Reflection Observation 1

PAC 10th March 2016
Romy, Rebecca, Angela and Christine

What do you do when you get stuck in your writing?

• Reread and see if it is making sense
• Go to the teacher and read it out loud to her to see if it makes sense
• Wait for a time to work with a buddy and ask them to give me feedback     

Do you get stuck?

• I sometimes get stuck in the planning part.

What do you do then?

• Try to work it out
• Think of a time when something like what I'm thinking of happened and try to write that down
• Think of a story I have read and think how the author might have planned it.

Romy Next Steps:

• Specific choice of words and phrases to put into his writing to enhance a mood or a overall feeling in his writing
• Build vocab so words become more specific 
• Part 4 journals to explore more complex ideas

Christine Next Steps:

• Clarity around Level 4 of the curriculum as this is where Romy will be moving to
• Sourcing relevant models and exemplars at Level 3 and 4

Reflection

It is interesting that Romy came to me as just at expectation. I have not found him here at all. He does prefer to write fiction to non fiction and has a good understanding of different genre within fiction writing.  From what Romy talked about in answer to the questions during the PAC, I would like to strengthen the peer feedback that the students give each other. Much of it is surface level using the cue cards we developed as a class. The writers circle could be used more effectively than what it is being at the moment. Also Readers Literacy Circle may be a way to engage the students in deeper thinking about what they are reading and work on transferring this to their writing. 

For Term 2 I would like to explore Sophisticated Picture Books with the class and think this will extend Romy to the thinking and vocab levels that he would benefit from working within.  This is detailed in the write up under My Inquiry.   

Pre observation Conversation Term 1

Pre Observation CONVERSATION ONE

The focus of this observation was Individual Conferencing. 

Date:  Term One 2016

Student:  Romy Nimmo Johnston

Curriculum Area:  Writing

Pre-Observation Conversation

Group Observation:

1.      1.  Which students/group are you working with for this lesson?

Romy – radar student for writing

2. The learning goals/learning intention for the students during the observation will be:

To reflect on the remember to in his writing with a view to how the writing is for the reader.

WALHT paint a picture in the readers mind.

Remember to:

Start the poem with “ The ….was usual enough.  Share the place in the first sentence.

Choose 5 nouns.  The last noun will be in the sentence “And it even had …… “

Include the sentence that says who you were with “My brother and I did what boys (girls) do”

Choose 5 verbs – action words – that show what you were doing

Finish the poem with “doing nothing important at all”

- Why this learning for these students?

The importance of the remember to as a guide to the successful completion of a piece of writing.

3. How will we know that these students are learning what you are intending them to learn?  i.e., what is the success criteria?

WALHT paint a picture in the readers mind.

Remember to:

Start the poem with “ The ….was usual enough.  Share the place in the first sentence.

Choose 5 nouns.  The last noun will be in the sentence “And it even had …… “

Include the sentence that says who you were with “My brother and I did what boys (girls) do”

Choose 5 verbs – action words – that show what you were doing

Finish the poem with “doing nothing important at all”

Teacher will respond as a reader – To promote further learning by responding as a reader, and using prompts.

4. What will it look like when the students understand it?

Student is able to identify what part of the writing gave the reader (teacher) a picture in their head

And what part of the writing could be strengthened to create more of a picture.

5. What is the professional goal you are focussing on during this observation? (last goal set with Toni, Enid or Anna)

To promote further learning by responding as a reader and using prompts.

Responding to writing and using prompts has been introduced to the class.  However they are needing further work on how to give a response as feedback and how to use a prompt in order to promote further learning.

6. What will this look like in practice?

The teacher will model this with each student /small group of student / writers group using their own writing to show how further learning can be promoted.

7. How will you know you have been successful?

When the student has been able to respond to a prompt by improving / strengthening / editing their writing.

When the teacher modelling of responses and prompts becomes the learning conversation in the classroom.