Event Sponsor: *

Century High School

Event Contact Name: *

Mary Palmer

Position or Title: *

Instructional Coach

Event Contact Phone: *

(701) 323-6522

Event Contact Email: *

mary_palmer@bismarckschools.org

Event Location: *

Century High School

Event Start Date: *

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Event End Date: *

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Objective and Outcomes: *

• Participants will reflect on their current writing instruction/practices.
• Participants will research effective writing instruction models.
• Participants will adapt practices of writing instruction and reflect on implementation.
• Participants will review student work and norm papers.
• Participants will establish a folder of exemplars and create a warehouse of resources for students and teachers.

Resources/Course Materials: *

• Mary Palmer, instructional coach
• Student writing samples
• Common usage problem documents created last semester
• “What Works Best When?” High Impact Literacy Approaches at Each Phase of Learning (article)
• ReLeah Lent’s This is Literacy (the writing chapter)
• Various videos and articles provided by Mary Palmer including, Implementing Writer’s Workshop, The Workshop Model (video), The Workshop Model (website)

Attendance: *

sign in sheet

Evaluation and Evidence of Learning and Application: *

1. Reflections on New Learning
• Weekly meetings as a PLC and individual content areas: Teachers in the English department will meet regularly to share and discuss student writings in order to norm essays and identify exemplary student writing, using our common language documents. We will share strategies and discuss student progress. Teachers are encouraged to ask questions and search for evidence/research to move the work forward.
• Each teacher will show student growth in the area of writing by reflecting on the correlation of skills addressed with academic achievement. At the end of the semester, teachers will share with their cross-content colleagues at a staff meeting – share their approach, their strategies, and their successes.
2. Application of New Learning:
• English teachers are expected to explicitly teach writing and to show student growth (via sample essays, rubrics, etc.). They will also be asked to evaluate their students’ work and to apply various strategies to their classroom practice that encourage the traits of effective writing, drafting, revision, etc. Providing artifacts from students, however, will complement the end goal.