I will be transitioning to Horizons after Spring break. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your coach this year. Shive has brought together a wonderful staff from across the county. The staff has innovative ideas, uses technology, and works as team players. It is common to see them planning together with the students in mind. They figure out what works and multiply it throughout the school. The staff knows how to have fun. Just attend a dance or program and you will see first hand their energy. Rowan County can be proud of how the principals opened and maintained Shive's success as a new school. A parent wrote a letter to the editor this year noting how friendly Shive school is and I couldn't agree more. Hooray for the Shive Stingers!!
Curriculum Coach Math Plan 2008 K-2
Session One- Review and analyze Shive data. Look at research based best practices from Math Pacing Guides.
Explanation of Writing Workshop By Theresa P. Pierce Curriculum Coach Shive Elementary
Students and teachers have heard about Writing Workshop this year. Here is an explanation for parents: Most of the writing block is spent actually writing. The lessons presented by the teacher are short and focused mini-lessons based on student needs. Emphasis is given to students sharing their writing and building a collection of stories for their portfolios. Portfolios are orange in grades K-2 and grey in 3-5. Each nine weeks the teachers place student writing in the portfolios. Portfolios are called quantitative authentic assessments, which means they are measurable. Portfolios along with End of Grade test scores meet the requirements of N.C.L.B. No Child Left Behind is the federal mandate of the government required to maintain federal funding. Writing Workshop is a program developed by author Lucy Calkins. With this program, adopted by the Rowan Salisbury Schools, students are encouraged to see themselves as writers who take their writing seriously. Teachers can be heard calling students “writers.” Students learn best when they write frequently on topics of their own choosing. Teachers, in preparation for local and state writing tests, still practice with prompts, along with choice writing. Writing Workshop is a way of managing a class beginning with a mini-lesson, on a topic the students need (punctuation, commas, style, etc.). Status of the Class is a short way of finding out what everyone is working on. Twenty to forty five minutes of actual writing time is next. The teachers move around the room, pulling a chair alongside students coaching them on writing improvement. Lastly, the students gather once again to share with each other. The lessons are like a sponge because they go from large group to small group to large group. The lessons feel finished because they go full circle. Advantages of Writing Workshop include: Most students like it better. They enjoy writing on topics they choose. Students like sharing their written stories the same way they like to tell their stories at the dinner table. They spend less time on worksheets. We learned earlier this year that worksheets don’t grow dendrites in the brain. Students get more one on one attention. They take fewer tests because they are writing and applying what they are learning from the teacher’s mini-lesson, applying new knowledge. Students take responsibility for their own learning. The Lucy Calkin’s Writing Workshop method of teaching writing takes some patience, however it is worth giving Shive students a greater chance for success.
Writing Workshop 1. What is writing workshop? year-long writing curriculum by Lucy Calkins 2. What materials will I need? scissors, tape, stapler, pencils, markers, pencils, clipboard You may use folders (with names on outside) with red dots for “finished” writing and green dots for “keep going.” 3. What does my room look? writing center, different kinds of paper, white board, author’s chair, gathering place 4. What about time? routines, 50 minutes to one hour a day 5. What does it look like? Set the tone!
Connection- 5 minutes Ring bell and gather. Bigmama was my example. Teaching the mini-lesson- 10 minutes Connect. Map. Zoom in on one topic. Active Engagement - 5 minutes Turn and talk. Link (actual writing time while teacher confers) -20-35 minutes Sharing- about 5-10 minutes
The bulk of the time should be having students write. The other parts may be tweaked a little.
I have a highlighted list (taped to my white board) of the mentor texts available from our media center.
Ways to sign up for a model lesson, get coverage to observe a peer, or have one on one staff development/ training in portfolios, calculators, etc. :
piercetp@rss.k12.nc.us room 411- Leave a sticky note on the door. Put a note in my box. Stop me as I make my daily rounds.
Remember as your Coach, I am your guide from the side. I am here to coach you on what you're doing RIGHT! How can I help YOU?
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