Literacy Matters Teaching Writing EVG December 9, 2011

Literacy Matters

Teaching Writing

EVG

December 9, 2011

History of Writing Workshop Methodology

http://www.nwp.org/http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/

research_nwpNational Writing Project

NWP began in 1974

By 1976 NWP grew to six states

By 1991 NWP was authorized as a federal education program

Today NWP is in all 50 states

Teachers College, Columbia University houses a “chapter” of the NWP.

Writing Workshop is situated in the latest research on HOW

students learn: (Wiggins and McTighe)

Behaviorists Cognitive Socio-cognitive

B.F. SkinnerTeacher-centeredConditioning ProgrammedThorough and efficientBanking-modelTracking“What” students know

Dewey Piaget J. Bruner Student-centeredConstructivist “movement”“Ownership”Learning is the responsibility of the individualCooperative learning“How” students know it

Vygotsky (*ZOPED)Learning-centeredLearning is a developmental process of gradually participating in a community Students are positioned to learn not “programmed”)Shared expertise ScaffoldingApprenticeship/mentorshipsHeterogeneous/multi-culturalWhat students DO with what they knowStarts with what students know

What Exactly is Writing Workshop?

Writing Workshop creates a rigorous learning

environment that positions students as producers of texts – students produce drafts, revise, edit and

publish within particular writing cycles or genre studies. The focus is on how texts are written…

Teachers become facilitators who

provide both direct and indirect

instruction based on what students

know and still need to know.

Some Teaching Strategies Taught:

•Brainstorming for “seed” ideas•Lift a line (say more)•Leads•Vivid words•Slow down•Fill a gap

More strategies•Get right to it

•Prune

•New idea from old

•New point of view

•Combine entries

•Show don’t tell

Writing generated by

Writer’s Workshop

• Personal narrative (aka) memoir

• Fiction

• Nonfiction (article, persuasive, informational text)

• Poetry

Let’s Pretend that we are writing a memoir….a slice of life piece about a moment in our lives….“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros could be one

of our “mentor” texts.

Mini lessons:

Effective use of repetition woven throughout the story

Use of similes

Circle story

Voice

How can parents help?Read to your child and talk about the text

Have your child sketch while you read – keep sketches in a family folder

Have your child write about the book – keep all writings in a family folder

Make a word wall on your refrigerator

Take you child to the library regularly

Set reading times and you read, too

Pick out favorite sentences and write them on Post its

More helpful hints

Read a book that has been made into a movie talk about similarities and differencesDownload audio booksBuy books and read together Cook meals together and talk about recipes; read labelsCreate a family writing center with a bulletin board to hang messages, family news items, household and family events

Have your children make books of all sorts

Books of poems Books of letters Books of stories Scrapbooks Dictionaries family

photo albums

KEY: do not over correct

Questions DiscussionComments

Please email us any additional questions or concerns.

lcella@evgschool.org

Sueperl@evgschool.org

ksalerno@evgschool.org

• Reading instruction• Math instruction• Updates on Anti-bullying• Budget information & the future of

EVG and GW• Other ideas????

Topics for next meetingFebruary 3, 2011