Gallery Walks

 

I have lost track of how many years back when I learned about Gallery Walks.  I immediately started doing them and I don't want to stop.  I usually wait until Fridays to do them, but you can choose any day.  For one, I love how it holds students accountable for responding  in their notebooks without them actually realizing that you are requiring them to do so.  There does come a time, when you explain to them that there are skills that you must teach them and you have to assess if they are actually using them to comprehend. 

 

But back to the more fun reasons why you can use GW as a tool in so many ways.  At the beginning, I am noticing that if I showcase the notebook entries that are pretty outstanding, more students want to follow.  I created a new bulletin board last week that will be used for several phases.  The first mission for this board is to promote the reader's notebook.  I have several reluctant responders, but when I brought the board to their attention, it sparked a few of their interest.  They want on that board.

 

I also spent lots of time Friday with them on making their reading goals.  The board is going to help me help them  meet their reading goals.  They had two goals.  One goal was a volume of books per quarter goal.  The other goal was all about what they would do in their notebook, and the entries I will showcase will help them reach towards it.  They need exemplars.  More about the goals later.  I'll post some entries as I get them.

 

Growth Mindset

This is one of my favorite things that I have found so far with all of my new Growth Mindset findings.  We take one letter a day and talk about each word and what it means.  It will take us 26 days. LOL  I have tried to integrate and introduce some new ideas to these students with books, videos, and discussions.  They have responded well to them so far. 

I have a few charts we've made so far.  The Fixed and Growth was used the first day of school.  I will never forget the looks on their faces.  It was like they really thought about how they think about themselves.  From their faces, it was the first time many had considered these ideas.  The ABC chart is on the right.  One of the many books we've read was Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.  Some had read it for years, but it didn't matter.  We liked creating this synthesis of ideas in one place.

In the Groove

Well, it's the second week of school and I just got through hump day. Still up, so not technically done. But the first week went so well. We did some fun team building activities. Got lots of ideas online, via blogs or Twitter! Go figure. My new PD comes from all of that. It's how we do it in the 21st century. Here's a pic of my students trying to "Save Fred". 

The kids had such a fun time trying to get Fred in his life preserver. We covered procedures that day, routines, and built our community. 

Another thing we did that Friday was went over the assignment of "Mini-Me". I gave each child a paper doll of their chosen skin tone. They were to go home and design or clothe the kid with things that would describe him or her. 

They worked hard!!! 

We went into our first units of study, especially the long-awaited Reading Units of Study which is brand new. 

Of course, we also had to glue in lots of charts to help us get back in the groove of responding to texts. 

These aren't by any means, the best, but I had so many who acted like they had never responded before. There's just no way around it with all of the work we'll be doing with the learning progressions and checklists. They will be setting goals and tracking their growth. Good stuff!!

Ready for School

Worked my booty off to get this done and ready for Open House last Monday. New chair pockets, new table caddies, and a lot of blank wall space is all I need to get started. Well...maybe more. That's where I'll begin though. 

TUWT: Chapter 3

We've all had those students who like to follow us around the writing workshop like puppy dogs or a little posse.  It does get quite annoying, but also flattering because they want and need help.  However, you realize that this is the only strategy they have to go to when they don't know what else to do.  Chapter three gives some great ideas to help those students who only work when you are right beside the.  So that's where you begin.  The problem when students only write when you are sitting is that Colleen says it's an invisible problem.  It makes you feel better to be able to help others.  That's what we want to do as a teacher.  But it's doing more harm than good.  We know it's easier to just go along and help them.  It's tougher to stick it out and let them struggle.  I don't know if I have that problem, totally.  Just because kids are uncomfortable, doesn't mean they are doing to die during writer's workshop.  It means that they may have to refer to something I've taught them before to get themselves out of this predicament.  I can't just hand it to them. 

Colleen says though, that sometimes, having to "work harder isn't always appealing.  Many students slide back and struggle more.   If we try and take away any support, they regress and struggle more than they did before we started to support them."  So what do we do?

One thing that we need to keep in mind is that when we are helping too much, it will be costly for them later in their life.  We have a big job to do.  We are allowed to step back and watch to see where they are, what they can actually do without us around.  They have to experience some uncomfortable times in writing, because we are "taking away an opportunity for them to learn that they can fail and still be okay."  Having us as a safety net is good.  But, they will also leave us.  We have to give them the self-confidence they get when things don't always work out and they figure out a way to succeed anyway. 

Experiment:  Mindfully Handing Over the Reins

The first thing that stopped me a little in my tracks, was to assume competence.  We need to assume that they can of course, do what you ask, but almost let that be an expectation.  But if there comes a point where they struggle, you give some support, until they are not frustrated anymore.  She says to apply the least restrictive, more tailored scaffolding.  For example, not every student needs to use a graphic organizer.  That could be stifling to some writers who do not need a graphic organizer.  She also suggests that when a scaffold is put in place, that there is a timeline on when and how to remove it.  The same goes for building scaffolding.  You can eventually pull that away.  The idea of independent writing projects is a great way for students to actually have the energy to continue their own project with stamina and volume.  Maybe that's why they're following you around anyway?  One thing that I am really excited to try next year is the independent writing projects.  They can also prepare a time once a month or more where we can have them teach seminars to the class on what ever topic they choose. 

Ongoing Work:  Keeping the Student from Slipping Back into Dependence

Colleen says not to worry if this happens, but to give it time.  Check in with the student, but if it doesn't get better, then you may have to seriously conference with the student.  Sometimes, all it takes is just a reminder.  But you may have to may have to ask a colleague to observe and report what they see--if there are many dependent students, what resources you may not know that you provide, etc.  Constantly looking for the places in the class where students can be as independent as possible only starts putting you out of a job, which is actually our ultimate goal.

TUWT: Chapter 2

The second chapter held some really useful information that I could have used years ago.  Trying to reach that student who is above the rest always has been a struggle because the idea of challenging them didn't seem to be something I felt confident in doing.  Over the last couple of years though, we have been using a checklist/continuum that also showed the fifth grade expectations,  so that really came in handy.  But besides the expectations of only a fifth grader, I was more concerned with just helping the student become a better writer altogether.  But, how am I trained to do that?  I'm not a published or professional author, so who would make me an authority? 

Colleen comes to save the day with some great ways to help ALL writers, even the ones who intimidate you.  They may not be all around outstanding authors, but I've had several students who exceeded the standard in an area of their writing ability.  She says the truth when she states, "we don't always know what to teach them...we can forget about them."  They are the kind of kid who gets praise, but not critical feedback.  They've always been told they were awesome writers and some may be hesitant to try something new or change a thing. 

She describes the kinds of writers you may encounter in your classroom, among the higher level group. 
1.  Approval Seekers--follow you around the classroom asking "Is this good?"
2.  Reject any tips that you can give them when you DO conference with them.
3.  Below the radar flyers--trying to be invisible during workshop.

One piece of research evidence that struck me was that when strong students hit a certain age, they can actually lose abilities if they are not challenged.  When I read this, I felt like a complete failure.  How many great students have I not pushed and let slip by, probably causing them not to reach their full potential because of things I didn't know how to do, or think I needed to do?  Many of these kids need different motivations, especially if they've been told how great of a writer they were in the past. 

Recognizing the Opportunity:  Raising Our Teaching and Writing Levels
Colleen does a great job here.  We know what these students can do and how helpful their work is to us.  However, have you ever thought of this?:

• If they don't get something we are trying to teach, no one is getting it.  Yep!!!
• They challenge us to move past our own best knowledge and teaching and develop the newest and strongest work we can.
• They invent and discover new things and teach them to us.

Having these kinds of students in our class, makes us better teachers.  It causes us to have to learn new things, new strategies.  Otherwise, we got nothing!  But more than that, it causes us to lift the level for all of our students.

Experiment:  Building a Better Toolbox
Teachers can act as the student's editor, just as published authors are required to be pushed to change things and make them better.  Looking at it just as a simple piece of writing that could be made even better.  The tools we use will be so helpful because we certainly don't want to walk into a conference with this kind of student empty-handed.
1.  Mentor texts at a varying level
2.  Your own writing
3.  A cheat sheet
4.  A sample of higher-level student writing

There are also ways to increase your own writing knowledge.  Reading more books on teaching writing, getting into books meant for professional writers, reading more examples of the genres you teach, working on your own examples in the genres you teach.  When conferencing, push to say, objectively as possible, the things you see the writer actually doing.  The student will feel like they have really been seen, and you will probably figure out what you can teach them, the more you describe.

Colleen has some great go-to's before walking into a meeting with them. 
Meaning and significance-  "So what?"  Before we can teach them anything, they must first be able to get to the heart of their piece.
Structure-  Have them try out more complicated and sophisticated structures. (Framing structures-outer/inner, Flash back, Flash Forward, Surprise Endings, Mixing Structures and Genres--No Monkeys, No Chocolate )
Strong Language Usage--Teach students to use adjectives and adverbs sparingly,
Metaphors and Symbolism-
Tension and Suspense--increase the characters' motivation, the danger, or create limits
Research--all genre writing requires research before they finish a project
Weight--The longest sections of the piece should be dedicated to what matters the most in the writing.

Make Independent Writing Projects a Priority
The truest writing workshop is one where the students of course, carry on with the curriculum and what the teacher is expecting them to do, but actually more dedicated to their own  personal writing project.  Maybe dedicate one day a week to strictly focusing on their individual piece?

Ongoing Work:  Plan for Acceleration
Those strong writers need a plan of action too.  It can be something long-term, over the course of the year, tailored just for the student.  Great way to show parents how you are meeting the needs of their child.