Written Conversation Strategies Workshop NHS October 2014 by Buffy Hamilton and Jennifer Lund

1. Welcome to Written Conversation Strategies! 1.Please sign in on the course roster! 2.Grab a Sharpie. 3.Find a seat at any table with or without paper (blue chairs or green chairs). 4.Get ready to have fun and learn!

2. Original photograph by Buffy Hamilton Presented by Buffy J. Hamilton and Jennifer Lund, Media Specialists, NHS

3. Today’s Learning Target: I will be able to implement written conversation strategies to improve student writing and reading skills.

4. Original photograph by Buffy Hamilton

5. Original photography by Buffy Hamilton

6. A strategy in which “Small groups of kids write and exchange notes about a curricular topic for several rounds— maybe 5 to 15 minutes of sustained writing–and then they burst into out- loud talk that’s rooted in their extended written rehearsals” (Daniels 155).

7. “what happens when you have several kids annotate the same copy of a text at the same time, jotting down their responses in the margins. Quite naturally, students start reading other people’s comments and want to give their classmates a written high five, ask a clarifying question, or throw down a tough challenge” (Daniels 184).

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11. When I annotate an article, what do I write? Record a REACTION Ask a QUESTION Give an OPINION Make a CONNECTION Respond to how I relate to the situation or information I’m reading Study the diagrams and data: what is significant, surprising, expected? Record the what, the who, the why, the when, the where, the how Record thinking that is new or surprising Highlight or circle vocabulary words or terms you can use for additional searches Adapted from Cris Tovani

12. See, think, wonder: big ideas, insights, questions

13. CC image via https://www.flickr.com/photos/inkybob/122476158/sizes/o/

14. Scaffold with mini-memos, short student letters that teachers use to introduce, extend, and assess class work. Progress to dialogue journals, where pairs dive deeply into academic subjects. Build to groups of three or four students join in extended written discussions called write- arounds. Move to online discussion spaces online, where they enjoy digital discussions with peers and other learners around the world. Original photo by Buffy Hamilton Source: http://www.corwin.com/books/Book239764#tabview=title Daniels Recommends…

15. Student Selected Text/Passages Teacher Selected Text/Passages Questions Images/ Graphics Multimedia

16. Introduce guidelines for participation Writing/ Thinking Time Small/Large Group Discussion and Assessment

21. Benefits •Can be used across all content areas and age groups •Can use multiple kinds of “texts” •Fantastic springboard for inquiry and helping students develop questions

22. Benefits •Can be used to introduce DBQ •Excellent medium for developing appropriate conversation skills with peers” •Formative assessment

23. Original photograph by Buffy Hamilton Emily Russell 10th Language Arts

24. http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/writing-around-text-on-text- effort-2-unplugged-conversations-for-inquiry-participation-and-social-construction-of- meanings/

25. Original photo by Buffy Hamilton

30. •Because of prior scaffolding (silent literature circles with notecards) by Emily, they felt more comfortable engaging in written conversation •Made up their own rules--- moved beyond their original table •Could manage soft conversation while staying focused •Long sustained chunks of writing (20 or so minutes) •More specific responses to text and to each other

31. we should be more 10th grade student

32. •Students liked the freedom in being able to move about and respond at their own pace during the write-around. Mobility •Students were focused on ideas, not grammar or spelling. Big Ideas •Everyone had opportunities to contribute to the discussion. Participation

33. They enjoyed and appreciated hearing many student voices, something that sometimes gets silenced in traditional class discussions. They liked being able to see different perspectives on their book; several remarked how the written conversations helped them see something they had not noticed about the book. Others commented their perspective on a character or issue in the text had changed after reading the opinions and responses of their peers. They were beginning to understand learning is social and how meaning can be constructed together.

34. critical thinking

35. http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/twitter-chat-socratic-circles/

36. http://www.ellenfilgo.net/hashtag-librarian/

43. https://storify.com/buffyjhamilton/2nd-period-glass-castle-socratic-circle-twitter- ch?utm_source=embed_header

44. “Grows” “Glows”

45. Once again, I left school with a teacher high. Giving the outer circle an opportunity to Tweet while the inner circle was discussing gave everyone a voice in the conversation. Every single student was completely engaged the entire period. What an amazing day! Emily Russell CC graphics via http://thenounproject.com/term/quotation-marks/19279/

46. I cannot say enough good things about our media specialists. They have been instrumental in supporting our teachers this year, and they have pushed me to try strategies that may be outside of my comfort zone. Emily Russell CC graphics via http://thenounproject.com/term/quotation-marks/19279/

47. Original photograph by Buffy Hamilton Logan Malm 9th Accelerated Biology/ Chemistry

48. http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/informational-text-write- around-text-on-text-with-biologychemistry-classes/

49. Original photo by Buffy Hamilton Original photograph by Buffy Hamilton

53. Each class wrote approximately 30-33 minutes; some could have continued writing had we not called time! Take Away

54. Most of the written conversations were rich and nuanced just as the literary conversations had been. Although the content was more academic and subject specific in nature, the written discussions still felt very conversational. We also noticed students using more visuals/graphics/drawings as part of these conversations. Take Away

55. The trajectory of energy and momentum to the conversations paralleled those of Emily’s classes—it is akin to a crescendo in music where the sound builds in loudness and intensity. We saw the written conversations building in those same way Take Away

56. Like Emily’s classes, students enjoyed using hashtags as part of their written conversations. I think #maggot was one of the more popular hashtags of the day Take Away

57. CC graphics via http://thenounproject.com/term/quotation-marks/19279/ Impressions – LOVED this activity. It was really special watching the students write about scientific topics and develop questions based on their thoughts and the thoughts of other students. I enjoyed seeing them question the validity of certain claims, argue in favor of/against scientific ideas using their prior knowledge and create questions that they had after reading each article. This activity gave me a chance to see my students in a way that I have yet to observe. They had an opportunity to act like true scientists, and didn’t even know it! Overall, this was a wonderful activity that I will be doing again! Logan Malm

58. Tips and Strategies •Scaffold with a guiding question at each table •Pre-read passages if using longer text for nonfiction or informational text •“Someone stole my idea” •Can be an entry point to inquiry/research •Work with us! We love co-facilitating!

59. CC image via https://www.flickr.com/photos/f- oxymoron/9647972522/sizes/l

60. CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/zhou_mengjie/6523964087/sizes/l/