and a few less convention errors.)  After reading this one, they usually start saying things like, "That one is a lot better.  You told us more."

Then I read one more piece which is my best effort.  I start with a bold beginning and give lots of great details.  I have spectacular words that help the students visualize and connect.  I use everything I know about the traits to really captivate my audience.  This final piece is polished and pleasing.  When I read this piece, the students are visibly moved.  I can see it on their faces while I am reading it.

After reading this one, I ask them which piece of writing they liked best and why.  They start noticing and naming the different beginning, the descriptive details, the consistent use of conventions, the transition words…

They don't know it yet but they are naming many of the features of the 6 traits.  At the end of our comparison and discussion, I explain that we are going to learn something called "The 6 Traits of Writing."  I explain that the traits help us identify what makes a piece of writing "great."  I tell them that they were already able to notice many things that makes one piece of writing better than another.  In the writings that I shared, the overall messages were pretty much the same.  They received the same information about me in each piece, but HOW I said it was different.

I briefly name the traits and explain that we will learn them one at a time.  In a few months they will know and be able to use all of these tools.  I then invite them to write an introductory letter to me.  I tell them that this is a way they can share information with me much as I did in my piece.  I also tell them to think about the things they noticed in my best writing and try to do the same.  This first piece of writing not only lets me get to know my students' interests and background, it also serves as a baseline writing piece.  I keep this first piece of writing so that we can compare future writings to it.  It's so exciting to be able to see growth as the year progresses.

Do you use The 6 Traits of Writing in your classroom or school?  How do you get started?

Writer's Workshop

I have a love/hate dislike relationship with Writer's Workshop.  I love getting students excited about writing and watching them grow and develop throughout the year.  I dislike that I never seem to have enough time to "get it all in."  Writing is such a complex task that there just seems to be SO much I want my students to know and use.  I get frustrated that I can't do it all.

I wanted to share a couple of tips that I have learned to use during Writer's Workshop.  One is "the star on the board".  Sometimes I want students to have a silent, uninterrupted time to write.  When I draw a star on the board, the students know that it is a signal that everyone in the room will be writing and there is NO talking.  This includes me and any paraprofessionals or student teachers in the room.  Everybody writes.  I like to do this from time to time because it gives the students a chance to think and write.  I know that writers need to talk too, but every once in awhile it's good to have some silence.

Also, I get to do some writing.  I love to write!  I keep a writer's notebook in my classroom as well as a writing folder with works in progress.  I also have some "published" pieces that the kids can see.  I think it is important that the students see me as a writer too.  I can share my thoughts and struggles.  I model the process as well as the product.

We don't put the star on the board everyday.  I do this maybe once every couple of weeks.  It may last for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the engagement that I see.  I don't want to overuse this because I think it would lose it's effectiveness.  As it is now, the kids actually love to see the star on the board.

Another little strategy that I use is "the pencil on the board."  Just like the star, I draw a pencil on the board to signal drawing time. This is a strategy that my student teacher and I came up with last year.  When the pencil is on the board, students are allowed to draw.

I know that drawing is a really important part of the writing process too.  I want my students to know the importance of illustrations in their writing.  The problem I was noticing is that some students would draw the whole time.  They spent so much time on the illustrations that they never quite got to the writing part.  I want to give them the time to draw but also hold them accountable for writing. 

Now I tell the students that we focus on the writing part unless the pencil is on the board.  Sometimes I put the pencil up at the beginning of writing time.  Sometimes I put it up at the end.  Most days we have some time devoted to drawing during our Writer's Workshop time.  I always tell the students that they may draw during that time but they don't have to.  I don't want them to think that they have to stop writing and just focus on drawing.  I want to give them the opportunity.

I have so much more to talk about when it comes to writing.  I would love to hear your ideas and tips too!

End of the Year...

Another year has ended.  It always amazes me how quickly the time went.  I love the end of the school year for the obvious reasons, but I also love it because it is a time of renewal and growth for me.  I  have some personal goals ( which always include exercising more and losing weight!) and some professional goals.

This year, one of my professional goals is to learn to become a great storyteller.   My brother in law is a one of these people.  It's common knowledge that Mike can tell a great story, so what is it that makes it so great?  Here's what I think…

First of all, when I say a "story" I am really just talking about his everyday life.  He can make something mundane and ordinary sound hilarious and exciting.

He includes great details that make you think you were there.  When he describes something he uses his whole body to do it.  His voice changes to convey mood or thoughts.  He has different voices for characters.  He uses hand motions and facial expressions.  He includes his inner thoughts when he tells about an event.  He knows how to include the good stuff and leave out the boring stuff.  Or maybe it's that he makes the boring stuff sound like the good stuff.  Whatever it is, people are captivated by his retelling of events.

I see storytelling as the foundation for great writing.  Anything that is written was once spoken or at least thought about in words.  For my students, I know if they can't tell it, they can't write it.  This is why I want them to learn to TELL a great story first.

I usually start the year with some storytelling, but I feel that this is an area where improvement is needed.  I need to be a better model.  I need to use the gradual release of responsibility with storytelling.  I also need to give my students more opportunities to do it.

These are the questions I am asking myself:
Am I giving students enough time to talk and share thoughts and stories?
Am I modeling this process and including them in it?
Am I sustaining this practice throughout the year?

What are your thoughts and reflections about your year?  What goals do you have for the summer?