Day 3 of TCRWP Writing Institute

I am appreciating these days; they are filled with learning.  I appreciate them because I am excited that I will be better able to assist teachers and students with writing when we return to school in the fall.

For Day Three of the Institute, we began the day in our small group.  Looking at everything I learned in the morning from Monique Knight, here are the highlights from my notes:

• Take the time to mark up mentor texts using the student writing checklist and the If….Then…. book that comes with our units, so that we have them as a tool when doing the minilesson, conferring with our students and working with small groups.
• When planning our writing, we should be thinking about how often we are meeting with students.  It is recommended that we meet with each student, once a week.  Meetings can include A) one-on-one conferencing B) small group C) partnership time when doing the active engagement
• Again, study student work - read their work - to plan possible teach points that we can suggest when conferring with students

We then were off to listen and learn from Carl Anderson - @conferringcarl.  When working with students, we tend to move along because time is limited.  We tend to look over their writing when conferring and tell students the teach point.  We tend to not honor the writing the student has done because we are working to improve the writer.  We are moving with good intentions.  We know and feel time is of the essence.  That said, we need to be in the moment - we need to find time to respond to the text, value it - their writing is worthwhile.

When people write, it is to connect with others.  Students are writing to connect, and we need to value their writing and express to them why their writing is powerful.

He offered some ways we can respond to student writing when working with them.  That way we show we care about their writing and to help us slow down - be in the moment with the writer.

We had a lunch break and I actually ventured outside and walked around Columbia University.  I sat outside and marked up one of my mentor texts (yes, I am that girl - a nerd at heart).  Maybe today, I will tackle the second one…..

I made my way back to Teachers College to learn from Amanda Hartman.  We were able to look at Writing Pathways to study student writing and discuss possible teach points and ways the writing progresses in informational writing.

We were reminded that the less experienced writer will write more books and the more experienced writer will write less books.  

I learned that research can be studying an artifact students bring in - an actual item (skateboard) or a picture of something they are writing about.  This can be done when we ask them to revise and to push themselves to write more.  This is first hand research and it is a helpful strategy for primary students.

When we learned more about conferring - my takeaway was have the tool, (chart, word wall, checklist, etc.) when working with your small group so they can practice transferring the learning, using that tool in front of you.

I wrapped up my day with Monique Knight - For Coaches: 10 Crucial Staff Development Tips.  

10) Never Assume

9) Be a Leader

8) Have a Vision

7) Be Flexible

6) Think Transfer

5) Create Your Own Think Tank

4) Engage Teachers

3) Give it Time

2) Reflect Often

1) Build Trust

Now, on to Day Four!