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Conferring and Lucy Calkin’s Writing Workshop

Alissa Hendrickson

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs

Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standards 7 and 8

EDUW 693 Instructional Design and Assessment

Ryan Ourada, M.S. Ed., Instructor

February 28, 2018

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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 7: Teachers are able to plan different kinds of
lessons. The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of
subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
Knowledge
 The teacher understands learning theory, subject matter, curriculum development, and
student development and knows how to use this knowledge in planning instruction to
meet curriculum goals.
 The teacher knows how to take contextual considerations (instructional materials,
individual student interests, needs and aptitudes, and community resources) into account
in planning instruction that creates an effective bridge between curriculum goals and
students' experiences.
 The teacher knows when and how to adjust plans based on student responses and other
contingencies.
Dispositions
 The teacher values both long-term and short-term planning.
 The teacher believes that plans must always be open to adjustment and revision based on
student needs and changing circumstances.
 The teacher values planning as a collegial activity.
Performances
 As an individual and a member of a team, the teacher selects and creates learning
experiences that are appropriate for curriculum goals, relevant to learners, and based
upon principles of effective instruction (e. g. that activate students’ prior knowledge,
anticipate preconceptions, encourage exploration and problem-solving, and build new
skills on those previously acquired).
 The teacher plans for learning opportunities that recognize and address variation in
learning styles, learning differences, and performance modes.
 The teacher creates lessons and activities that operate at multiple levels to meet the
developmental and individual needs of diverse learners and help each progress.
 The teacher creates short-range and long-term plans that are linked to student needs and
performance and adapts the plans to ensure and capitalize on student progress and
motivation.
 The teacher responds to unanticipated sources of input, evaluates plans in relation to
short- and long-range goals, and systematically adjusts plans to meet student needs and
enhance learning.

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 8: Teachers know how to test for student
progress. The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to
evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.
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Knowledge
 The teacher understands the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of different
types of assessments (e.g. criterion-referenced and norm-referenced instruments,
traditional standardized and performance-based tests, observation systems, and
assessments of student work) for evaluating how students learn, what they know and are
able to do, and what kinds of experiences will support their further growth and
development.
 The teacher knows how to select, construct, and use assessment strategies and instruments
appropriate to the learning outcomes being evaluated and to other diagnostic purposes.
 The teacher understands measurement theory and assessment-related issues, such as
validity, reliability, bias, and scoring concerns.
Dispositions
 The teacher values ongoing assessments as essential to the instructional process and
recognizes that many different assessment strategies, accurately and systematically used,
are necessary for monitoring and promoting student learning.
 The teacher is committed to using assessment to identify student strengths and promote
student growth rather than to deny students access to learning opportunities.
Performances
 The teacher appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques
(e.g. observation, portfolios of student work, teacher-made tests, performance tasks,
projects, student self-assessments, peer assessment, and standardized tests) to enhance
her or his knowledge of learners, evaluate students’ progress and performances, and
modify teaching and learning strategies.
 The teacher solicits and uses information about students' experiences learning behavior,
needs, and progress from parents, other colleagues, and the students themselves.
 The teacher uses assessment strategies to involve learners in self-assessment activities, to
help them become aware of their strengths and needs, and to encourage them to set
personal goals for learning.
 The teacher evaluates the effect of class activities on both individuals and the class as a
whole, collecting information through observation of classroom interactions, questioning,
and analysis of student work.
 The teacher monitors his or her own teaching strategies and behavior in relation to
student success, modifying plans and instructional approaches accordingly.
 The teacher maintains useful records of student work and performance and can
communicate student progress knowledgeably and responsibly, based on appropriate
indicators, to students, parents, and other colleagues.
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Pre-assessments

Self-assessment of Instruction Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

For Wisconsin Teaching Standards (WTS) 7and 8, I wanted to focus on strengthening my

writing instruction around conferring and feedback. In my classroom I have 22 students. I teach

reading, writing, math, social studies, and science. My class is composed of the following

dynamics: 19 White students, two Mulatto students, one Hispanic student, 11 boys, 11 girls, one

special education (SPED) student, and one student receiving School Based Mental Health

(SBMH) services. Of my students, two have behavioral accommodations with check-in, check-

out data sheets. I will work toward my targeted student learning objective of utilizing the

conferring structure by students receiving consistent feedback to assist my writing instruction.

I chose two WTS 7 descriptors to guide my learning process. I started my focus on the

WTS 7 performance descriptor that “The teacher creates lessons and activities that operate at

multiple levels to meet the developmental and individual needs of diverse learners and help each

progress” during writer’s workshop conferring sessions. As I began my research on Lucy

Calkin’s writer’s workshop, I had many questions “How is it possible to pull small groups of

students during writing workshop when first graders lack independence-What are the other kids

doing?” and most importantly, “How is this structure achieved and sustained in the classroom?”

Teaching first grade, I observe a wide range of writing abilities and my goal is to provide

consistent feedback that promotes student achievement toward individual learning goals.

Similarly, WTS 7 performance descriptor, “The teacher plans for learning opportunities that

recognize and address variation in learning styles, learning differences, and performance modes”

is consistent with my learning theory. Through use of conferring and providing feedback in

writer’s workshop, I will learn how to meet children where they are at along the writing
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continuum and how to formally document and report progress while using new assessment

strategies. Providing differentiated feedback with individuals and small groups is one of the

most powerful means to accelerate a learner’s progress and make a lasting impact on my

students. Domain 1 of the Danielson Domains indicates the importance of designing appropriate

lessons and assessments to reach learning standards and doing so in a way that meets individual

needs. I strive to know my students and their abilities and plan appropriate lessons for them to

grow in areas they need most support and instruction on. Through my research, I connected with

Calkins (2013) “Although conferences appear to be warm, informal conversations, they are

highly principled interactions designed to move writers along learning pathways” (p. 72).

I chose to focus on two descriptors within WTS 8. WTS 8 dispositions descriptor, “The

teacher values ongoing assessments as essential to the instructional process and recognizes that

many different assessment strategies, accurately and systematically used, are necessary for

monitoring and promoting student learning” is critical when creating a conferring structure that

plans for individual learning styles. Currently during writer’s workshop, I do not have any

common assessments or direction on how to assess, monitor, and report students’ growth in

writing. Lucy Calkin’s provides writing rubrics that I use to grade students at the end of each

unit. In hopes to better plan for instruction and promote student learning, I would like to

implement a regular conferring schedule to provide feedback and assess learning within each

unit. This structure will help me plan future lessons and better understand my students as

writers.

The WTS 8 performance descriptor “The teacher maintains useful records of student

work and performance and can communicate student progress knowledgeably and responsibly,

based on appropriate indicators, to students, parents, and other colleagues” will support my
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learning of conferring. Currently, I do not give the students’ parents enough information about

our writing curriculum and their child’s progress through each writing unit. I share limited

evidence of learning through parent-teacher conferences and graded work. Writing and reading

are important subjects that both create a well-rounded academic individual. My focus is to

develop a system that allows to me to monitor and track writing progress for each child. Once I

understand and document learning, I will be able to better communicate with my grade level

team members surrounding lesson planning and further diversifying instruction to meet my

students’ needs. Similarly, I will be able to report achievement to parents with greater

confidence and provide more evidence of writing development. Danielson Domain 3

emphasizes the importance of using assessment in instruction and being flexible and responsive

in your instruction. Knowing the wide developmental range of writers in my classroom, I must

continually adapt and differentiate lessons to best support everyone. Some children come to first

grade ready to write while others are using drawings and labels as written expression. Allowing

more time to meet one-on-one with writers will help better assess individual learning styles and

improve future instruction. Implementing my plan for enhanced writing instruction using the

conferring structure will support my growth in WTS 7 & 8 and Danielson Domains 1 & 3.

Assessment of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

Currently, I teach reading, writing, math, social studies, and science in a classroom of 22

first graders. According the Diagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA), 15/22 or 68% of my

students are reading at the first-grade mid-year reading level of a DRA 12. According to the

Realistic Fiction Lucy Calkins Unit: 4 Scenes to Series pre-assessment, 10/22 or 45% scored a 2

(progressing toward end of the year standard) and 12/22 or 54% scored a 1 (beginning to

understand end of year standard). My SMART Goal in reading states, “By May 2018, 61%
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(38/62) of all first-grade students will meet or exceed the end-of-the-year benchmark

(independent DRA level 16NF/18F) as measured by the DRA.” Similarly, for writing, for my

Professional Practice Goal states: “My PPG for the 2017-2018 school year is to design and

implement a consistent weekly conferring schedule for writer’s workshop using the Lucy Calkins

curriculum. Students will receive regular feedback as I effectively document growth using an

assessment clipboard.” Based on these learning outcomes, there was a need to improve reading

and writing scores for this group of students.

When digging deeper into the writing performance of my students, I found that most

struggled in two areas: using details to elaborate their writing and using writing conventions such

as punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and overall legibility. First grade students typically

produce basic-level stories because they lack the skills to think about their work critically.

Overall, students need more guidance and continuous support throughout each unit of study in

writer’s workshop. Using teacher prompting and guiding questions students can better articulate

and attend to their work but are still lacking in the areas of elaboration and writing conventions.

Students enjoy reading the many mentor texts that accompany each writing unit and are eager to

pick up a pencil and begin working after the mini-lesson. Missing from our curriculum is the

utilization of grammar and conventional writing skills such as punctuation and capitalization.

Utilizing the conferring structure by students receiving consistent feedback and using grade level

mentor texts to support writers will provide the necessary modification in my writing instruction

to improve students’ writing.

Assessment of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)

At Sam Davey, we use a balanced literacy approach to teaching reading and

writing. This includes guided reading, shared reading, interactive writing, shared writing,
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writing workshop and word study. Teachers integrate instruction with authentic reading and

writing experiences so that students learn how to use literacy strategies and skills and have ample

opportunity to apply their learning. I use the Good Habits, Great Readers text set to teach

during guided reading and shared reading and Lucy Calkins to teach writing. Both curriculum

resources guide my instruction of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Good Habits,

Great Readers is a comprehensive balanced literacy program from authors Adria Klein, Doug

Fisher, and Nancy Frey. The program provides a balance of flexibility and structure to support

literacy learning through whole-group (shared) and small-group (guided) instruction. Built on

best practices and a proven framework developed over decades of work, Lucy Calkin’s writing

curriculum supports explicit instruction in opinion/argument, information, and narrative writing

and provides rich opportunities for practice. In our school day, there are over two hours each

day devoted to literacy and our School Improvement Plan (SIP Goals) include writing instruction

as a main objective. A master schedule and rigorous pacing calendar keep our schedule tight

with little room for additional ideas.

In my classroom, I use many different means of communication to engage students in

learning. One way I reach my writers is by posting anchor charts in the front of the room to

allow students to reflect upon their learning and implement newly learned content into their

work. I also post learning targets, as directed by the CCSS, on the whiteboard each week to

guide instruction and promote meaningful learning that raises student achievement. As a class,

we strive to reach these content specific, challenging learning targets and collaborate as a team.

Having these goals posted, helps both myself and the students in determining how to plan,

implement, and evaluate ourselves given the standards. Students are engaged in the writing

workshop and enjoy the time we spend reading aloud and learning from other authors.
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Missing in my writing instruction are efforts to provide consistent feedback to writers

during the writing process, not just at the end of each unit. I want to focus on slowing down the

process of writing and matching the instruction to individual student needs by regularly meeting

with writers to compliment, support, and allow for goal setting. I would like to incorporate a

conferring schedule in hopes to better assess and meet the needs of my students.

Assessment Conclusion and Essential Question to Guide Research

The self-assessment, assessment of student performance, and learning environment

assessment show that I need to better support my students by incorporating a conferring schedule

during writer’s workshop. If students received more feedback and one-on-one writing

intervention, assessment scores should increase in the areas of reading and writing. Current

assessment scores show my class having a wide range of abilities and that less than half my

students are meeting learning expectations. I want to learn more about the instructional strategy

of conferring to support my students’ growth in their writing development. Additionally, I want

my students to become more confident readers and writers that strive for accuracy and

independence. My essential question to guide my learning is “How does conferring in writer’s

workshop using Lucy Calkins impact assessment outcomes?”

Research Summary

Providing feedback to learners is a critical step when designing and implementing a

lesson. It is a means to which a teacher can quickly gather information about their students to

help determine where they are on the continuum of learning. Once feedback is given, teachers

are then able to assess learning and begin helping children take the next steps toward proficiency.

When teaching Lucy Calkin’s writing workshop, conferring is a powerful way to support each
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student’s growth through the writing process and will leave a stronger impact on students.

Ultimately, feedback shapes students’ thinking and has an important place in writer’s workshop.

John Hattie’s research on visible learning for literacy strongly impacts my learning on

how to give writing feedback. Hattie (2016) talked about the importance of matching

instructional routines, procedures, or strategies with the appropriate phase of students’ learning.

Through use of effect size or size of the difference/impact, Hattie explained the best practices to

positively influence a child’s learning. The effect size for feedback is 0.75 which holds great

value to a school system in respect to the notion that 1.0 indicates an increase of one standard

deviation on the outcome and is associated with advancing children’s achievement by two or

three years. Hattie (2016) talks about how to best consolidate learning through spaced practice,

receiving feedback, and collaborative learning with peers. Hattie (as cited in Wiggins, 1998)

wrote about feedback across four dimensions. It must be: (1) timely, (2) specific, (3)

understandable to the learner, and (4) actionable. (1) Timeliness of feedback is important. When

learning something for the first time, the feedback may take the form of reteaching. “But soon

after surface-level acquisition learning, during the surface consolidation period, feedback is

essential, because students are just now beginning to rehearse and practice” (Hattie, 2016). (2)

Specific means to keep it short and to the point so learners can listen, and process information

appropriately as oppose to “Good job!” where the student speculates on what exactly qualifies

the work as “good.” (3) Understandable to the learner. Hattie (2016) explained that useful

feedback needs to be aligned to the level of the learner’s knowledge” (p. 66). And finally (4)

actionable where Hattie (2016) proved that feedback should come within a given unit as oppose

to waiting until the “summative assignment has been submitted, with no possibility of revising
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and resubmitting” (p. 66). Incorporating consistent feedback into my writer’s workshop lessons

will build writers’ confidence and improve writing scores.

Within the “Seven Practices for Effective Learning” article McTighe and O’Connor

(2005) stated under Practice 5: Provide feedback early and often, “First, feedback on the

strengths and weaknesses needs to be prompt for the learner to improve. Waiting three weeks to

find out how you did on a test will not help your learning.” Some educators rely on test scores

and grade and feedback when, in fact they fail the “specificity test.” “Pinning a letter (B-) or a

number (82%) on a student’s work is no more helpful than such comments as “Nice job” or

“You can do better. Although good grades and positive remarks may feel good, they do not

advance learning” (McTighe and O’Connor, 2005). Another important facet to providing

feedback is ample time for the writer to execute the techniques you are teaching. As McTighe

and O’Connor (2005) explained, “Writer’s rarely compose a perfect manuscript on the first try,

which is why the writing process stresses cycles of drafting, feedback, and revision to route

excellence.” Just as a coach gives feedback to their players on the field, writers need ongoing

assessment and ample feedback to create quality pieces of work.

Anderson (2009) agreed with the findings of McTighe and O’Connor (2005) in that there

is a clear process in which a writer receives, processes, and executes feedback. Anderson (2009)

explained that there are two parts when supporting students in a writing conference. The first

part of the writing conference is dedicated to identifying student needs. As Anderson (2009)

stated, “During the first part of the conference, identify an area of need” (p. 5). Depending on

the stage of the writer, you will engage with the writer on the kind of work he/she is doing at this

stage. There are three steps in this part of the conference as recommended by Anderson (2009),

Step 1: Ask an open-ended question. This will invite the student to engage in conversation about
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what they are working on as a writer. Step 2: Ask follow-up questions. Effective follow-up

questions include “Where are you in the writing process?”; “What strategies are you using in this

stage?”; and “What are you doing to write this piece well?” Step 3: Look at student’s writing.

Teachers narrow their focus to one area of need. The second part of the writing conference as

demonstrated by Anderson (2009), “You will teach the student a writing strategy or craft

technique to help him grow as a writer” (p. 6). There are four steps to include in the second part

of the writing conference. Step 1: Give feedback. This can be in the form of a compliment to

the writer highlighting what the student is doing well. Step 2: Teach. “Start by naming and

defining the specific strategy or craft to technique that you intend to teach” (p.6). Anderson

(2009) suggested that this is an important time to include a mentor text reference to help give life

to the intended learning outcome. Step 3: Try it. Anderson (2009) asserted, “Before you end the

conference, help the student try the strategy or technique you just taught” (p. 6). This will

promote independence in writers when sent to back to work. Step 4: Link to the students work.

Here is where you review the present learning with the child and encourage them to use the new

understanding in their future works. This framework will be the foundation to my writing

conferences.

The writing curriculum at the Eau Claire School District is Lucy Calkins. In her

curriculum guide, Calkins explained the architecture of writing conferences and the principles

that guide teachers and students. Writing conferences are intimate and varied between learner

and a coach yet there is a clear structure when supporting students. Number one students need to

be engaged in writing then in turn develop urgency and purpose as a writer. Calkins (2013)

explained that “you must first organize and teach the whole class in such a way that each child is

in his or her own purposeful work as a writer” (p. 73). Through the writing workshop mini-
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lesson, teachers must provide ample sources of literature that appeal to students within each

genre and model writing using interesting, age-appropriate books. Calkins concluded that a

writing conference should involve these four phases: research, decide, teach, and link. The

“research” phase as described by Calkins (2013) stated to “Observe and interview to understand

what the child is trying to do as a writer” (p. 73). You may choose to ask an open-ended

question stating, “What are you working on as a writer?” So often, the children will launch into

a conversation explaining their content saying, “I’m writing about my dog” to which it is okay to

stop them and rely on more than one line of questioning to help the child explain their intentions

as a writer. Phase two “decide” includes “quickly synthesizing what you have learned and

thinking about the learning pathways that the child is traveling on” (p. 75). By listening to the

writer’s self-assessment of the work their doing and the writer’s goals and plans, the teacher will

coach in the direction toward which the writer is traveling or begin to scaffold those intentions

toward new learning objectives. The “teach” phase recommends two parts. First, naming an

area of strength or complimenting the student on something important you want them to continue

doing in their work. This will give children a feeling of success and accomplishment which will

in turn foster self-confidence and motivation. Calkins (2013) and Hattie (2016) agreed on

complimenting students. John Hattie’s research suggested that compliments—which he refers to

as medals—need to be informative. Letting students know that something he or she has been

doing is really working. Second, teachers will explicitly teach the writer something that will

help him or her in future writing pieces. Calkins (2013) stated, “Teachers will word the teaching

point in such a way that can be generalized to other instances” (p. 77) in the form of

demonstration or by referencing a mentor text or anchor chart. Finally, in phase four “link”

teachers will name what the writer has done that he or she can continue to do in the future and
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reiterate the teaching point. “As you remind the writer that it will be important to continue doing

this good work often in future writing pieces, you’ll explicitly support the transference of what

you’ve taught today into the child’s ongoing independent writing process” (Calkins, p. 77).

Using Calkins’ work as a guide, I will incorporate a consistent conferencing schedule and

prepare a conferring binder that includes the following writing tools: anchor charts, visuals,

mentor texts, exemplar pieces, and assessment and observation guides.

Finally, through the Teaching Channel, I learned how to use “Fist to Five” as a formative

check for understanding. Fist to Five asks students to indicate the extent of their learning of a

concept or lesson by holding up a closed fist (no understanding), one finger (very little

understanding), two fingers (some understanding but need support), three fingers (I understand

some of it), four fingers (I understand), and five fingers (I understand it completely and can

easily explain it to someone else). This strategy can be used after a mini-lesson in writing to

group students by similar needs in a conferring session or to allow for students with low

understanding to meet with students with higher understanding in a peer mentoring model.

Before asking children to respond it is important to set up the expectations of Fist to Five and

ensure students are ready to reflect upon the material accurately. For primary grades, teachers

can modify to a three-finger strategy: one finger (I don’t get it), two fingers (I somewhat get it),

and three fingers (I get it) or use the thumbs up, thumbs sideways, or thumbs down strategy. As

mentioned in the video, “Sometimes the measurement of Fist to Five is about the content of a

lesson. Sometimes it is about the social experience in the classroom.” The Fist to Five example

will help me better understand my students and allow them to take more ownership in their

learning. Currently, I do no use any form of reflection following a mini-lesson in writer’s

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workshop. Because of implementing Fist to Five, students will increase engagement and

participation when asked more frequently how they feel and share their level of understanding.

As a school grounded in Lucy Calkin’s writing workshop curriculum, I find it important

to confer regularly with children and to do so in ways that teach children to confer with each

other. Teachers need to give responsibility to their students “letting them become, with your

support, both writer and reader, creator and critic” (p.78). Providing feedback is a strategy to

empower students to think critically about their work and helps moves them to a higher level of

thinking. In closing, improving writing skills by implementing conferring in writer’s workshop

will yield students that are thoughtful and confident, whose creativity will inspire others, and

whose work will exceed academic expectations.

Research Conclusion

The main question guiding my research is: How does conferring in writer’s workshop

using Lucy Calkins impact assessment outcomes? Through my research I learned how to give

quality feedback to writers and how to track assessment outcomes. The resources I found

emphasized the importance of feedback helping to vest students in their work and become

critical thinkers. The idea is not to “pollute” a child’s work by giving them all the writing “do’s

and do nots” rather validate their work and further develop the strategies taught using direct

feedback and formal discussion. Lucy Calkins has developed such a rich writing experience for

students and I can relate to her passion and excitement for teaching writing. Every day, I see my

students’ energy as they put meaning onto the page and share with others. By reading aloud

using many mentor texts I engage my readers to become writers that study other works of

literature. My students especially invest themselves in their writing if they write about subjects
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that are important to them. I am eager to continue conferring with my students to further develop

their own love of writing.

Research Implications for Implementation in Planning and Instruction

The essential question guiding professional growth for this process: How do I improve

instructional design and assessment to achieve each student’s developmental capabilities through

confident and independently competent learning?

My specific inquiry question: How does conferring in writer’s workshop using Lucy

Calkins impact assessment outcomes?

Answers/insights from research and course learning that I plan to apply in planning and

instruction for my targeted learning unit:

1. Design writing lessons using conferring strategies. Begin by setting up a conferring

schedule and conferring binder to guide the writing conferences.

2. Deliver writing instruction that utilizes feedback using the Lucy Calkins four phases:

research, decide, teach, and link.

3. Plan for student self-reflection including goal-setting and assessment rubrics.

4. Compare pre and post writing assessments within each writing genre. Modify lessons

based on assessment outcomes.

5. Facilitate student discourse by scaffolding feedback techniques. Foster collaboration

and communication within writing partnerships.

Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

1.Standardized Goal: W.1.3. Writes narratives in which they recount two or more

appropriately sequenced events, including some details regarding what happened, use temporal

words to signal events order, and provide some sense of closure.

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Standardized Goal: L1.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Standardized Goal: L1.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

2.Targeted Learning Objective: Through feedback during conferring sessions, students

will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in their writing and set appropriate writing

goals specifically in the areas of realistic fiction and writing conventions.

Task(s) and Essential Proficiency Criteria for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

1. Task: Students will take a pre and post assessment to demonstrate understanding

within the genre of realistic fiction.

2. Criteria that Prove Proficiency in Meeting Targeted Learning Objective(s)

a. Students will meet a benchmark of 3 (successfully meeting end of year

expectations in writing) according to the realistic fiction rubric.

b. Students will communicate appropriately and respectfully within

conferring and peer mentoring relationships.

Method(s) to Assess Progress of Proficiency for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

1. Pre and post assessment within realistic fiction.

2. Document individual growth in the conferring binder using assessment,

observations, and notes.

Post-Assessments

Instructional Insights Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

The question guiding my research is: How does conferring in writer’s workshop using

Lucy Calkins impact assessment outcomes? Through research and implementation, I have
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learned how to better assess for children’s progress in writer’s workshop and developed several

whole-class checkpoints and assessment rubrics within each genre. This best explains my

growth in assessing students as suggested in WTS 8 and Danielson Component 3d: Using

Assessment in Instruction. Developing checklists and rubrics (See Artifact A) has helped me

understand where each child falls along the learning progressions in Lucy Calkins and better

differentiate my teaching. I learned how to recruit children in assessing their progress by

allowing for more self-assessment and goal setting during each conferring session. Rather than

just giving new teaching points, I now help students develop stronger writing habits by

encouraging them to ask themselves where they shine and where they can aim to grow.

Together, we look back at their work from the beginning of each unit to see what teaching points

and learning has taken hold and plan new writing sessions accordingly. I now have a systematic

approach when documenting each conferring session which demonstrates my growth in WTS 7:

Planning different kinds of lessons. Artifact B provides an example of my new template to

document each child’s one-to-one conference. It is designed to help deliver appropriate feedback

to each student and guide my future instruction. These tools are housed on an assessment

clipboard where I include copies of exemplar student work, my shared writing piece, anchor

charts, mentor texts, and prompting guides (See Artifact C & D). My colleagues and I spend

more time collaborating and planning for improvement in our instruction which shows

professional growth in Danielson Domain 1: Planning and Preparation. As a team, we each

bring new learning and insights to help support each other and work together to design and

execute writer’s workshop lessons more effectively.

Comparison of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

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First grade students’ writing skills vary and progress at different rates. My goal as a teacher

is to move emergent readers into the writing process by guiding them in conferring sessions to

use phonics patterns in written work, use sight words in meaningful ways, create an awareness of

punctuation and writing conventions, and develop stories rich in details and dialogue. These

skills were some of the writing components taught and addressed in my conferring sessions.

Based on assessment outcomes within our realistic fiction unit, I found that students are reaching

the end of year benchmarks of a 3 at higher proficiency levels than in years past. Their writing is

clear and more developed, detailed, and legible. When given the pre-assessment for narrative

writing, 5/22 or 22% of students were identified as able to make a beginning for their story, show

what happened in order, use details to help readers picture their story, and finally make an ending

for their story and earned a 2 in the gradebook. As compared to 16/22 or 72% of students met

end of the year benchmark in narrative writing on their post-assessment earning a 3 in the

gradebook. In conclusion, conferring in writer’s workshop is necessary to accelerate progress

and provides crucial opportunities for teachers to offer strong, individualized feedback and

instruction.

Comparison of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)

When reflecting on my students’ progress, I find it evident that I am making writing

workshop more motivating and engaging for each learner. Meeting one-on-one with students

really changed their feelings about writer’s workshop. Students are eager to bring their work to

the conferring table and demonstrate their learning with myself and their peers. There is a

positive shift in attitude about writing in my classroom and I feel there is more momentum in

their efforts toward reaching their goals. Students are more willing to listen and act upon the

feedback that is given and are taking more ownership in their writing. I find that they are
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beginning to take risks and add dialogue or try a new technique like using comparisons in

writing. I also really enjoy spending time one-on-one or in small groups with students as I can

better relate to students and get to know their interests. I am looking forward to next year when I

can begin the year meeting with students and use my learning of conferring and feedback during

every writing unit. I am nurturing my readers to become stronger writers and sharing in the love

of language arts with them.

Reflection of Entire Learning Process

What Worked and Why

1. My assessment clipboard includes all necessary information to accurately document

and assess children’s’ learning outcomes. I found the prompting guide to be most useful when

familiarizing myself with the language of a writing conference. I was able to easily manage each

child’s progress and reflect upon my future instruction.

2. The rubric (Artifact A) allows for consistent scoring against a set of defined learning

outcomes. This information will be shared at parent-teacher conferences and made accessible to

parents for all writing genres.

3. The conferring outline by Lucy Calkins was meaningful in my instruction with

students. Using her research, decide, teach, and link format, I was able to design prompting

guides (Artifact C & D) and share them with my colleagues.

What Did Not Work and Why

1. First graders really struggle with writing conventions and grammar. I feel that I did

not confer enough surrounding the ideas of standard English rules. More time spent teaching

grammar usage and writing conventions in whole-group shared reading lessons, guided reading
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groups, and conferring sessions will help further develop the skills needed for fluency and

accuracy in writing.

2. When meeting with students to confer, the rest of the classroom was noisy, and

children were not attending to their writing tasks the entire time. This means, I did not spend

enough time pre-teaching, modeling, and demonstrating writing independence. I would like to

incorporate more lessons on how to work in a successful writing partnership and increase

independence in writers.

My Next Steps

1. Continue implementing a regular conferring schedule using the Lucy Calkin’s

framework.

2. Design and implement lessons on writing partnerships.

3. Seek opportunities for professional development in writing through the ECASD.

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References

Anderson, C. (2009). Strategic writing conferences: Smart conversations that move young

writers forward. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Calkins, L., & Cunningham, P. (2013). A guide to the common core writing workshop: Primary

grades. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J., (2016). Teaching literacy in the visible learning classroom.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Literacy.

Fist to Five Feedback [Video blog interview]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2018, from

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/getting-instant-student-feedback

O’Connor, K., & McTighe, J., (2005). Seven Practices for Effective Learning. Educational

Leadership, (3). 10.