SWEET Writing

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SWEET Writing

• Kathy Corcoran
• Susan Freeman
• Liz Merriam
• With Grant Coffin and Amee Chapman

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Agenda

• 800-815 Check-in and Continental
  Breakfast
• 815-835 Welcome, Norms, Parking Lot
• 835-935 Needs assessment
• 935-945 Break
• 945-1045 Writing in the Genres-Narrative
• 1045-1050 Reflection time
• 1050-1100 Break
• 1100-1200 Application-The Classroom
  Connection
• 1200-1230 Lunch Provided (5 Star Catering)
• 1245-100 Synthesis-Recap the Morning
• 100-130 Review of the Technology
• 130-200 In the Classroom
• 200-215 Break
• 215-245 Teachers and their Students
• 245-300 Closing!!!! Next steps,
  Evaluations

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The SWEET Mission Statement

• We, as teachers and students of the PVUSD, seek
  to develop and improve writing as a skill for
  life long learning through effective teaching and
  the use of technology.

SWEET - Student Writing Enhanced by Educational
Technology.
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The Support
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Purpose of the Day

• To explore the standards and genres involved in
  SWEET.
• To share a common understanding and purpose in
  teaching the genres across grade level and sites.
• To develop a common language for the teaching of
  writing and technology integration across the
  sites that will support and improve student
  learning.

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Needs AssessmentThe Guiding Questions

• Individual Quickwrite
• What are you doing to help your students meet the
  ELA Writing Applications Standards at grade
  level?
• What successes with writing have you and your
  students had? What made them successful?
• What are the challenges in writing your students
  bring to the classroom? How do you address those
  challenges?
• What do you need to support your teaching of
  writing?
• Share your responses with a partner from another
  site at the same grade level.

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Some Directions

• Once you have shared with a PARTNER form a QUAD.
• The QUAD must consist of four teachers of the
  same grade level from each of the sites
  represented.
• You may adjust as needed.
• In the QUAD group chart the most salient points
  from your responses to each of the four
  questions.
• Post the charts for further discussion.
• Once all the charts are posted we will take a
  Gallery Walk and report out.

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Writing in the Genres Narrative

• Grade 6th
• Narrative is writing that tells a story. When
  you write a story from your imagination it is a
  fictional narrative. All stories have a
  beginning, middle, and end called a plot.
  Stories include settings, characters, events, and
  dialogue. A story is well organized with a
  consistent point of view to help the reader
  understand the order of events.
• Grade 7th
• Narrative is writing that tells a story. When
  you write a story from your imagination it is a
  fictional narrative. All stories have a
  beginning, conflict, rising action, climax, and
  ending. Stories include a definite setting, major
  and minor characters, sensory details and
  dialogue. A story is well organized with a
  consistent point of view to help the reader
  understand the order of events.
• Grade 8th
• Narrative is writing that tells a story. When
  you write a story from your imagination it is a
  fictional narrative. All stories have a
  beginning, conflict, rising action, climax, and
  ending. Stories include a definite setting, major
  and minor characters, well-chosen details, and
  dialogue. A story is well organized with a
  consistent point of view to help the reader
  understand the order of events.

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The Standards Narrative/Short Story
GRADE 6 2.1 Write narratives. Establish and develop a plot and setting and present a point of view that is appropriate to the stories. Include sensory details and concrete language to develop plot and character. Use a range of narrative devices (e.g. dialogue, suspense). GRADE 7 2.1 Write fictional or autobiographical narratives. Develop a standard plot line (having a beginning, conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement) and point of view. Develop complex major and minor characters and a definite setting. Use a range of appropriate strategies (e.g. dialogue, suspense, naming of specific narrative action, including movement, gestures, and expressions). GRADE 8 2.1 Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details. Reveal the significance of, or the writers attitude about, the subject. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g. relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
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What are students expected to KNOW and DO?

• Narrative- the topic and the skill.
• How do you teach this standard and what do you
  look for in a good piece of fictional narrative
  writing?
• What are the elements and story line?
• Use the following chart to take a closer look?

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Elements of Narrative
Fictional Narrative Personal Narrative (Elements in common w/ fictional narrative) Autobiographical (Elements in common w/ fictional narrative) Biography (Elements in common w/ fictional narrative)
Specific to Personal Narrative Specific to Autobiographical Specific to Biography
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More Directions

• Organize yourselves in groups of cross site and
  cross grade level.
• Trace the elements of fictional narrative that
  are in common with writing a personal narrative,
  autobiographical, or biographical piece of
  writing.
• Then look at the elements that are specific to
  each of the above pieces of writing.
• What changes in personal narrative,
  autobiographical, or biographical writing?
• Please chart your responses
• Group discussion of what was discovered.

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Reflective Write

• Take time for yourself
• What new insights have you had and what will
  influence your teaching of narrative in the
  classroom?
• Do you share a common understanding of this genre
  with the others? What is the significance of this
  common understanding?

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Application of Our Skills and Knowledge

• How will we help our students learn what we just
  learned?
• Genre, standards, elements of narrative
• How will we meet the challenges ahead?
• Lets get into the materials and technology and
  find out!

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Putting IT Together

• Knowledge of the classroom laptops.
• RX Netwriter program.
• Development of Narrative prompts.

• Your classroom curriculum.
• The SWEET Resource website.
• Effective teaching.

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Synthesis Recapping the Morning

• What have you learned?
• What is going to work for you in the classroom
  tomorrow? Next week? Next Unit/Cluster/Story?

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Lets Talk

• Using the technology
• lap-tops, document cameras, projectors, printers,
  COWs.
• Using the software
• RX Netwriter, Visual Thesaurus, Gaggle,
  Ultra-Key.
• Using the SWEET Website
• information, resources, future trainings.
• Tech-support needs???

• COWs in the Classroom
• Logistics and schedules
• Classroom management
• Using your Student Tech
• Student engagement
• trouble spots
• Support from Coach

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Write til the COWs Come Home!

• Working with your Student Tech.
• Writing to the prompt you developed.
• Take some time and talk it overwhat did you
  discover?
• Discussion
• Next Steps
• Evaluation