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Peer Editing & Conferencing in Third Grade 

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Peer Editing & Conferencing in Third Grade 

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Peer editing is an underused strategy but it is one that "allows writers to gain insight into how their words are understood by others" (Fisher, Frey, & Akhaan, 2020) in a low-anxiety environment. Consider the following video and critique this strategy as far as its effectiveness in the class that is showcased in the video as well as how it may or may not work with your current students.

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Michelle Lawrence helps her students turn their brainstorm into a paragraph.

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Writing a paragraph with high school ELLs

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Personal Anecdotes & Middle School Writing

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Personal Anecdotes & Middle School Writing

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View the following video and reflect on the these questions:
Why is it a powerful strategy to have a peer read narrative writing aloud to the writer?
How does this approach help students understand the revision process?
How does the discussion at the end of the lesson enhance student writing skills?

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ELA.W.8.5

Common core State Standards

ELA: English Language Arts

W: Writing Standards 6-12

8: 8th Grade

5:
With some guidance and support from peers and
adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed
by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed. (Editing for
conventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1-\x80\x933 up to and including grade
8 on page 52.)

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. Why is it a powerful strategy to have a peer read narrative writing aloud to the writer?

2. How does this approach help students understand the revision process?

3. How does the discussion at the end of the lesson enhance student writing skills?

School Details

Marshall Middle School
9700 Avenue Of Nations
San Diego CA 92131

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Using Personal Anecdotes to Improve Writing Skills

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Eighth grade ELA teacher Jean Chalupsky shares her lesson on personal anecdotes. She focuses on helping students improve their writing skills but also on having them think about what their writing says about them as individuals. After students complete their first draft, they pair up and listen to their own writing read aloud.

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View the following video and consider these questions:

1. How does Ms. Brewer tailor this lesson to the needs of English Language Learners?

2. What kinds of questions does Ms. Brewer ask to guide her students' discussions?

3. How does this activity prepare students for writing?

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ELA.SL.5.1

Common core State Standards

ELA: English Language Arts

SL: Speaking and Listening

5: 5th Grade

1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled)
with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and
texts, building on others'\x80\x99 ideas and expressing
their own clearly.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read
or studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information
known about the topic to explore ideas under
discussion.

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and
carry out assigned roles.

c. Pose and respond to specific questions by
making comments that contribute to the
discussion and elaborate on the remarks of
others.

d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw
conclusions in light of information and
knowledge gained from the discussions.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

|

ELA.RI.5.1

Common core State Standards

ELA: English Language Arts

RI: Reading Standards for Informational Text K-\x80\x935

5: 5th Grade

1:
Quote accurately from a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How does Ms. Brewer tailor this lesson to the needs of English Language Learners?

2. What kinds of questions does Ms. Brewer ask to guide her students' discussions?

3. How does this activity prepare students for writing?

School Details

Stevenson Elementary School
14220 Ne 8th St
Bellevue WA 98007

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Analyzing Texts: Brainstorm Before Writing

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After reading an informational text about Lewis and Clark, 5th grade teacher Stacy Brewer has students work in small groups. The groups discuss what they read, citing specific information in the text and drawing inferences when appropriate. While students talk, Stacy circulates around the room and guides their discussion by asking questions.

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View this short video and skim/scan the article posted below.
Consider the following questions:

1. How does this strategy encourage deep understanding?

2. Why is it important that students participate in low-stakes writing?

3. How can you use this strategy in your classroom or in your unit plan?

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Writing to Learn is a great teaching strategy that helps encourage deep understanding of concepts with students. Here are some thoughts on how teachers can use Writing to Learn with their own lessons.

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View the video below and consider the following questions:
What can you suppose the mini lesson for this writer's workshop entailed? How effective was the mini lesson in getting students to write?
How did students use their own ideas to craft their writing?
How effective was the time the teacher spent conferencing with students and why?

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Low-Stakes Writing and Critical Thinking

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Low-Stakes Writing and Critical Thinking

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Skim/scan this article along with the video above to consider the benefits of low-stakes writing.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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View the video and consider the following:
1. Why is measuring impact so important?
2. Identify some strategies for measuring impact. How will they work with your students?
3. How might teacher clarity play a role in gathering accurate student data?

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View the following video and reflect on the following:
1. What are the benefits of regular assessments in determing the process f ELLs?
2. What are the pitfalls with tight assessment schedules when working with ELLs?
3. What are the benefits of co-assessment of student work - when teachers review results and exam items as a team?
4. What are the dangers of only assessing ELLs content knowledge or not setting language learning goals and knowing they are met?

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Reflect on your learning and post the following:
THREE things you learned or affirmed what you already knew
TWO questions you still have
One idea that stuck with you

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Listen to some of the leaders in the field of education talk about assessment practices and reflect how these ideas might influence your way of thinking about testing not only ELLs but all students to determine their true know and potential.

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Performance assessments offer a richer, more holistic approach to evaluating what students know and can do.

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Measuring impact is important because you only want to spend time on strategies that are serving your students. You need to adjust your teaching and your strategies to make sure your students understand. Many times, we think, that the students need to change the way they learn, however we need to adapt and change the way we teach. A simple way to measure impact is through informal assessments such as exit and entrance tickets. You can do a 3,2,1. Three is I understand, two, I have questions, or one, I need explaining. Teacher clarity is of the upmost importance. You need to explain instruction in clear terms that anyone can understand.

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I believe the mini lesson entailed descriptive writing and/or words that rhyme when answering a question to make your writing more interesting. It seemed that the teacher did a great job with the mini lesson because the students were engaged and excited to write and share what they had written. I also enjoyed watching the teacher confer with the students. I was able to see what two students had written and how they expanded their writing using descriptive language. I also liked when the teacher pointed out that the one girl had used the word "passed" a few times, but it did not make the teacher not want to read it. Sharing at the end of the lesson the teacher was able to address the concept of tired words once again and the students shared their favorite sentence, which I thought was a great teaching point and idea within the writing workshop.

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Ms. Brewer tailored the lesson to meet the needs of the ELL learners by having the ELL students be able to use their knowledge and content language during their brainstorming discussions about Lewis & Clark. By Ms. Brewer asking the student groups questions such as How do you know it took them less time to come back than to go on this journey? and also in one group, she asked a boy Did it tell you in the text the information that you are sharing?  Ms. Brewer was making sure that they were coming to the discussion prepared to speak about the text and listen to make sure their peers were providing accurate information. She made sure they were working collaboratively to have the same and agreed-upon information. Also, by asking for this information she was addressing the Common Core Standard for Reading Informational Text where the students had to draw inferences and quote accurately from the text itself. She did ask at one point what page did you see that on? So the students had to go back and refer to the text for the exact information.
This activity prepares the students for the upcoming writing activity by making sure that the students have the correct pertinent information that they will need for the writing activity.

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I want to hear all of the poems!  This lesson would make anyone want to write.  It was an exciting and universal topic.  The mini-lesson provided a read aloud that made the students think.  The lesson also focused on the use of words and their importance.  I love the term, "tired words" and the student's very concerned question about the need to use them.  The students are then asked to think about the title of the book and what they might be curious about.  From there, the students are given time to start drafting their ideas.  The teacher sits and conferences with them as they are writing and revising.  She offers affirmation of their writing while mentioning good writing strategies.
I feel that the peer discussion and sharing is the most important component. Writers need an audience. Telling the students to circle and read their favorite line is a great way for them to self assess. They were all very proud to share their work!

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Why is it a powerful strategy to have a peer read narrative writing aloud to the writer?

This is powerful because students can hear what their story sounds like read aloud through someone else. This provides a window into how the reader will perceive and interpret the meaning or feeling. This can then allow the writer to reflect and revise their piece as needed. This may also allow them to feel less judged.

How does this approach help students understand the revision process?

This approach helps students to understand the revision process and when they read their own writing piece, they may think its written well and no revisions are needed. But when listening to someone else, they can hear areas where grammar needs to be adjusted or they can hear where they did not convey what they meant.

How does the discussion at the end of the lesson enhance student writing skills?

The discussion at the end allows for the students to connect themselves to the work they are doing. That these anecdotal writings are connected to who they are as people. This type of writing enables students to be open and share with their classmates. Students can realize they relate to one another through shared experiences or similar experiences and not just because they go to the same school.

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Low Stakes writing encourages deep understanding because the student will organize their own thoughts, process and write the information where they can retain it.  Low stakes writing allows for a stress free experience for the student and is suitable in every subject. Students naturally are stressed when they are writing and it will be graded, but allowing for writing with no grade attached allows the student to learn with no pressure. It allows the student to invest and own their learning. Teaching Kindergarten, I could possibly implement this strategy mid year. This is the time when most of the class is able to write. I will try this after reading a poem to my students and have them tell me their favorite line and why. An open ended question like this is best for low stakes and I think all students would enjoy this assignment. Having them share their answers with a small group will allow for them to learn from each other.

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I think peer editing is a great strategy that I don't often consider doing with my third graders. The teacher gave very clear directions and set up a very positive learning environment for these students. Students felt comfortable and less stress meeting with their peer knowing that their peer wouldn't be grading their writing. The students were engaged and the teacher was given the opportunity to walk around the room and listen in on productive talk while all students were engaged and working. I am always hesitant to use this strategy because I do have some students who really struggle with writing. While this learning environment appeared to work, I am always nervous about the student who didn't do much writing being judged by a classmate and then causing more stress on that student. I think this all depends on the level of your students and the makeup of your class.

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Low stakes writing is a great tool to encourage everyday writing at all grade levels. Being in a class of 20 plus students, where some will overshadow others, discussions can be limited for informal assessments. By utilizing low stakes writing the students can share their thoughts with minimal stress. The teacher will be able to make their own noticings about how well the student knows the concept or what connections they are making to the topic.
This type of writing is important because it will ultimately improve their more formalized writing. Students should be writing everyday, across the curriculum, but it can be very taxing to always feel the pressure of graded assignments and structured formats. Quick writes can increase comprehension and retention. Plus the students will feel more confident to revisit their writing when they need to edit or revise it, since they already have a base to work with.
Teaching at the first grade level I make sure my students are writing everyday, but it is mainly in writer's or reader's workshop. I can see how incorporating low stakes writing can be beneficial even at the primary level. The only concern I have is the amount of time it may take some of my students, especially in the beginning of the year. I can see including quick drawings or word webs to help them. For example, draw a picture or write a sentence of what this story made you think of. Or write down words that come to your mind as I am reading this story to you. By the end of the school year the students are stronger writers and have more control of their phonetic skills, so incorporating more low stakes writing activities would be easier to manage.

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This is always a great way to end a unit, or week in the upper elementary classroom. It can often be time consuming though and the teacher needs to decide if the task is worth it. Will they answers give them the data they are looking for and what do they plan on doing with the answers the students give?

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I really enjoyed this video. I agree that peer editing as kind of went out the window for a few reasons. One, because it takes time to do it correctly. Two, because a lot of teachers don't really know who to use it effectively. I think this video really showed how it can be used and why it is important. I think about all the time how I wish I could use my imagination or think that way. As we grow up we learn what is right and wrong and lose sense of imagination. When students read and write they might be thinking of something totally different than us. So having peers edit and explain to them helps the students better understand what makes sense and what might need to be explained better. Also, this way was great because it was on the computer so it made it easier for students to read. As we know younger student's handwriting can be very difficult to read. They highlighted those signal words, and the students were able to see that right away and give positive feedback. I also love how she said the student with long hair goes first, this helps students break the ice when working with a peer as well. I think I would use this in my teaching in the future.

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Evaluating your students is a lens into their performance. From measuring impact teachers can adapt their instructional methods to best fit the needs of the students in that particular class. With ELL/MLL learners students they may succeed in one activity but struggle with others. There are many different ways to measure impact exit tickets and informal assessments are quick and easy way to measure student success. Students change year to year and so does their learning style. It is up to the teacher to adapt to the students, measuring the impact is the best way to do this.

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What a sweet group of kids! The kids that did present their writing had such wonderful poems! I think that this mini lesson for writer's workshop entailed students using specific words that described things they know of/have an interest in. I liked that the teacher referred to some vocabulary as "tired words." It is a great way to encourage students to step out of their comfort zone when describing something and to use words that they may not use as often. Such a great way to build vocabulary. From what I saw, the students were all very engaged and had a lot they wanted to share with their teacher and the class. It did not appear that any students hesitated to ask questions or have discussions with their teacher.

Students were read a book aloud and then the teacher had given the class time to think of ideas (relating to the title) for what they wanted to write.
I love how the teacher conferenced with her students 1:1. The one little girl who used the word "passed" repeatedly in her poem was made aware of using it over and over again but the teacher turned it into a positive. It was evident the student was excited to use the word- she stated it made things exciting. The teacher is definitely supportive and gives constructive criticism which the students clearly understood and implemented when writing.

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Measuring impact is a huge need that educators must consider, because of its impact on educational decisions in the classroom. This is also in my school known as making informed decisions. The fact is, the educators need to make decisions to influence and impact the changing student in 2022. The way that we can measure impact is through an exit ticket. This informal assessment lets us look at how our teaching impacts our students in the moment. This is especially important when thinking about how growth is measured by the institution and the state, so knowing if your classroom methods are working makes all of the difference.

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Peer editing is a fantastic tool for students to use to not only evaluate peers, but also grow their own writing abilities. The key in peer editing is in the way the teacher creates an environment of using mistakes as a learning experience. Even the video mentions that students want to hand in "the perfect" essay or written response, which makes it harder for the students to recognize mistakes to change, and learn, as they may ask how something looks sentence by sentence. The video presented a fully structured version of peer editing, where it is noticeable that the students were aware of how the protocol works and what their expectations are. This is learned and promotes students to write truly, as they will have someone view it before they hand it in.

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This concept of 3-2-1 is a fantastic way to determine the understanding of the students in the classroom. As a practice this is what I learned:
1. That peer editing, though a long process to perfect in a class, is invaluable to student's writing development.
2. All protocols can be tailored to ELL students. when the educators are fully educated themselves on the best practices.
3. Writer's Workshop is a valuable usage of class time for students to use in preparation for peer editing.
Questions:
1. What strategies can be implemented to an ELL class that will create consistency in the tailored protocols, class to class?
2. What PD can be available to general education teachers to prepare them for using tailored protocols in ELL classes, if they are teamed with an ELL teacher?
Idea:
1. The concept that with proper training and time to collaborate with colleagues, our ELL students could be in a great position to thrive.