518+Agenda+2.9.15


 * Learning Goals:**
 * Articulate characteristics of a writing assignment that can support and hinder student engagement.
 * Identify a variety of ways "writing to learn" and "writing to show understanding" could be incorporated in my content area

8:00 - 8:15 - Welcome & Agenda
 * Notetaker: Mo
 * Mo & Alicia - talk to me

8:15 - 8:45- Text Talk, Zwiers chapter 8 Text Talk: TJ and Greg - Standardized Testing - Formal vs. Informal Writing - Arguments for Standardized Testing (1) Ranking system (2) Data (3) All students held to same standard (4) Checks on teacher performance (5) Some measure of objectivity, validity, reliability (6) Informs which schools need the most help - Arguments against Standardized Testing (1) Biased (2) Time consuming (3) Longevity, long-term results lacking because of test changes (4) Literacy challenges: computer, paper, etc. (5) One size fits all? (6) Struggling schools continue to struggle - Formal Writing Activity (1) Graphic organizers (2) Putting ideas in a box, parts of essay in a box (3) Does it work for complex ideas? (4) Gathering of ideas need to be funneled before graphic organizer introduced (5) Organizer needs to be considered carefully (6) Can structure thinking effectively (7) Should students structure their own organizer? (8) How effective are these? Do they help or limit students? - Informal Writing Activity (1) Free flow of ideas (2) Ability to get to a point of cohesion and agreement (3) Organic (4) Do we listen effectively? (5) Scribe- great for people who don’t like talking, but still maintain engagement in activity (6) Get straight to the heart of the issue (7) Writing can be a really useful template for writing longer essay - Frame formal writing Enforce academic language rather than “text talk” 8:45 - 9:30 - Writing Workshop, Part 1

9:30 - 9:45 - Break

9:45 - 10:45 - Writing Workshop, Part 2 1) Slideshow - Informal writing activity - Take image and invite students to analyze - Writing (1) Why do we write? (2) Well-crafted writing assignment requires students to be an active learner (3) Writing is learning (4) We forget about the learning part for our students (5) Passive and temporary? (6) Teach for greater learning if we provide students opportunities for actual learning (7) Serious, thoughtful writing is one of best methods (8) Writing is thinking (9) Writing and reading go hand in hand - Barriers to writing (1) I don’t want to do this, I don’t have anything to say, Who cares, I don’t know how to do this, How will I be graded? (2) Fences (3) Pre-writing: 85% of the process -Implications: need to refocus energy and feedback onto pre-write, forming ideas (4) Audience (5) Explain and model the process, step by step (6) Be clear about assessment criteria 10:45 - 10:50 - Closure


 * Housekeeping:**
 * 2/11
 * Holler, chapter 7 and 8 - As you are reading, think about this question: "What does it mean to take students' writing seriously?"
 * Writing Activity Template [[file:writingactivitytemplate.docx]] - Upload template and accompanying materials to Blackboard in one file.
 * 2/13
 * Field Assignment #3
 * Conduct an activity that involves one of the following strategies: a) philosophical chairs, b) pre-during-post text framing, or c) writing.
 * Upload the following to Blackboard: a) your planning template and b) a reflection that addresses the following three questions (short paragraph responses):
 * 1) In general, how effective was the mini-lesson? What evidence do you have of student learning?
 * 2) What would you do differently next time? What aspect of the routine could you refine?
 * 3) What are/could be next steps to deepen student learning/literacy/academic language?