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AISA IST Day 1 Session 2 Access & Agency - Where might these live inside of our Reading and Writing Workshops (4)

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Connect with educators around the world!

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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fay@erinkentconsulting.com

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@literacylala

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AISA IST_Multilingual Ecology Scales - Template

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IS Lausanne Session 3 Balanced Literacy in the EY

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Strategies for supporting ELLs in Writers' Workshop

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Strategies for supporting ELLs in Writers' Workshop

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Serving ELLs through Reading and Writing Workshop

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Serving ELLs through Reading and Writing Workshop

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I asked Valentina Gonzalez, an education blogger specializing in elementary ELs, what advice she would give to educators working with elementary ELs. This guest post on using the reading and writing workshop is her response. You can also purchase her co-authored booked, Reading and Writing Workshop with English Learners. If you happen to purchase this book, you are helping to fund the blog at no cost to you.

When I stop to reflect on what is BEST practice for my elementary ELLs in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, the answer comes to me quite clearly...the workshop model. Why? What I know about the needs of my ELLs is that they require explicit instruction, modeling, guidance, routine, and practice. Here's how the reading and writing workshop models promote progress for ELLs in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

The reading and writing workshops follow a specific daily routine. There is a structure to the workshop that is followed in order for each component to happen daily. The routine helps all students know what to expect. This is especially great for ELLs since they are (possibly) navigating a new language, school system, and culture.

The Mini-lesson

One of the components of both the reading and writing workshop is the mini-lesson. During the mini-lesson, the teacher gives direct instruction and explicitly shares with students what will be expected of them as readers and/or writers. ELLs need to know exactly what is expected of them as readers, writers and speakers.

Since the mini-lesson is short, there is not a lot of teacher talk. One way to make the mini-lesson even more ELL friendly is to slow down speech and stop for a structured turn and talk. During this portion of workshop, ELLs are practicing listening and some speaking as well.

Anchor charts are a key piece of the mini-lesson. This is how the teacher leaves a fingerprint of the teaching. The anchor chart should be able to support students as they go into independent work. It allows the teacher to work with small groups or confer one-on-one with students without being constantly interrupted by students who need re-teaching. For this reason, the anchor chart should be comprehensible for students. Limit the text and support the text with visuals and graphics. The anchor chart should give students clear, step-by-step guidance for their work.

Independent Work

The biggest piece of the reading and writing workshops is independent reading/writing time. During this block of time, students work on their own reading and/or writing.

During reading workshop students are reading self-selected books at their reading level. Selecting books can be tricky. I don't want my ELLs to feel bad if their reading level is way below their grade level in English. It can be hard to find texts that they can read but are still relevant and interesting to them. Adapted texts and nonfiction texts are great here. I also encourage my ELLs to continue reading in their native language. The bridge between L1 (first language) and L2 (second language) can be strong if we continue to nurture it.

During writing workshop students are writing their own pieces of work. Providing students with touchstone texts, exemplars, or target texts is key here. All students need to see what their goal is in writing so they can aim to achieve it. And not everyone's goal will be the same. It certainly won't be to write like an adult author. Though I love using mentor text written by great adult authors, when it's time for students to do their own writing, I give them examples they can achieve (in their ZPD). The best examples are student written so start saving some student examples to use year after year!

Whether we are in reading or writing workshop, students are practicing what the teacher has taught during minilessons. Within independent reading and writing block the teacher is able to work with students in smaller settings to meet their specific needs. The teacher can pull a guided group, a strategy group, or work with students one-on-one.

No matter which of these methods is selected daily, students' needs lead the decision. ELLs benefit from these smaller settings where the teacher/student ratio is lowered. These smaller settings also help to lower the affective filter for ELLs. When ELLs need time to process their thinking, possibly translate language, and build courage to answer, a smaller setting provides comfort.

The anxiety level is lowered and students feel safe to respond and collaborate. In addition, the smaller setting allows for more interaction helping our students to have extra opportunities to practice the new skills they have been taught and the new language. During independent time, ELLs are practicing reading and/or writing, listening, and speaking.

Share Time

The final piece of reading and writing workshop is share time. For some ELLs, sharing in whole group can be intimidating. One strategy that has been found to alleviate stress for ELLs before they share with whole group is to allow them rehearsal time. Giving ELLs time to practice what they will share builds their confidence before they share with the class.

Some ELLs will need sentence stems or starters to help them produce sentences that are grammatically correct while others will not need this type of scaffold. During this portion of the workshop, ELLs are practicing listening and speaking (if they are sharing).

I can't end this post without mentioning read aloud. Reading aloud is not actually part of the reading workshop; however it is a critical piece of a balanced approach to literacy. Providing students with an excellent model of how readers think through the reading process is extremely important. Reading aloud with accountable talk is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful ways to create lovers of reading and critical thinkers.

To accommodate for ELLs, teachers can use gestures when reading, annunciate words, speak clearly, and stop frequently to assess for comprehension. Intentionally pairing students with partners who can support one another during turn and talk opportunities is another way to help advance ELLs.

Conclusion

All in all, the workshop structure can be powerful for each student in a classroom if the focus is on student learning. When we focus on each student individually and meet their needs, we can help them become the best readers, writers, listeners, and speakers that they can be!

Next week

Next week we begin a new series. The last two WIDA Actions were connected by the theme of collaboration. I'd like to dive into that theme more deeply as it's becoming more and more significant for English Language Teachers (ELTs). As an ELT myself, I've found that while collaborating is a required skill, it's rarely ever taught. Expected, but unsupported. The series will cover co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessing, and co-reflecting on the collaboration process.

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#38. Serving ELLs Through Reading & Writing Workshop - TanKHuynh

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I asked Valentina Gonzalez, an education blogger specializing in elementary ELs, what advice she would give to educators working with elementary ELs. This guest post on using the reading and writing workshop is her response. You can also purchase her co-authored booked, Reading and Writing Workshop with English Learners .

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Serving Multilingual Learners of All Ages

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Serving Multilingual Learners of All Ages

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Rooted Linguistics: Serving Teachers of Multilingual Learners

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Science of Reading, Balanced Literacy, and English Learners

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If you teach reading you have probably heard of the “Reading Wars”. And if you haven’t, then perhaps you don’t even need to read any further. For those that have, you might feel confused. I,…

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AISA IST Day 1 Session 2 Access & Agency - Where might these live inside of our Reading and Writing Workshops (5)

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Kate and Maggie are literacy consultants, authors, and frequent speakers. They are known for their concrete solutions to tough situations, their humor, and their strong curricular, pedagogical and personal support of teachers, administrators, and students.

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DETERMINING STAGES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

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DETERMINING STAGES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

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The Responsive Writing Teacher, Grades K-5: A Hands-on Guide to Child-Centered, Equitable Instruction 

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The Responsive Writing Teacher, Grades K-5: A Hands-on Guide to Child-Centered, Equitable Instruction 

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"This book is an instructive call to action for all of us who need to be reminded of what hope enacted as classroom practice can look like." ―Cornelius Minor
Every classroom is shaped by the skills, languages, social and cultural identities, perspectives, and passions of the children within it. When you approach writing instruction with a deep understanding of children in your classroom, everything else―assessment, planning, differentiated instruction, mentor and shared texts―begins to fall into place. And you can teach writing with inclusion, equity, and agency at the forefront.

Authors Melanie Meehan and Kelsey Sorum show you how to adapt curriculum to meet the needs of the whole child. Each chapter offers intentional steps for responsive instruction across four domains: academic, linguistic, cultural, and social-emotional. Features include:

Inspiration, classroom examples, and scaffolded tips for creating individualized resources

Customizable information-gathering and planning tools, classroom charts, and writing samples

Space for making notes and working through ideas

Links to online content, including printable templates

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The Responsive Writing Teacher, Grades K-5: A Hands-on Guide to Child-Centered, Equitable Instruction (Corwin Literacy)

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Amazon.com: The Responsive Writing Teacher, Grades K-5: A Hands-on Guide to Child-Centered, Equitable Instruction (Corwin Literacy): 9781071840641: Meehan, Melanie, Corter, Kelsey Marie: Books

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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What will you do to promote multilingual learners' equity?

Our nation's moment of reckoning with the deficit view of multilingual learners has arrived. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed and exacerbated long-standing inequities that stand in the way of MLs' access to effective instruction. Recent events have also caused us to reflect on our place as educators within the intersection of race and language. In this innovative book, Sydney Snyder and Diane Staehr Fenner share practical, replicable ways you can draw from students' strengths and promote multilingual learners′ success within and beyond your own classroom walls.

In this book you'll find

* Practical and printable, research-based tools that guide you on how to implement culturally responsive teaching in your context
* Case studies and reflection exercises to help identify implicit bias in your work and mitigate deficit-based thinking
* Authentic classroom video clips in each chapter to show you what culturally responsive teaching actually looks like in practice
* Hand-drawn sketch note graphics that spotlight key concepts, reinforce central themes, and engage you with eye-catching and memorable illustrations

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity [Snyder, Sydney Cail, Fenner, Diane Staehr] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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AISA IST Day 1 Session 2 Access & Agency - Where might these live inside of our Reading and Writing Workshops (1)

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AISA IST Day 2 Session 1 What matters most for reading instruction

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AISA IST Day 1 Session 2 Access & Agency - Where might these live inside of our Reading and Writing Workshops (2)

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Fostering a Translanguaging Pedagogy within a Blended Learning Environment

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Fostering a Translanguaging Pedagogy within a Blended Learning Environment

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Image © 2020 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Used with permission.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Seo-yoon, an early elementary learner in the EAL program, connects both online and in-person within a blended learning model with her multilingual classmates. As she gets ready to write a personal narrative her teacher considers how to help her access the instructions. Using a translation app, her teacher translates the writing prompt to Korean to ensure Seo-yoon understands the task. Seo-yoon then sketches her ideas, labelling the sketches in English, and writing the body of the piece in Korean. Her teacher has the final piece translated into English and scores the work based on content knowledge, rather than English language proficiency.
What is translanguaging?
Translanguaging is the adaptable way in which multilingual people use their languages to communicate. It is the action and practice of using a person's full linguistic repertoire to construct meaning. Translanguaging acknowledges that languages are interdependent and interchangeable; challenging the antiquated idea that multilingual learners have separate language systems which do not impact each other. This practice supports the intentional use of one language to leverage the acquisition of another language(s).

The use of translanguaging in schools challenges assumptions that are rooted in linguistic inequality and monolingual policies and practices (e.g., English-only policies). Teachers may demonstrate translanguaging pedagogy as instructional strategies for learning, administrators may adhere to this pedagogy to convey a school-wide vision of linguistic inclusion, and multilingual students translanguage to enhance learning.
Why do we use translanguaging strategies?
When we use translanguaging strategies in schools, we communicate support for multilingualism; an asset-based view of the practices of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. When used as a part of instruction, translanguaging conveys the exercise of purposeful planning. When used within assessments, it demonstrates that multilinguals can understand and engage with grade-level content-as they can show their knowledge in their home language.

When a translanguaging pedagogy is adopted in schools, it conveys a belief in developing additive bilingualism/multilingualism, as many of the international schools following the International Baccalaureate programmes strongly suppor t. When content is taught by incorporating the home language as a resource within instruction, students develop both the language of school and their home language, making rigorous content learning achievable. Translanguaging pedagogy highlights the development of multiple languages and shows respect for and attention to multilingual and multicultural identities; when this is accomplished, these beliefs become the norm, not the exception.

Trauma resulting from a post-COVID environment and the isolation of online or blended learning makes it more crucial than ever for teachers to focus on social and emotional learning. The intentional use of the home language in virtual learning lowers the affective filter of multilingual students and makes learning more accessible. To explore more about how to support the social and emotional needs of your multilingual learners, visit the recent Voices from the Field article by Matt Hajdun and Esther Bettney, Build social-emotional support and maintain community.
How might we support a translanguaging pedagogy in our schools?
At the American School of Bombay (ASB), translanguaging beliefs and strategies are embedded throughout the curriculum and the culture. Students are encouraged to use their home language to engage with and process content. For example, in an online Jamboard activity, instructions were provided visually in multiple languages. Through the chat function or virtual breakout rooms, students with the same home language can talk about their ideas in their home language, before sharing with the class in English.

Students in the earlier stages of language development can use their home language during online/in-person assessments. As students submit work in their home language, community interpreters help teachers translate student work. This helps teachers to understand whether or not a student understands grade-level content in any language, not only in English.

ASB models translanguaging in parent outreach, as well. For example, translation is available for both in-person and virtual school presentations to provide access points for multilingual families, as shown in this slideshow. Schoolwide surveys show families are actively engaging with these translanguaging tools.
How might we practice translanguaging strategies to enhance learning?
Create school and classroom environments that value and represent diverse cultures and languages

Multilingual and culturally diverse resources (texts, anchor charts, labels, multilingual word walls/word banks, journals, signs, greetings, songs, etc.)

Involve parents in sharing stories, traditions, and words/phrases in home languages through videos and joining online classrooms

Encourage families to discuss subject/concepts learned in school (e.g. units of inquiry) in their home language

Adopting an assets-based approach by getting to know your students' linguistic and cultural strengths through student portraits and activities that highlight their multicultural and multilingual identities

Use technology tools to encourage translanguaging practices for both receptive and expressive use

Use online translators (Google Translate, Microsoft Translator and Immersive Reader, iTranslate, wordreference.com, etc.) to translate key vocabulary or transcribe text for online lessons and record lessons so students can listen to them again in their language of choice

Use multimedia reading resources in many languages such as Unite for Literacy, International Children's Digital Library, and Global Storybooks Portal so students can read the text first in their home language, then in English

Provide research tools for students, such as EBSCO, Britannica School, and PowerKnowledge, which have translation and audio features

Have students engage in discussions in same-language groupings (such as in breakout rooms) for cooperative learning in their home language.

Resources

A version of this article originally appeared in the WIDA Newsletter.
is at the American School of Bombay. Esther Bettney is with the WIDA International Program.

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Fostering a Translanguaging Pedagogy within a Blended Learning Environment | The International Educator (TIE Online)

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Image © 2020 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Used with permission._______________________________________________________________________________ Seo-yoon, an early elementary learner in the EAL program, connects both online and in-person within a blended learning model with her multilingual classmates. As she gets ready to write a personal narrative her teacher considers how to help her access the instructions.

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5 Step Vocabulary Instruction for Early Years

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5 Step Vocabulary Instruction for Early Years

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Calderon 5-Step Process for Vocabulary Instruction (1)

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AIST IST Day 2 Session 2 Writing Progressions

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AIST IST Day 2 Session 2 Writing Progressions (1)

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AIST IST Day 2 Session 2 Writing Progressions (2)

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Components of Balanced Literacy with Links EKC

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AISA IST_Interactive / Shared Writing Quick Plan

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Shared Reading - Possible flow across the days

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Shared Reading - Possible flow across the days

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Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play

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Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play

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In kindergartens these days, children spend more time with math worksheets and phonics flashcards than building blocks and finger paint. Kindergarten is becoming more like the rest of school. In Lifelong Kindergarten , learning expert Mitchel Resnick argues for exactly the opposite: the rest of school (even the rest of life) should be more like kindergarten. To thrive in today's fast-changing world, people of all ages must learn to think and act creatively―and the best way to do that is by focusing more on imagining, creating, playing, sharing, and reflecting, just as children do in traditional kindergartens.

Drawing on experiences from more than thirty years at MIT's Media Lab, Resnick discusses new technologies and strategies for engaging young people in creative learning experiences. He tells stories of how children are programming their own games, stories, and inventions (for example, a diary security system, created by a twelve-year-old girl), and collaborating through remixing, crowdsourcing, and large-scale group projects (such as a Halloween-themed game called Night at Dreary Castle , produced by more than twenty kids scattered around the world). By providing young people with opportunities to work on projects, based on their passions, in collaboration with peers, in a playful spirit, we can help them prepare for a world where creative thinking is more important than ever before.

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Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play (The MIT Press)

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Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play (The MIT Press) [Resnick, Mitchel, Robinson, Ken] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play (The MIT Press)

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Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

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Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

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Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children’s Learning

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Amazon.com: Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children’s Learning: 9781571103895: Johnston, Peter H.: Books

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Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness

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Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness

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In Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness , author Katie Cunningham links what we know from the science of happiness with what we know about effective literacy instruction. When given a choice about what to write, children express hopes, fears, and reactions to life's experiences. Literacy learning is full of opportunities for students to learn tools to live a happy life.

Inside, you'll find:

Seven Pillars: Cunningham discusses the seven pillars that guide her classrooms and are involved in each literacy lesson-Connection, Choice, Challenge, Play, Story, Discovery, and Movement.

Ten Invitations: Designed for teachers to improvise and make their own, these ten lessons may be presented at any time of year in the context of any unit and include children's literature suggestions as well as recommended teacher talk to meet children's specific needs.

Teaching Tools: Tools and resources that will help students tell their stories and make literacy learning something all students celebrate and cherish.

This book honors the adventure that learning is meant to be and aims to make happiness more tangible in the classroom. By infusing school days with happiness, teachers can support children as they become stronger readers, writers, and thinkers, while also helping them learn that strength comes from challenge, and joy comes from leading a purposeful life.

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Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness

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Amazon.com: Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness: 9781625312839: Cunningham, Katie: Books

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Texts you've studied together - photocopies of pages to teach from
Teacher written text (familiar)

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by Anna Gratz Cockerille​

In most reading and writing units, students work in partnerships to support and extend their work. Over time, even very young students can learn to turn to a partner as the first line of defense when trouble arises. When they encounter a tricky word in their reading, for example, they can ask a partner for help rather than running to a teacher. Or, when they aren't sure what to write about, they can ask a partner to spend a couple of minutes brainstorming. As Lucy Calkins writes in A Guide to the Reading Workshop: Primary Grades, "Partner time is designed to give young readers a second wind, renewing their energy to continue on" (p. 52). The same is true for young writers, too. With a bit of extra instruction and time, partners can learn to act as confidantes, sounding boards, and cheerleaders for each other, spurring each other on to do their best work.

Some tips to help with setting up partnerships:

Consider social dynamics. Partnerships are usually the most successful when the teacher selects them. It seems in line with the independence we try to instill in students in reading and writing workshop to let them choose their own partners. However, most teachers' experience shows that the best friends students choose to play with on the playground do not make the most focused, supportive partners in the classroom.

Consider levels. In writing, partnerships do not need to be ability based. Often students who have different strengths make great partners, such as one whose strength is detail and one whose strength is organization. in reading, partners should be reading at or very close to the same level, particularly if you have multiple copies of books that they can read together.

Consider personality. Often, quiet students partner well with other quiet students, and talkative students partner well with other talkative students. Make sure that no student is in a partnership where her voice will not be heard.

Consider longevity of partnerships. Ideally, partners stay together for an entire unit. If a partnership really not working well, they can be changed mid-unit. If a partnership is very strong, they might stay together for the next unit, as well.

Consider English Language Learners. ELLs are best supported by partnering them with a proficient speaker. Or, if they are pre-emergent speakers, they might work in a triad with two proficient speakers who can act as models.

At this week's TCRWP Twitter chat, staff developers Jessica Greiss and Ann Keyser will be on hand to talk about ways to get great partnerships up and going in reading and writing right at the start of the school year. Please join for tips on how to tap into this powerful structure in your classroom.

Anna Gratz Cockerille, Coauthor of Bringing History to Life (Grade 4) in the Units of Study for Teaching Writing Series.

Anna was a teacher and a literacy coach in New York City and in Sydney, Australia, and later became a Staff Developer and Writer at TCRWP. She served as an adjunct instructor in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, and taught at several TCRWP institutes, including the Content Literacy Institute, where she helped participants bring strong literacy instruction into social studies classrooms. Anna also has been a researcher for Lucy Calkins, contributing especially to Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement (Heinemann 2012), and Navigating Nonfiction in the Units of Study for Teaching Reading, Grades 3-5 series (Heinemann 2010). Most recently, Anna served as an editor for the Units of Study for Teaching Reading, K-5 series.

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Setting up Strong Reading and Writing Partnerships at the Beginning of a New School Year

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by Anna Gratz Cockerille​ In most reading and writing units, students work in partnerships to support and extend their work. Over time, even very young students can learn to turn to a partner as the first line of defense when trouble arises.

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This time has unsettled us. This time has unnerved us. This time has ripped away so much of what we once took for granted. But if history is to act as teacher in any way, it is only when we, as humans, band and work together toward a common purpose that we overcome adverse times such as these. In our blog series this week, the team at Two Writing Teachers hopes to support you in the common purpose of building community in your classrooms, however those classrooms may look this year. I believe one important building block of community is helping kids feel connected to other kids. Human beings are social creatures. One way to help them feel connected is through partnerships.
Why Partnerships?
As humans, we tend to get better at something when we are striving alongside another person. Sometimes this person is a coach or mentor. But even more powerful can be the valuable presence of and ongoing input from another individual who is actively seeking to further the skill set you are working to further. In a writing workshop, partnerships are crucial for a variety of reasons. One important reason for establishing partnerships is, of course, to create an instructional support structure that serves to help kids become stronger writers. As Lucy Calkins, author and Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York City, writes in A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop (2014), (p. 50). "[Partners] are two people who can work together to help each other raise the level of their writing"

But beyond the goal of raising the levels of writing, partners can play a key role in laying the foundation for a connected writing community. As we all know, this year will bring levels of uncertainty not previously experienced by any of us in our lifetimes. Will in-person instruction be possible? Sustainable? Will we all be relegated to remote instruction for another period of time in order to maintain safety of students and staff? Will some of us be teaching in some type of hybrid model? At the time of the writing of this post, these questions are weighing heavily on the minds of all stakeholders. But one thing remains certain: As educators, we will want our kids to feel connected to part of a community. And in a writing workshop, that means a community of writers. Just think about the power of having someone (or perhaps a couple of someones) in a community that is your person - your partner. Facilitating that sense of connection is our goal: Each writer feel s seen, valued, and heard.
Forming and Supporting Partnerships During the Age of COVID-19
One of the important pillars of effective writing instruction is choice . We recognize choice as an important element to engagement with writing. We ask:

We know voice and choice matter not only for engagement, but for equity, as stated by Dr. Deirdra Preis from Northeastern University College for Professional Studies in a recent antiracist teach-in event. The same holds true for partnerships. We can ask:

Ask writers to consider what that might mean. Perhaps it could mean someone who would push them to get better? Perhaps it means someone who would be good at helping them with ideas? Perhaps it means a friend with whom they already feel comfortable working? Consider organizing opportunities early in the first unit for writers to "try out" different partners- at a six-foot distance or on Zoom. These brief interactions, either during active involvements or partner shares, can give writers a sense for how a partnership with this person might go.

Whatever way we choose to form partnerships, it is important that they are not just "assigned" without input from our writers. If our goal is to build community, then incorporating student voice must be a baked-in, integral part of the process - even if it means occasionally negotiating a partnership or triad for a student who may struggle with social interaction.

Once partnerships are formed, how, in this current state, might we support them? Without the certainty of in-class writing workshop, how will partners stay connected? This is a consideration worthy of thoughtful planning. A few ideas I am imagining could be useful:

In-person/Socially distant -The Center for Disease Control recommends seating that is separated three to six feet apart and facing the same direction. During a minilesson (presumably not in a meeting area during COVID-19), partners turning and talking may need to turn the volume up on their voices. Perhaps teachers can assign A and B partnerships for this. If this seems undoable due to muffling caused by masks, consider using whiteboards (if feasible). Even gestures might be encouraged for partner communication.

Google - Since sitting close together, nor exchanging papers will likely not be options this fall, consider providing some direct instruction (or guided practice) on how to use the feature in Google Docs. This useful function allows partnerships to share ideas without risking close proximity or human contact. Another handy Google feature worthy of consideration is . As my TWT colleague Amy Ellerman pointed out recently, Google Chat is a way writersGoogle Chat could stay connected, messaging back and forth- perhaps in whole group, small group, or between individuals. If kids need partners to cheer each other on, check in, or ask questions (not attached to a specific doc), this tool might prove helpful.

Remote, synchronous/asynchronous - At all times, but especially during this time, it will be important to make a big deal about the value of a writing partner. We will really want writers connecting with their partners regularly, whether in-person or remotely. Two possible ideas to consider might be:

Help writers set up time to connect: Partnerships may benefit from a concrete schedule, like the one . Sometimes facilitating partner meetings with a schedule, especially when working in a remote or hybrid model, can help to build writerly relationships by making it more likely that partners can connect. Another useful tool many teachers have found success with is . This platform allows partner one to record short videotaped feedback, and partner two the flexibility to view it when they are able. A type of asynchronous back and forth like this sometimes works better for writers with busy or unpredictable household learning environments.

When planning for synchronous meetings with small groups, schedule some time with partnerships - especially early on. Let writers know you will be inquiring:

By checking in, we can build in a quiet and supportive expectation that partnerships are happening. We can also help to trouble-shoot or answer questions if partners are perhaps experiencing difficulty or need temporary teacher support.
Partnerships: Phases of Community-Building
Many of you reading this post have likely made writing partnerships a regular part of your writing workshop in the past. But if you are like me, you have sometimes felt that much of the potential for meaningful interaction around writing has remained unfulfilled. In other words, kids just aren't great at being writing partners. One possible way to address this challenge is through a little focused teaching on partnership work itself. The following is one possible sequence of phases for teaching into partnerships for building community. I am imagining each phase could be perhaps a week, perhaps longer, depending on your students.

Phase One: Acknowledgement - One of my great mentors once taught me, "If you want to light someone up, acknowledge them." In my own life, I have found this to be true nearly 100% of the time. Want to make a student smile and feel good about their work? Acknowledge them. Want to diffuse and connect to an upset parent? Acknowledge them. In her book, The Power of Acknowledgement , Judith Umlas writes (2006), " (cited ). We can teach writers simple ways to acknowledge each other for efforts in their writing. This simple but powerful move of acknowledgement can not only bring attention to the good work each writer is doing, but it can help build connections between partners, thereby strengthening a writing community. Take, for example, a compliment-only conference structure (that could be explicitly taught): "Truthful, heartfelt and deserved acknowledgement always makes a difference, sometimes a profound one, in a person's life and work

An illustration of this conference might sound like, "Alex, you started your story with action. That's important because it really brings a reader into your story! you're writing a story, you should do this because it really works well!" Formulaic? Yes. But it is a place to begin, and with practice, writers will become more skilled, more elaborate, and hopefully more authentic.

Phase Two: Listening An important part of truly feeling part of a community is to feel like you are being listened to regularly. Unfortunately, listening is not something humans do well naturally. There are many for this, but we can improve with a little training. Now that partnerships know what it means to acknowledge another writer (for something written), consider devoting some teaching to the aural skill of listening. Three tips taken from a 1957 might help: Harvard Business Review article

1. Be aware of how our minds take regular sidetracks - since humans think faster than they speak, our minds tend to take quick journeys to do other things while someone is talking to us. This can take away from comprehending what your partner is telling you.

2. To cope with natural mental sidetracks, work on periodically summarizing what your partner is talking about by saying, "Okay, so what you are saying is . . . Is that right?" Partners can help each other by taking a line of discourse from the following chart or bookmark:

Ultimately, a powerful partner listens not because they are required to do so, but because they are genuinely interested. As Peter Johnston writes in his book Opening Minds (2012),

Perhaps it seems trivial to mention this, but in order to have dialogue, people have to listen to one another. I mention this because really listening to a partner is less common than it might seem, and because there is listening and then there is listening. Listening because you are interested is quite different from listening as a matter of vigilance or responsibility. The more children come to appreciate each other as interesting and as sources of learning, the less they need vigilant listening, which is exhausting rather than enlivening (p. 100).

Phase Three: Feedback - Once writers have had some practice acknowledging and truly listening to their partner, they may be ready to provide some useful feedback. With relationships now somewhat established, partners can begin to play an important role in providing a safe audience from which to elicit reactions, comments, or ideas. Response from others is essential when kids are learning to write, and partners can play an important role in that regard. But again, as stated earlier, most kids are not naturally good at providing useful feedback to another writer. Therefore, partners will need tools , such as student-facing checklists, mentor texts, and exemplars (I wrote a post about partnerships and tools last year), as well as explicit instruction on how to use those tools. In the age of COVID-19, I plan to offer a few ways I imagine we might incorporate tools as part of our curriculum for partnerships in some future posts.
Conclusion
Partners can play an important role in establishing community. They can provide a way to establish community inside a writing workshop in the ways discussed here; but partners can also be a way to connect outside the writing workshop. Last spring, some kids started spontaneously inviting each other to remain online after meetings or instruction. Some chose to "eat lunch together" on Zoom. Without the freedom to get to know one another after school in each other's homes or play together in parks or on teams, kids may have a difficult time creating bonds with new classmates. Partnerships may also serve to create possibility in this way as well.

* Thank you to Larkin Meehan for the featured image artwork in this week's posts.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

This giveaway is for a copy of En Comunidad: Lessons for Centering the Voices and Experiences of Bilingual Latinx Students by Carla España and Luz Yadira Herrera. Thanks to for donating a copy for one reader. Please note: You have a U.S.A. mailing address - Sorry, no FPOs - to win a print copy of this book.

For a chance to win this copy of En Comunidad , please leave a comment about this or any blog post in this blog series by Sunday, August 9th at 6:00 p.m. EDT. Betsy Hubbard will use a random number generator to pick the winner's commenter number. His/her name will be announced in the ICYMI blog post for this series on Monday, August 10th. Please leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment so Betsy can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win. From there, our contact at Heinemann will ship the book to you. (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)

If you are the winner of the book, Betsy will email you with the subject line of TWO WRITING TEACHERS - SEEN, VALUED, HEARD. Please respond to her e-mail with your mailing address within five days of receipt. A new winner will be chosen if a response isn't received within five days of the giveaway announcement.

For more than 29 years, Lanny has taught, coached, presented, staff developed, and consulted within the exciting and enigmatic world of literacy. With unyielding passion and belief in the possibility of workshop teaching, Lanny has worked to support students, teachers, and school administrators around the country in outgrowing themselves as both writers and readers. Working first as a classroom teacher, then as a coach and TCRWP Staff Developer, Lanny is now a literacy specialist, working and living in the great state of Connecticut. Outside of literacy, he enjoys raising his three ambitious young daughters with his wife, and playing the piano. Find him on this blog, as well as on Twitter @LannyBall. Lanny is also a former co-author of a blog dedicated to supporting writing teachers and coaches that maintain classroom writing workshops, twowritingteachers.org. View all posts by Lanny Ball

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Seen, Valued, Heard: Writing Partnerships to Establish Community

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In our blog series this week, the team at Two Writing Teachers hopes to support you in the common purpose of building community in your classrooms, however those classrooms may look this year. One important building block of community is helping kids feel connected through partnerships.

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For Jessica:
Yes, partnerships generally last the length of a unit, sometimes longer. Multilinguals sharing a language can be partners to support translanguaging. MLs not sharing the same language can for a triad with a strong and inclusive partnership, taking on the role of listener for the first while.

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"Finally, a book that has the power to stop the literacy pendulum swings! In Shifting the Balance, Burkins and Yates skillfully explore 'balanced literacy' and 'the science of reading' to find the sweet spots where they overlap, connect, and actually complement one another. The result is a resource that raises our level of instruction while helping children discover and reap the joyful rewards of reading."

"What are the research-based, critical elements for teaching reading? In Shifting the Balance, Jan and Kari give you the information, classroom examples, and tools to help you make the best decisions around six key shifts for instruction. After reviewing the misunderstandings, the science, and the needs of your students, you will be able to audit your current practices (individually, in a PLC, or system-wide) to provide responsive and effective literacy learning for all your students."

"In Shifting the Balance, Jan and Kari invite us to reflect and reexamine our beliefs about teaching reading. They gently nudge us to rethink and possibly adjust our early literacy practices. Jan and Kari have taken on this controversial topic by embracing vulnerability and modeling what it means to be truly reflective practitioners. This book is a must read for new and veteran teachers!"

"In Shifting the Balance, Kari and Jan have masterfully dispelled many of the myths and misunderstandings associated with reading instruction. Additionally, they offer classroom teachers and coaches six simple, practical shifts that have the power to transform the way we teach children how to read. Indeed, balanced literacy and science do exist in harmony, and we practitioners can offer our children both concurrently. Thank you, Kari and Jan, for this important work that is sure to change lives!"

"In Shifting the Balance, Jan Burkins and Kari Yates provide a safe space for teachers to courageously examine some long-held balanced literacy practices and turn a critical eye to where those practices have gotten out of balance. If you're willing to be vulnerable and move towards resolving the gap between research and practice, this book provides actionable steps you can take to shift your thinking and bring instruction into alignment with the scientific evidence."

"Shifting the Balance is a welcoming opportunity to reexamine our familiar teaching practices. Without judgment, Burkins and Yates invigorate these practices by inviting educators to make scientific shifts in the systems that have been in place for years. This book will revolutionize reading instruction and in turn, the lives of countless students."

"This book speaks to teachers. It is overwhelmingly clear that Jan Burkins and Kari Yates have been and are immersed in the world of today's classrooms. Shifting the Balance will help many rethink instruction in ways that will support all students. In the current version of the Reading Wars, it is difficult for any of us to say we were wrong about some of our beliefs or practices. And thus, few do. However, Jan Burkins and Kari Yates have done just that. This is as commendable as it is unusual."

"This book found me at just the right time! Shifting the Balance gives voice to the questions I've had in my mind about Balanced Literacy and the Science of Reading and provides clear insights on how to connect the best parts of both to benefit early readers. Throughout the book, Jan and Kari confirm practices worth holding onto while providing actionable next steps I can't wait to implement with students to strengthen my reading instruction."

Dr. Jan Burkins was an elementary classroom teacher for seven years and a literacy coach for seven years. She has worked as a part-time assistant professor, a district literacy leader, and is currently a fulltime writer and consultant.

Kari Yates is an author, speaker, consultant and staff developer with a passion for helping busy literacy educators thrive. Her experiences include classroom teacher, special education, Reading Recovery teacher, elementary principal and district literacy coordinator.

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Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom

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Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom

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Student checklists

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DeepL
https://www.deepl.com/en/translator

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Tech giants Google, Microsoft and Facebook are all applying the lessons of machine learning to translation, but a small company called DeepL has outdone them all and raised the bar for the field.
Its translation tool is just as quick as the outsized competition, but more accurate and nuanced than any we've tried.

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DeepL Translate: The world's most accurate translator

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Translate texts & full document files instantly. Accurate translations for individuals and Teams. Millions translate with DeepL every day.

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AISA IST Day 2 Session 3 Writing Progressions

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Heart Word Magic - Read and Spell High Frequency Words | Really Great Reading

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Heart Word Magic - Help Students Learn to Read and Spell High-Frequency and Sight WordsHeart Word Magic is a complimentary teaching tool designed to help students learn to read and spell high-frequency words and sight words, particularly those that aren’t very decodable. Show your students the animations, then try these fun, hands-on free Student Practice

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G4 - Reading Assessment & Teaching Grammar

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Jeff Anderson and literacy coach Whitney La Rocca take you into primary and intermediate classrooms where students are curious about language, engage with the world around them, and notice and experiment with the conventions all writers use. Instead of chanting grammar rules or completing countless convention worksheets, we invite young writers to explore conventions as special effects devices that activate meaning. Our students study authentic texts and come to recognize these "patterns of power"-the essential grammar conventions that readers and writers require to make meaning.
The first part of the book introduces a vibrant approach to grammar instruction and sets up what you need to immerse yourself in the Patterns of Power process, inviting students to experiment and play with language. The second part of the book offers over seventy practical, ready-to-use lessons, including:

Extensive support materials

Over 100 mentor sentences, curated for grades 1-5

Tips and power notes to facilitate your own knowledge and learning

Examples for application

In Patterns of Power Jeff and Whitney suggest that taking just five minutes from your reading workshop and five minutes from your writing workshop to focus on how the conventions connect reading and writing will miraculously affect your students' understanding of how language works for readers and writers.

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Patterns of Power: Inviting Young Writers into the Conventions of Language, Grades 1-5

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Buy Patterns of Power: Inviting Young Writers into the Conventions of Language, Grades 1-5: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com

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This is a menu:

I can participate in reader’s workshop.

I read every day and learn ways to read for longer and longer stretches of time (stamina)

I can change my voice volume to fit the job of reading (whisper reading).

I can choose books I want to read and share with others.

I can work well in my partnerships (taking turns talking, taking turns reading, choosing what to talk about, acting out characters, acting out story or bits of story, teaching (info text)).

I can show my partner I’m interested by looking at them and saying something back.

I can celebrate my reading success by sharing it with others!

I can use my imagination to help me dive into my reading.

I can use pictures and think about what I already know to read and talk about books (emphasis on informational here).

*I can read a book in different ways (read pictures, read words, retell story).

I can choose books based on what I feel like reading and learning about (purpose in mind -  looking at front cover, picture walk, interests, familiar book, try reading words...etc….)

I can pretend to be the characters in books.

I can read and sound like a storyteller when I’m reading a book I know well.

I can read informational books by sounding like an expert.

I can retell stories.

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I can tell a story about things /people / places / animals  I know and do / know a lot about (fiction /nonfiction)

I can find my story

I can use a voice people can hear

I can look at my audience when telling my stories

I can actively listen when others tell stories

I can take turns being a speaker and a listener

I can listen and respond to the speaker

I can think of ways to get story ideas when I’m stuck (books, friends, anchor chart)

I can choose and think about a story to share, and then share it

I can plan my story by thinking of the idea and then rehearsing it to myself (oral)

I can think, picture and say my story to myself and to my partner

I can celebrate because I’m a storyteller!