The Writing Book

I was really struggling to work out how to change my writing programme to really make sure my learners were learning each session and making progress.  I know I have to use learning intentions and success criteria and all the Murray Gadd things I have learnt but got confused how to join the two together. 

This weekend I have just brought the Writing Book by Sheena Cameron http://www.thewritingbook.com/.

There are many points that will make a difference to my Teaching as Inquiry focus group.

I have read the book cover to cover and then again.  Looking forward to implementing many of the strategies in there from Monday this week but more in depth next term.

Murray Gadd Learning Story

Ginny’s Learning Story for Murray Gadd

My Learning Story

How it relates to the Registered Teacher Criteria

At the beginning of Term 3 Murray Gadd came to Valley for a staff meeting all about boys and writing.  I missed the staff meeting but thanks to some great colleagues I got the notes for the meeting.  On reading through the notes I realised that I am already doing a lot of what Murray suggested...   When I came into Room 18 writing was the boys least liked subject.  Since teaching in Room 18 I have tried extremely hard to find topics that will excite and engage them as writers, such as pirates, reports based on animals, dragons, recounting events that they have enjoyed etc.  I have also had high expectations of them that they will make progress in writing.  My classroom writing routines are very structured.  I have 4 groups and I see each group once a week but am giving feedback to other children incidentally during the writing session as well.  I have also taken the focus from quantity to quality writing.  However with all of that positive change some of the boys are not moving as much as I would like them to. At the end of his staff meeting Murray asked some questions. I really related to the questions ‘are our boys writing enough?’ and ‘do they believe in themselves as writers?’  Both of these questions made me reflect on my practice and see that I needed to add another aspect to what I was already doing.  A suggestion that Murray made is Speed Writing.  I have implemented this in my class once a week and the boys love it.  All the pressure is off them to produce something that I or anyone else will read and they can write on their own topics.  Everyone is on an even playing field.  Even my most reluctant writers are engaged in writing.They also enjoy seeing me as a writer alongside them as well.  They love writing on topics of their choice and also going back and adding more to stories they have already started the previous weeks.  Also the ownership that they can stop a piece of writing even if not finished and start something completely different.  We have a completely silent 10mins writing and at the end they can’t wait to share their writing with me if they want.   It makes complete sense to me that writers will become better with more writing just as readers become better with more reading.  Speed writing is now an integral part of my writing programme alongside the more structured teaching.  The question of do they believe in themselves as writers is being answered in a programme that now gives them success!

RTC 1 RTC 4 RTC 11 - Informal This whole piece is related to RTC 6 and RTC 8 RTC 12 RTC 4 RTC 6 RTC 7 RTC 7

Children using the i-pad to record themselves reading

The boys really love this and it was really easy to set up.  My next step will be to include a simple self assessment so they can say how they did.  

Teaching as Inquiry Cycle Professional Readings

Following are some professional readings I have done around Teaching as Inquiry

• Teaching as Inquiry
• Teaching as Inquiry Resources
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Focusing Inquiry

What is important (and therefore worth spending time on), given where my students are at?

• Through the past term I have worked with this group of students but made little progress in helping them to move onto the next progression.  I have focused on sentence structure and the structure of how to write a recount.  Now I need to focus more clearly on the next steps in the literacy progressions.
• For all of them the area that is needs focusing is on spelling high frequency words correctly as they all are writing stories that are interesting to read.
• Re-reading their writing to check it makes sence

Evidence and Data Gathered on Writing Teaching as Inquiry based on Murray Gadds Progressions

These are the notes I took for the focus writing group based on Murray Gadds Literacy Learning Progressions.

	Level	Contents and Ideas	Sentence Formation	Structure	Vocab and Language Features	Spelling	Punctuation
Alex Woods Year 2 Should be at 1a	1p	Content is related to the topic	Writing simple sentences. Mostly only writes 2 sentences	Beginning to get beginning middle.  Doesn’t write long enough stories to get the end	Uses words from List 1 and 2. Uses precise nouns	Gets mostly beginning and middle sounds of words, eg, crathre - country, rast - raced, fes -fields	With support can use full stops.  Knows a capital letter goes after a full stop
Oliver Gregor Year 3 Should be at 2	1p	Content is related to the topic	Writing simple sentences.	Writes beginning, middle and end of stories and is including personal voice	Use words from List 1 and 2.  Use precise nouns and some adjectives	Getting most sounds of words, biedeyday/bofyday - birthday, kack - cake.	Can use capital letters and full stops.  Will often put an ‘and’ after a full stop
Joshua Vivian Year 2 Should be at 1a	1p	Content is related to the topic.  Really keen to get his ideas down and share them in an interesting way	Writing simple sentences	Lots of personal voice.  Beginning, middle and needs to include ends of writing.	Uses words from list 1.	Getting most sounds in words, eg, nrvis - nervous, butafiysse - butterflies.  Check blends	Uses full stops consistently but is still unsure where they need to go
Connor Mendham Year 2 Should be at 1a	1p	Content is related to the topic.	Writing simple sentences that start mainly with I when writing a recount	Writing has beginning, middle and end.  Beginning to include personal voice	Uses words from list 1 and 2.	Getting most sounds eg tablit - tablet but then miegcafi - Mine Craft, faut - felt.	Uses full stops and captal letters consistently

Reading Taskboard with new i-pad activities

Here is a photo of my newly designed Reading Taskboard which includes i-pad activities.  

1. The red group is using apps to do with ABC
2. The green group is using apps to do with simple reading tasks
3. The middle 3 groups will rotate through the Camera app.  This is where they sit with a friend and a book and they take turns reading it while recording the story using the video.  They then can play it back and listen to themselves. 
4. The bottom two groups are on the app Spell City

E-Learning new blog

Well after being inspired last week to change my teaching practice I have decided to take the leap and include more e-learning in my classroom.  I have spent the weekend updating the 3 classroom i-pads with new software for the children to access.  I have also made a new reading task board which includes each groups having turns on the i-pads.  The red group will play ABC games, the Green Group Reading games, the middle groups I am going to teach them how to video themselves using the camera to record them reading simple books and the top group will play Spelling games.  Here we go...

Setting up the blog

Today I went to the first staff meeting on creating a professional portfolio to be assessed against with the registered teaching council.  During the meeting I remembered the work I did at Hill School in relation to Teaching as Inquiry.  I realised that this is how I could show my practice.  I googled teaching as Inquiry and found a link to how schools are using this in relation to the RTC.  I have followed the instructions on how to set up a blog to record my practice.