Writing Workshop and Common Core Standard
Course of Study: Teaching students to be Writers
Introduction
Topic:
Writing
is the format through which thoughts, understanding, and opinions are published
and shared and for too long, writing has been pushed aside in the classroom to
allow for more instructional time for math and reading. How can we deny the connection between writing
and all subjects, do they not go hand in hand? As schools continue to evolve
and adapt to the changing student, writing should be at the forefront of all
communication. Adoption of the Common Core Standard Course of Study requires
students to explain their thinking and justify their answers, which means, being
able to express their ideas and understanding in words, through writing. The
topic that has been so long ignored must reemerge into every subject and every
classroom. Not only must teachers begin teaching student to write, but also
this involves instruction on grammar, conventions, and spelling. It is
necessary to make up for the years they have lacked in writing experience and
make years of growth in just one year to ensure that students are competitive
in their academics. Schools must adopt a writing program to encourage the
writer in every child.
General Overview of the
Literature:
Research
supports that schools are in need of a Writer’s Workshop and the
characteristics that should be involved. However, there are several quality programs to choose
from, but what makes an excellent workshop? In reviewing literature by several
researchers, Donald Graves, Nancie Atwell, Jane Hansen, Mark Dressman, and
others who have great contributed to the study, there are certain
characteristics that were interlaced and supported by nearly all of the
experts. A workshop should involve student led discussions and allow for
freedom of choice in their writing. According to Fletcher and Portalupi,
“…Young writers work best when they feel a sense of ownership – personal
investment – in their writing…” giving them a “this really matters to me
feeling as they write,” (p. 23) if a teacher cannot invest the students the workshop
may be a lost cause (2001). When teachers release control to the students, they
are able to explore and learn on their own. It is also evident that one of the
most important criteria for an effective workshop is allowing for time;
students need the time to brainstorm, write, confer, and revise their writing. All
researchers were in favor of choice for students in their writing, but also
promoted worthy questions that also affect a writer’s voice and development.
Rationale:
Common Core Standard Course of Study
requires students to effective explain their reasoning and thoughts across the
curriculum, schools are in need of a writing program that is supported by data
research. Teaching writing is hard; it is a collection of skills that
require other subject knowledge and ability to put thoughts into words
(Fletcher, 2001). As there is plenty of research around writing, the focus of
this literature review will be in the overall environment in the classroom to
foster excellent youth writers. Denise Leograndis identifies four primary goals
for writing workshop: build a safe writing community, establish rituals and
routines, generate lots of thinking, talk and writing, and develop the
understanding that all good writing has meaning, detail, structure, and pacing
(2008). Therefore, the majority of research fell into three major aspects that
must be present for a successfully workshop: proper teacher modeling, students routinely
given time to write, and opportunity for student choice.
Body
Kinds of Work Reviewed:
To
form an educated opinion, one should consider scholarly research from a variety
of studies, case studies, reviews, and articles. Many of these researchers are
interrelated and often discuss the others’ research in their own. It seemed
that many built their theories and studies based upon another’s. Lucy Calkins
and Donald Graves studied and researched together, which led to many findings
involving each other’s work. One such study by Graves and Calkins that related
to the revision process of students (1991). This research also contained his
case study featured in Research in the
Teaching of English that looks specifically at the writing process of
seven-year-old children. All the research pointed conclusively to the need for
writing workshop in the classroom environment, but differed slightly as to what
need to be emphasized in that workshop (1975). All agreed to the development of
student choice to develop themselves as authors. Mark Dressman conducted his
research by reviewing the procedures of reading initiatives in to states, Texas
and California. Although not direct research upon the writing program, reading
and writing should not be separated, which included the emphasis on explicit
teaching to marry reading and writing in the classroom setting (1999).
Primarily this research seemed to be qualitative research based on the
observations of students and their interaction within the classroom. This type
of subject is difficult to support with data analysis because students vary in
countless ways. However, the results are conclusive; writing workshop is a
necessary aspect for teaching student writers with specific characteristics
involved, but primary emphasis upon student choice within their own writing
development.
Description of selected
important works:
Writing
should be an opportunity for students to have a choice and a voice in the
classroom and their writing. Nancie
Atwell
(1985), references to Lucy Calkin’s idea of an “underground curriculum” of the
students’ ideas and knowledge, which the teacher too often ignores. It should
not be the teacher’s role to assign mandatory writing topics, but rather
demonstrate good writing habits for students to imitate and make their own. By
modeling and participating, the teacher demonstrates that each student has
their own story to tell. According to Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins research,
students should develop as writers by having the opportunities of authors:
“daily time for writing, conferences with teachers, and peers, and
opportunities to draft, revise, and publish their writing; most significantly
they took responsibility for deciding what and why and for whom they would
write” (p. 35). This is a necessary freedom for children to find their own
author’s voice. Furthermore, the recognition for the need of time, talk, and
reading all play an important role in writing. This journal, really hit upon
many aspects that I have found must be in a writing workshop for maximum
success in the development of student writers. That being said, one of the most
important aspects is creating the proper classroom environment where students
feel able to write freely and bring out the author inside, whomever that may be
(Atwell, 1985).
Gender and environment can affect the type
of writer a student becomes. Through a case study of a seven-year-old
child, Donald Graves (1975), finds after observing students’ writing, the
classroom setting in which this occurred, analyzing writing samples, and
looking at the interventions of the teachers in those classrooms, that
“learning environments, sex differences in writing, developmental factors and
the writing process” (p.234). Thus proving that students need a relaxed
environment to be able to write freely and independently and recognizing the
difference in the needs of students based on gender. These conclusions led him
to the classification of two writers that students may become due to these
factors: reactive or reflective. Understanding the ways in which students write
and their writing styles, allows a teacher to better mold the workshop to fit
those writing needs. For example, reflective writers do not usually need as
much time before writing, and often revise frequently at a phrasal level.
However, the needs of these two writers are very different and by recognizing
their strengths and weaknesses, and providing support for both, the teacher
would ensure that a proper environment, conducive to their writing is produced.
It takes time for a student to truly develop who they are as a writer (Graves,
1975).
Students need ample time to routinely
practice the writing process. After reviewing the practices in two highly
regarded states for eduction, Dressman (1999), found the need for curriculums
to proide “explicit, systematic instruction…” (p. 278). Not only must a writing
program encourage writers, but also students need consistency and instruction
when they write. It is through these
lessons and teacher modeling that students observe proper skills for writing
and truly learn and internalize the writing process. (Dressman, 1999).
Teachers
are active learners and model the writing process for student learning in the
classroom. As teachers,
we should continually be learning and growing in our profession, as we do
through professional development. Jane Hansen and Donald Graves (1986),
emphasized the importance of the teacher actively portraying a learner in the
classroom. Not only should teachers teach, but they should learn from their
students as well, giving students ample time to be teachers in the classroom. Teachers
should attend professional development, read educational literature, or even do
research, and demonstrate this continual growth to their students as a model for
students to imitate their learning habits. Similarly, the teacher needs to
demonstrate the act of selecting topics and the writing process, especially
revision, for students to truly grow in their writing (Hansen & Graves,
1986).
Students
demonstrate sophistication of writing.
As students develop as writers, their stories become more descriptive and
detailed. Donald Graves (1991), found that character development is a primary
characteristic to show development in a child’s writing. He goes on to address
poetry, as another form of development. Lucy Calkins (1994), mentions poetry
beginning with songs and chants, where students are able to the sounds of their
writing, but Graves says students are developed when they are able to
understand what information is necessary to the piece and what is superfluous.
Students can fall into the trap of writing what they think the teacher wants,
but advanced development shows when they truly act as a writer and find their
own voice. Their growth as a writer leads to appreciation of author’s craft, in
turn developing their overall literacy (Graves,
1991).
Literacy development through reading and
writing is critical in students. For true literacy development, workshops
must develop students as lifelong readers and writers. Referencing other great
researchers, Nancie Atwell, Lucy Calkins, and Donald Graves, Mark Dressman
(1993), creates the statement “students largely read silently and
independently from books of their choice and dialogue with teachers and
classmates through response journals, while promising to transform the
reluctant readers…into lifelong loves of books and into critical, literate
citizens, are also, by design, a socially reproductive practice” (p. 258). That
is the true purpose of literacy development and the workshop program. However,
as readers and writers, literacy cannot be confined to the classroom (Dressman, 1993).
Writing should bridge the connection between
home and school. Connecting home and school can be a
great challenge, but with a literacy program that embraces and enables parents
to be an active participant in their student’s life is what every school needs.
By having a program in which the teacher has more control over the content and
subjects taught, they are able to incorporate lessons and texts that reinforce
the lives of their students. Although this article discusses greatly, ways in
which to involve parents, the relevance lies in the flexibility allowed through
various reading workshops that is not allowed through textbook programs. As
McCarthey emphasizes, understanding their students’ backgrounds is important so
that the teacher may “alter curriculum and discourse patterns to include all
children,” and strictly following a textbook of stories through which families
cannot relate, will not bridge the gap from classroom to home. Through workshop
style curriculum, the teacher would be able to reinforce those connections and
allow parents to be a great part of their student’s literacy development
(McCarthey, 2000).
Conclusion
How
your work is informed by the work of others:
After
extensive research, I have found the criteria upon which to base a writing
workshop. The research has been very conclusive as to what the teacher should
provide and what the students must bring to the workshop. Many of the articles
and books I reviewed led to similar conclusions as to the emphasis of writing
workshop. I now understand that workshops should be primarily student led in
conferences and discussion of topics. Although the teacher must set an example
and provide instructional mini-lessons, for the students to use, the teacher
must allow student choice to play the primary role in their writing. The
workshops purpose is for the students to find their voice in their writing. The
element of choice for students was evident in nearly all the researchers’
works. Prior to this research, my understanding of a workshop was to provide
plentiful writing prompts for students to choose from and that would allow them
choice. It seemed more teacher led, the teacher choosing topics for the
students to follow and practice a skill of writing daily. However, I have found
that this is not the case; the best word for the teacher that I have found is
“facilitator.” Lucy Calkins emphasizes that this is not the case, as teachers
we should gradually release the responsibility, initially helping students to
brainstorm, but in the end the students should choose a topic that is
meaningful to them. Fletcher and Portalupi (2001), put it best in saying that
students must have the “this really matters to me” (p. 23), feeling in their
writing. If a student is not invested in telling their story, then they are
unable to create the detailed piece with proper character development that is
necessary for a proficient writer.
Without
doubt, my vision of a writing workshop has drastically changed and as I had
mentioned before, countless researchers reference Lucy Calkins and her writing
workshop. Although I have heard of other programs, this research continuously
peaked my interest in evaluating the aspects of Calkins program. That being
said, this research confirms my need for writing workshop for students to be
proficient according to Common Core Standard Course of Study and will lead to
my proposal to our school for the adoption of Lucy Calkin’s writing program.
This program ensures that students are given a choice, within a safe
environment, and their writing is facilitated by the teacher model, but they
encouraged to find their own voice.
As Common Core primarily supports argumentative writing, as opposed to
narrative, some adaptations will need to be made to the workshop to promote
this writing. Naturally students write what is familiar and that involves
stories that do not need factual support. Thus, more emphasis upon teacher
modeling will be needed to teach students to find a topic that interests them
and go through the writing process for a persuasive piece. How will students
learn to write if they are not given the time, the choice, and the support to
do it? Writing workshop will be in place in my classroom and hopefully within
my school.
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