celebration

A Recipe for a School-wide Writing Celebration

Anna Gratz Cockerille
 Ingredients 
  • Students from all classrooms in the school, with a favorite piece of writing in any genre
  • Steps for preparing for the writing celebration, written out for students to see
  • A large space like a gym or cafeteria or several classrooms
  • Writing celebration chart(s)
  • Compliments forms
  • Cards with group numbers written on them
Steps

BEFORE THE CELEBRATION

    1.  Set a date and time toward the end of the school year for a school-wide celebration.
    2. Invite teachers and students from every classroom to participate in the writing celebration. Visit each classroom, generating excitement and letting students know when the celebration will be happen.
    3. Prepare students for the celebration, either on the same classroom visit as above or a different one. Set students up for success by sharing the following:
      • Choose a piece.
      • Fix it up.
      • Practice reading it with a partner in a nice, clear voice.
      • Practice giving compliments to each other. (Students will each give the other group members a compliment on the day of the celebration.)

preparing for the celebration

  1. Prepare student groups. Each group should be comprised of at least one student from each grade level, and should be no bigger than six. An ideal group would have one student from grades K – 5, for example. Be sure the groups are numbered.
  2. Ask teachers to double check the groups to ensure there are no grouping issues.
  3. Prepare a compliments form on which group members can record compliments for each other.
  4. Gather the oldest children and let them know that they will be recording compliments for the younger children. Let them know as well that they should help to facilitate turn-taking and keeping the group moving at a good pace.
  5. Create a celebration chart.

writing celebration chart

ON THE DAY OF THE CELEBRATION

  1. Prepare the room or rooms by setting out numbered note cards so children can easily find their groups. Place some compliments forms and a pencil at each spot.
  2. When the children arrive, welcome them to the celebration. Congratulate them for all of their hard work, and remind them how much they have grown as writers. Point to the chart, and remind them that they should read clearly and slowly, and give them a few prompts to use when complimenting each other
  3. Circulate as children are reading, help them to compliment each other well, and congratulate yourself and all of the teachers for a job very well done.

compliments

ENJOY!

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Published by Anna Gratz Cockerille

Anna is a staff developer, literacy coach, and writer, based in New York City. She taught internationally in places such as Sydney, Australia; San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and Auckland, New Zealand in addition to New York before becoming a staff developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University (TCRWP). She has been an adjunct instructor in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, and teaches at TCRWP where she helps participants bring strong literacy instruction into their classrooms. Anna recently co-wrote Bringing History to Life with Lucy Calkins, part of the 2013 series Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing (Heinemann). She has been a researcher for Lucy Calkins, contributing especially to Pathways to the Common Core (Heinemann, 2012) and Navigating Nonfiction (Heinemann, 2010).

8 thoughts on “A Recipe for a School-wide Writing Celebration”

    1. That sounds great to start with your class, and yes it would be wonderful for parents too. What’s nice is the audience can circulate from group to group, and there is no pressure for a big performance. Thanks for you thoughts!

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  3. I love this idea for an internal school wide writing celebration. For the last two years we have done an informal writing share with parents. I send home a letter to parents, in every grade, inviting them to drop in during a specified time. Students pick a piece to share in advance. When the parent comes, student and parent find a quiet spot outside the classroom to enjoy the piece together.

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    1. That sounds lovely Lisa. It’s so nice for students to have at least one, or several, opportunities to share with a wider audience. I also liked that this celebration helped kids to envision how their writing might grow from year to year. I like the intimacy of yours. I can certainly see doing both kinds.

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      1. I can as well. I’m hoping we can do something like this and the parent share next year. The TWT blog is full of posts that have me getting so excited for next year, and it is only just the first full week of summer break! I love the energy and enthusiasm and reflective tidbits and seeds for future possibilities that are part of June posts here.

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