Inquiry Update 1/11/16

Inquiry Update Staff meeting 1/11/16

Low writers focus boys

Focus on low writers- poor phonics- reading skills- link between low readers and writers

Promote more reading everyday for our low reading groups  this is making an impact as these children are making progress in their reading. As yet we have to moderate and see if this has been transferred to their writing??

Experiences- pictures

Rainbow Reading

Testing out theories  

Peer writing

Low writers in  Room 1 focus on phonics etc, and Room 2 &3 taught collaboratively (2 teachers)

Ict Google tasks in folders e.g. tree frogs Hover bikes, Space jump, Olympics.  Using video clips for building experiences was successful for descriptive writing, can write by pausing and describing step by step.  Creating experiences. Seen an increase of engagement.

Spelling programme patterns taught across the team children work at different levels. Own speeling words added to weekly spelling.

Children appear to be more engaged and keen to write. Sharing their writing on Google docs with teachers/ Many writing from home and sharing.
Problems appear to be the behavioural issues with some of our children making it difficult to fully utilise teacher aide hours.

Suzi Gould 12.9.16

How to grow 'belief in self ' as writers

• Celebration of Writing
• Reflective
• reflexive
• children to be feed back panels
• Look at VLN
• ask kids
• pintrest
• high cultural capital

How might we.....
Look at new ways to celebrate writing-
Buiding experiences- to broaden their range of writing ideas
What are some processes and strategies we can adopt to share throughout the writing

New Learning is the the phase we are now

Workshop with Suzi

Brain calming exercise.  Suzi asked us to draw 5 spirals, 3 trees, a cat, a dog, 2 marae and a path.  Great idea to use in class.  Because you have to concentrate and draw quickly to keep up with the list as it is recited you have to focus and be present in the moment.

Suzi asked us questions to as to where we were at in our Inquiry since the last meeting.  Although the stages haven't been followed as shown below we are at the New Learning Stage.  Discussed slide 14 in her Inquiry PowerPoint.

Our individual views on the design of our Writing programme.

Further discussion around student's enjoyment of writing.  We reviewed the Student interviews and it was really clear that students

• who don't enjoy writing feel that they don't have a choice of topics and/or find it hard to come up with their own ideas
• do not perceive themselves as being successful writers.

Therefore our taking action pathway is very clear as outlined in the post above.

How to grow 'belief in self ' as writers

• Celebration of Writing
• Reflective
• reflexive
• children to be feed back panels
• Look at VLN
• ask kids
• pintrest
• high cultural capital

How might we.....
Look at new ways to celebrate writing-
Buiding experiences- to broaden their range of writing ideas
What are some processes and strategies we can adopt to share throughout the writing

New Learning is the the phase we are now
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT27OGGKa4d7fWRIVZmCSiRDDWfDvmNYuOLZqBEmyaQ/edit

Workshop with Suzi

Brain calming exercise.  Suzi asked us to draw 5 spirals, 3 trees, a cat, a dog, 2 marae and a path.  Great idea to use in class.  Because you have to concentrate and draw quickly to keep up with the list as it is recited you have to focus and be present in the moment.

Suzi asked us questions to as to where we were at in our Inquiry since the last meeting.  Although the stages haven't been followed as shown below we are at the New Learning Stage.  Discussed slide 14 in her Inquiry PowerPoint.

Our individual views on the design of our Writing programme.

Further discussion around student's enjoyment of writing.  We reviewed the Student interviews and it was really clear that students

• who don't enjoy writing feel that they don't have a choice of topics and/or find it hard to come up with their own ideas
• do not perceive themselves as being successful writers.

Therefore our taking action pathway is very clear as outlined in the post above.

How to grow 'belief in self ' as writers

• Celebration of Writing
• Reflective
• reflexive
• children to be feed back panels
• Look at VLN
• ask kids
• pintrest
• high cultural capital

How might we.....
Look at new ways to celebrate writing-
Buiding experiences- to broaden their range of writing ideas
What are some processes and strategies we can adopt to share throughout the writing

New Learning is the the phase we are now
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT27OGGKa4d7fWRIVZmCSiRDDWfDvmNYuOLZqBEmyaQ/edit

Teacher Wonderings

Student Interviews - Scanning

Our Focus Group

As a result of professional conversations we have narrowed our focus group to Daniel S, Noah R, Jordis M, Sam B, Charlie D, Olly K, Oli D, Linkin G, Te Whaiti M, Kane D, Jaxton K and Noah F.

We have chosen these students as many of them are Targeted for Writing and they make up a range of priority learners i.e. boys, Maori/Pasifika, learning needs and/or behavioural challenges.

The Scanning Phase

This afternoon in our Team Meeting we designed our Student Interview. The questions that we will ask our Learners are:

1. Where are you going with your learning?
2. What are you learning about at the moment?
3. Why is this learning important?
4. Do you enjoy writing?
5. Do you enjoy reading?
6. Do you get help with reading at home?
7. Do you like to write at home?
8. Do you see people who write at home/ pen and paper or on the computer.
9. What do you enjoy writing about?
10. Do you get feedback on your work from your teacher?
11. Do you understand what the feedback is telling you?
12. Do you understand what highlighter marking is ?
13. Do you think you are a good writer?
14. Do you prefer to write in a book or on a computer? Why/Why not?
15. Do you enjoy learning about text types?

Working with Pam Hook

Practical Ideas using SOLO to Advance Writing and Reading (and other areas of the Curriculum)

Kids succeed when they bring in ideas, connect ideas, extend ideas.

Red Rectangle.  Making meaning.  What have I read, seen, measured?  Bringing in ideas-Multistructural
Purple Speech Bubble.  Why do you think it's like that?  Connecting ideas-Inference-Relational
Blue Thought Bubbe.  What does it make you wonder?  How does it make you feel?  Making a Prediction-Extended Abstract

Use with a Static image, framework for writing - Describe++ Map
Fits extremely well with Making Connections - use Sheena Cameron Strategy to coincide with descriptions.

DescribePP Strip for little kids
I can see    I think      I wonder        Shark examples

Using Hexagons  e.g.  object, because, other pictures

See the English Language Learners Book

Strips or cut down map - vary to suit.  Use rectangle, speech bubble, thought bubble (shapes) and then build into using whole map as able.  Model the shapes in Reading as questions.


Rubrics - Hot Solo Visual Rubric
Pam will resend Hot Rubrics.  Keep it simple and pictorial.
Pam will send reciprocal reading resources -  a series of questions that kids ask each other about their reading.

Fullstop rubric - feral fullsotppers, bad for extended absract so that kids know who to ask for help - equivalent to Rachel's Learning Coaches.

Reading Strategy rubic - strategies down side and then add in skill needed.

Maths
Pam talked about using rubric for counting on strategy!!!!

Action Already Taken

Writing Collaboration

Why we decided to cross/ability group

Our Inquiry Focus - Writing