Being a Writer

Being a WriterTM

Frequently Asked Questions

Being a WriterTM Frequently Asked Questions

Q How long are the lessons? How long is each part of the lesson? A K?2 lessons are 30?45 minutes

3?5 lessons are 45?60 minutes Sample Breakdown of Lesson Time Getting Ready to Write: 15?20 minutes Independent Writing: 15?30 minutes Sharing and Reflecting: 5?10 minutes

Q How does the Being a WriterTM program support students at all different levels?

A The program is for all students. It motivates them to write, using quality trade literature to help students generate topics they want to write about. Students have lots of opportunities to write in every lesson. All students can access the lessons. The literature is read aloud and students write at their own ability levels. Teachers are given ideas for supporting writers in the Teacher Notes. The lessons are consistent and predictable, giving students support. Students at a range of levels are especially supported during the Getting Ready to Write section of each lesson. Specific issues can be addressed during Independent Writing time.

Q Is the Being a WriterTM program available in Spanish? A No. The program is written to be taught in English. Strategies could certainly be used with ELL students,

and students may respond in English or their primary language. Suggestions for supporting English Language Learners are provided in the front portion of the Teacher's Manual. Additional ELL support is included within the lessons.

Q How do I determine grades? A The Assessment Resource Book provided at each grade level will help you analyze and grade student work.

Sample benchmark papers for each grade are included. Rubric scores may be converted to letter grades as necessary.

Developmental Studies Center ? 2000 Embarcadero, Suite 305 ? Oakland, CA 94606-5300 ? 800.666.7270 ?

Being a Writer FAQ

Q How long should each writing conference be? How do I organize my conference notes?

A Typically, conferences are 5?10 minutes long. BLM 1at the back of the Teacher's Manual can be used to record conference notes. The forms might be kept in a folder, binder, or separate student writing folders. Using a clipboard during conferences may be helpful. If you have a system or form you are already comfortable with, continue to organize your notes that way.

Q What do I focus on during the conference? How do I use the conference notes? A First and foremost, you need to follow the child. Ask the student open-ended questions. The conference

notes within the lessons give questions you can ask that will focus the conference on the skills and writing craft being taught in those lessons. The focus is on helping the student become a better writer. Remember to refer back to your notes during the next conference with that student.

Q How does the Being a WriterTM program fit with Calkins's Units of Study? A The Being a Writer program takes the ideas of Units of Study and provides teachers with daily,

grade-specific lessons. The Being a Writer program also includes all of the trade books needed; Units of Study simply makes trade book recommendations.

Q How does the Being a WriterTM program fit with Writing Workshop (Calkins, Atwell, Fletcher, Graves)?

A Like Writing Workshop, the Being a Writer curriculum addresses the things that good writers need to do and often struggle with. The Being a Writer program is grounded in best practice in writing and utilizes ideas from those who are knowledgeable about writing. It uses a similar format except that the Getting Ready to Write portion in Being a Writer is longer than a typical Writing Workshop mini-lesson. Writing Workshop teachers typically develop lessons on their own based on the strengths, needs, and interests of the students in their classrooms. Being a Writer lessons are written and planned based on what students at various levels are likely to need. However, the Being a Writer program provides teachers with a great deal of support, allows for individual differences during independent writing time conferences, and provides mini-lessons that can be offered as needed to meet the needs of a class or of individual writers.

Developmental Studies Center ? 2000 Embarcadero, Suite 305 ? Oakland, CA 94606-5300 ? 800.666.7270 ?

Being a Writer FAQ

Q Do students need folders? Should K?1 students have writing notebooks? A You need to develop a systematic way to keep student work. We suggest notebooks for students in

grades 1?5 and folders for all students to keep their writing done on loose paper.

Q What writing should be in the student's writing notebook? A In their writing notebooks, students should keep:

? Works in progress from the Being a WriterTM program ? Stories or pieces they are working on instructionally ? Anything they are willing to share

Q If a student starts writing in the notebook and later wants to revise and publish it that piece, does he have to rewrite the draft if there is not enough room on the page to revise? What suggestions do you have?

A The Being a Writer program encourages teachers to remind students to skip lines to allow space for students to revise in their notebooks. Students who forget to leave space can use self-stick notes to add to a piece. If there is not enough room, the teacher may want to copy the page for the student or allow the student to tear the page out of the notebook.

Q How do you help the student who "doesn't have anything to write about?" A We realize this is a problem. Unit 1 spends a lot of time helping students generate ideas of things they can

write about. Students do quick-writes, generate lists, and generate ideas prompted by the literature read aloud during Getting Ready to Write. During Independent Writing time, the teacher can confer with the student, writing any ideas generated on self-stick notes and leaving them with the student to help her get started.

Q What do I do with the student who is always "done?" A The Being a Writer program teaches children that writers are never "done". Once we get ideas down, we

go back to reread to see if we might add to the pictures, add to the words, etc. For older intermediate students, we might ask the kids to reread with their audience in mind to see what might be confusing or missing. If, after they've done this, they really are not going to continue on that piece, they can choose another topic or revisit their notebooks/folders for another piece of writing to work on.

Developmental Studies Center ? 2000 Embarcadero, Suite 305 ? Oakland, CA 94606-5300 ? 800.666.7270 ?

Being a Writer FAQ

Q How do I support the student who can't seem to get started writing? A Again, you can use the ideas generated in Unit 1 to help the student with topics. You can sit down and

just have the student talk to you about her story, event, or idea. As she shares, jot down key words or ideas to leave with her in order to help get started writing. Remember to use the read-aloud as a springboard for ideas.

Q What do I do about the student who always chooses inappropriate topics? A Choosing appropriate topics can be addressed through the Building Community part of the program.

Many topics are generated using the read-aloud selection for that day/week/unit. You will be able to allow students choice in what they write while limiting what students share with the class to topics that are appropriate. You can address the issue during a one-to-one conference. Students must be able to share their work if they are going to do the hard work of writing.

Q I have a student who never wants to share. What can I do? A There are many opportunities to share in the Being a WriterTM program. In the initial lessons, you might let it

go and hope the student gets comfortable later on. The problem can later be addressed during a conference. Is the student comfortable sharing with a peer? That could be the first step. In group share, try to encourage the student to tell anything about his writing (topic, favorite part, sentence, word) to help him ease into sharing.

Q Do K?2 students learn the writing process? A Being a Writer lessons for students in kindergarten through the beginning of grade 2 focus on

providing opportunities to draw, tell stories, and see writing modeled. During this time the students informally draft, revise, and publish their writing. During the second half of grade 2, students transition into lessons that start to look more like those at grade 3. Students in the primary grades do go through the writing process--just in a more informal way. The focus is on teaching students the skills necessary to get their ideas down on the page and doing a lot of writing, in addition to motivating them to write.

Q Can I teach the units in any order? A In grades 3?5, Units 1 and 2 need to be taught first and in order. After completing Unit 2, the genre units

may be taught in any order. If the teacher is using the Making Meaning? program along with the Being a Writer program, we suggest beginning both programs at the start of the year and teaching both in order. This is to ensure that any trade books used in both programs will be used in Making Meaning lessons first. Since the focus in K?2 is to teach students some basic writing skills, the lessons are designed to be taught in order.

Developmental Studies Center ? 2000 Embarcadero, Suite 305 ? Oakland, CA 94606-5300 ? 800.666.7270 ?

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