MADISON METROPOliTAN SCHOOl DISTRICT - School Information ...

The observer will see:
1. Teacher engaging in book talks and mini-lessons
(explicit demonstrations) to support students in the
development of independent reading strategies.
2. Students applying what they have learned in the
mini-lessons during guided practice.
3. Students selecting texts and enjoying reading for a
sustained period.
4. Teacher conferencing with students to provide
individual instruction on any aspect of the reading
process.
5. Students reflecting on their reading through writing.
6. Teacher and students sharing their thinking and
assessing their independence at the end of the
designated reading time.
Proficiency Levels
Meeting Approaching Below
MODELED/SHARED WRITING WITHIN A WORKSHOP APPROACH
Writers' workshop is a literacy block where children learn the processes of how to write. The teacher
structures the time to ensure that children have an opportunity to plan, organize, and carry out writing
projects. During writers' workshop, students learn how to select their own topics and develop these
topics through multiple drafts. Thus, they acquire an understanding of the writing process. The writing
process is associated with five phases of writing: prewriting (planning), drafting, revising, editing, and
publishing. These stages provide writers with a framework for learning how to develop a writing project
(Calkins, 1986). The goal is to teach students to become skilled with the writing process and to develop a
habit of writing and view themselves as writers by writing daily. (Scaffolding Young Writers, 2001, p. 32).
The observer will see:
1. Teachers teaching explicit mini-lessons tailored to
meet the needs of the majority of the students.
2. Teachers teaching writing as a process, including
composing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
3. Anchor charts that reflect current aspects of the
writing curriculum under study (e.g. how to plan
using text structure maps, crafting techniques, how
to revise, edit, and publish).
4. Mentor texts being used to support the writing
process.
5. Students working independently and using classroom
tools to support their writing (e.g. keeping their
writing notebooks and tools organized and ready to
use).
6. Teacher conferencing with individual students or
Proficiency Levels
Meeting Approaching Below
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