How was it implemented? |
Why were the strategies selected for implementation? |
I first gave a pre-test to see where my students scored in their writing according to my district rubric. I saw which trait my whole class needed extra support in mastering and focused that into my mini-lessons. Then, I focused on meeting individual student needs during writing conferences. I began every day with a mini-lesson structured on the front carpet for about 7-10 minutes. After our mini-lesson, a piece of writing was modeled. Writing modeled could be of my own work, student work, or even a mentor text. Then, students were able to freely write in an area of their choice, at a spot they could be successful. During independent writing time, I conducted writing conferences with individual students. I spent between 5-8 minutes meeting with each student at least once a week on his or her writing. I looked at an area of strength and looked at an area of growth to speak with them about. During the conference, I collected data through anecdotal notes. In addition to collecting pre-test scores and anecdotal notes, I also had students complete an attitude survey about their feelings toward writing and collected on-task data once a week.
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I needed a way to accommodate each individual student and their writing ability. Thus, I decided to research a writing format that would yield better work in my classroom. Writer's workshop includes a mini-lesson, independent writing time, teacher-student conferences, and an author share out. The daily mini-lessons were brief, yet essential to progress. During this time, I addressed skills that the entire class could benefit from. I used my students pre-test data to help drive my mini-lessons. Students could then take learned skills from our whole group mini-lesson and apply it to their work during independent writing time. Teacher-student conferences allow students to work one-on-one at their academic level, and build upon previously acquired knowledge. Additionally, the teacher is able to provide immediate feedback from which the student can then implement and practice directly following the conversation. By working individually with all students, I knew I would be more capable of helping them progress.
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Data collection methods
Anecdotal notesAs I individually met with students, I recorded our conversations on a note-taking sheet to keep a running record during the study. This action allowed me to see what areas had been discussed, and how they applied those topics into their future writing.
Pre-test/post-testA pre-test and post-test demonstrated the growth that my students made from the beginning to the end of my study. Data was taken from the pre-test to help drive my focus during mini-lessons. I used my district's rubric to help score student writing.
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Attitude ScaleAn attitude scale was given at the beginning and end of the study. The scale assessed students' opinions of writing. I chose to use this application because I wanted to gauge how students felt about writing. Then, I could see if that strategy had a positive or negative impact on their opinion of writing.
Time on taskOnce a week, data was collected for on and off task behaviors during student independent writing time. Data was recorded three times every ten minutes.
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