Hertz, M. S., & Heydenberk, W. (1997). A kindergarten writing workshop: how kindergarten students grow as writers. Reading Horizons, V37 203-214 Retrieved from EBSCO Host.




This research study focused on many questions regarding the change in teaching writing in kindergarten after an extended focus on teaching reading first.  Questions like:  Can kindergarten students effectively engage in a writing workshop on a sustained basis? How do kindergarten children grow as writers when they are given the opportunity to participate in regularly scheduled process writing activities?  The study was done with a half-day kindergarten class of 19 students over 5 months. The writing workshop format was explained and results were positive.  It referenced, Teale, W., & Martinez, M. (1986) to further explain the connection between reading and writing readiness in kindergarteners.



Lamme, L., Fu, D., & Johnson, J. (2002). Helping Kindergarten Writers Move Toward Independence. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 73-79.  Retrieved from EBSCO Host.

This study’s goal focuses on developmentally appropriate instruction and helping kindergarten students to become “active, autonomous learners.”   A study by Turner (1985) is cited to support the notion that when students are given the freedom and responsibility for their learning, they are more successful.  The research explains that students should be given choices and flexibility.  This to build confidence in their writing.  The process of moving students from pictures only to pictures and labels and ultimately words, phrases and complete sentences is explained in detail.  Allowing students to make mistakes and to continue writing anyway is a large part of helping student to become successful.  Hertz and Heydenberk (1997),  Referenced in the conclusion of this study emphasizes the need for mini-lessons, examples, support and time in order to help students become successful writers.



Gallant, P. A. (2009). Kindergarten Teachers Speak Out: “Too Much, Too Soon, Too Fast!”. Reading Horizons, 49(3), 201-220.  Retrieved from EBSCO Host.

This study focuses on the push of formal literacy instruction in the kindergarten classroom.  It cites many surveys and questionnaires given to a wide range of experienced kindergarten teachers looking for their feedback as to how these changes are effecting their students.  Concerns about the loss of play-based learning is mentioned throughout.  Discussion about kindergarten readiness as it relates to parent involvement and age tie in the main focus of are these expectations appropriate for five and six year olds.



Hertz, M. S., & Heydenberk, W. (1997). A kindergarten writing workshop: how kindergarten students grow as writers. Reading Horizons, 37 203-214 Retrieved from EBSCO Host.

This study looks at the change of the study of literacy from the 1980s to today.  It looks at the performance and attitudes of kindergartners who are involved in more formal writing instruction.  Using multiple sources and methods it looks at the ability and attitudes of half-day kindergarten students who are engaged in a formal writing workshop.  The process of the writers workshop is outlined and specific areas of student’s writing was evaluated after a five month period.  Students did show measurable growth and recommendations were made as to how this process can be accomplished in a classroom.

I have been struggling this week with the task of forming my question.  My struggles have been with the process of measuring and clarifying my main focus.  Thursday's Twitter session has been highly beneficial in pointing me in the right direction to narrow down my focus and remind me that, "Data does not have to be numbers."

I have received some great suggestions and feedback about my question.  Kevin wondered if I should add a technology piece.  Then Lee reminded me not to complicate things.  

My question as written today:  How can Writer's Workshop support my class with the new Alaska ELA standards.  Our school had adopted a specific Writer's Workshop complete with a fully-scripted launching program.  We have had a consultant visit us in district-wide grade level teams to put together a year-long plan.  I am very interested in seeing if this is the best way to teach these standards.  I would like to focus on the program we have been given and compare these lessons with the standards.  I plan to create a questionnaire for my fellow kinder teachers in my district to see if they are having the same questions.

I am not sure what others may have learned from my question.  I am curious to hear if other districts across the state or across the nation are adopting similar programs to teach to their new ELA Standards or Common Core.

I am in the process of my lit review and hope to have an annotated bibliography posted by Sunday.  Thank you for the research suggestions!

I have returned from Portland, Oregon.  My only child is now in college and I am beginning my new life as an empty-nester.    As promised below is the continuation of last week's blog post.  Thank you to those who have left comments and been in touch with me through Twitter.  Your comments are GREATLY appreciated.  

Create a blog entry outlining the way that you contributed to the learning of others.  I have commented on two different blog posts supporting research questions.  

The impact of your interaction with others through social media (Twitter, blog responses) on your learning.  My last post was filled with many questions.  I have been struggling with a research question.  The response I have received both through blog comments and tweets have helped me to narrow down my focus and have given me a couple of resources to focus on.

 Note any changes you may have made in your question as a result of your interactions with others.  I am not sure if I have made any changes, but I have narrowed down my focus into one question.  My action research will focus on how I am teaching the New Alaska Standards in my classroom.  The problem I would like to focus my research on is Writer's Workshop.  How I can best support my kindergarten students using Writer's Workshop while effectively covering all ELA standards.

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development lists the shifts in the New Alaska State Standards-English Language Arts content area as:

1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts in addition to literature

2. Reading and writing grounded in evidence from the text

3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary

These standards designed to prepare students to be college and career ready have made big changes in not only my classroom but throughout our school and district.  Our district's grade-level team is focusing on our screening document and report card to align withe these new ELA changes.  Next year we will shift our focus to the changes in the math standards.

In the classroom the new standards have changed the flexibility in our schedule.  We now have a 90 minute block of literacy in the morning.  In addition to our Treasures curriculum program, we have added Daily 5 and Writer's Workshop.  These have been added to support the emphasis on application and higher-order thinking skills.  The content is more focused but with much higher rigor and expectations.  The New Alaska Standards are close enough to the Common Core Standards that we are able to use  Common Core curriculum items.  I am using focused mentor texts in my lessons, to teach the academic vocabulary and build knowledge and text-based evidence.  

We are also doing this without a reading specialist. When in the past we have had a reading specialist and an aide who took small groups of students for focused literacy study.  Our RTI program has also been changed.  We will now be meeting as grade-level teams.  Kindergarten and first grade will be a team to meet on and collaborate for support of the students.  In the past the team was made up of one teacher from each grade-level, the reading specialist, the principal and the school psychologist.   It has been a big adjustment but I think with our school's master schedule it allows us the flexibility to move a student to another classroom which may fit them better academically.  I have two students who are in kindergarten and already way beyond their peers in reading.  They will be going into a first grade classroom for part of the literacy block.  My classroom is also open for a student who may need more support from the first grade.

What is the question I would like to research over the next eight weeks?

I am not sure what I would like to research over the next eight weeks.  I am interested in a lot of things happening in my classroom, though I am not sure where to start.  I do not know how I would go about gathering information for these things. 

 *  I am interested in how our new master schedule is going to impact student's learning.  Will a 90 minute block of literacy per day be the solution for covering all of the New Alaska State Standards?  
*  I am interested in how the elimination of our reading specialist will impact the academic success of our lowest students. It will be much harder for them to get the one-on-one or small group setting.
*  I am interested in the correlation between students being read regularly to and academic success.  
*  I am interested in knowing how successful can Writer's Workshop be in kindergarten when I have many students who cannot write their names at this point.  Are these expectations too much for a 5 year old?

 I will continue to read through the posted resources.  Hoping they will help!


I will respond to and repost this blog next week upon my return regarding the assignment below.

"Create a blog entry outlining the way that you contributed to the learning of others, and the impact of your interaction with others through social media (Twitter, blog responses) on your learning. Note any changes you may have made in your question as a result of your interactions with others."

References:
http://www.eed.state.ak.us

http://www.asdn.org/priority-effective-instruction-assessment-using-the-new-alaska-standards/

What I've Learned:  I have learned to be open to learn something new.  As I work to simplify my life from technology and material things, I was very hesitant to learn to use Twitter, Twub, TweetDeck, Weebly and Live Text.  After Tweeting and blogging I can see that they will be great tools for collaboration.

How I Contributed to the Learning of Others:  I think I have contributed, as others have done for me, the fact that we are all not alone in this process.  Many of us are feeling trepidation about this class and whether we will be successful.   I have comfort knowing this and that with all of the technological tools at our disposal for collaboration through this process we cannot be anything other than successful!

I have also helped to introduce teaching websites like teacherspayteachers.com which offer ideas from other teachers Nation-wide.

Goals This Week:   During our school's inservice on Monday we are focusing on the new Language Arts Standards and will be looking at our beginning of the year assessments.  I hope to have some conversations with my grade-level team about how these changes are going to impact teaching this year.

Classroom Research or Action Research is research teachers conduct informally in their classrooms every day.  It is looking at what works and what doesn’t and making appropriate changes, sometimes on the spur of a moment.  

More formally, this research can focus on a specific classroom problem or a new teaching technique.  Done individually or collaborating with other teachers, discussing and reflecting can help teachers gain a wider insight to come up with a solution to improve upon a problem or gain information to launch a new technique in a real-life classroom setting.

There are five steps in action research. 

1. Identification of a problem area
2. Collection and organization of data
3. Interpretation of data
4. Action based on data
5. Reflection

It is comforting for parents, or education administrators outside of the school, to know that a teacher is not just blindly following what the latest study seems to suggest, but is transforming the knowledge into something meaningful. (Ferrance, 2000, pp. 9 & 13)

With the new process of teacher evaluations, this type of research is even more important as we are expected to reflect on our teaching and the effect it has on our students.



Bibliography:

Ferrance, Eileen. (2000). Action Research. Providence RI: Brown University.

Johnson, Andrew P. (2008). A Short guide to Action Research.  Minnesota, MN. Pearson.

Merriam, Sharan B. (2009). Qualitative Research. San Francisco , CA: Jossey-Bass.