SmallGroupWritingConf

What a Book Study Looks Like

**Writing Workshop: What We Know Heart**
Superior Hills Library, 5-7 p.m. October 7, 21, 28, November 4, 18 and December 2, 2010 (Northern Michigan University credit available)

Led by Sue Szczepanski and Erin Donovan, this book study covered the following topics:
 * Writer's Notebooks: Seedbeds for writing
 * How to Organize a Workshop
 * Record Keeping
 * How to Get the Most Out of Writing Conferences
 * Teaching Writing Starting Through Mini-Lesson
 * Differentiating Instruction for Every Child

Sponsored i(n partnership) by the Marquette Alger Reading Council and the Upper Peninsula Writing Project.

Book Choice:

**//Small - Group Writing Conferences//** (K - 5)
by Holly Slaugther.

Published by Heinemann ISBN-13:978-0-325-01736-5

"Holly Slaughter tells you when and how to use small groups and gives you tips for planning, record keeping, and trouble shooting she describes four kinds of writing conferences that allow you to plan instruction or confer whenever and however you need to:
 * Table Conferences,
 * Skill Conferences,
 * Expectation Conferences, and
 * Progress Conferences."


 * Final Reflections and Take A-Ways:**

For the final book study class fourteen local educators enjoyed holiday goodies and supportive conversation on writing workshop, writing notebooks and small group writing conferences. When asked what this book study had done for them first year teachers expressed gaining the knowledge and confidence they needed to introduce writing notebooks and begin writing workshop in their classroom//s//. Veteran teachers agreed and commented that having book studies in an elementary school allows opportunities to see many teacher ideas and student work in classrooms and on bulletin boards. All shared the same opinion; coming together with colleagues has helped them improve the teaching of writing.

The groups divided in half to jigsaw the final chapters of //Small-Group Writing Conferences// and report out pieces and points they especially appreciated in the book. Some noted take a-ways included: · Work smarter, not harder · Build community and a relationship with your students, make connections · Responsibility can be taught · Small group instruction is more effective than whole group instruction · Schedule regular time for writing in notebooks and writing workshop · Use a daily schedule for accountability · Use a timer see how long something takes and help manage the time · Although students have choices, the choices are __not__ unlimited · Don’t have “time-killing" centers that are busy work  · Celebrate writing more, make sharing time bigger   · Children benefit from listening to their classmats__//**'**//__ responses   · Teachers are each other’s greatest resources, lean on one another

One teacher’s big idea was to take five minutes weekly to ask a colleague (that has common writing goals), “So, how did writing workshop go this week? They could respond, “This is what I liked…”, or “This is where I feel strong….”, or” This is what I’d like to improve on…”. Help each other be better. Another was that teachers should use self-reflection questions to see if they are meeting the student’s needs and getting everything done. Attendees received a copy of Ralph Fletcher’s//, Craft Lessons// as a gift to support continued improvement of their teaching practices in writing workshop.

For more information contact Sue Szczepanski at sszczepa@nmu.edu or Erin Donovan at edonovan@mapsnet.org