Digital Handout from my IRA 2013 Presentation or Me -vs- Levar Burton

     I've been chastising myself for three days about my lack of handouts for the entire audience at IRA 2013.  Unfortunately, my presentation was scheduled at the same time as the keynote opening session featuring Levar Burton, so I underestimated the number of people who'd pass him over to come hear about Quick Bursts of Writing (I mean, come on, it was Levar Burton!).  Plus, IRA encouraged speakers to upload a digital handout.  I'm sorry if you were one of those disappointed many...but it is my pleasure to announce, "IRA has uploaded the handouts and I know how to get them!"
    Go to http://www.reading.org/annual-convention/2013/.  In the upper right under the green heading "News & Announcements," click on iplanner, then input Wagstaff and you'll be led to the session description page.  Near the top, you'll see the link to the handout.  However, access seems to be spotty right now.  I jumped on last night to post this and noticed the site had reverted back to its pre-conference mode.  That seems to be happening as I'm posting this, as well.  So, keep checking the site and I'm sure it will become available.  If you have trouble, let me know and I'll send a pdf of the handout directly to you.
      Hope you had a thought-provoking experience at IRA.  I know I sure did.  I will be blogging, Facebooking and tweeting about it over time as I can steal minutes between work and parenting duties!
Happy reading/writing/thinking/conversing!

 

Pondering Writing Assignments, Motivation, and the CCSS

     Hello!  I'm getting ready to present at IRA's annual conference this weekend:  "Quick Bursts of Writing Across the Curriculum:  Powerfully Heighten Learning, Engagement, and Meet Common Core Reading, Writing, & Speaking/Listening Standards (what a mouthful for such simple strategies!)."  If you've followed the blog, you know about Quick Bursts.  Here's a recent update of the Prezi I made related to the topic: 
"Writing to Learn: Quotes and Notes to Ponder." 
http://prezi.com/v_im1aflpkhw/writing-to-learn/
     As I review the "Quotes and Notes" and sit back to ponder :), I'm encouraged, as are other proponents of writing, how the CCSS emphasize writing throughout.  Classrooms should always be about writing around one's reading and expressing opinions/arguments, exploring information, researching questions, and developing stories, all for varied purposes and audiences.  My fear is that these might become merely assignments to be graded and checked-off.  In our zeal to meet the standards, we must remember to couch all this writing within meaningful and motivating contexts.  One of my favorite ways to do this is to work with students to discover real world purposes to write and take the writing outside the classroom.  For example, we'll develop opinions about products (cookies, toys, games, apps, etc.) and send them to the companies (just google to find the address or email of the company's headquarters--you'll often get a response back), or post opinions on Amazon about books we've read. 
     Using technology to reach out also packs a punch.  After completing research, we've made "Photo Stories" of our findings (Photo Story 3 for Windows--free and easy to use!), presenting the information in a lively, engaging format.  Posting them to our school website widened our audience.  What a frenzy of excitement!  Our fourth graders worked collaboratively to write informative pieces, then distilled these down into "Keynotes" on ipads (great higher order thinking--reworking the content by moving from one genre to another).  Imagine, fourth graders chomping at the bit to present their keynotes!  Why not compare characters by synthesizing thoughts to create simple analogies then posting them on Twitter?  Using technology to develop and present writing definitely lights a fire.  One of my favorite books on the subject is Julie Ramsay's Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing? from Stenhouse.  (Don't miss Julie's IRA session of the same name Sunday afternoon!)

    Whatever methods we use to teach the standards, they ought to help students develop the habits and joys of writing, in addition to knowledge and skill with genres and processes.  This is best accomplished within a community of writers who share and develop their voices together.  Plus, we mustn't forget the daily importance of informal writing (like the Quick Bursts), the value of writing shorter pieces, or the need for students to come up with their own purposes to write (after all, that's one thing real writers do--as an adult author, nobody sat down and told me to write books). In the end, we want skillful writers who not only choose to write but love to write!  Take good care and enjoy your writers!

How Quick Bursts of Writing Align With the Common Core State Standards

 

Great fun at the Mid-South Reading and Writing Conference in Hoover, AL today!  Thanks for having me! I presented information about Quick Bursts of Writing and pledged to post the following about how the techniques connect to the Common Core State Standards. If you're new to Quick Bursts, look under the "Labels" heading to the left on this blog page, scroll down the list, and click on ‘Quick Bursts of Writing.’  As always, I welcome your feedback and friendship!

The following is information from one of my power point slides with some additional notations:

How Quick Bursts of Writing Connect to the Common Core State Standards   (Just a few ideas...)

•       Writing is present in all the standards  (If you’ve studied the standards, you know this well.  Hooray!  Writing should be part of everything we are doing and studying across the curriculum.  Putting writing in its proper place at the head of the table right alongside reading will help us better meet Common Core expectations.  Quick Bursts help us efficiently infuse writing into much more of what we do.)

•       CCSS assessment is writing-performance based  (Testing ‘phases’ emphasize writing process and collaborative procedures.  Students will be asked to read, study, note and discuss using multiple varied sources, then write more fully about their thinking and learning.  In addition to Writing Workshop then, ongoing, informal opportunities to write and collaborate must be part of their daily experience.)

•       Quick Bursts align with CC processes while building confidence, fluency, stamina and a valuing of writing as a mode of thinking and learning  (Through Quick Bursts, students have no problem continually facing the ‘blank page’ and sharing their writing to build knowledge with peers.  This is highly motivating and engaging—every student has the opportunity to respond to what’s happening in the classroom.  Taking a few minutes to jot, note, or think through writing, then talk with friends is simply routine.)  

•       Standard 10:  Range of Writing  (I was thrilled when I saw they included this standard!  Yes!  Students should be given abundant opportunities to write/jot for short periods of time, in informal ways, without working through the entire writing process, just as they enjoy a range of reading opportunities (sometimes reading short blurbs, sometimes reading with peers, sometimes reading for short bursts of time, etc. without the expectation that everything they read will be taken to some formal level (i.e. a ‘readers’ theater’ or other).  If we checked everything they read and/or produced some type of formal product with all that was read, how much actual reading would be accomplished?  The same is true for writing, yet, we tend to do much more formal process writing than informal writing.  A more balanced approach will move our students ahead as writers and help them reap the benefits of writing to learn.

P.S. More extensive information about Quick Bursts of Writing is available in my Scholastic book:  Quick Start to Writing Workshop Success.  Happy writing J

I Kinda' Sorta' Won the Teacher Lottery!

     Came into school yesterday a bit beat.  I'm packing up our school's leveled library as well as my room:  great thing...new construction, new library, new "space" next year!  Bad thing--hard on the back!  Anyway, I checked my mailbox and found a high school graduation announcement from a student I had in second grade ten years ago.  I didn't expect the personal note I found inside.  K. remembers how rewarding it was to be part of a serious and celebratory writing community in our classroom...10 years ago!  I was so touched by what she wrote, I literally ran around the school (not so beat after all!) sharing her letter with our teachers. 

     What a difference writing makes in the lives of our students.  Thanks, K., for tracking me down and for taking the time to WRITE! 

Link for FREE download/printable POEM to send students off reading for the summer

Hello!  Here's the link I promised if you'd like the download/printable for the poem I posted May 3.  Hope you enjoy!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-POEM-To-Give-Your-Students-at-the-End-of-the-Year