1. Jennifer Evans
Assistant Director ELA
St.Clair County RESA
Evans.jennifer@sccresa.org
http://www.protopage.com/evans.jennifer#Untitled/Home

2. 70% of all
students in
grades 4-12
are low
achieving
writers.
9th grade
students in
the lowest
25% of their
class are
twenty times
more likely to
drop out.
50% of high
school
graduates are
not ready for
college level
composition
courses.

3. “Assigning writing
is easy. Teaching
writing is really
hard.”
“We need to teach our
students to read like
writers and write like
readers.”
Kelly Gallagher, Author and Teacher
http://www.kellygallagher.org/index.html

4. The most effective strategy to improve writing…
Increase the amount
and quality of writing.

5. It is a carefully sequenced, coherent K-12 writing
curriculum that follows a Writing Workshop format
designed to:
span the grade levels
meet the needs of all students
increase writing proficiency at every grade
use effective, researched based instructional practices

6. Increase writing
proficiency for life
endeavors
Increase test scores
Create a unified
writing program K-12
Coordinate and
refine writing
instruction
Increase use of
research-based
instructional
practices during
writing instruction

7. Only teach what
writers do.
Writing is telling
what you see
and what you
think about it. It
is both external
and internal.
Teach the writer
not the piece of
writing.
We learn about
writing through
describing
writing not by
having someone
prescribing
writing.

8. Skill
Genre
Author
Study

9. Mini-Lesson
(10-15 min.)
Sharing
( 5-10 min.)
Independent
Practice with
Conferring
(30-40 min.)

10. How Often
• Everyday
• Everyday
• Everyday
How Long
• KDG – 45
minutes
• 1st Grade –
45 minutes
extending
to 60
minutes
• 2nd – 12th
Grades – 60
minutes
When
Management
Why
• Beginning
the first day
of school
• Same
format used
everyday
• Consistency
• Consistency
• Consistency
• A single
block of
time at the
same time
everyday
• Same rules
and
procedures
used
everyday
• Keep it
simple

12. 



Grades 1-5
K staple small unit booklets for their
notebook
Specific directions for grades 2-5 in WriteWell
Write everyday

14. 
Three…
◦
◦
◦
◦




Times you laughed really hard
Times you were in physical pain
Memorable Moments
Topics that interest you
Circle the one that you could tell the best
story about
Tell your story to a partner
Write your story in the writing section of
your notebook
Share

15. 
Play the contrast game. Write five minutes on
one side and then five minutes on the other
side:
I want…
I don’t want…
I remember…
I don’t remember…
I do…
I don’t…
Last summer…
This summer…
Last Saturday…
Next Saturday…
A scary place…
A safe place…

17. 6 + 1 Writing Traits



One Day in the Life of Bubble Gum
The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups
Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street

20. 
Ba-Da-Bing – Gretchen Bernabei
Ba
Da
Bing
Example: As I stepped onto the red carpet of
the darkened room, I noticed a wall lined with
lit candles and an old woman hunched in the
far corner at a round table and I thought
maybe now I’ll get some answers.

21. 30-40 Minutes
Students work independently while the teacher
meets with small groups or individual students
• Conferring Talking Cards
Possible mid-workshop teaching point
• Occur naturally when the teacher notices something that
needs clarification or further explanation to help students as
they write

22. Research
Decide
Compliment
Teach
•Ask “What are
you working on
as a writer?”
•Have the
student read
aloud his/her
work
• Synthesize what
is learned
• Decide what to
compliment:
“What has this
child done that I
can name and
make a fuss
over?”
• Decide what to
teach: “What
does this child use
but misuse? or
“What is nearly
there in his or her
writing that I can
help them with
right now?”
•Point out
writing
strategies the
child used well
•Say “I like how
you…”(give
specific
example)
•Teach only one
thing
•Teach to the
compliment
•Teach to
today’s
teaching point
•Negotiate a
strategy
When choosing your teaching point think: Of all the options I have, what can I teach
that will make the biggest difference for this writer?

23. What to look for when deciding what to confer
about…
•
Structure
•
Meaningful
•
•
– Focused
– Beginning, middle, end
– Moves across time or space
– Writer cares about it
– Reader learns from it
Narrative strategies
Conventions that enhance
–
–
–
–
–
All caps – WOW
Bold – Wow
End marks – Wow!!!
Italics – Wow!
Stacked Words - One!
Two!
Three!

24. 5-10 Minutes
 Notice
 Question
 Personal Connection
 Compliment and Suggestion (glow & grow)
Small
Group
Partner
Whole
Group

25. ◦ Teaching Kids About Revising (Writing Workshop
Lesson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBKqgOv
mJ8w

26. Aligned to CCSS
Weekly concepts
taught
approximately five
minutes a day
Follows Jeff
Anderson’s format
PowerPoint to match
each weekly lesson

28. Moved below the line for those who would still like to use it
Test Prep Units of Study embedded in units
(starting in grade 2)
Generate many seed ideas in writer’s notebook “What
Should I Write About?” section
Target! Aim! Score! (beginning, middle, end)
CD with Student Writing & MEAP Released Anchor Papers:
http://tinyurl.com/cvraun

29. Same Assessment to
be given at the
beginning of the year
and the end of the year
See Sample
Use to show
growth

31. Immerse in the
genre
Identify
distinguishing
features of the
genre
Choose an idea to
write about
Choose a mentor
text to help you
write
Plan your draft
Draft long and fast
Revise
Edit
Publish/Celebrate

32. 
Video Library
◦ All grade levels
◦ Various lessons
Kindergarten
2nd Grade
10th grade

35. ◦ Select logo
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36. www.sccresa.org