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Improvement of Communication Through Speaking (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Speaking (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Viewing (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Viewing (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Writing and Reading (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Writing and Reading (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Listening (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Through Listening (audio)

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Improvement of Communication Skills Introduction (audio) 

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Improvement of Communication Skills Introduction (audio) 

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Improvement of Communication Skills Through Writer's Workshop

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Improvement of Communication Skills Through Writer's Workshop

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Writer’s workshop incorporates authentic practices within a consistent structure. All components of the workshop help students become actively engaged which allows them to improve on their communication skills in many different ways. Through a Writer’s Workshop, the students are able to express themselves and their ideas more freely.

-       Listening during Writer’s Workshop allows the students to better their communication skills by becoming active listeners. Active listening refers to comprehension and a mutual understanding of what has been said. The students will be able to decode what they hear throughout the workshop in their own words. This component is mainly used during the mini-lesson and in peer editing. Students are actively listening in a corrective and encouraging manner, as well as listening to form their own ideas.

-       Writing and reading are huge influential factors in improving communication skills. Through a Writer’s Workshop, students are given the chance to practice both. The more a child writes, they will become comfortable and willing to express themselves, in better, clearer ways. In using the writing process, the students are able to take their writing one step at a time. The more they use this process, the more they will apply it in their own everyday lives – in communicating with peers around them.  The more students read and are presented with the right form of sentence structure and various vocabulary, the better their skills will develop.

-       A Writers workshop also provides communication skills through viewing. Using direct visual representations will help the students understand main concepts and ideas within a story or specific writing. Having visuals during a mini lesson will allow the students to connect what they see, to what they hear, having them to reach a different set of skills in multitasking and implying.

-       During the sharing portion of a writer’s workshop, the students practice their skills of speaking slowly, clearly, and at an appropriate pace. They should use the correct inflection due to the punctuation and audience presented. Sharing and peer editing gives students more practice in active listening, allowing them to hear from others ideas to brainstorm and shape their own.

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Assessing your students’ writing and their development over the course of the school year. (3 Approaches/Instruments)

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Assessing your students’ writing and their development over the course of the school year. (3 Approaches/Instruments)

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Comprehensive Assessment—The range and scope of information and the type of data collected are based on the child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. A child’s success as a writer in first grade is tied to his fine motor development. A second grade student’s success in working in a cooperative learning group is dependent on both social and cognitive skills. Teachers need information about the student’s strengths and weaknesses in all areas to enhance their decision making and guide their instruction strategies.
Self-Assessment— Self-Assessment enables children to reflect on their progress. Teachers can help students assess their understanding by asking questions such as “What can I do very well? What are my personal strengths and interests? What skills can I improve? What is one thing on which I really want to work?” Teachers help model self-directed learning as they help each student learn the language and process of setting, recording, and evaluating goals.
Rubrics— Rubrics enable teachers and students to share a clear understanding of performance expectations that represent quality work. Motivation and objectivity are enhanced as students understand the criteria for the evaluation of their work. Children can reflect on and evaluate their own work with a clear understanding of standards. It is helpful to provide models to children showing examples of each level of the rubric. Children benefit from occasionally participating in the creation of a rubric for a class.

http://www.uen.org/k-2educator/downloads/writing_rubric.pdf
Reference
"Assessment in the Early Childhood Classroom - UEN." Assessment in the Early Childhood Classroom - UEN. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.

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Writing Workshop Management

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Video Example of Teacher Conferencing (view original)

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Example of Peer Conference/Teacher Conference Center

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How WW Enables Teachers to Support Students with Special Needs

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How WW Enables Teachers to Support Students with Special Needs

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Writing Workshop helps the students go through the writing process step by step with the teacher instead of being thrown into it. It is especially helpful to students with special needs because they might need to be guided and have more practice. During the mini lesson in a writing workshop the teacher model’s the writing, writes with the students and then let’s them write on their own. By using this method, struggling students can be slowly given responsibility of writing independently and also be helped along the way. They are also able to read their own work or a published book aloud to other students to help them practice in front of people their friends. It’s a different and helpful experience to read out loud to classmates instead of in head reading or just to a teacher. After reading, the students receive tips and praise from their classmates to help them better their writing and reading which makes the whole process more comfortable for them. Overall Writing Workshop supports students with special needs because it is much more detailed then most instruction and is process oriented to help the students and teacher help each other.

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A writing workshop is a technique of teaching writing instruction. Through the writing workshop, teachers mentor their students in order for them to learn the writing process. Students learn what it is like to be an author through this activity.

The main parts of a well-constructed writing workshop are a mentor text, mini lesson, independent writing time, conferencing, and finally sharing.

To start off the workshop, teachers read a mentor text to their students. This text could be a picture book, excerpt from a chapter book, news report, or magazine article. The point of the mentor text is to make a connection to what their mini lesson will be on. Teachers use this as an example of what good writing looks like, as well as a way to inspire or impact their students writing.

The mini lesson should last anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes. The importance of the mini lesson is to activate students’ prior knowledge, directly instruct a skill, model the skill, engage the students in discussing or practicing the skill, and connect the skill to other learned writing skills. It provides explicit instruction in a specific aspect of writing, and it is often recorded on chart paper. Many teachers use 'anchor charts,' which are later displayed around the room so that students can refer to them as they wish. The mini lesson focuses on four main areas: procedures and organization, strategies and processes, skills, craft and techniques.

The second component is independent writing time. This section typically lasts between 20 to 30 minutes. During this time, students are working their way through the writing process - planning, drafting, revising, conferencing, editing, publishing. Each student is writing on their own topic and in their own genre. A great tool that is used during this time is a 'Writers Notebook' or folder. It gives students their own place to write that they can bring home with them and practice whenever needed or desire.

The next step in a writing workshop is conferencing. This takes place during writing time. It can take place with a peer or with the teacher. It is designed to be kept short. Conferencing supports the writer with authentic responses that may help shape and develop the composition. When writers conference, they learn to listen to the wants and needs of the reader.

Finally, the last component of a writing workshop is sharing. This generally lasts between 5 to 10 minutes, and it focuses on students sharing examples taken from the mini-lesson conducted earlier. Students do not necessarily share their whole piece e.g. if it's a good beginning, they share only the beginning. A good example to use in one’s classroom is an “Author’s Chair.” Teachers can try to use a special chair (rocking chair, bean bag chair, etc.) This allows students to learn from each other and to see and hear good examples of writing.

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Ideas/Instructions for Peer Conferencing

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Layout of Classroom

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Reading Center for Students

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Reasons for students to write

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Expectations of students during the writing workshop

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Classroom Ideas

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Writing Working Mini Lesson Example