Quick Bursts of Writing: Success Stories


I’m using my time well on the plane--writing!

I promised the SoMIRAC audience (by the way, thank you!  You were great!) I would blog today about a few “success stories” from teachers implementing the Quick Bursts of writing.  See, unlike me (HA!), I included too many slides in my presentation and had to skip a few.  So, briefly…
One story is about a fourth grade teacher at my school.  She implemented Quick Writes daily in her classroom last year, saying, “I have a little bit of time, maybe ten minutes each day.”  She was a bit hesitant about how all this writing might work out, but she jumped in.  She gave students a prompt and asked them to follow the Quick Write rules (see handout March 26 post).  She stuck to the time limit and always followed up the writing with just a short bit of sharing.  She was amazed at how her students came to view writing and how their writing fluency and skill improved.  In fact, I included one of her students’ samples in my book—a student who barely wrote anything and really struggled at first; then, who came to write much more fluently (despite having many serious learning challenges). 

Her story doesn’t end there.  This year,  one of our fifth grade teachers said, “This is undoubtedly the best group of writers I’ve ever inherited!”  When I told the previous grade’s teacher, she attributed this to…what?  Yep, the Quick Writes.  She admits she didn’t do a whole lot with writing in general or writing workshop, but the sheer acts of making some time consistently every day, and honoring students’ voices through the Quick Writes made a big difference.  Production counts (among other things; yes, but it really counts)!

Okay, here’s success story number two.  This one comes from a fifth grade teacher who was in a class I taught on writing for the State of Utah and Davis School District in the fall.  One of the on-going assignments for the course was for teachers to go back to their classrooms weekly, implement some writing, and bring samples to class to share and discuss.  We started out with Quick Bursts of writing since these are manageable, small bites—nice places for teachers and students to start.  Mrs. B. fell in love with the Quick Bursts and easily found ways to infuse them throughout her curriculum every day.  So, as the semester went on, she had many surprises and successes to share.  She was blown away with how quickly her students came to view themselves as writer-thinkers and how seriously they took the responding.  She also relayed this story to the class,

“I had a big breakthrough in learning.  Each year, I teach the core science unit on (was it electricity?  I can’t recall the content—and am paraphrasing here).  It’s something my students have struggled with and when I’ve given post-tests in the past, I’ve had to do a lot of re-teaching (scores were around 65%).  This year, though, as we went through the exact same learning activities, I used Quick Bursts of writing every day to better engage them with the content.  It slowed us down some; but, my students got it!  I gave the same test and (drum roll, please) … the class scored around 93%!”  (True, this was a different group of students, and in no way a scientific analysis but, this teacher felt she saw a heightened level of engagement and understanding brought about by the frequent, short writing opportunities.)

She was excited!  I was excited!  Quick Bursts of writing make a difference to students in so many ways.  Hooray for loads and loads of informal writing!  And, once again, thanks Maryland—what a grand day it was!

(P.S. After my session, several teachers asked me about spelling.  If you’d like a quick peek at a strategy I regularly use with students, see my Facebook page,  ‘Janiel’s Literacy Wall’ and scroll down to a video posted on Oct. 11, 2011.)
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Quick Bursts of Writing: More Links

Hello!  I'm busily preparing to attend and present at the State of Maryland's International Reading Assoc. Conference later this week.  I'll be sharing information about using Quick Bursts of Writing across the curriculum from my Scholastic book: Quick Start to Writing Workshop Success.  I already have links on my blog to the Quick Burst strategy posters (see Feb. 20, 2012 post), but today I'm adding links to two additional resources:
*Rules for Quick Writes (you could print this poster size)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YoMxuOXNUK3896kxWN1pKJg5W_Aw5D1VFP32pshZWrQ/edit
and
*Notes on Keeping Standards High in Everyday Writing  (which gives some helpful tips for ensuring students do their best work even during these
quick, informal opportunities to write)

I hope you enjoy and make use of these resources!  I must tell you, the teachers at my school who have implemented the Quick Bursts throughout their day are seeing amazing progress in their students' writing confidence and abilities.  One of our kindergarten teacher's shared her classes' Quick Writes with me today and we were both blown away, especially considering most of these students entered our school knowing few, if any letters.  Wow!  What kids can do when we give them constant opportunities to think on paper and honor their voices and thoughts! 
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Testing...brum, brum, brum

Happy feet...brum, brum, brum
crouching pre-kinders marching
outside in the hall
we were talking about testing
cramming exams into our air-tight schedules
lamenting, which week is best
and
will those mobile netbooks work?
They were sparking last week.
Meanwhile,
jack hammers ham
dust and fumes waft on in
Everyone's head hurts,
noses run.
Wonder if they'll stop
hammmmmmering
during testing?
I'm going back to pre-k
to brum, brum, brum
find a happy-feet march.
Worry about testing...
another day.


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Graph Words - An Instant Visual Thesaurus

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Applause for Chris Van Dusen (from 2nd graders!)


Product DetailsApplause!  Applause?  Applause!  I read a picture book to a second grade class today and they broke out into applause!  It was a fantastic moment.  What’s the book, you ask?  The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen.  I must also recommend his book If I Built A Car…essential reading for boys young and old(er).  Oh, and since I went on Amazon.com to find the link for The Circus Ship, I see Mr. Van Dusen has just published Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit…which upon previewing looks like another surefire win for boys (yeah, so, I ordered that one, too).  I only learned of Van Dusen this year and am so glad I did.  His books have great rhyme and rhythm—fun to read aloud—and are full of wonderful Tier II vocabulary.  Better than that, they’re clever and always leave kids talking.  The students were so enthralled with The Circus Ship (I’ll let you read and see why), they couldn’t wait to get their hands on the book and examine it more closely.  Ha!  So fun to leave a read-aloud on the chalk tray and invite kids to get a closer look then have to jump out of the way to avoid the mob (in which case, of course, wise educators create a sign-up sheet).

Happy Reading!  (P.S. Max is snoring, perhaps dreaming “If I built a car…”)
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Plant A Kiss

Product Details
    
Read Plant A Kiss (Amy Krouse Rosenthal's new book)  to a group of second graders today, continuing our work on developing opinions about texts.  If you haven't read the book, it's another one of those that teaches an important life lesson (I thought there were actually three life-lessons included...), well worth sharing. Plus, you can't go wrong with Peter Reynolds, who did the illustrations (as anyone who knows me would expect me to say!!).  (Click on the book cover to go to Amazon and preview the book.)
     Opened it up for discussion, asking simply, "So what did you think?" 
One second grader shared, "I think the character was very courageous because she took a risk by planting the kiss, then going against everyone's advice by sharing the joy and magic with others."  Wowsers!  We followed up her comment with some clarifications and affirmations.  Open-ended discussions can be great like that--students modeling critical thinking for other students, students putting all that great vocabulary teaching into action, and students surprising even their teachers!  (We also had several girls say they really liked the use of glitter in the book--yep, if you're a glitter fan, this book is for you!)
   I love teaching.  I love giving students the opportunity to build their thinking through supportive, natural exchanges.  Hooray for us--there are so many great books out there to spark great conversation!
   More good stuff:  
Amy Krouse Rosenthal's website:  http://www.whoisamy.com/
Peter Reynold's website:  http://www.peterhreynolds.com/
My blog posting about open-ended discussions (which includes a link to a useful handout :)   http://janielwagstaff.blogspot.com/2012/03/updated-info-for-open-ended-discussions.html

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Friday Night Professional Development

     Ha!  It's Friday night and I'm watching a replay of Pam Allyn's webcast about classroom management in the reading/writing classroom (based on her Scholastic book from 2010).  http://www.scholastic.com/livewebcasts/teacher_talks/2010-2011/pam_allyn.htm   Does this make me a nerd?  Here's the fun part.  Max had to get in on the action.  So, he wore one earphone and I wore the other :)
     Pam is so insightful and this webcast will reaffirm so much for so many teachers.  I especially love what she has to say about boys and how we need to honor their interests and choices and make the right kinds of texts available to them.  One point she makes is that browsing a book like the Guinness Book of World Records actually helps students with 21st Century skills since this is so akin to browsing on the internet.  Too often we downplay the value of this type of reading in favor of something we feel is more "scholarly."  But, interest and choice is, of course, HUGE, in helping readers and writers achieve at high levels.  And, valuing varied types of texts and purposes for reading is HUGE in helping children craft their own reading and writing lives (inside and outside of school).  The webcast is well worth watching...even as Friday night entertainment!  Thanks Pam!
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Joining Blogs...Wanna' Start One?

Spent some time tonight reading and joining new blogs.  I am amazed at how many talented writers there are out there in the blogosphere.  Wow...we should all be able to make a living writing.  Wouldn't that be grand?  When I present to teacher-groups about writing, I often ask, "How many of you feel like expert writers?"   Typically very few hands go up.  When I ask how many feel like expert readers, all hands go up.  I understand we tend to read a lot more than we write, but, come on everybody, what if too many of us are selling ourselves short?   There are tons of expert, spirited, valuable teacher-voices out there to enjoy.  Read some new blogs and maybe you'll be inspired to start your own.  You simply sit down and compose, without judgment...you just write.  See what comes out.  You may surprise yourself (I love it when that happens)!  Remember, with writing, as with other things in life, sometimes you're hot and sometimes you're not...but you'll never know unless you just give it a go. 
   Here's to you being hot!  Happy writing!  -j
(Max fell asleep early tonight.  He is the cutest, sweetest, greatest...  I Love Being a Mom!)
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New Poem on Old Teaching: Cleaning A School Filing Cabinet

Spent an hour
After school
Cleaning out leftovers
Leftovers
In a school filing cabinet
Leftovers
Of old teaching
In new, neat hanging folders

Tons and tons of
Worksheets
Pre-reading sheets
Vocabulary matching
Fill-in-the blank
More fill-in-the blank
Did you understand the story?
If so, fill-in-the blank
Page after page after page
File after file after file
Run-offs
Already copied for a year, maybe two
Or three
For every story
Like nothing ever changes
And all there is to do
Is
Match and
Fill-in-the blank
And check if off
As DONE.
I was bored
And…
I was just throwing them away
File after file after file
All I kept were the paperclips.
Imagine having to do them all
Story after story
After story
After story…






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Updated Info for Open-Ended Discussions

    We're hearing more about conversation in the classroom these days :).  The more we converse, the more we give students the opportunity to push their thinking.  But, like Dixie Spiegel says in her book Classroom Discussion (2005, Scholastic), conversational skills don't just show up one day fully developed.  We must explicitly teach the skills students need to engage in thoughtful conversation with one another and, we have to be patient as we give them time and feedback.  You might check out Dixie's book for some great, practical ideas!  http://www.amazon.com/Classroom-Discussion-Strategies-Higher-LevelStrengthening/dp/0439567572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330998527&sr=8-1
     In the meantime, I've updated my Open-Ended Discussion tips document.  You can access it on Google docs:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fRinw8pBRaPsDpP0OJqBzZzqz5JZ3sMaRBsggpvYfc4/edit#
Happy conversing!  -j 
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Standard Confusion?

     What do you think of the Common Core State Standards?  One of the bright lights of the effort, I think, is the emphasis on a continual progression of standards from kindergarten through 12th grade.  Students will work to develop the same important processes from the minute they walk through the doors all the way through their school careers, and this consistency is exciting!  If teachers emphasize the same processes, and they are the right ones, imagine how students will develop over time!

     A few questions to think about: are all of the CCSS created equal?  Do you find any of the standards confusing or of questionable value?  Are there still too many standards?  Certainly, we want students to have a balanced experience that covers the essentials and helps them learn how to learn in today's information-saturated society.  We want them to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze and utilize information.  So, what standards are most important?  Those that address argumentation say Mike Schmoker and Gerald Graff's in their latest online article "More Argument, Fewer Standards" (http://mikeschmoker.com/more-argument.html).   Looking critically at information and creating and substantiating an argument is motivating (students love to decide what they think and why instead of being told what to think) and involves all those higher level thinking skills we want so desperately for them to develop.  Along with that naturally comes the heightened importance of classroom discussion.  Sadly, dialogue and conversation is often short-changed in the over-packed, over-scheduled school day.  To that end, I'll resolve to update my June 14, 2011 blog post about Open Ended Discussions, including a link to my most recent document on the topic. :)

   That's a lot to think about for a Sunday.  I'm thinking, I'm thinking.  I appreciate being part of the discussion and learning from so many incredible sources.  I follow Mike Schmoker like a groupie!
  
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Little Gems


A Little Gem:  Have you heard of the “Headlines” routine?  It’s a unique way to show students we value their thinking and we value the effort they put into growing their thinking. View a two and a half minute clip of the Headlines routine in action here: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Thinking-Visible-Understanding-Independence/dp/047091551X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330807322&sr=8-1  (it’s the first video option on the list).   Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church and Karin Morrison is full of what they call ‘thinking routines’ like this one.  The book is a great resource for teachers striving to improve their abilities to engage students in critical thinking across the curriculum.

I’m excited about the Common Core’s focus on learning how to learn.  Today, students have instant access to never-ending data, facts, theories, opinions…and it’s all coming at them (and us) at lightning speed. School is no longer about information transmission; the information is everywhere.  Our focus must be how to access information, manage it, consider it, and do something with it. And, all of this revolves around thinking.  To push students’ thinking, we must push our own.  Tony Wagner’s books have helped me better understand what’s important to today’s learners.  Visit him at www.tonywagner.com.

Happy Saturday! It’s a beautiful day in Utah. The Wasatch Mountains are lit up with yet another majestic covering of glorious snow (and Max is happily building another racetrack while dancing to Michael Jackson music).  Ahhhhh… Saturday J
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Get In On The "Slice of Life" Challenge!

    It's not too late to start, right?  Only one day late!  Yep, I'm also going to take on the 2012 Slice of Life Challenge (read more at http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/): to write every day for 31 days in a row.  Whether or not I'll post all I write will remain to be seen.  Sometimes I feel like sharing, seeking response...putting the thoughts out there...frequently I write just to write--to calm my mind, examine my thoughts, figure something out.  No matter what, writing is always worth undertaking.  Always. 
   A good friend of mine (who happened to complete her student-teaching in my second grade classroom many, many years ago) posted about writing a Classroom Constitution recently with her students.  She shared how one student said they should include, "Never miss a day in your writing life!" This is a classroom mantra I love, and one year, a student of mine included it in a letter to his parents at the end of the year.  YES!  What success!  Every day we should work to help our students see, feel, experience, and reflect on the joys and benefits of writing  (no matter what standard we are working on!!!). 
   So, here's to writing!  And, here's to the "Slice of Life Challenge!" 
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