Outcomes Achieve an understanding of the writing current reality Build a district-wide writing philosophy (beliefs) Build an understanding of the writing process Develop resources that will be of benefit in delivering writing instruction Create school and district capacity for translating the above elements into staff development opportunities for teachers at the school level

Current Reality: Historical Perspective Historical Perspective: years Up to ten years ago there was little curriculum direction for schools Few resources were available Focus was on conventions, sentence structure, penmanship Writing was not formally assessed

Current Reality: Historical Perspective Historical Perspective: 1-10 years Pretty much the same as now Parents are confused as to how the writing process works and what a grade in writing means There is some confusion on the part of teachers

Current Reality: Data Citrus County Schools is below the state average in writing in all areas and at all levels. We range from 33 rd to 57 th in the state Good News: Closing the gap may not be as difficult because the disparity is not great between districts. For example: Top district for 4 th grade at 3.5 is 82. Citrus is 74.

Strengths and Needs Elementary Strengths Writing rubrics provide guidelines for support Clear scope and sequence related to expository and narrative writing

Strengths and Needs Elementary Needs Focus needs to be on writing from K up. Need more time for daily writing Need consistent curriculum throughout the district Need more consistency between grade levels More collaborative time Consistent vocabulary Discussion and decision on grading

Strengths and Needs Secondary Strengths District training is solid Prewriting process Secondary Needs Need a prewriting strategy that will be mastered by all students Cross curricular writing Split language arts into reading and writing up through 8 th grade level Clear expectations at each grade level

Perspectives from Tara and Charla Vocabulary is inconsistent There is a tendency to teach the product, not the process of writing. Study groups or learning communities have had a major impact on creating focus and consistency on the writing process. The study of student writing samples is helpful.

An Understanding of the Writing Process Smiths Myths: Implications for beliefs Lessons Learned: Implications for best practices Both can serve as valuable staff development resources.

Core Beliefs Process Writing should not always be graded. There should be enjoyment of the topic (exigence) Writing should be done across the curriculum Writing should be modeled Writing is more than an academic task. It is a life skill. Student writing should be used for writing instruction Reading and writing should be connected

Core Beliefs Students should be able to answer the question, why am I writing? Students should have choice Writing should be personally meaningful Teacher enthusiasm and confidence is important Writing is a collaborative activity Writing needs to be shared Students should write for a variety of situations

Core Beliefs Students should receive continuous feedback Students should be stimulated by the right (write) brain activities Writing instruction should be differentiated Establishing an appropriate writing environment important is important Students should have access to multiple resources

Core Beliefs Can be taught in pieces and assembled like a puzzle Students need to be provided with a context Experiences shape your writing Prompts should be student generated There are multiple learning styles Convention instruction should be in the context of writing

Core Beliefs Time should be provided to write, edit and share

What is the big picture? When should the horse head to the barn? What do you bring to the process? Upon what should resources be built?

Today Developing contextualized prompts Elements of writing Modeling contexutalized responses Contextualized rubrics 3D Process (describe, diagnose, direct) IPS Modeling Reflection

Future Work Identify What teacher resources are needed (beliefs in place, rubrics?, continuum adjustments?, resource guide? Etc.) What resources are needed in order for you to feel comfortable conducting school training or leading a study group/learning community. (Lesson plans, resources, PowerPoint's etc.) When?