Launching Your Writer's Workshop FREEBIE

Back to school is just around the corner!  Have you thought about how you will launch your Writer's Workshop time?  How will you introduce the workshop to your students? Remember in May when your students and Writer's Workshop were a well-oiled machine?  Remember how you got to that sweet place of rainbows and unicorns?  By training your troops!  

Repeat:  Now is the time to plan how you will train your troops and build a classroom of writers.

For this blogpost (the second one this week, y’all!) I am referring to an oldie but a goodie.

And for this month only- I am providing this fabulous Writing Workshop resource for FREE! Snag your copy at the end of this post!

Want to know more about it... keep reading.... want to get it immediately... scroll down!

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Hello!  

I'm here to tell you all about how I plan on launching my Writer's Workshop this year.

First Day of School: 

I give my students a blank piece of copy paper (I purposefully give them paper without lines in order to see who draws a picture and who gets right down to writing. Later, the paper will scaffold the writing!)  

I then explain to students that I will set a timer and they are to write for ten WHOLE minutes. (gasp!)

I do not give them a prompt or any ideas.  I simply ask them to write.  

I explain to them that I will be walking around the room taking notes and should not be disturbed.  

The guidelines for this activity are: 

-No talking

-No walking

-If you run out of room on your paper, raise your hand for a new piece

-You may not ask the teacher for help.  Just do your best!

While the students are writing their little hearts out or staring at the ceiling, picking their nose,  raising their hands to ask you what to write about or how to spell a word, drawing a picture, I have my clipboard in my hand and am walking around the room writing furiously.

This is my chance to take notes about what kind of writers I have this year!

I have my class list next to my notes page to easily help me remember which student goes with which number on my clipboard.  

This saves me time and energy when I am taking notes!  

I might write things like this:

1. hasn't written anything down after 8 minutes

2. drawing very detailed picture

3. uses complex sentences

4. tying his shoes for most of the time

5. needed 2nd piece of paper

6. struggled to get started 

7. drew lines for himself on paper

Basically, I am writing down anything and everything that will help me get to know my students as writers and help me further plan my writing mini-lessons.

As the weeks pass and we build our stamina in writing, I continue to use this clipboard to take notes.  

I also use another document to help me plan my lessons in the future. After our writing time, I will quickly jot down things I noticed students do or not do on the "Yesterday while you were writing I noticed" section.  

Okay.  That was just day one.  Are you still with me?  

Day 2: All About Me Bag Introduction

I read aloud Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge and share my Me Bag.  Be sure to read more about that here! 

Day 3: Who is a writer?  and What do writer's do?

During this lesson we talk (and make an anchor chart) about all the people who need to write (mom and dad, teachers, doctors, my older sister, and even 2nd graders!) and what writer's do (WRITE! draw pictures to help them write, brainstorm, read lots of books, jot down ideas, etc.)

After the mini lesson I will have a few students share their All About Me bag with the class. 

Day 4: What do writer's write? and Why do writer's write?

During this lesson we talk (and make an anchor chart) about all the things writers write (lists, notes, thank you cards, stories, emails, directions, etc.) and I read Read Anything Good Lately?  We also brainstorm all the reasons why writers write!  

Again, students will share their bags with the class.

Day 5 (is a BIG ONE!) First Day of Writer's Workshop:

This is where I launch my Writer's Workshop!  

With my coffee mug in hand, I pull out the folders, fresh pencils, crisp paper, and my fancy No Walk! No Talk! anchor chart. 

I explain to students that the time has finally come for us to have our first Writer's Workshop (insert blank stares here cheers and applause here!)

The class will brainstorm the behaviors and expectations as I make the anchor chart.  

I make sure the chart includes things like: 

-Get started quickly

-Stay in one spot

-Silent voice

-Do what writer's do: WRITE!

Then, I send students off to start writing. 

I follow the Daily Five routine of building stamina.  

If I noticed a student not following the directions above, I ring my bell for cleanup and everyone meets back on the carpet.  

We discuss as a class why we came back (by this point, my class has already mastered this routine through read to self!)  

We read over the anchor chart again, possibly adding new ideas that might help the class build stamina.  

 And I send them off again to write.

We continue this routine each day until the class can successfully write for 20 minutes.  

I call this time "No Walk! No Talk!"

To read more about No Walk! No Talk! click here.

WHEW!  That concludes my first week of Writer's Workshop!  After day five, you might need to celebrate with one of those cold adult beverages or a box of brownie mix....if you know what I mean!

What's next? Have no fear! That first day of Writer's Workshop will give you PLENTY of ideas for what to teach them next! It's so awesome- albeit also scary! You may find that you need a mini-lesson like Writer's Gum! Let the students writing guide you to the next (and the next and the next) mini-lesson! 

Now I will kick up my feet and enjoy the weekend!  

Want some of the forms I talked about? Need to see more details about No Walk/No Talk or Writing Rules? Want a form to keep track of your writing conferences? 

Click on the link to get YOUR VERY OWN Launching Writer's Workshop pack!

Get Your Finger OUT of THEIR Book!

Guided Reading… I’m not pretending that I’m talking about a NEW thing with y’all right now… I do however hope to help you think about your teaching at the table in a NEW way! 

So I want you to picture a Guided Reading lesson with some of your students.  They are reading the text, you are listening in to readers individually and as one of them reads for you, they come to a word they don’t know, and you can almost hear the brakes squeak as they come to a STOP! Or picture a student breezes right past the words they just read incorrectly. Can you see it? You know it happens. 

Now…I want you to consider this question:  Typically, what is your next move?

Be honest. For that kiddo who didn’t know the word and stopped… might you be covering up a part of the word so they can work on decoding?  Is your finger starting to slide above it while you start to make the sounds (AKA sounding it out)?  What about the student who read a word incorrectly? Are you probably pointing to the word and drawing the reader’s attention to it?

Repeat after me folks… GET YOUR FINGER OUT OF THEIR BOOK!

A major tenant of teaching at the Guided Reading table is supporting students in reaching independence! In other words, how will they read when they are alone after this lesson? What strategies will they have when they are not at the Guided Reading table with me? 

So, how will they notice their own errors if you are always pointing to them? How will they learn to cover words and decode with that strategy if you are always the one doing it? How will they start to do this independently if they are so accustomed to you doing it instead?

 Maybe you are like a teacher I worked with recently who said, when CAN I touch their books?  Keep focused on the word THEIR- they have to hold their book, and point to words, and do the work of figuring out words because it is THEIR reading! 

So if we keep our finger out of their book… we have to change the way we support students.  Let’s look at some alternatives to pointing to the word. 

Photo Credit https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/4-tips-guided-reading-success/

In the example of a student who doesn’t notice that an error was made in reading… instead of our finger pointing to the word that wasn’t read correctly, what if we said,

Something wasn’t quite right there? Can you find it?

You made a mistake. Can you find it?

See if you can find what’s wrong?

In the bigger picture, does this help students become more independent in the reading they will do both with you at the table and after the lesson is over? Are we better supporting their own ability to monitor their own accuracy of reading? Yeppers!

Now, what about the student that just stops and doesn't know how to decode a word? Instead of touching their book and doing the work for them, could you say…

Point to the word you’re trying to read.

What could you try?

Do you know a part of that word? What is it?

Cover up the part you know. Look at the part you don’t know.

Try it.

You may not notice the big difference here, and I admit it is slight, but it is a small thing that will make a BIG difference!  GET YOUR FINGER OUT OF THEIR BOOK!

Want more prompts to help students do the work and be independent at the table? 

You can download a copy HERE.

Want more tools to help you teach at the Guided Reading table?  Look around in the category for Guided Reading and see other helpful posts! 

SHELFIES

Last week I blogged about adding a Book Pick of the Week to your reading block in order to ramp up reading conversation in your classroom.  If you missed it, check it out here.

This week we are continuing to build our reading conversations via TECHNOLOGY!  

It’s 2017, who’s with me?

For this blogpost, I will be referring to my all time favorite tech educator, Kristin Ziemke (@KristinZiemke)  Have you heard of her?

She has inspired educators to use technology in our classrooms in the most innovative, yet simple ways!  Less is more, she says.  And I couldn’t agree more when it comes to all things technology.

Kristin, based out of Chicago, co-wrote Applify: Digital Teaching and Learning in the K-6 Classroom,  which is a great PD summer read focusing on technology.  It will absolutely change the way you view technology in your classroom!

She suggests one easy routine to incorporate into your weekly reading block that will rev up the reading conversation in your classroom: Shelfies! Let me explain.

A shelfie is a ‘selfie’ taken with your current favorite book and posted to an online bookshelf for others to see.  Get it?  Shelfie (selfie plus shelf)

Here’s how I’ve seen this idea used in Noelle’s first grade classroom: (She’s one of my consultants.  If you haven’t read her guest blog post about the Scholastic Reading Summit, check it out here.)  

It’s Wednesday morning.  Before starting Reading Workshop, Noelle’s students gather on the carpet with their book bags and iPads.  She is lucky enough to have 1-1 iPads! I know- sick right?

Each Wednesday morning begins the same.  On her smartboard, she posts the QR code for the padlet (a website that allows others to collaborate with each other by posting onto a page).

Students use their iPad cameras to scan the QR code and open up the padlet page. (Noelle has already created the padlet page for the day prior to the students coming to school.  She titles it “It’s Wednesday.  What are you reading?” with directions at the top of the page: Take a Shelfie with your current favorite book)

At this point in the school year, her first graders are independent in this activity.  Crazy, right? But it’s TRUE!  She has explicitly taught them how to add their own post to padlet.

Students always title the post with their classroom numbers, avoiding putting their names or initials online (digital citizenship 101).  You could have students write the title of their book here instead.

Students add a description of their book/why they are recommending it to others (think BOOK TALK) under the “caption” section.

Last, students take out their favorite book from their book bag and snap a selfie with it.  The only rule for the photo is you must be able to see the front cover.  Viola!  As students finish uploading their Shelfie, they can browse other students’ posts to get ideas for future books to read.  

Later in the week when students are browsing the library, they already have an idea of what book they want to read next!  As the classroom teacher, you can share the padlet link with parents or other classrooms to connect with the reading community outside of your four walls.

The possibilities are endless with technology!  If you do not have 1-1 iPads, don’t worry!  You can still tweak this idea to fit your tech availability.   Maybe you only have one laptop or your personal cell phone - it can still be done!  Students could sign up to take turns posting their shelfie with the technology at hand, or you or another adult could help take photos of students throughout the week.  Kristin Ziemke says “It’s not the technology, it’s what we do with it that counts.”  

How are you using technology to amplify your reading conversations?

Post in the comments below.

Cheers and HAPPY READING!

Friday Freebie: Book Pick of the Week

Howdy!

I am sure you have heard of a book talk, right?  

One reader talks about a book with the intent of convincing the other reader to read the book.  The booktalker gives the other reader a sneak peek into the characters, setting , and plot line of the text without giving away the ending.  The listener can be left with a cliffhanger and wants to do nothing but read the book after the talk!

Book talks can take anywhere from one to five minutes depending on the speaker.

Have you heard of the 6 word book talk?  This is where the reader creates a book talk by only using six words!  

@TechNinjaTodd (Todd Nesloney) and @brandonkblom (Brandon Blom) introduced the idea to a crowd full of educators at the Scholastic Reading Summit.  

I would encourage you to give it a try, first with your favorite summer read, and then in your classroom.  Let’s have a little fun with this!  

Comment below in a six word book talk your favorite summer read.  We will reply by guessing the title!  An example of a six word book talk for Wonder might be: different looking boy overcomes some adversity

If you are using book talks (any kind, short or long!) in your classroom, a great way to extend the conversation around books is to display a “Book Pick of the Week” in your classroom library.

This can be a book that has been previously talked about for students to read.  

We can display this book on a special place in our classroom library for students to check out and read on their own.  A simple poster like the one below could be placed behind the book so that once a student finishes the book, they return the Book Pick of the Week for others to read. Or a picture of the book could be inserted into the template and the book pick can be easily changed every week!

Eventually as student become more familiar with book talks, they can share their own book talk with the class.  As we create a culture for reading through consistent daily book talks, students can nominate books for the Book Pick of the Week.

Creating a space for students to have a voice and share their opinion about books is essential in developing a love for reading.  One easy yet powerful way to give students a platform or sharing their ideas about books is to allow them to nominate the book for that week! Afterall, isn’t that our goal as reading teachers?  To allow our readers to think for themselves?  I’d say so!

Don’t forget to comment with your six word book talk!  Click HERE to get your FREE Book Pick of the Week Template!

Happy reading!

Have You Attended a Scholastic Reading Summit?

Howdy from Central Texas!  This is Noelle guest blogging about the Scholastic Reading Summit because Melissa’s boss wouldn’t let her take off to go- so she sent ME! (PS- Melissa is Melissa’s boss!)

Last Thursday, I traveled to Houston to attend the Scholastic Reading Summit.  If you weren’t lucky enough to attend, keep reading to learn, grow, and be inspired with the great ideas that were shared!

I started the day by checking in and received a goodie bag full of BOOKS!  It wouldn’t be a Scholastic conference without free books, right?  And what teacher doesn’t love another teacher bag?  I was already hyperventilating with excitement and the conference hadn’t even started yet.

The front of the bag has a quote from Donalyn Miller: “I can learn anything, travel anywhere, ask my own questions, seek my own answers because I read.”

Cute, right?

Here’s a peek at what was inside:

Not only did they give us children’s books of all levels, they also included pure GOLD in our bag! That’s right.  Scholastic has put together the latest research on reading- A Summary of Research!  

Every educator needs to get their hands on this resource. It is pure gold, I tell you!

The keynote speaker this year was the one and only, John Schu (@MrSchuReads) He started the day with ENERGY and inspiration for reading!  He talked a lot about the need for school librarians. He said, “Every student deserves to have a FULL time librarian.”  That couldn’t be more true!

Here are a few of my favorite quote that were shared:

One of my goals for the day was to get retweeted by Mr. Schu and guess what?  I was retweeted within the first hour!  

If you are not on twitter for educational purposes, after reading this post you should create an account!  Twitter can be a fantastic learning community.  So many times educators will tweet as they are in the conference, and if you follow the right hashtags, it feels like you are sitting right there in the conference yourself! If you are already on twitter, are you following Melissa?  She has great ideas that can inspire you and your students! Go follow her @LeachLiteracy.

After Mr. Schu, next up was Kylene Beers (@KyleneBeers) and Bob Probst (@BobProbst).  I’ve been following Kylene for a while, but hearing her speak was truly inspiring.  

She talked about how our readers need to be encouraged first.  She said, “Skill and will go together. You cannot improve competence without first improving confidence.” That right there started blowing up Twitter!

During their talk, they introduced us to a way of engaging readers with text besides the basic recall questioning.  Through their research in classrooms, they have created three questions to ask students while reading that works in any grade level.  Through their research they found that students who were asked to read a text and then answer basic recall questions (think ten multiple choice questions for a quiz) could not even remember what the text was about the next day.  These students were simply reading to answer a question….they weren’t reading to THINK!

Kylene and Bob suggest using these three questions instead to engage our readers with thinking:

What surprised you?  

What did the author think I already knew?

What changed or confirmed what I already knew?

They have just published a new book called Disrupting Thinking.

After those keynotes, we split up into our breakout sessions.

I attended “Building a Love of Reading Campus Wide” with @TechNinjaTodd and @brandonkblom . Both are principals (in TEXAS) changing the way students and educators view reading.

Their session was incredible!  These two educators are funny, inspiring, and truly have a passion for reading! I walked away with so many great ideas, way too many to share in a blogpost.  So I will share my absolute favorites...

1. Advertise what we are reading: Create a poster that announces what educators (every single adult in the building is an educator) are currently reading.  Laminate it so it is a quick update with dry erase markers. (Shout out to MAGNOLIA ISD- they are DOING this!)
2. Guest readers: Invite all kinds of community members to bring a book to read.  Create a mystery Skype read aloud by turning off the camera but keeping the sound on.  One teacher invites grandparents to Skype in and it drives the students wild to try to guess which grandparent is reading!
3. 6 word book talks: Silently write a 6 word book talk for a favorite book.  Next, have students share their 6 word book talk and have other students guess the title. Tech option to share via Padlet or Twitter.
4. Secret Society of Readers: Pass out ‘golden tickets’ (Willie Wonka style) to the avid readers in your school.  You know the ones.  They always have their nose in a book.  So often we put all the attention on the struggling and reluctant readers, but in order to build a school-wide love of reading, we need to tap into the students who read any chance they can. Pass out the tickets.  Tell the students to meet in the library at a certain time, to bring their current favorite book, and to tell no one!  (Teachers are, of course, in on the secret and all the students need to do is use the code word to get out of class. Brilliant!) The first meeting can be held with flashlights under the tables of the library.  During the meeting, we allow these readers to be readers!  Encouraging them to talk about their books.  A second golden ticket is given to students and their job throughout the next week is to be on the lookout for other readers to join the secret society!  It will only take a few days for the buzz of reading to grow in your school!  I am so excited to implement this at my school.  Will you try it with me? (This is Melissa piping in- if I were in school I so would have wanted a GOLDEN TICKET!)

The afternoon session I attended was called “Independent Reading: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going”  It was a panel chalked full of the best of the best in education!

The biggest takeaway from this panel would have to be the discussion of independent reading vs. reading in isolation.  

Often we think those are the same thing, yet independent reading can and should be collaborative.  (AMEN says Melissa) The only time our students should read in isolation might be on a test.  The session closed with Donalyn Miller (@Donalynbooks) discussing testing.  This left a lasting impression on me: “You don’t get a prized cow by weighing it every day.”

The conference came to a close with JJK (@StudioJJK) as the last keynote speaker.  The New York Times Bestselling Author and Illustrator walked us through his writing process (so cool!), read aloud one of his published books (so entertaining!), and inspired us to accept all reading as reading in our classrooms (even graphic novels!).  

To say I learned a lot is an understatement.  I could go on and on about all of the inspiring ideas and latest research that was shared.  But I will leave you to go sign up for Twitter (if you haven’t already) and to add those speakers to your follow list!  

One last thought before I go:

Kids who read self-selected text rather than teacher-selected books read more and student selected reading is 2xs as powerful as teacher-selected reading in developing reading engagement and comprehension. (DROP THE MIC)