Why Not a Writing Stamina Chart?

I have been dappling in the The Daily Five management system for about four years now and love the tools The Sisters offer in their book. This year I am doing the Daily Five much more closely matched to the routines of the book and really enjoy the results. I began the year with Read to Self, one of the Daily Five activities for literacy. I wasn't sure how to start but had noticed an idea on a blog (somewhere, can't remember now) on making a neat stamina chart that showed a stair step kind of visual that leads to your goal. It worked great and within two weeks my 4, 5 and 6 year old students were reading (pictures, words or storytelling quietly) for ten minutes without a break. It was amazing, and I must confess, this was something I didn't really think they could do, but I wasn't really doing it all quite right before. So, I had become frustrated with the volume control and focus of my students during Writers Workshop. Well, it finally dawned on me, they need to build stamina here too! So, the last two days I have been re-building their stamina for drawing. We just have two behaviors listed on the chart and one goal--to be better writers that can write/draw for ten minutes without a break. We did five minutes today without an interruption! I love it when a plan comes together. Here is the chart I made with my students. When we reach our ten minutes goal we will make a chart that lists what we can do during writers workshop to remain on the wall as a reminder. But, for now, this will get us on track for a good re-start! (It all goes along with my reprogramming program :)

Drawing Time

I'll bring you up to speed...
I have been reading Talking, Drawing, Writing by Martha Horn and Mary Ellen Giacobbe, wow! It has really been pushing my thinking out of the comfort zone and I am on a new path for writing workshop.
The goal? Create exceptional excitement about writing to get a good product instead of trying to get a good product in hopes that students will enjoy the process.

Today I revisited the drawing lesson and talked about how to revise their picture. It went well and I was very excited to watch the students make decisions about whether to start a new drawing or add to the one from yesterday. Most chose to start a new drawing, I suspect because they knew they could do it better, and many added better detail this time around. My reprogramming is beginning to take shape and the improvement today was awesome. I could see the amazement in some of their faces, they couldn't believe they were drawing people...that actually looked like people. I used Mo Willems, Knuffle Bunny story as a model of some other ways to draw people. Tomorrow I am using a book illustrated by Lois Elhert called, Thump Thump Rat A Tat Tat. She uses basic shapes to make people in her illustrations, should be a nice accompaniment for those still figuring out their own technique for drawing a person. Below are some of the students drawings of people following the day one and day two lessons. I was excited!

 Day One: How to draw a person. She is definitely trying out what I demonstrated. Her improvement today was great to see and her proud smile was even better!

Day Two (same student): How to add details to a drawing

You can see that the clothing on her people today is more detailed, even a striped shirt. She forgot to draw a body on the first person, but made the decision to add clothing to create more of a body shape.

 This was a student's Day One of the drawing lesson sample. You can see that he has some fine motor issues but more pressing was he needed support to draw a person in the way I demonstrated.

However, check out his drawing from today a little further down!

  I could not believe the improvement. I pulled him with a small group and repeated yesterday's lesson just after today's whole group model. Then sent him off. His face was a light bulb of delight! I still can't believe it even as I look at his drawing right now. What an accomplishment for him!

The Buddies-A Reprogramming Project

One of my attempts to put a focus on talking and drawing was to plan some one on one attention for each of my students. Their third grade buddies fit the bill and a couple of weeks ago my third grade buddy (teacher extraordinaire) came and helped me model just how they would do that! We talked through a story I was writing, and modeled questioning techniques and behaviors that might come up--such as, what to do with a kindergartener who might just want to chew his shirt instead of draw! Then each of the K kids shared their stories and they were off with the colored pencils, crayons and paper, making books together. It was magic.

Today I started the drawing lessons. Now, I have done a couple drawing lessons this year already, hit or miss I'd say, but not terrible. Today was different though. It was like I was embarking on new territory. I actually drew a person as carefully as I could, demonstrating an oval technique for drawing people. As I was doing this, I sort of felt like it was crazy. Why am I drawing so well for five year olds who barely know how to draw a stick person? Haven't I been told this will crush them psychologically and they will feel as though they can never measure up...well, it was something like that. Anyway, I realized afterward why I was doing it. Did their people look perfect? No. Neither did mine, but not only were my drawings better, so were there's. They really put in effort to draw their person to look as real as possible. Tomorrow they will re-visit their people drawings and decide if they want to make changes or start a new drawing. HELLO, that is called revision people! I don't usually start revising until much later in the year, but with words not pictures. How cool is it that I am already going to use the R word with them and it is only October!?

My only fear at this moment...when it comes to assessment time, my kids might be behind. But, I am not following the GPS of my old ways, I am giving this a chance to work! That was a little pep talk for my doubting self that keeps creeping into this reprogramming process.
Hopefully tomorrow I have some samples to share. Oh, and I will also try to post my stamina chart for writing workshop...how long can we draw? Should make a good slice of life story tomorrow!

Reprogramming My Brain

So, did you ever feel like you have been programmed to teach one way, then you learn something new and you desperately attempt to try it, but your programming gets in the way every time? That is where I am right now. I am reading a book called, Talking, Drawing, Writing by Martha Horn and Mary Ellen Giacobbe.
I will start by saying, what I was doing wasn't all that bad, it got good results, but not great results. It got kids interested in writing, but not exceptionally excited about writing. My old way pleased people, and I even got others on board. It was what I like to call, "my starting point." I needed a place to start, anyone does, but now I am going on a new road. I am ignoring the GPS even though it thinks I am going to the same place I have always gone. I am starting fresh, but it's got me a little frustrated. I stand up to do my teaching model, begin the lesson, things are going well, and then the programming slips in--yikes! I find myself saying what I have always said, and doing what I have always done...haven't we all learned this does not get you anywhere new??
I had no idea making only a few small changes in my workshop routine and set-up would be so challenging. Just a couple of shifts for my focus and pow, it's like I don't know where I am sometimes. I hope to bring you more news from the road as I travel to the place where drawing and talking take center stage in kindergarten writing workshop.

Chartchums are Awesome!

Chartchums is a great blog, if you have not visited yet, you should! It is funny, I was reading something there the other day and so often I see things that look like variations of a chart I have made, but there is always something new that I take away. I love it!
Today I tried a very simple example they had on their site the other day. It reads, Writers...1. Think and Plan, 2. Sketch and Write, 3. Revise with Joy.
Now, the only change I made to the one I did with my class today was number three--Revise and Publish. Then, on the chart, students simply place a sticky note to show what part of the process they are currently working on. Isn't that cool, and so simple! That is the best part.
So, I did the chart today, took some photos to add tomorrow, and I can't wait to add the sticky note part by the end of the week. I think it will be a great visual for me and my students to remind them that they are all within a process of writing, that it doesn't all happen in one day...even in the first weeks of kindergarten when  you're lucky if your story is one sentence. They can only do so much learning in one day! Anyway, just a very nice and simple way to manage my writing workshop a little more efficiently.
Guess what...I start writing buddies on Friday! Can't wait to see how it goes. Have a great week.

A Year of Growth

It's the end of the seventh day of kindergarten and things are looking up. I can't help but notice the kids who were sent to me ready for this challenge and the little one's who are barely potty trained, barely able to take care of personal needs and yet this is somehow not suppose to interfere with their education. Teaching is so daunting as it is, but now we are faced with the challenge of proving a year's growth. I agree that children deserve a year's worth of growth, but based on what as their baseline? In my district, a year's worth of growth is measured by your reading level. If you are reading at a level C by the end of kindergarten, then in that year you have made a year's worth of growth. For some this will be a year of growth and for others who may not even get close--they too will have made a year of growth, but not by that same measurement standard.
How do you demonstrate the growth of a kindergarten student in your district? What types of data do your teachers collect as soon as they can collect it, and how soon is too soon to collect data on a student (meaning the time of year)? Sometimes I wonder about data I collect at the beginning of the year, was it because they didn't know me well enough yet to perform or was it that they truly didn't know how to perform? 
I have been pondering what my goals for the year should be and I can't help thinking that I want a year of growth for each student, but because my kids are at the starting line, it is hard to know at what point they will cross the finish. Everyone's race is different and so often I feel saddened that it is a race at all.

Website Resources for the Elementary Teacher

If you are just starting out or just want a fresh idea for writing in the kindergarten classroom this site will do the trick. It outlines the whole year and even includes great ideas for incorporating writing into different areas of the room. Lots to look at and lots of nice guiding information to help you through the school year.

Great Kindergarten Literacy Website



If you like to offer read-alouds over the computer or even better, project them onto a screen from your computer, here is a list of sites that offer online read-alouds!

http://kids.aol.com/KOL/2/koljrstories/archive/animal-stories

http://www.storylineonline.net/

http://www.mightybook.com/story_books.html

http://www.kindersite.org/Directory/Stories.htm

http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/kplus_stories.htm

This is a mix of things, resources and books.

http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp

This one you have to join, but there is a 30 day free trial. It costs $499 per school for a year; might be a nice grant idea?!

http://www.raz-kids.com/

This is another nice one that you would need to join. The cost is 79.95 for one classroom per year. Very well worth the money as it gives your students access to the site at school and at home. Uniquely, the books are at their reading level and there are many resources for teachers!