FIRST GRADE WRITING WORKSHOP – UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MATT GLOVERJuly 25, 2012

MATT GLOVER

Early childhood educator and principal Co-authored Already Ready: Nurturing

Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten with Katie Wood Ray

Authored Engaging Young Writers: Preschool-Grade 1

Consulted for Parkway with Early Childhood and Kindergarten – Study Group/Action Team December 2010 – all EC and K invited March 2011 – snow day make-up with two

teachers (K and SSD/ESOL) per school January 2012 – full day with ALL Kindergarten

teachers

BIG IDEAS FOR NURTURING YOUNG WRITERS

Image of Self as a Writer

Honoring Approximations

Nudging vs. Pushing

Stages of Word Making Development

Composition Dimensions

Vision - Importance of Making Books

Reading Like a Writer

BIG IDEAS FOR NURTURING YOUNG WRITERS

Image of Self as a Writer

Honoring Approximations

Nudging vs. Pushing

Stages of Word Making Development

Composition Dimensions

Vision - Importance of Making Books

Reading Like a Writer

AGENDA

Composition Dimensions

Nudging vs. Pushing

Reading Like a Writer

STARTING WITH STUDENT WORK:LETTING OUR CHILDREN LEAD US

Imagine you are conferring with Max. He is writing “The Day I Got Cricket.”

Using the small sticky notes on your table, record THREE possible teaching points, each on its OWN sticky note.

AFFINITY MAPPING

IN SILENCE put all sticky notes on chart paper.

REMAINING SILENT organize the teaching points into “natural” categories.

Then place the sticky notes on the chart paper in neat columns.

Discuss the categories and come up with a name for each one.

BALANCING COMPOSITION AND CONVENTION

COMPOSITION Thinking-Realm Planning out the

book, what to include, what to leave out, and how to write the book

More difficult to see and support

CONVENTION Spelling, letter

formation, conventions, and mechanics

Word-Making Realm Easy to work on

because they are so evident

PROFESSIONAL READING:FROM ALREADY READY BY RAY & GLOVER

Composition Dimensions 1s – Understandings About Texts (58-73) 2s – Understandings About Process (73-79) 3s – Understandings About What it Means to

Be a Writer (79-83)

Jigsaw Read and record 3-4 most important points

(MIPs) from your section. Gather in like-numbered groups and come to

consensus on what will be shared. Regroup in mixed groups of 1, 2, 3’s to share

new learning.

TAKE-AWAYS ABOUT COMPOSITION DIMENSIONS

It is developmental and continues throughout our lives.

Is the book about something? Is the book focused? Is the book organized-list book vs. storybook? Does the child read the book the same way

each time? Is the child intentional about what is being

represented on the page? (with craft as well) Does the child engage in revising? Is the child showing stamina when he/she

writes?

MATT’S MESSAGE REGARDING “COMPOSITION”

Composition is a WHOLE way of thinking He equates “writing” to words and

“composition” to “putting words and pictures together to make meaning”

Honors both actions children may be taking during writing workshop writing words illustrating

May not sound natural to use the word, but what matters is the meaning behind it, the message related to supporting children in their illustrations, too.

DRAWING IS COMPOSING

Drawing is an essential component of a young child’s composition.

“Drawing the pictures” is not a reward to be saved until the “real work” of “writing” is done.

Drawing IS “writing!”

Honoring the child’s history of writing as a Kindergartner will be essential in getting to know them as a writer.

NUDGING VS. PUSHINGConferring with Writers

CONFERRING

Supporting both composition and convention The difference between nudging and pushing Integrating mentor texts

COMPOSITION-MAKING BOOKS

Storybooks Earthquake

List books Feelings

Nonfiction Shapes

COMPOSITION-GENERATING IDEAS

Conferring is NOT the best time to generate topics

Planting seeds all day, every day “You could make a book about that!”

NUDGING VS. PUSHING

“When working side-by-side with young writers, teachers want to nudge development along, not push it or force it. The goal of the teaching, in addition to moving development forward, is to leave children with energy and enthusiasm for the whole idea of making books.”

~ Ray and Glover

IT’S A FINE LINE…

Watch for verbal cues and body language. Make sure the child is happy and comfortable

with the interaction. If the child seems frustrated by the questions

you are asking or the suggestions being made, the line has most likely been crossed.

ANTICIPATING THE BOUNDARY

Knowing your children Their interaction styles Their learning styles

Assessing what they already know and can do

Taking them the next step

READING LIKE A WRITERUsing Mentor Texts

MY MAMA HAD A DANCING HEARTBY LIBBA MOORE GRAY

STACK OF MENTOR TEXTS My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by Libba

Moore Gray Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie

dePaola The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons Grandma’s Records by Eric Velasquez A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant The Gardener by Sarah Stewart Stone Soup by Heather Forest So Much by Trish Cooke Frog, Where are You? By Mercer Mayer

TIME TO DISCOVER, COLLECT, AND REFLECT Explore the texts at your table. Find the texts that you can collect and use as

mentor texts for the upcoming school year. What are the teaching points that each book

has? Did you select books with balance? Do you

have books that model both conventions and composition?

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MENTOR TEXTS? A text used to teach about or demonstrate an aspect of

writer’s craft The best ones can be used numerous times throughout

the year to demonstrate many different craft moves. Most mentor text mini-lessons fall into one of three

categories: Idea: the text inspires the writer to create an original idea

based on one from the text. Structure: the text presents on organizational structure

that the writer tries to emulate using original ideas. Written Craft: the author’s writing style, ways with

words, or sentence structure inspires the writer to try out these techniques.

Remember - we are teaching a particular strategy or craft move – we are not teaching the book.