NSW English Teachers' Association Early Career Teachers - Your Big Day!! Teaching Creative Writing

Here is my presentation from the NSW ETA Early Career Teachers - Your Big Day professional learning held on Saturday 14 August 2021. A big thank you to those who came along!

The link to access resources is here.

Reflections on Week 2, Term 1, 2020

Whoa, what a whirlwind. Week 2 wasn't really a week. It was three days. Anyone can manage a three-day work week, right? Maybe not. All I can say is. Food poisoning. I started feeling off on Saturday night and I don't think I was feeling right again until Friday. I took Monday off, baby still went to daycare because I was a wreck, and then I had Friday off because I don't work every second Friday. It was brutal and I still feel a bit off just thinking about it.

As for my weekly reflection - I am still waiting on keys. As are two of the staff in my faculty. I managed to get a block key, and a classroom key, and I was able to wrangle one more classroom key for a staff member. But that is it until the locksmith returns from holidays in a few days time. So, it is going to be another week and a half, at least, before I can open the book room, get into the staffroom without hunting for one of the cleaning staff in the morning, and tun the electricity back on when it trips the switch. I was asked to type up a list of exactly what keys are needed and pop it in the book where all the jobs are written down. I have returned twice to put the list back in the book. I am hoping by the halfway point of this term that the whole faculty will be able to get into the buildings. Fingers crossed.

As for official duties, I attended my first Executive Meeting, and it went well. I made a few contributions and took the rest of it in - the school is not the same place it was 3-years ago and people have changed in that time. Everyone has grown, the school has grown, and I am just trying to absorb everything, and ask questions to fill the gaps in my knowledge. I have had a few funny looks when I have asked for things but I have been gone a while, and I simply don't remember everything.

As for my personal goals, to write, and ensure I am not existing on caffeine and chocolate, well... My healthy eating has all but gone out the window. My last meal before I was ill was a salad and I can't really stomach the thought of a salad now. I will need to change the ingredients to try to shift the negative association. I guess that is what I am trying to do with my Year 10 class each day - trying to shift their negative associations with the word 'English.' It will be a gradual process for us all.

I have a few tasks still outstanding - collection of mandatory training certificates and contact details, a project outline for one of the school goals. That is my plan for tomorrow morning - just to check where everything is up to and work out who I need to speak with. Mostly, I am just trying to consolidate and ensure we have the resources we need to do our work. I managed to put claims in for items I purchased for the faculty, put a P-Card application through, and compile a large stationery order that I really hope is processed sooner rather than later. We are subsisting on the smell of an oily rag at the moment and it is more difficult than it needs to be.

I am starting to get my head around what writing workshop will look like in class. I think I have resigned myself to the fact that students will be given a period a fortnight or the equivalent for reading - how I wish it were more - but the writing workshop focus will have to do for now. I would love to request more Stage 4 classes next year so that I am able to continue with the process I am starting now but hopefully I will be able to develop the scope and sequence of skill development over Stage 4 this year and it will be ready for staff to use in 2021.  Then the next thing to do will be to get stuck into Stage 5.

Some interesting things the kids have said to me so far:

- My husband works at the school as well and I have fielded several, 'Why don't you have the same last name as your husband?' - my response has been - my name is my own, I got married after I had been working for some time so I was already established, and I also mentioned that I'm a feminist.
- I have written my name on the board several times and had the comment, 'You wrote 'Ms' on the whiteboard and you're married. You should write Mrs.' I responded with why write an extra letter when I can get away with two? I didn't mention the hypocrisy of Mr VS. Mrs.

My to do list continues to grow as we move into Week 3.

Reflections on Week 1, Term 1, 2020

It has been a very busy start to the term. I knew it would be. I was prepared. I have set myself some limits. I am aware that all the things on my to do list will never be done at the end of the day and that is alright, because I am getting through them. I haven't procrastinated on many tasks. Though, I have run out of time in the school day to get things done. That is something I just cannot understand - the role of an executive staff is being available to staff but it is also a teaching role, I have 120 of my own students, and yet I also have the other 900 on my mind. In my periods off face-to-face teaching I have to meet with the principal to ask that the literacy initiative I am running can be copied out of a non-English budget, apologise profusely to the office manager because I didn't follow protocol for ordering textbooks because 20 copies weren't returned by the Standard English class last year and we are studying the play with the next cohort right now.

It has been a pressure pot of ordering stationery and equipment and consumables, like batteries, which run the clocks in our classrooms and remotes for the projectors. All of these small details that don't make a 'leader' but are crucial to the smooth running of a school day so it is leadership, I think, to be all over the small details, while not forgetting the big picture, and realising that I cannot work 15-hours a day. Trying to not panic about all the things that need doing, immediately, is quite a challenge.

Ensuring that my family has a routine is high on my priority list as well. We lasted a day. Our baby had an injection on Wednesday of Week 1, Term 1 and that was it. He was all over the place and so were we. Then we hit Saturday evening and my partner and I were struck down with food poisoning and I have been out of action for the past 30-hours. I feel like a wreck. I managed to prepare my own lessons and those of one of my staff in the moments I felt okay. Had a day off resting and catching up on things I couldn't do over the weekend. And now awaiting on a staff member to send through lessons for tomorrow as she is unwell too. It is wild. And untenable. And hats off to those who do this year in and year out. I am on the learning curve of a life time.

Keys really help, so does being on email mailing lists. So far I have been saved by caring colleagues, I am so very grateful to work with great people. I know though that every one thing I can't do for myself is something someone else has to add to their workload for the day. I have a different concept of time lately, I am keenly aware of whom I am taking time from if I am not doing what I am meant to be doing, if something isn't working that should be working, inefficiencies make me really cross, in a way they didn't before. Now, if my work computer isn't functioning I know that is more time I will have to spend working at home, or after school, more time that my child will be in the company of people who are paid to look after him. And that breaks my heart a little, each and every day.

I must say that it definitely isn't all doom and gloom though. I have opportunities to mentor and support early career teachers. I am getting things done. I have made a few small but deliberate changes in line with a greater vision and the staff working with me on this, seem excited. I have another 3-days this week to get all finance/purchasing stuff done,  clean and unpack my classroom,  book PDP meetings with staff.

Launching into First Trimester

The systems we have set up so far:

Poetry Folder (teal): the shared literature for the class is the daily poem. The poem is read to students, they have quiet time to mark it up (using the questions on the back of the folder as a prompt if required) and the students drive the discussion – commenting on lines that stood out to them, the use of rhetorical devices, the use of diction, form, interesting lines, questions if they are unsure of something or possibly how an aspect of the poem fits in with the rest. At the end of the discussion, students rate the poem out of ten and file it in their folder. Once a semester they compile their top five poems. 

I was astonished when reading the class’ Reading and Writing Surveys at how well each student articulated what they like to read, and also, the list of their favourite poets. The students are in grades 7 & 8 – their ages range from 11-14, and they have favourite poets! I think this is incredible and a testament to rich literary worlds they inhabit supported by a range of engaging and enriching poems provided by their teachers and peers.

Writing In-Process Folder (light blue): containing each student’s Proofreading List, Editing symbols (including ‘STET’ – let it stand), plus the ‘Acorns’ Style Guide so everything can be compiled easily into the quarterly publication. This also helps when compiling shorter anthologies over the course of a trimester.

It is astonishing to see student engage in a rigorous writing process. They are empowered and accomplished writers who work their drafts through to be the best version of their piece. It is exciting to join them as they grapple with a line, a word, a title, or a ‘so what?’ as they construct and revise a piece. 

Homework Folder (yellow): this folder keeps all homework items together (except Math which has its own sheet in the student’s Math Binders).

Spelling Folder (white): In this folder students have a spelling master list where they add words they have had difficulty spelling across their subjects. They also have a few lists of ‘Commonly Misspelled Words’ to be used as a reference if they are haven’t identified any words from their work. For an outstanding student, there is also a ‘Most difficult words’ type of list. When their writing has been checked mispelled words may be added to the Editing Sheet for students to add to their spelling master list. Every time I read a piece - such as their Reading and Writing Survey, or a Letter-Essay, I also write any mispelled words on a sticky note to be added to the students' master list. Every Tuesday students bring five words written on a Word Study sheet for the teacher to check to ensure that they are not studying incorrect spelling. On Thursdays students partner check and then update their master spelling list with an asterisk if they have successfully shown they know the spelling of their words. 

Reading-Writing Handbook: This is a 100-page notebook where students record their Writing Territories, and potential topics for Odes and I also had them write down a few ideas for an anti-Ode as several have already penned an ode. The Reading-Writing Handbook also contains all of the mini lesson notes that are trimmed before class, lists about aspects of a particular genre (such as the Letter Essays).

There are also two permanent folders:

Writing (dark blue): the permanent writing record is where each student files the journey of every piece of writing they do from their W.O.P. (Writing off the Page), Draft 1 with revisions in Blue Pen, Draft 2 with edits in Red Pen (students attach an Editing Sheet to this copy and leave it in the tray), and then teacher edits in Black Pen. Draft 3 is usually a final check just for any grammar, punctuation type things (students leave drafts at this stage on the chair), but if more work is needed there may be another draft and that is okay – it is all part of the process. The final copy is changed to single space and formatted according to the ‘Acorns’ Style Guide. The final copy is paper clipped on top of all of the drafts and then stored in the permanent Writing folder in the cabinet at the front of the classroom. The student records the title of the piece, when they finished it, as well as the genre – a really quick glance shows them (and me) how often they are publishing their writing and what genres they have written in so far. 

 

I have noticed, so far, that students love experimenting with a range of genres, and they have ideas for their next piece whilst they are engaged in writing their current one. There is one student who has set herself a challenge of completing a piece per week. I think this is admirable and her poetry sings a result of a writing process that is considered and thorough.

Reading (light green): the permanent reading record is where students record the books they have read or abandoned. Students record the date when they finished reading a title as well as the genre. This record allows them to interrogate their reading habits and determine future directions for their reading.

This is really just a brief overview to reflect and consolidate my understanding of how everything operates at CTL. I have consulted 'In the Middle' and 'The Reading Zone' as well as 'Lessons that Change Writers' and 'Naming the World' extensively. If you are after mini-lesson ideas, check out 'Lessons that Change Writers.'

Picture 1. CTL

Picture 2. Supplies in the Humanities Room

Picture 3. The Writing Room

Picture 4. Folders with two pockets (Staples)

Picture 5. Folders with two pockets and fasteners (Staples)

#teachingadventuresinmaine

By the end of the second week of Trimester 1 just about all of the routines for Reading and Writing Workshop are in place - it was an incredible learning curve but one that was helped by the unbelievably detailed notes AAM left me and ‘In the Middle,’ and ‘The Reading Zone,’ as reference guides to review processes and procedures.

What I’ve found is the Reading and Writing Workshop systems really give me something to lean against - what’s the saying – ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’? When something is not working it is possible to go back to the records to check what has gone awry. My records reflect the student’s records, and everything moves forward. It is possible to see who has engaged in the hour of writing homework over the weekend and who hasn’t read because there is a note right there from the previous day. I can see whether there is a pattern of behaviour  emerging that I need to address or whether there is a good reason such as a new book is more difficult than a previous title and the reading rate has slowed a little.

Now that I’m working in the school I’m aware of the bigger picture - how the staff work together to lay the foundations for their colleagues who will take the students after them. The teachers know the students and the students know the teachers and that’s one thing I’m very grateful for as someone in a relieving position. It’s also something that I reiterated to parents at Parent Night - there’s a community at the school and I’m operating as part of the team. Several of the grade 7 and 8 students have been at CTL since kindergarten and their peers have joined them along the way so the community has a shared history, too.

It is a little sad to consider tomorrow begins Week 7. The time has just flown which I think is a combination of learning the ropes, planning and preparing, giving feedback on student writing, and also squeezing in some sight-seeing over the weekends. I have also tried to meal prep (not super hard when working Monday to Thursday), keep up to date with the subject I am taking at university, and I have watched many episodes of 'Dawson's Creek.'

Picture 1. The view from my apartment. 

Picture 2. CTL

Picture 3. Standstill traffic before reaching Wiscasset due to the many visitors after a lobster roll or lobster dinner from Red's Eats.

Review Reading #1 'The Reading Zone' - Nancie Atwell

Each year several scholarships are awarded to NSW teachers who wish to embark on a study tour to collect resources, conduct interviews, create resources to ultimately enhance their pedagogical approaches and those of their colleagues. I applied for the Premier's English Teachers' Association English Scholarship in 2016 and whilst I didn't win, I thoroughly enjoyed the application process - reading, writing, and reflecting on the ways in which I teach writing and reading. In preparing, I contacted several schools to possibly arrange visits and I also applied for an Internship at the Center for Teaching and Learning. 

I was lucky enough to be accepted into the Internship program at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in Edgecome, Maine. One aspect of my proposed study tour included the internship to further my understanding of Nancie Atwell's approaches at the Center for Teaching and Learning, the demonstration school she established in 1990.

Flying to America to to partake in an internship is not something one can usually just do but it just so happened that my partner and I were planning to go to America for a belated honeymoon. We had been putting it off (for nearly three years) - saving a bit more, waiting for a better time, etc. Sometimes you just need a bit of an incentive to get organised and the Internship was it! So work and touristing have combined into our 2017 trip! We will be visiting a range of places before I visit CTL for four days in April before we fly back home.

To prepare for the Internship I have been assigned some readings. I am going to tackle these as well as my preparations for next year - a unit of work to write, Faculty Handbook to collate, Scope and Sequence to update, etc. over the next month before school begins for 2017.

I have been reading Atwell's work for a few years now after I was directed to her texts by Professor Wayne Sawyer from Western Sydney University. He sent me some initial chapters from the first edition of 'In the Middle' published by Heinemann in 1987 and then I went hunting for all of her texts. I was overjoyed when a new edition of 'In the Middle' was published in 2015 - how serendipitous! After engaging with the work of Nancie Atwell I am reminded of what a driven person she must be - she is a prolific writer, reader, and you know, has her own school. Amazing.

Review Reading #1 The Reading Zone - Nancie Atwell

ISBN: 978-0-439-92644-7

ISBN-10: 0-439-92644-0

Publisher: Scholastic Teaching Resources

Publication Date: November 7th, 2007

Stockists

Sample Pages

I am going to respond to the texts by writing a 'Letter-Essay' - a technique students at CTL utilise to reflect on the texts they have read. This is the letter provided for students to guide them when writing their own letter-essays. Students receive a copy of this letter to stick into their workbook.

Dear Reader,

I have just finished reading Nancie Atwell's The Reading Zone. This text explains what constitutes the 'reading zone' and a range of methods and strategies to assist students to reach this place in their own reading. I felt an immediate magnetism to the idea of the 'reading zone' because I have always loved reading and I have the propensity to get so caught up in a story that I simply must continue to find out what is going to happen next. I love the anticipation of continuing reading a text and the feeling when dipping back into a book to see what the characters are up to - will they solve the problem? Will there be an explanation? Will they find the inner strength to overcome an obstacle? The thrill is almost addictive and it is why I have sometimes have trouble choosing books because I do not want to waste my valuable reading time. I want to be immersed in a world and drawn immediately into a story so I am back in the 'reading zone.' So, is it any wonder that I am deeply saddened when my students loudly proclaim - 'I hate reading' and 'I don't read' like it is a feat? Atwell's book gave me some practical strategies to utilise to assist students with their reading to ensure that they too can develop the habits of a reader and experience the joy that accompanies the 'reading zone.'

Atwell writes in a very honest and straight forward manner with references to both research and anecdotes from her time in the classroom. She effectively details the practices and approaches at CTL whilst reinforcing the school's vision and the humility of staff/student interactions. The underlying element to each successful strategy is exactly that humility, the staff member who cares about and knows their students. The conferences between pupils and their teacher are evidence of adults who put the time into knowing what it is that each student needs. I love the reinforcement of this throughout The Reading Zone and all of Atwell's texts. Schools are places made up of people helping other people.

I often get asked about what 'work' students do with our reading program at school what students do once they have finished reading? The Reading Zone outlines an effective way for students to respond to texts using a 'letter-essay' to their teacher or peer. This accompanies regular reading conferences to determine where students are up to with their reading and whether they are reading texts that are too hard, too easy, or 'just right'. The letter-essay gives students a chance to write an in-depth response to a text that they have read. This text is not something assigned by a teacher or on a prescribed reading list but it is a novel chosen by the student after listening to 'Book Talks' and having conferences with their teacher who knows a range of texts to recommend to readers. There are no chapter questions, reports on every single text a student reads but a considered response to a text a student feels strongly about – either positively or negatively!

The Reading Zone provides an excellent overview of the way that the reading workshop at CTL runs and whilst it is filled with success stories, it provides honest ways to work through issues to provide structures to help students who aren't regular readers and ways to give all students an opportunity to experience the reading zone. 

The things I totally loved about The Reading Zone are:

THE IDEAS AND STEP BY STEP PROCESSES:

• Students complete 30-minutes of reading every night for homework.
• CTL works with parents to ensure students are successful as readers. A letter goes home at the start of the year and parents are sent a letter if students are not partaking in their reading. After the third contact a meeting is arranged to discuss reading (as it is so important to student success!).
• Students are given choice of reading material in reading workshop.
• Reading voraciously and reading quality texts supports the development of comprehension skills so comprehension strategies are taught in Mini-lessons - to individuals, small groups, or the class when and if there is a problem. 
• Teachers conduct quick conferences to determine whether texts suit students' ability and to ensure they are not holding onto a text they should have ditched. They also record pages read to ensure HW is completed.
• ‘Someday’ titles – after listening to a Book Talk by a teacher or peer students are encouraged to write the title down if it is something they think they may enjoy.

QUOTES AND ANECDOTES:

I love the way CTL operates and the way students are exposed to a rich and worthy curriculum that builds their autonomy and abilities as critical consumers of texts as well as effective composers. The quotes Atwell disperses through her prose just sing to those wanting to try something different:

• ‘The book which you read from a sense of duty, or because for any reason you must, does not commonly make friends with you’ – William Dean Howells.
• ‘Children learn to read only by reading. Therefore, the only way to facilitate their learning to red is to make reading easy for them’ – Frank Smith
• The personal anecdotes like, ‘I’m being realistic. I cannot read all the literature and also edit all the writing and plan all the lessons, write all the evaluations, attend all the meetings, and teach history, too. But I can become intimate enough with young adult literature to connect particular readers with the particular books they crave. Intimacy with my kids’ books has become the goal.’

I loved this text for an overview of what Atwell does and if you are interested in the ideas I recommend that you jump into In the Middle: A Lifetime of Learning about Writing, Reading, and Adolescents

Yours truly,

K