25 Take-Aways from the #TCRWP Saturday Reunion

I'm addicted to learning experiences like the one that took place this past Saturday at Columbia University for teachers about the Reading and Writing Workshop model.  I can't get enough of them because there are so many people who are so passionate about what they do, they have given up a Saturday to teach others without being paid.  The audience is made up of people who have given up  time they could be spending with family, friends and loved ones to learn new ways of teaching students.  It did not matter if you were a presenter or an audience member it was clear teaching and learning was the primary focus and it was clearly modeled throughout the day.


From Lucy Calkins:

1)  Our kids are plot junkies, they loved telling us what happened.  We need to teach them to pay more attention to detail as we teach reading.  The details are what authors use to drive the story.

2)  All readers now need to read like a writer.

3)  Teachers are not lone rangers who close the classroom door.  We need teachers to work together to develop quality units of study.

4)  When students read for 30 minutes, but know they will share what they have read for just five minutes their focus and comprehension increases greatly.

5)  Before beginning independent reading, students must have their readings logs out.  It allows them to see their progress and keep evidence.

6)  If you are comprehending what you are reading, you read about 3/4 of a page in one minute.  40 minutes = 30 pages.

7)  We need to have high expectations about how much students are reading.  A book like Hatchet should take students about a week and a half to read.

8)  As text complexity increases details become much more important.  The details show what is happening.

9)  Often times when we have book clubs or independent reading time, we are not teaching by modeling, we are expecting our students to complete tasks we give them.

From Michelle McGrath:

10)  Why keep a readers notebook?  It gives teachers a window into the thought process of every student as they read.

11)  Readers notebooks should focus on the things like symbolism, or why the author is writing like he/she does.

12)  Teachers need to model a readers notebook with a read-aloud book.  It should be used, displayed and then posterized afterwards.

13)  The details students write in their notebooks lead to big ideas which lead to long writing activites.  The details lead students to statements like:  "I used to think...but now...."

14)  In grades 5-8 we should be moving away from summarizing when using a readers notebook.

15)  Teachers need to read EVERY student's reading notebook.  If we aren't reading they aren't writing.

16)  Twice a month students can pick their favorite entry and everyone in class switches seats.  Peers leave a glow and a grow post it for their peer.

17)  Keep a binder of great student entries in a reading notebook.  Call the binder something great like, "The Hall of Fame."  See how quickly you build amazing examples of student work when you read their entries every day.

From Kate Roberts:

18)  As you start a unit of writing have students read their own work from the year before.  Have students name what they can do well as they read the previous year's work.

19)  Read a mentor text (former student work, or published work) and ask:  What can I learn from this writer?  Have students set goals for this unit of study.

20)  Have mentor writing samples that show what a weak, average, and excellent example is in this genre of writing.  Have students explain where their work fits in.

21)  Have students make a claim, and support that claim w/ evidence from the text.  Push students to dig for deeper claims.  Example:  Superman is strong is an easy claim to make and prove.  Superman wants to be accepted, requires students to dig deeper into the text.

From Melissa Bulter:

22) Student portfolios should be online so they can have access to them whenever they need it.

23)  Evernote and Google Docs are great ways for teachers and students to organize their files.

24)  Connecting students from around the country in activities like the 'Virtual Debate' motivate students to want to write more.

25)  Livebinders are great resources to use when looking for material on a particular subject matter.


This past Saturday was an amazing learning experience for me. I hope some of these items will  be helpful to other teachers, but even more I hope you are able to attend events like this in the future, or create them at your school.