Consider your beliefs about writing and teaching in writers workshop. 3 whole class writing strategies: building from interviews, images, and from experience.

1. Writing in the Intermediate
Grades
Maple Ridge
Feb 13, 2018
Faye Brownlie
Slideshare.net/fayebrownlie.MRintwri@ng

2. • Yes, we s@ll teach wri@ng and believe that all
students can be writers. We will explore easy to
use whole class wri@ng strategies that engage
diverse groups of students and free them to
write. See some examples from Maple Ridge
teachers who are working in the School Teams
project. Give feedback and build criteria during
the wri@ng lesson. Leave with ready to use,
engaging strategies that you can use with
connec@ons to reading or independently.

3. The pedagogy…
• What are your key beliefs in teaching wri@ng?
– What counts?
– Are these evident in your prac@ce?
• Why? Why not?

4. • Compare with several in your table group.
– What is common?
– What is different?
– Does age maRer?
– Does ability/skill maRer?

5. Beliefs about Writing
• Wri@ng is thinking
• Write daily
• Precede wri@ng with talk, reflec@on, @me
• Focus on meaning
• Model
• Explicitly teach wri@ng and provide @me for prac@ce and
feedback
• Feedback and co-developed criteria support the
development of wri@ng
• Wri@ng is cross-curricular
• All children are writers

6. Stages of the Writing Process
• Pre-wri@ng
– Co-crea@ng criteria
– Establishing purpose and audience
• DraWing
– Oral feedback while wri@ng, connected to criteria
• Edi@ng
– Daily: one change
– Not necessarily needing a rewrite
• Proofreading
• Publishing and presen@ng

7. Writing in front of your kids☺
• Regularly write in front of your kids, thinking
aloud as you write.
• Model working toward 2-3 criteria.
• Have students iden@fy ‘what you have done well’.
• Iden@fy these as 2-3 criteria.
• Students write, using these criteria and self-
assess before sharing.
• Move among the students, conferencing,
focusing on the criteria. Give EACH student
feedback.

8. Interview Writing
Lisa Allen, Gr 4/5, West Sechelt
• Goals:
– Effec@ve story wri@ng
– More descrip@ve language
• 1 minute interview, 30 second response
• Modeled, then prac@ced in partners
• Walk and talk
• Write
• Circle a powerful phrase or sentence – or 1st 3 words
• Share
• Add in something that you heard that would strengthen
your wri@ng

12. Deepening Thinking, Strengthening Writing
-with Julie Cornell at the Wheelhouse
• Examine a picture as a class
– See? Know? Evidence? Cap@on?
• Repeat, if necessary
• Examine your picture in your group
– See? Know? Evidence? Cap@on?
• Write the story behind your picture.
• As the students write, move around and highlight a phrase OR write
the phrase on a post-it and leave with the student.
• Share phrases.
• Phrases can move into a found poem.
• Can repeat with different picture or a group of pictures or write
aWer seeing/hearing from others.
• Choose the wri@ng you are most interested in (different points of
view, theme – hardship, moving, loss, celebra@on, combina@on of
pictures), edit and take to publica@on. Discuss your edits through
the lens of the criteria.

21. a man is fishing on a rock alone
In the cold, snow is falling His bait box behind him.
The sun gleams behind him.
He has caught a fish. It give him hope.
Sifng on some rocks he puts his rod into the freezing water
The shells in the water gleam in the morning light.
Sifng on the rock he falls vic@m to the cold He must con@nue
Fishing is his only food source.
He is very hungry. But he is always hungry it is no different.
He begins to get @red.
EP

22. I saw the rest of the pictures I believe the are slaves
having to fish for food, being locked up
Being chased, having to lug things around,
Having to squeeze every liRle bit of happiness they
can out of life.
Being forced to do every thing…
EP

23. My groups stone picture has the stones placed in a very par@cular
formate the stones were shaped like humans heaving heavy bags or
suitcases over there head like people do when they are immigra@ng
from different countries or maybe they are working like
construc@on workers and are heaving big heavy stones or concrete
over there heads. The people shaped stones are also shaped like
they are slouching so maybe they are @ered from walking witch
brings me back to the imagina@on idea, because people from war
torn countries have to walk tremendously long distances to get to a
safe place like our country. I also think like the people are different
ages like the smallest one is a child and the largest one is an old
adult. I also think it is at night because there is a large yellowish
rock over there heads like a moon. And I also no@ced that one of
the rocks is very scratched up like maybe it was aRacked or fell I
saw that one of the rock figures was missing a head, so that brings
me to a vey morbid idea that they are trapped in a torture trap
witch weights are put on there head un@l there heads are crushed.
GM

24. • AWer looking at other groups pictures I found two that
caught my eye, one was a picture of a family fishing
and the other one was of a group of people on what
looks to be a boat lost at sea. They way I think those
two connected with my groups picture is because it
looks as if they are immigra@ng and hun@ng for food
like fish by well fishing. So I think that it all @es in, first
they are walking on land then they go to sea for fish
then maybe they get into a storm and are stranded in
the middle of the ocean right on deaths front steps
fran@cally looking for other food and trying to stay
aboard the @ny boat…
GM

25. Fear is a fickle thing. It comes uninvited, cold as cold could be. But, for some,
it helps them. It helps them make the decision to flee their war-torn land,
as the people in my picture did. The man and his wife are fleeing as their
home is being destroyed by war, bombs, and hatred. The lady is covering
her head to protect it from any harmful things. As the man is panicking,
wondering if it was the right decision as they run from everything they
have known and loved. Everything they grew up with, their house, family,
work, school. All things that they will long for, as they sleep. Wish for, as
they start anew. Yearn for, as they wake. But, there is no going back to
that war-torn place. For they are alive while others have died. They have
escaped while others are slaved. For they are free.
It was a bright day when the bombing happened. It was the kid of day where
it seemed that it was impossible for something to go wrong. But of
course, something did. It happened at noon, when the sun was high in the
sky…
KS

26. They were captured. Stuck with strangers, rela@ves,
friends, and their captors. They were shipped of to a
foreign military base to slave over the soldiers. They
were not treated fairly. The men were told to head out
and fight or fetch heavy bags of grain. While the
women were to be cooks, maids, and to do
unspeakable things. But then it happened. They
escaped. Thy were free. Some went off to fish and live
out their lives. While others fought for their home. But
most started anew. Rejoicing their freedom, their
family who lived, their second chance. For they were
happy. Their kids could leave the house without
worrying about gefng shot…
KS

27. This picture to me represents that its nighfme and
there is two parents holding up there children in
joy as if there thankful to just be who they are
and nothing more the parents are holding there
children as a symbol of love for the children in
the night sky the moon witnessing all of this
happiness or it could be the parents punishing
there children for a sin and want them to pray to
god to forgive them for there wrongs they wish to
right or it could be a sign of unity and faith as the
family celebrates together
NC

28. A lot of the pictures to me looked very sad they had
that feeling of depression as if they had lost their
being as if the pictures we’re displaying the
feeling of hardship and joy together at the same
@me most of them had the feeling of life and
colourful feelings it’s a mix of depression and joy
at the same @me it looked as if there trying to
build something…
NC

30. Writing from Experience to Poetry
• Field trip
• 5 minute free write
• Reread 3 @mes: word count, structure/grammar, PS
• Powerful sentence
• Rewrite from prose to poetry (model & coach)
• Whip around - draW found poem
• Establish criteria for personal poem
• DraW own found poem
• In teams, revise/edit class found poem
• Revise/edit personal poems with partner and publish

31. – Me and my class went to UBC, and into the Nitobe Gardens on Jan. 16. The
Garden looks nice, and everything has a meaning. The more red there is, the
more danger. There are also bridges and lanterns. My favorite bridge is the
zig-zag bridge. They say when you become an adult, you walk past it so the
devil leaves you. They believe the devil can only walk in a straight line. The
lanterns also have meaning. The father lantern, mother lantern. They are all
stages you will cross in life. When we entered the Nitobe Gardens, we walked
towards the right because it is the side of the moon. There are also benches,
just like Mr. Weil said. You sit on the bench to look at the garden and see what
you have done in life. There is a bridge in the begining and the end.
– Devon - 139

32. • When you enter the Nitobe Memorial Garden you turn to the right.
The Nitobe Garden was built in the memory of a Japanese man
named Nitobe who wanted to be the bridge between Japan and
Canada. In the garden you follow the forest path of “infancy” and
pass the “father” and the “mother” lanterns. You can choose the
path of the easygoing child or the path of the struggling child. AWer
that you enter the wide open space of childhood. There is a pond
close to the path with koi fish in that represent virtues. Soon you
come to the 77 log bridge which was built in memory of Nitobe.
• Timmy - 112

33. From prose to poetry
• “Enter the island, the shape of a turtle. The
turtle will shower you with good luck.”

34. • Enter the island
• Turtle-shaped
• Showered with good luck

35. Criteria
• 1 line for each phrase/idea
• Simile/metaphor
• Example of personifica@on
• Powerful vocabulary
• A key idea, emo@on, sense of image (may
come with a repeated phrase)

36. The Zig-Zag Bridge
Walk through in adulthood
The Devil will leave you
He walks in straight lines
So he cannot follow you.
The Devil is unbearable,
But now in adulthood,
The Devil cannot see you
Repent
And walk through the bridge,
The zig-zag bridge.
The Devil will leave you
For he can no longer see you
He walks in straight lines,
So he cannot follow you.
Devin

37. The garden
built in memory of Nitobe
bridge across the Pacific
Enter to the right
along the forest path
struggle or be content
in your early life
Along the way of childhood
koi fish, virtue, will, grace
as long as the mother lights your path
consequences will bring early marriage and late marriage
or back from teen rebellion
the bamboo fence will bring you
through the pavilion
Raise your family with pride
when you get to the final bench
rest, reflect, and be gra@fied
Timmy