1. Castlemaine North PS 15th March, 2010
Writing
Castlemaine North PS
15th March, 2010

2. Review Conditions for writing – what are they?
Authorial v secretarial – define?

3. What are your questions?
Reflection
What are your questions?
What’s going well?

4. Top things that teachers should do:
What does this mean for our teaching?
Demonstrate that they are a writer who always writes with a reader in mind.
Connect writing to reading through literature – notice what authors do.
Guide student to choose topics they care about (by offering choice within structure).
Teach the strategies they need to draft, revise, edit, polish and publish.
Confer regularly with students to assess and evaluate – note strengths, give feedback, teach and set mutual goals.

5. Daily writing demonstrations Think aloud as we write
What?
How?
Daily writing demonstrations
Think aloud as we write
Think and write with students
Celebrate and publish writing
We write with readers in mind even if the readers are ourselves
Who will read this piece?
Demonstrate that they are a writer who always writes with a reader in mind.

6. Notice what authors and illustrators do
Think aloud as we read aloud (comment on language –choice of words, impact, usage)
Notice what authors and illustrators do
Compare successful and unsuccessful writing
Discuss and note what makes a piece of writing ‘work’
Celebrate student risk taking at reflection time
What?
How?
Connect writing to reading through literature – notice what authors do.

7. Frequent opportunities for shared writing.
Showing students how to write makes more sense to them when they understand and value why they are writing. (Routman, p.15)
Frequent opportunities for shared writing.
Authentic writing for a purpose, not always predetermined topics.
Writer’s notebooks.
What?
How?
Guide students to choose topics they care about
(by offering choice within structure).

8. Analyse effective writing. Establish criteria for excellent writing.
What?
How?
Model all stages of the writing process, not just composing and recording.
Analyse effective writing.
Establish criteria for excellent writing.
Teach the strategies they need to draft, revise, edit, polish and publish.

9. Observe writing behaviours
Attitude towards writing
Use of writing strategies
Awareness of audience
Analyse student writing
Awareness of purpose and audience
Control of text structure
Variety of sentence lengths, types and styles
Student self-assessment
Things I know / have learned about writing
What I would like you to notice about my writing
Writing log or record
Set individual writing challenges or goals
What?
How?
Confer regularly with students to assess and evaluate – note strengths, give feedback, teach and set mutual goals.

10. "The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
Sydney J. Harris

11. What will you do differently tomorrow?