What I’ve Learned This Month #sol20

March 29, 2020 / Susan Kennedy / 14 Comments

This month I have been writing in the Slice of Life Community 31 Day Challenge created by Two Writing Teachers. While I always learn from my writing companions in this group, this month has been particularly poignant. This is Day 29/31

What I’ve Learned this Month #sol20

March 29, 2020

Writing thirty one days and commenting on others writing always teaches me so much. I learn different writing styles, different approaches to the same subject, other writer’s processes. I also learn about their lives, their hopes, their frustrations, their fears and… they learn about mine.

I haven’t counted the total number of writers in our writing group, but I admire and cherish them all. During the year, I write on Tuesday each week and follow many writers all the time and other writers much of the time. I usually read and comment on over a dozen blogs each week. Each of them is inspiring to both my own writing and my coaching. They are some of my greatest teachers.

During our March challenge, my blog is followed and read by many other writers. They offer me advice, suggestions, encouragement, and humor through their comments. I personally follow 20 blogs every day, read and comment on between 15-20 each day. I’ve had the opportunity to read a great deal of writing and learn so much about writing and so much more.

From one far flung slicer, I gained so much advice about managing this new world of distance teaching. She explained how to set it up, where the difficulties lie, how to maintain self-care and how easy it is to overextend. She even showed me how cleaning out my refrigerator could be an act of meditation. Her practical advice, her pragmatic nature, and her calm spirit displayed in her writing will stay with me for a long time. I hope we will stay in touch.

From other slicers, I admire community, all the things they are doing together and separately to maintain their school’s writing heart and community purpose. They lovingly refer to each other in their blogs and graciously build each other up in their comments. They comment on many, many other blogs as well as give practical advice for navigating the world of literacy in elementary school. They are beacons to me in their practice, in their generosity, and in their connectivity.

Elisabeth always pushes me to think more, to consider other mentors, to consider my own practice, and to try new things. Last year, she convinced me through her blog to write poetry for the month of April after our slice challenge was complete. This year, she made me consider what books comfort me, how I decide what to read next, where I am creating my space at home, and what is keeping me moving forward.

I have the pleasure of being a welcomer to some new to the slice challenge. From one of them, I learned to look to our past relationships and situations for lessons for the present. Her powerful observation skills will be ones I continue to search for in my own writing. From another new slicer, I learned about her practice of confronting her advantages and working toward social justice in her learning, in her writing, and in her practice. I strive to be brave like she is. One of my followed slicers was all about connections, since this is my OLW for this year, her writing and her thinking drew me to consider the connections I am making and maintaining in this new frontier. One of my new slicing buddies shared her day to day successes and struggles with heart and a fresh writing perspective. Her comments were kind and supportive and I hope to read a lot more about her practice and thoughts in the future. This year more than others, these blogs feel like new friendships.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the sustaining friendships this group affords me. My friend, Clare, who first encouraged me to write about my work. Brian, my welcome wagon slicer those years ago continues to inspire me with his concise writing and quick witted comments. My good friends in the group now who speak to me like old friends in their comments are so often encouragers-in-chief, commiserators, teachers, mentors, and so much more.

Lanny, Stacey, Melanie, Kelsey, Beth, I don’t think I have the words to express what your hard work in maintaining this community has meant to me and so many others. As Clare said the other day, in times of difficulty we turned to the folks who have sustained us all along. You and Two Writing Teachers has certainly been that place now more than ever.

As we approach the twilight of this March Challenge, I am grateful for this time, these writers, and this challenge. This month, I believed it is what sustained me.

From My Notebook: Planning #sol19

March 30, 2019 / Susan Kennedy / 5 Comments

For the month of March , I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge (#sol19) sponsored by Two Writing Teachers. I will be slicing each day for 31 days inspired by my work as a literacy specialist and coach, my life, and my fellow bloggers.

Notebook Saturdays

Through my work as a literacy coach, I have teachers that I meet and collaborate with throughout the week. Usually these meetings are at 7:30 a.m. on a scheduled day of the week. I meet with each teacher or team for 1/2 hour keeping notes of what we are working on. Our school is an UOS of Study school following the work of Lucy Calkins and colleagues in this our first year of full implementation. Most of our meetings are in their classrooms. Some teachers will come with questions, sometimes we plan out what we will work on the next week, sometimes I have a teaching technique or skill I’ve noticed or a suggestion. I keep a journal entry of each meeting to keep me thinking. I am thankful to Tammy Mulligan, Teachers for Teachers, for assisting me in working on offering a menu of ideas during this coaching time. This is still after years a work in progress.

From My Notebook: Planning #sol19

I’m torn this week from my notebook to the work we’ve noticed in the classroom. In the second bend of baby literary essay, we noticed that the students are adopting the language and structure of the essay. Their evidence is grounded in text and they are growing a small theory. The place we see them struggle a little is matching their evidence to their theory. Letting them sail off on Thursday, choosing their own picture book, their own theory, making their own plans, let us notice what’s up with their independent writing.

We meet to hash it out. She has the writing notebooks piled on her table, but when she speaks first it’s about the state test.

I went through the last five years of questions for the test, she says. We haven’t done character comparisons, journal entries, and… there’s poetry. They also have perspective, cross text synthesis, and predictions.

I pause letting her words settle around us. I’m working on that… the pause. It is a lot and time is short.

Their work is better than we thought, she says. As we sift through, we notice bright spots. This one has strong evidence. This one is getting the idea of connection story. This one had a plan. This one has the language down. On we go. I reflect that as a team, we’ve gotten so much better at the quick glance, read, determine teaching points. Only a few were struggling that day.

She brings out a scrap of paper from her teacher notebook. We have a box for students to put concerns she says. This one was in it yesterday. I don’t like how the teachers never call on me when I have a good idea, it begins. We pause and discuss. Using the turn and talk gives students all a chance to say their ideas in the air, but clearly this friends still is craving the teacher’s attention or the spotlight. We reflect on our own balance. Who are we asking to share? We think we are equitable. We vow to keep an eye on it next week.

Back to the work we met to do. We work through the next week, weaving in books and techniques. His name remains on the top of the page.

Notebook Saturday: Drop In #sol19

March 23, 2019March 23, 2019 / Susan Kennedy / 8 Comments

Notebook Saturdays

Through my work as a literacy coach, I have teachers that I meet and collaborate with throughout the week. Some teachers will come with questions, sometimes we plan out what we will work on the next week, sometimes I have a teaching technique or skill I’ve noticed or a suggestion. I keep a journal entry of each meeting to keep me thinking.

Notebook Saturday: Drop In #sol19

March 23, 2019

She rushes in the book room, paper in hand. Do you have a few minutes? she asks. I turn from my computer, my head full of other thinking. I hesitate, only for seconds. Sure, I say, What’s up?

She places a carefully constructed sheet on my table. I scan for a moment. Oh, new strategy goals… She has been very careful. I wish I remembered her carefully constructed titles for the groupings. In my mind I was already translating them… word solving, ok. Two word solving groups. (Middle word) Now I’m remembering… Mind Movies, Dialogue. I called one Fluency. Oh yes, she called it sound like talking. There’s one cryptic group that I’ve called LL. Hope she remembers who and what.

Looks like you’ve got it thought out.

I don’t know how I’m going to fit it all in.

(Sigh) (This is a talk I can do on the fly) Let’s talk it out. Let me get a piece of paper. Legal pad sheet ripped off the pad. Stickies. Pencil. Let’s go. Ok, how many groups can you fit in a workshop? Two?

I think I can fit three, she says. Hmmm. I quickly draw a grid, talking as I go. Let’s plan for four days and then you can have an extra for things you notice that week or just whip around conferring. I pause… Let’s start with your word solvers.

We begin working through groups talking strategic times, timing, configuration, methods as we go. My paper begins to look like a football play book. (As if I’ve seen one of those)

Quickly we work through the groups. Perhaps start the week with Word Solvers. Maybe this word solving group can be seen by your partner teacher and you can just do table conferences.

On we go. Four days a week for the word solvers. She’s been running a shared reading group with them. I suggest a gradual release. 2 minute teach, 8 minute watch and coach. Then later in the week, run both groups at the same time, centering herself and going back and forth.

She’s ready for a stretch in technique.

Her Mind Movie group and Dialogue group perhaps two days each. That might be a good try for Shared Reading. Interactive Read Aloud, she says.

Mind Movie group? What level? Lish? You could teach into story mountain. Time line? she asks. Four squares. Maybe a little higher level character work. Iris is the kind of person who…character trait.

We talked through book club ideas quickly. Double partnerships, book club talk.

We include a bonus slot for research or teaching into current unit lessons. I draw a poorly executed trash can fire. She looks up. Sometimes fires happen. You need space for that.

Then I say something off the cuff in closing. That’s a mantra, she says. Write it down.

IMG_3800 (1) Laughing, I write it down as I say it again.

Off you go.

My apologies to Jennifer Serravallo for my fast edit of a technique I learned from her. You can read more about this grid planning technique in Teaching Reading in Small Groups.

From My Notebook: Staying with the Hard Work #sol19

March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 / Susan Kennedy / 21 Comments

Notebook Saturdays

Thinking about Writing about Reading: Book Clubs, Literary Essay, & the Narrative Task #sol19

March 16, 2019

The afternoon before they warned me. Be ready! We’re bringing a lot to talk about tomorrow. Maybe we need some extra time. Sure, I say. You know I’ll be here around 7.

Sure enough, around ten after 7, the show up, arms full, already talking to each other. I imagine all the way down from their rooms in the other side of the building, Anxious to see what they are thinking, the papers are quickly spread all over the table. Waiting and listening for the kernel, I take a sip of coffee and open my notebook. This conversation had started the week before. The intersection of historical fiction book clubs, literary essays, and the looming state test tasks have been a hot topic.

Last week, after a free write about the the character trait of Fox in Fox, the students struggled to develop a thesis for Number the Stars and the books in their book clubs. Having some personal theories, I wait for an opening and ask, point to the place where you lost them. There is a pause where these thoughtful teachers consider, then go back and look at their student work. I wait.

Make to the start. What’s the goal? Grow an idea about a character using evidence. Two overall problems emerge: idea is weak or evidence doesn’t strongly support thesis. The students seem to be heavily reliant on retell or prediction. What’s next? Go back. Try again with a familiar text that they completed a lot of character work with in the fall, The Last Kiss by Ralph Fletcher available in the book Marshfield Dreams.

Our final decisions: Limit choice to Complications A Character Has or Lesson Learned Teach Back into the Skill Reexamine Results Have student create a theory chart with evidence across text

They came back with the more notes and ideas the next week. Stay tuned.