Facilitators: Karen Bennett and Kerry Hoffman
Recorder: Susan Carr

Discussions 1 & 2 - download in print-friendly format

What is happening currently with effective writing instruction?

• What are we doing?
• How are we doing it?
• Why are we doing it this way?
• How might this be viewed at different levels? Preschool – college
• How might different community or group perspectives vary?

Discussion notes

Recurring big ideas from the discussion

• Writer’s workshop
• Six Traits
• We think they are all new at the process. We don’t communicate horizontally and vertically with other staffs. We don’t take the time to look at the data. We have perception data and teaching data. We need to use.
• Practical, varied and cross-discipline application of the writing process.
• We believe that writing is communication and thinking, not just a set of rules.

 Transcript (Combined session 1 & 2)

• What is going on in the world of writing and writing instruction?
• Writing workshop, ESL, NWP,
• We don’t use textbooks, use literature, short story collections, flex text choices,
• Literature-based ideas for writing available online, internet access, 25 computers in the classroom, lots of time to manage
• Drafting on computers, writers notebook to manage drafts online and teacher has access online to student work
• Writer’s Notebook (paper) is very important to us
• Write, use peer groups, revise and play in their WN (writer’s notebooks)
• Collect WN look for deep thinking, not lists
• Writing has to have meaning to students , time, choice and ownership, voice, audience
• We do genre reading then write in the genre, also use 6 Traits
• We read the Writer’s workshop, quick writes
• Teaches procedures, traits, punctuation, etc.
• These are used for focus lessons, always geared to what students need right now and to the Standards as well.
• Another thing that is important – WW (writer’s workshop) is used throughout the building,
• Importance in a community of learners,
• Asst. Supt. – what are we doing, we have curriculum. On paper, what is happening? How many minutes are actually spent on writing instruction and writing opportunities, not just in response to other content areas.
• Writing is not getting a lot of focus in our system. There is some value in getting a sense of what is happening throughout the state. Topic lead writing is not the whole process.
• What are the priorities of leaders in bldgs? We were part of Buddy project and Star Writers. We used Power Writing and Six Traits. PW starts at rudimentary levels. We developed rubrics bldg. wide at every grade level. Data folders used, students kept data about their writing, developed charts of their strengths and needs. As the bldg. focused on writing the student work got better. We came up with district writing prompts. We see building trends. Brought in professional development with ongoing coaching.
• We are teaching a writing process, we go through steps and we are doing much better with leading students through steps of the process.
• Writing process is taught early, beginning in elem.
• We are using state standards to guide us in choices of diff. activities.
• Writing workshop is being used
  • Term means different things to different teachers.
• We are encouraging writing across curriculum but not necessarily writing workshop/process in WAC
• We are getting more meaningful feedback to our students about writing.
• How do you get the non-college bound student?
  • Use many types of real world examples.
  • Get real-world employees to share their needs and practices.
• Why are we doing these things?
  • We are looking for ways to be better at what we do
  • Because we are held accountable for it
    • Some feel under-appreciated because they have been doing these things and others resent being asked to do this
    • We have increasingly large class sizes, how do I do what I need to do when I have too many students?
    • May have to do fewer writings
    • You don’t have to grade every part of every paper
    • Some work shouldn’t be graded
      • One way to do it is on reflective writing. You are going to get a completion grade.
      • I am using a sampling method – where only a % of papers are graded each time
      • You could be working on three papers. Students choose the best one and hand it in.
    • Is there citizen accountability and world community accountability.
    • Although we like center stage, this is difficult.
    • There is a greater sense of citizen accountability. What did you do to help to prepare?
    • What do you think of the new SAT prep. I use College Board question of the day. Two-thirds are writing. You can’t do well on total SAT score without writing strength.
    • Students have different needs. Public thinks that a score tells all about a student. There are other strengths which are not tested.
    • Andrea Neal, in an editorial, proposed that teachers need to be help accountable for students test scores.
    • How might we make all teachers feel accountable for the success for their students? We should state this positively.
      • We get more done when we focus on the positive.
      • If we can look past the test. Once we get past the test, students still have to be able to write!
• Prof. Development – what kind is needed?
• Style is the topic we need help in.
• We might train them in 4 blocks.
• Power writing, 6 traits.
• Writing every day..
  • How is a teacher going to have students write every day?
  • Not every thing needs to be graded. Not everything needs to be edited.
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• Use writing in math to explain concepts.
• Some resistance in Middle School because of departmentalization.
• Social studies and English teachers collaborate.
• You can write about other subject areas. If they don’t know how to do it, they are not going to it.
• How to teach writing
• Infusion of 6 traits into 4 block.
  • Nothing can be a one size fits all program
• Understanding that writing builds a scaffold for successful building. SKILLS, TRAITS, GENRE
• Analyze assessment data
• Teachers needed to calibrate their scoring skills. This took lots of time in professional. development.
  • Kids needed to have help in calibrating their responses too. In Kentucky we score holistically. We score our own writing portfolios then send the tests off.
  • In Indiana on the ISTEP there are writing assessments, we get together with a peer to evaluate, but this is not done state wide.
• Students need to have opportunity to find a voice
• Modeling is good for teachers to use.
  • Teacher models the writing. But be careful not make it too close to what students should do. Exemplars.
  • Student, teacher and professional models can be used.
• Teachers don’t feel comfortable looking at the technical aspects of the writing.
  • I am not going to tell a Biology teacher what to put in the lab reports. We need to help them understand that they are teaching writing.
• Content, development, style
• Peer and self-evaluation. Must learn self-editing.
• Steve Botts, teaches at IUPUI, IPW fall conference is Oct. 6. On demand writing.
• Thoughts and concerns
  • When teacher see themselves as writers, they become better writing instructors.
  • Need to come up with what writing is!
    • Expression
    • Getting the ideas on paper
  • The effective Eng. Teacher is sensitive to needs and wants of teachers. Eng. Dept. has to be sensitive to needs and sense of terror that non-English teachers have of assigning writing in their classes. Need to come up with meaningful real-world assignments.
  • We want teachers to model reading during SSR time.
  • Common rubric is useful for working with non-Eng. Classroom teachers.
    • One of the nice things about using a rubric. It establishes a common vocabulary for talking about writing.
  • Some other teachers and students help to do editing of mechanics.
  • Performing Arts and FACS are the two depts. That seem to be most supportive of writing across the curriculum.
  • I hear most teachers saying 6 plus one./rubrics, foremost
  • We are teaching a thinking process. Organization, style, sentence structure. Show not tell.
  • How do you address writing when you have different reading styles.
    • Read like a writer.
    • Write like a writer.
    • Look at yourself at yourself as a writer.
  • We think they are all new at the process. We don’t communicate horizontally and vertically with other staffs. We don’t take the time to look at the data. We have perception data and teaching data. We need to use.
  • Many teachers never see the tests that are used.
  • What can we do daily to help these students.
    • It is important to work at a community.
    • Once you are out of school, tests are no longer important. In the real world, testing is a meaningless process. Testing is a stupid way to acess anything.
    • Are students happy, exploring and thinking, working together.
    • How can we get kids involved in multi-disciplinary projects.
    • We clearly have lots of kids who have no sense that school is a community of learning.
    • We have rigor, but not relevance and relationships!!!
    • Do students know how to come up inquiry questions?
      • Why aren’t’ all actors… Why aren’t’ all lawyer practicing ethical law?
  • What can we do to encourage more people to come along?
  • What is our common ground?
• Resources
  • Download and use writing prompts
  • We download short stories from Internet. And use e-texts online.
    • Where are some of the resources?
  • Use a mentor text. I will model my writing after this author. I will try to write like that.
  • I got a grant for Bare Books. On the left page they copy exactly what was written and then on the right page they write their own version of the text. About That Dog is a good starter.
  • I am trying to teach teachers to analyze writing. Figure out what makes this good writing. And help them understand that 6 traits is basically the same as Indiana scoring guides, etc.
  • I teach writing through genre. Students need to understand the rubrics that are used.
  • 6 plus one trait book, Ruth Culham’s material is easier to use than ISTEP rubrics.
  • Writing Site.org has many helpful examples…the Buddy site (www.thewritingsite.org).
  • I would like our staff to be presented with a writing prompts!
• Significant Issues
  • Literature based/ Writer’s Workshop
  • Professional Development
    • Writing time
    • National Writing Project
  • Writing every day
  • Writing first, literacy collaboration
  • Assessment to drive instruction
  • State of Indiana needs a WRITING FIRST model.
  • Practical, varied and cross-discipline application of the writing process.
  • We believe that writing is communication and thinking, not just a set of rules.
    • Why doesn’t this happen in every classroom.
    • What resources do teachers have to make this happen?

FIRST SESSION SIGNIFICANT ISSUES - PRESENTED

• Daily literature-based and/or content-centered, authentic writing experiences during which the craft of writing is analyzed, modeled, practiced and applied – (as in Writer’s Workshop.)
• On-going, on-site professional development.

SECOND SESSION SIGNIFICANT ISSUES - PRESENTED

• Effective writing instruction is dependent on an informed, collaborative community of learners (including teachers, students, administrators, parents and community members).
• All teachers will work together to support writers as communicators and thinkers.

Indiana Writing Summit was sponsored by:
Purdue University and the Corporation for Educational Technology