Characters Becoming Writers

Running Head: CHARACTERS BECOMING WRITERS: A CASE STUDY 1
Characters Becoming Writers:

A Case Study of One Middle School Writing Workshop
Hannah Kassebaum
University of Mary Washington
CHARACTERS BECOMING WRITERS: A CASE STUDY 2 2

Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Literature Review 5
Methods 12
Findings 21
Discussion 35
Conclusion 38
Implications 39
References 42
Appendices 45
CHARACTERS BECOMING WRITERS: A CASE STUDY 3
Abstract
Most students see writing as anothers creation, but even young students behave
as authors within classrooms (Murray, 2005; Ray, 2002). This action research project combined
writing workshops (Atwell, 2003; Lacina, 2012) with the six traits of writing (Bellamy, 2000),
centering instruction on mini-lessons, conferences, notebooks, and a culminating portfolio,
entailing two original writing samples, corresponding final copies, and a reflective analysis.
Students portfolios and the researchers observational field notes provided evaluative measures.
A data evaluation showed a majority of students improved their writing from original to final
copies, demonstrating that if teachers scaffold the six traits, student writing skills improve.

Writing instruction has been a key element of education since the historic era (Graham &
Perin, 2007). In fact, as recently as the eighteenth and nineteenth century, British educators used
writing as a way to instill morality; since then, however, writing as a topic of instruction has
decreased in public schools. In 2002, the National Assessment of Education Progress issued a
writing exam to measure the writing abilities of fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade students,
evaluating them as Basic, Proficient, or Advanced. While few students achieved an advanced
rating, the greatest majority of students scored either at or below the Basic level. Since these
results became public, teachers across the grade levels have worked to implement more
successful educational methods, seeking to improve their students skills in writing (pg. 7).
From the work of these teachers, Graham and Perin collected several ways to implement writing
instruction naturally into the classroom. In 2007, Graham and Perin published Writing Next:
Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools, a report
which described eleven such methods, including writing strategies, collaborative writing,
specific product goals, sentence combining, prewriting, and process writing (Graham & Perin,
2007; Schroeder, 2006; VanDeWeghe, 2008). Over the years, several instructors have modified
the suggestions posed in Writing Next, focusing extensively on writing workshops (Atwell, 2003;
Calkins, 1994) and peer conferences (Saddler, 2003).

Literature Review
Whereas writing is an essential aspect of literacy education, it remains a difficult topic of
instruction. As such, I chose the writing workshop as the topic of my Masters action research
study. I conducted my research with the resources available through my personal collection of
pedagogical texts, the library of the University of Mary Washington, and the literature available
on Google Scholar. The physical texts used include titles by Wormeli (2001), focusing on the
pedagogy of middle school; Murray (2005), guiding teachers and students through the writing
process; and Wood Ray (2002), providing practical advice in creating a writing workshop. Other
sources used include articles and reviews that were found within the universitys online
databases. Finally, Google Scholar provided a list of published works based on specific search
terms. For this study, I employed a combination of the key words writing traits, writing
workshops, and secondary, as well as the phrase writing workshops in middle schools
[quotation marks used in original search]. The results from these searches provided the basis for
the following literature review.
Importance of Writing
Writing is an important facet of English education, though few people would be capable
of elucidating why writing is so important. What is known, however, is that writing exists
everywhere, as it has since ancient times. Over the span of history, writing has served several
functions communication, discovery, instruction, exploration, analysis and the list continues
(Graham & Perin, 2007). Currently, a students writing skill serves as a forecast of his academic
success and signifies him as a participant in civic life and the global economy. Jobs and higher
education both require our students to create skilled writing on a regular basis, but, in 2005, the
National Commission on Writing exposed the high cost each organization has spent to remediate
their participants (Graham & Perin, 2007; Schroeder, 2006). At its core, writing is a social skill
(Brooke, 1994); as such, communicating ideas and events is the most obvious use of writing
(Applebee & Langer, 2011; Bellamy, 2000; Murray, 2005). Writers use this tool as a guide in
discovering and exploring new information that interests them (Applebee & Langer, 2011;
Irving, Janney, Jordan, Kass, Mayer, Rittershaus, 2004; Murray, 2005; Wormeli, 2001). Writing
and thinking are so closely linked that in 2001, Wormeli proposed that they are entwined, and
thus unable to be separated.
Writing to learn. In this capacity, writing serves as an excellent diagnostic tool, helping
teachers understand their students learning processes and knowledge (Applebee & Langer,
2011; Wormeli, 2001). By using writing to assess students, teachers are able to follow the
maturing thinking processes, as students describe how they come to a certain opinion or
conclusion. This assessment of thoughts, or learning, can be applied across the content areas, as
encouraged by Writing Next (Graham & Perin, 2007). Besides assessing learning, teachers also
discover much about their students current knowledge about writing by reading their early drafts
(Robbins, 2011). Instead of simply marking mistakes, the writing assessments should lead into
future instruction, primarily by showing teachers which skills require further practice.
Methods of Instruction
In the past decade, much research has gone into discovering methods intended to improve
student writing. Direct instruction, typically a strong component of English education, has been
deemed to have a negative impact upon students writing skills (Graham & Perin, 2007).
Graham and Perin did, however, discover eleven techniques to use when implementing writing
instruction, which provide a basis for any model a teacher may wish to follow in his or her
classroom. Researchers have also described more specific instructional theories which have
proven popular and successful in writing classrooms. The six traits of writing have been
cornerstones of the English classroom since 1983, creating a universal list for teachers to use
when creating rubrics or designing lessons (Bellamy, 2000; Graham & Perin, 2007). A common
method, meanwhile, is the writing workshop, used mostly in high school and college classrooms
to encourage collaboration and independence.
Six traits of writing. In 1983, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory created a
list of six traits inherent in good writing, which has formed the basis for writing instruction
(Bellamy, 2000). Bellamys review of the history of the six-trait formula describes how
researchers determined the six traits, as well as the influence the theory has held in current
classrooms. Good writing is broken into the six traits in order to assist teachers in their planning
and instruction, allowing them to break down the complex act of writing into manageable pieces
their students can more easily apprehend. The six traits are described as ideas (content),
organization (development), voice (tone or flavor), word choice, syntax (sentence structure), and
writing conventions (mechanics).
Writing workshops. There may be few aspects of the English classroom more
controversial than the writing workshop. Teachers either acclaim the concept or disdain it; they
either incorporate it regularly or cant find the time (Atwell, 2003; Irving et al., 2004). These
workshops depend upon a few key mindsets, like the belief that students learn by doing (Lain,
2007), content deserves a greater emphasis than form (Lacina & Block, 2012), students should
behave like writers (Murray, 2005; Ray, 2002), and that writing abilities can be learned (Atwell,
2003). Researchers agree that writing often improves writing, as the application of instruction
allows students to practice what they learn. They also insist that teachers focus more on the
content of their students writings than on the type or length of the writing. Writing workshops
allow students to follow the guidance of their favorite writers, following the steps of the writing
process authentically. These mindsets depend upon the teachers beliefs that the skills used in
writing can be taught, contrary to the popular belief that writers are born. The five techniques
used to teach these writing skills, common aspects of writing workshops notebooks, student
choice, mini-lessons, conferences, and portfolios, are outlined below.
Notebooks. Notebooks are necessary to students of the writing workshop, as the
workshop plan requires daily writing. These journals hold the brainstorms, lists, and drafts that
writers create on a daily basis, which students use as a basis for revisions and conferences as they
like. In the beginning of the workshop, Atwell (2003) suggests teachers guide their students in
discovering their territories, or subjects with which they are familiar, to which students will
return for inspiration as they year progresses. The notebooks also may include notes from the
mini-lessons, which students may use as reminders during their writing processes (Atwell, 2003;
Bellamy, 2000; Hoff, 1994; Irving et al., 2004; Lacina, 2004; Lain, 2007; Morgan et al., 2012;
Murray, 2005; Ray, 2002).
Choice. The aspect of choice in writing workshops creates a natural differentiation.
Students produce the literature with which they are comfortable, because the most important
aspect of their creations is the content. This means students are permitted to choose format,
genre, topic, length, and how they spend their time in class. As students gain control of their
choice, they also gain both motivation to complete their work and confidence in their
publications. This choice expands beyond writing, however, to affect the teaching methods as
well. Teachers are able to address specific questions, comments, or weaknesses they find within
their classrooms (Atwell, 2003; Brooke, 1994; Hoff, 1994; Irving et al., 2004; Lain, 2007;
Morgan et al., 2012; Ray, 2002; Wormeli, 2001).
Mini-lessons. Each article addresses the need for direct instruction of writing strategies
and genres. Those researchers in favor of writing workshops, however, prefer the
implementation of mini-lessons, which are short lessons meant to precede individual writing
periods. These lessons are typically 10-20 minutes long, and treat topics like genres, steps of the
writing process, and models from the teachers portfolio. Returning to the aspect of choice, these
mini-lessons are designed to address the issues the majority of the students are facing (Abbey,
2001; Atwell, 2003; De La Paz & Graham, 2002; Hoff, 1994; Irving et al., 2004; Lacina, 2012;
Lain, 2007; Morgan et al., 2012; Ray, 2002).
Conferences. The topic of conferences has two aspects. The first is that of peers,
essential in this environment focused on student learning. Peer conferences require some
instruction, to ensure that feedback is constructive and relevant, but students abilities to revise
and edit improve when reading another persons work. The aspect of an audience besides the
teacher also increases student motivation to create good writing and to continue working on
drafts (Saddler, 2003; Weaver et al., 2001).
The second aspect is the teacher conference, which is intended to be used sparingly.
Obviously, students greatly outnumber teachers in a classroom, so the instructor rarely has the
opportunity to work with each student individually. Instead, teachers conduct conferences while
students write independently. These individual conferences allow teachers to differentiate
instruction even more, by specifically responding to each student and his or her work without the
generalizations of whole-class instruction (Robbins, 2011). Atwell (2003) emphasizes that
students maintain the only physical control of their texts during their conferences, as they keep
their copies in hand, instead of giving them away, answering common concerns voiced by many
instructors (Brooke, 1994). Another benefit, besides literary, of these conferences is the social
profit, which allows the student to set goals (Brooke, 1994), gain confidence, respect, and trust
from interacting on a one-on-one basis with an authority figure (Bellamy, 2000; Calkins, 1986;
De La Paz & Graham, 2002; Hoff, 1994; Irving et al., 2004; Lacina, 2012; Lacina & Block,
2012; Lain, 2007; Morgan et al., 2012; Murray, 2005; Potter, 2001; Ray, 2002; Saddler, 2003;
Wormeli, 2001).
Publication. Publication is the final stage of the writing process, and it is helped along
greatly by students participation in writing workshops. Publication may come in a variety of
formal or informal modes. It can be as basic as a single final copy shown to a classmate, as
complete as a portfolio submitted to a teacher for a class grade, or as sophisticated as a piece
submitted to an organization for consideration in a contest. Teachers use many means to
showcase their students classwork. They may maintain anthologies of previous students work,
a bulletin board updated with final copies, newsletters to pass around the school, or websites for
access to a greater audience. Atwell (2003) and Lain (2007) both mention bulletin boards where
they display updated calls for student work, as well as content information for newspaper editors,
whence students can send their original work. This emphasis on publication allows students to
feel a sense of pride regarding their works, which increases their levels of intrinsic motivation
(Abbey, 2001; Atwell, 2003; Hoff, 1994; Irving et al., 2004; Lain, 2007; Morgan et al., 2012;
Ray, 2002).
Writing Instruction
Unit of study. Considering the six traits of writing as a basis of writing instruction, a
teaching strategy that has been introduced into secondary classrooms over recent years has
proven to demonstrate success with students and their writing, the unit of study format (Morgan,
Clark, Paris, & Kozel, 2012). The unit of study format is best designed for those instructors who
dont feel they have enough time to manage curriculum as well as writing workshops in daily
instruction (Morgan et al., 2012). Instead, these teachers include a single unit of study, typically
3-4 weeks per grading period, to focus on writing skills. These units appear as shortened writing
workshops, though they still include the basic elements. Classes begin with direct instruction,
include independent writing, and conclude with group discussion of students work. The unit has
a dual purpose within the classroom students learn about the process and product of writing as
well as how to study writing.
Application
The preceding information will prove valuable in the implementation of this action
research study. Students writing will be assessed using the writing to learn approach, as the
researcher will evaluate students learning gaps and gains through original and final samples.
Instruction and assessments will center on the six traits of writing, and students will become
familiar with the traits through the duration of the study. The study itself will take the format of
the writing workshop style of instruction; notebooks and choice will belong to students as a
means to inspire creativity, mini-lessons will provide coaching in the six traits, and conferences
and publication will allow for students improvement and self-confidence. To accommodate for
timing, this study will transpire within the space of a month, following the unit of study format.
This allows for a natural beginning and ending, leaving enough time for the researcher to
evaluate the success of the writing workshop as a means of instruction.
Methods
Context and Participants
During the 2013-2014 school, I participated in an internship experience in a local middle
school in Virginia. This school is located in a suburban county highly populated by military and
government families; this population has helped the area become one of the wealthiest counties
in the United States (United States Census Bureau, 2012). My placement is located at the center
of a traditional neighborhood, from whence many students walk or ride their bicycles, and is
within a short drive from several other subdivisions. Thus, many students live near each other,
and see each other in communities outside of school hours. As the center of the community, the
school experiences a high level of support from parents and other locals, as evidenced by
attendance at sporting and fundraising events.
I was responsible for the instruction of three classes, which I saw each day for 84
minutes. These students were grouped as a team, so they saw each other throughout the day as
they changed to mathematics, civics, and science. My students, thus, were familiar with each
other and had the time to become well acquainted with me during the internship. Also, because
the students remained with the same teachers, I had the opportunity to check on students
progress and behavior in other subjects. Across all three of my classes, I had a population of
51seventh-grade students, 24 males and 27 females.
Middle school students. Though writing skills serve a prominent purpose at all levels in
life, the middle school classroom is one area where it has a very formative role. The changes
that occur in the lives of these young students create a period of uncertainty, and writing allows
these maturing adolescents to record and respond to the events of their lives, to describe their
thought processes, and to depict their ideas in their own words (Applebee & Langer, 2011;
Bellamy, 2000; De La Paz, 2002; Irving, et al, 2004; Murray, 2005). Being used as tool of
reflection, the act of writing forces students to implement such basic critical thinking skills as
attention and concentration (Murray, 2005), as well as sophisticated cognitive processes like
justification and validation (Applebee & Langer, 2011; De La Paz, 2002).
Data Collection
This spring, I chose to conduct my masters research in the area of writing workshops in
order to better understand their instructional possibilities in the middle school classroom. This
study took place specifically over a four-week period during the month of February. Because of
an exorbitant number of snow days, the units scheduling was a bit erratic; specifically, the
second week of the workshop was interrupted by several snow days, so I allowed students the
option of submitting a weekly sample. A few students took advantage of the opportunity to
present a piece, gaining extra practice and a wider selection of samples from which to select
copies for their final portfolio. For the most part, however, the majority of students submitted
three weekly writings, still allowing them the opportunity to choose the two samples they
presented in their culminating portfolios.
I decided to conduct a study on writing workshops (Calkins, 1994) because I had
witnessed the need for improvement in my students writing, most notably in a sample of their
timed writing assignments. I assessed their progress by evaluating two final writing samples,
which passed through each stage of the writing process before I received them. I searched for
improvement in students competency in the six writing traits their originality of ideas, their
organization of those ideas, their consistency of voice, their careful use of diction, their creative
shifts in syntax, and their proficiency in mechanics. The students employment of ideas,
organization, voice, diction, syntax, and mechanics combined to affect the individuality of their
writing samples.
Besides the final copy of a writing prompt, I also noted the students progress through
their maintenance of a portfolio and my own field notes of conferences. Throughout the unit,
students maintained notebooks to record daily writing samples, which tracked students progress
from the brainstorming stage of the writing process, through their revisions, and ending in the
final drafts. Typically, these revisions occurred during their conferences, which I monitored,
recorded in field notes, and used as a resource while describing my findings. Along with
assorted field notes, the findings section also included selected reflections written as conclusions
to the students portfolios, providing the students perspectives of the writing workshop as an
instructional method.
Research Design
As I conducted my action research study, I implemented a mixed method research
format. I employed instructor-designed rubrics to evaluate my students starting abilities, based
on observations I had made of their weekly summaries written for homework assignments. The
rubric assessed the six traits of writing ideas, organization, voice, diction, syntax, and
mechanics. Those six elements were also keywords that I taught, used, and expected during the
mini-lessons and conferences, as they are significant terms in the language of writing. I
maintained field notes during this time in order to chronicle my students conversations and
mannerisms during their conferences. Though students spoke in a conversational tone, I
expected mastery of the traits to present itself in students correctly referring to them during
conferences. Thus, my students correct referrals to the aforementioned traits served as a
demonstration of their increasing maturity as writers.
Potential Risks
While writing workshops have proven to be successful tools for writing instruction in
secondary classrooms, many teachers expressed concern when considering the model. To begin,
writing workshops were simply another instrument in the teachers toolkit, and these instruments
often have been bemoaned for their temporary shelf-lives. Once teachers shifted from the
traditional model of instruction, they questioned the modern techniques of the workshop,
especially as they became outdated in turn (Taylor, 2000). Taylor explained Atwells transition
from the role of a traditional instructor to one who promises quality, focusing on the shift that
occurred when Atwell began to question the orthodoxies with which she had grown accustomed,
and her constant search for new strategies for instruction. Taylor depicted this search for
changes as the sign of a quality teacher; indeed, Taylor compared the instruction of writing to the
act of writing, which requires regular drafting, collaboration, revision, and production in a
recursive process. Further, Taylor portrayed the common concern of many writing teachers, who
worry that their independently-working students may be behaving off-task, including
inappropriate subject matter, or remaining with a single format or genre ignoring their
potentials for growth and improvement (p. 47).
Procedure
The procedures of my study allowed me to assess the students in several areas, though
my main focus was upon the students perceptions of themselves as authors and their progress as
writers. For the students progress, I provided instruction through daily mini-lessons designed
for students needs and notebooks as a unified location for the storage of notes and drafts.
Students conferenced with their peers in order to develop and revise writing samples prior to
final submissions. Throughout the four-week period, I observed students as they worked and
conferenced, making field notes of suggestions, comments, and questions. Occasionally, after
students had exhausted their peer resources, they conferenced with me, allowing me to observe
specific struggles and questions. Each day maintained a schedule in an attempt to provide
stability for students.
Schedule. Upon arrival into the classroom, students completed a Daily Oral Language
(DOL) task, as a continuation of lessons theyd been practicing throughout the year. Most of
these tasks consisted of identifying the parts of a sentence (subject, verb, direct and indirect
objects, prepositions and objects of prepositions, adjective, and adverbs). As students became
more familiar with stages of editing and revision, the DOL activities turned into grammatically
incorrect sentences, and students corrected the sentences as a group, typically lasting ten
minutes. After the DOL tasks, students turned to their writing notebooks, which they received at
the beginning of the unit, for the daily mini-lessons. The mini-lessons typically lasted fifteen to
twenty minutes and focused on the six traits of writing. Mini-lessons were followed by students
writing time, when they either created their weekly drafts or editing pre-existing samples,
preparing the works for submission on Fridays. At the conclusion of the month, students had a
week to revise two drafts, re-submit them, and reflect on the writing workshop in an analytical
essay. The originals, revisions, and analysis were presented to me as a cumulative portfolio.
Notebooks. Students used notebooks daily in order to record mini-lessons, store writing
samples, and prepare their portfolios. At the beginning of the unit, I provided students with
possible prompts as topic suggestions, but later lessons encouraged them to find their own
inspiration for their writing. To ease students into the unit, the first weeks writing was given a
minimum of three paragraphs, but students were encouraged to write five paragraphs or more for
the remainder of the unit. The notebooks presented opportunities for students to experience a
sense of ownership, providing personal possessions where students could brainstorm, draft, and
finalize weekly writing assignments. Students stored their writings within their notebooks in an
attempt to unify the notes and samples, allowing students to easily find and use earlier topics.
My collection of these notebooks depended upon students preferences. Some students
chose to keep their notebooks in their own possessions throughout the four weeks, preferring to
submit loose-leaf pages torn from their books. Most, however, wished to keep their notebooks
whole, and so submitted entire notebooks with the weekly writings indicated. In either case,
submitted samples were always returned to students within a reasonable amount of time; if
writings were given to me by the due date, they were returned the following day of school. To
ensure students were writing notes and weekly samples, I patrolled the classroom and monitored
students activities. If I received a notebook with an obvious lack of mini-lessons copied within,
I would confront the student with either a written comment at the end of the sample or a personal
comment during class, checking in case the student was storing notes elsewhere.
Mini-lessons. The topics of the mini-lessons depended on the day of the week. I taught
the six traits in the order they are typically listed, and according to the students needs as shown
in homework and classwork assignments. Mondays were for ideas, Tuesdays were for
organization, Wednesdays were for voice, Thursdays were for diction and syntax (combined),
and Fridays were for mechanics (Appendices B-F). Because of the surplus of snow days, several
lessons were skipped or postponed in an attempt to stay on track with the schedule. The mini-
lessons actually taught during a given week provided the standards used on the rubric when
assessing students weekly drafts.
Choice. After completion of the mini-lesson period, I encouraged students to work
independently on their weekly writing samples for 15-30 minutes. Students had an open option
to write about any topic that interested them, imaginary or realistic, in an effort to encourage
their ownership of the texts. I dedicated each Monday to the growth of ideas, requiring students
to work quietly while they and their classmates began the five-paragraph samples. To ease them
in discovering ideas, students were shown writing prompts and humorous images as suggestions
for inspiration. Leaving the writing topics to the discretion of the students doubled as a skill in
the writing workshop as well as a form of differentiation within the classroom.
Students continued to make choices throughout the remainder of the week, as they
conferenced on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On these days, students shared their
writings from Monday and sought advice in improvements from their peers. This conferencing
allowed students to choose the audience with whom they shared their writing, though I
encouraged them to vary their audience members by changing up conferencing partners each
week. They also were responsible for making the decision regarding those suggestions, choosing
whether or not to make advised changes. Ultimately, students exercised their final choice in the
unit by selecting two of their completed samples to revise, rework, and resubmit in a culminating
portfolio, fulfilling the publishing aspect of the writing workshop.
Conferences. After the mini-lessons, students had the option to either confer with
classmates or continue writing their drafts. To clarify expectations, I instructed students in
proper conferencing behavior. I explained the need for conferencing to occur at a quiet volume,
reminding students that classmates may be at different stages of the writing process; those still
working on their original drafts needed a lack of distraction so they could prepare for their own
conferences. Students were also alerted that their weeks conferencing privileges could be
withdrawn if the time was poorly spent. To prevent students from using conference times
poorly, I posted questions for students to consider while reading their peers writing samples,
evaluating them based on the weeks lessons. Students answered the questions on index cards
and turned them in for classwork checks, proving they had spent the time wisely. These
conferencing questions served the multiple purposes of allowing students to prepare their
samples for my assessment, to foresee what Id be grading that week, to practice analyzing texts,
and to discuss the creativity of their pieces. Most of the conferences of the first three weeks
focused on editing and specific topics wed learned that week, whereas conferences in the final
week centered on revising and combining all the lessons learned during the unit.
The conferencing stage was presented as an additional stage of the writing process, an aid
for students while they edited their papers. I wanted students to consider carefully the changes
they would make, rather than carelessly modify their work or simply seek approval of the age-
old question am I doing this right? As such, I maintained my distance during this stage,
seeking only to observe students discussions, encouraging them to exert ownership over their
drafts, and commenting on students who seemed off-task. To evaluate the success of
conferencing, I recorded several notes of students meetings, collected index cards of
conferencing questions, noted changes made on students drafts, and asked students to reflect
upon the practice at the end of the workshop. These four evaluative measures were intended to
show students thought processes and progression through the writing process.
In the final week of the writing workshop, students had the opportunity to request
conferences with me as an instructor. These conferences were reserved for the final week in an
effort to encourage students to amend their work independently, seeking editing help from
classmates, notes, and other resources. As a final resource, I re-taught mini-lessons to those
students who had missed previous instruction, re-enforced lessons that hadnt stuck, and
discussed potential pathways for topics that seemed to stall. In short, I prompted students in the
revision process, asking them questions that would push them into higher-level thinking as they
reconsidered the work theyd previously created. This observational data may be found in the
Findings section of this paper.
Publication. Students experienced some form of publication almost every day through
their peer conferences. Even those who refused to conference, however, each student published
his or her rough draft by submitting it for my weekly evaluation. Finally, all students presented
samples of their work in the form of a cumulative portfolio at the termination of the unit. These
portfolios were intended to show students progress throughout the writing process. They
contained two original drafts (with evaluative markings), the corresponding final copies, and a
reflective analysis reviewing the writing workshop as a whole. Including both the original and
final copies showed me the changes students had made over the course of the workshop, whereas
the analysis permitted students to tell me their opinions of the unit. The rubrics of the final
copies demonstrated the assignment expectations of the portfolios (Appendices G & H).
Students participated in the writing workshop for a month, turning in a writing sample
each week except for one. The second week of the workshop was interrupted by several snow
days, so I allowed students the option of submitting a weekly sample. For the most part, the
majority of students submitted three weekly writings, allowing them the opportunity to choose
the two samples they presented in their culminating portfolios.

Findings
Writing Scores
On average, students showed an improvement in writing scores. First core students
scored the highest averages of the three classes, improving an average of one and a half points on
their first and ten points on their second writing samples. Second cores averages improved by
seven points on both the first and the second. The students in third core improved an average of
six and a half points on the first samples and ten points on the second.

Figure 1. Average grades on all writing samples from the three cores. The figure depicts the
mean scores for original and final writings on both the first and second copies for each class.

In the following subsections, I broke down the individual scores within each class. The
first graph in each subsection displays the original and final scores of the first writing, and the
second graph presents the original and final scores of the second. To protect identities, students
have been coded to reflect the core to which they belong (1, 2, or 3), their gender (G or B), their
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Core 1: First
Copy
Core 1:
Second Copy
Core 2: First
Copy
Core 2:
Second Copy
Core 3: First
Copy
Core 3:
Second Copy
Original
Final
ethnicity (W, B, H, or A), and a number representing how many students correspond to the
identifiers (1-9). Thus, 1GA3 would represent the third Asian female student in my first core.
Core one. This class included the focus students, who have been identified as gifted.
Twenty-two students chose to participate in the research study. On the first writing sample, nine
students saw a decrease in their scores between the original and final copies (1BW1 by one,
1BH1 by twelve, 1GH1 by twelve, 1BW4 by three, 1GW4 by two, 1GW5 by three, 1GW7 by
one, 1BW5 by one, and 1GW9 by four). Of those nine, seven of the decreases were drops of less
than five points (exception of 1BH1 and 1GH1). The greatest improvement belongs to 1GW3,
who made gains of fifteen points between her two copies, though 1GW4 scored the highest with
a 98 on her final (100 on her original).

Figure 2. Individual scores for first cores first writing sample. The figure depicts the grades
given for original and final copies.

0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1
B
W
1
1
G
W
1
1
B
H
1
1
G
H
1
1
G
W
2
1
G
B
1
1
G
W
3
1
B
W
2
1
B
W
3
1
B
W
4
1
B
H
2
1
G
W
4
1
G
W
5
1
G
A
1
1
G
W
6
1
G
W
7
1
B
W
5
1
B
W
6
1
G
W
8
1
G
B
2
1
B
W
7
1
G
W
9
Original 1
Final 1
On the second writing samples, two students remained stagnant (1GA1 and 1BW7) and
one student showed a decline of four points (1BW1). On this sample, the highest increases
belong to 1BH2 and 1BW6, who both increased by twenty-three points, while 1GW6 claimed the
highest score of the class with a 97 on her final (88 on her original).

Figure 3. Individual scores for first cores second writing sample. The figure depicts the grades

Core two. This core met after electives each day and was marked by an interruption by
lunch an hour into each class, leaving a twenty minute segment between lunchtime and the end
of the class. Seventeen students from this class chose to participate in the research. On the first
writing sample, two students declined in their scores (2GW1 by two points and 2GB2 by fifteen),
leaving fifteen who showed growth. The student who made the greatest improvement overall
was 2GW2, who improved twenty-four points to earn the second highest score, four points
behind 2BA1, who scored a 96 on his final (an eight-point increase).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1
B
W
1
1
G
W
1
1
B
H
1
1
G
H
1
1
G
W
2
1
G
B
1
1
G
W
3
1
B
W
2
1
B
W
3
1
B
W
4
1
B
H
2
1
G
W
4
1
G
W
5
1
G
A
1
1
G
W
6
1
G
W
7
1
B
W
5
1
B
W
6
1
G
W
8
1
G
B
2
1
B
W
7
1
G
W
9
Original 2
Final 2

Figure 4. Individual scores for second cores first writing sample. The figure depicts the grades

On their second writing samples, five students witnessed a decline in scores (2BW1 by
one, 2BW2 by one, 2GW4 by six, 2GH1 by eight, and 2BA3 by five), leaving twelve students
who showed improvement. The student who showed the greatest improvement was 2BA1, who
made an increase of twenty-two points to achieve a 90. For the highest grade, 2GW1 and 2GW2
tied at a 97, having improved nine points and twelve points respectively.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Original 1
Final 1

Figure 5. Individual scores for second cores second writing sample. The figure depicts the
grades given for original and final copies.

Core three. This core met at the end of each day, which seemed to affect students
behaviors and performances. Only ten students chose to participate in the study. On the first
writing sample, students showed a decline in their scores (3GW1 by seven points, 3GW2 by
fifteen, 3BW2 by six, 3BW3 by seven, and 3BB1 by one). Thus, five students improved
between the original and final copies of their first writing samples. The greatest improvement
belongs to 3BW1, who increased by seventeen points to achieve an 85. The highest-achieving
student was 3GW4, who scored a 93 on her final copy (a thirteen point increase over her
original).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Original 2
Final 2

Figure 6. Individual scores for third cores first writing sample. The figure depicts the grades

On the second sample, nine students improved their writing, leaving only 3GW2 to
receive her (second) decline, by ten points. The greatest improvement belonged to 3BW2, who
demonstrated twenty-six points of growth from the original to the final copies. The highest
scores were earned by 3BW1 and 3BB1, who both achieved a 97 on their finals, twenty-one
points higher than their original copies.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
3GW1 3GW2 3GB1 3BW1 3BW2 3GW3 3GW4 3BW3 3BB1 3BW4
Original 1
Final 1

Figure 7. Individual scores for third cores second writing sample. The figure depicts the grades

Field Notes
During the writing workshop, I attempted to maintain close observation of my
students conferences, but I quickly realized how difficult that would be with the large class sizes
and the different tasks students could choose. In an effort to hold students accountable, I
expected them to answer a few questions on index cards after each conferencing section, which I
assessed for completion as a classwork grade. Students were expected to answer these questions
in complete sentences, avoiding simple one-word answers. These cards served as a type of exit
slip and provided students an area to answer questions such as the following:
Is the main idea apparent in the first paragraph? What is the main idea?
What is the authors purpose in writing this draft?
Are all of the paragraphs indented correctly?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
3GW1 3GW2 3GB1 3BW1 3BW2 3GW3 3GW4 3BW3 3BB1 3BW4
Original 2
Final 2
Did the author use the correct forms of theyre, there, and their? Youre and your? Its
and its?
Does the author use a consistent verb tense?
Does the author avoid using passive sentences in favor of active sentences?
Are there any run-ons or fragments?
Do the subjects and verbs agree?
Does the author use commas according to the rules provided?
For the first few weeks of the workshop, I monitored the classroom in an attempt to
ensure all students were working productively on their weekly drafts. I made note of which
students conferenced and how often, with whom these students conferenced, and why some
students may not have conferenced. For instance, in first core, 1BW3 conferenced more often
than other students, especially with 1BW2. One group of boys formed among 1BH1, 1BW5,
1BW6, and 1BW7, who conferenced together almost exclusively. Similarly, 1GA1, 1GW6, and
1GW7, and 1GW3, 1GW4, and 1GW8 also created conferencing groups in which they typically
worked together, depending on a familiarity that already existed among them. While these
students regularly completed their weekly assignments, or more (1GB1 and 1GW7), other
students struggled. For example, 1BW1 and 1BW4 had a more difficult time accomplishing
their tasks in the time given, requiring that I constantly redirect them away from distractions and
back to their drafts. Coincidentally, I did overhear the latter two students discussing their writing
outside of conference time, as 1BW1 suggested to 1BW4, I think you should include that in the
intro, to make it stronger, but thats just me (comment made March 12).
In second core, 2BW1, 2BB1, and 2BB2 each conferenced on an almost daily basis from
Monday through Thursday, changing up their partners in order to receive different types of
feedback. A common pairing occurred between 2GW2 and 2GW4, though the class did well
changing up partners each week. Only one student, 2BB3, refused to take the option to
conference without being urged to do so. He apparently preferred to spend his time reading,
though his final reflection also declared, Coferencing [sic] really didnt appeal to me because
most of the time [they] couldnt catch any of my mistakes because [they] couldnt see them. As
a whole, this class depended the most upon technology, as displayed in their regular requests to
look up the spelling of a word online rather than use the classroom dictionaries, as I insisted.
Three students in this class (2BW1, 2BA2, and 2GB2) used their available technologies to type
their papers during class, either on iPhones or iPads, using the word processing software to ease
the act of writing.
Thanks to third cores smaller class size, it was often easier to monitor their productivity.
Though one might imagine a smaller class to be quieter, this class was often off-task to the point
of losing the privilege of listening to music while writing. I saw few of these students
consistently conference, as several preferred to use the time to work on their drafts
independently. During class, I consistently saw 3GW2, 3BW2, 3BW3, and 3BW4 conference.
It was a common sight to observe 3BW4 wander about the classroom seeking a new partner
prepared to conference. Both 3GW2 and 3BW3 were regular partners, typically because of their
close seats, whereas 3BW2 seemed to have a goal to conference with as many new peers as
possible. As I mentioned before, several students chose to forego conferences in favor of more
time with their own drafts, but 3BW1 had a tendency to delay completing his weekly draft. In
fact, he was often off-task to the point that I would have to sit alongside him and discuss the
topic in order to ensure the assignment was completed.
After the first few weeks of the workshop, I began to conference with students as they
prepared their final copies for the portfolio. In first core, most of the conferences were short, and
consisted of urging students to continue writing (1BW4) or extending their original drafts from
three paragraphs to five (1GW6 and 1GW8). In second core, the conferences typically took the
form of more specific difficulties. I spent a few days re-teaching verb tenses and spelling to
2BA2, who took the initiative to ask for assistance as well as created a list of important spelling
words with which he struggled the most. I also joined 2GW2 and 2GW4, who I sent to revise
passive sentences. In third core, I conferenced with both 3BW2, who needed re-instruction on
the rules of indentations, as well as with 3BW1, whose ideas stalled out shortly after they began.
After suggesting he stick with his fantasy soccer story, in which he played in the World Cup
against Lionel Messi, 3BW1 created a well-written and creative second writing sample.
Before departing from this section describing the students conferences, I would like to
include a few samples. These conversations come from field notes made during classes, as I
monitored the classroom. They are occasionally simply snippets of conversations, but I hoped
they would reveal a bit of the students editing processes.
Core one: 1GW4 and 1GW3 discussing the main idea of 1GW3s draft, about an evil Mr.
Ratburn character entering a home through the television and attacking the narrators family,
and herself.
1GW4: I know the main idea, but
1GW3: Oh yeah, I know, its not in the first paragraph. I want it there, but I
dont know how to squeeze it in there. Ill look at it
1GW4: Where were your parents?
1GW3: On vacation
1GW4: What was he trying to do?
1GW3: Give me a pop quiz kill me.
1GW4: Why do you have a weapons closet? You dont explain that.
1GW3: I know, I want the reader to wonder why my character has a weapons
closet.
1GW4: Maybe shes a spy?
1GW3: Maybe. I have one!
1GW4: I dont really like Arthur [alluding to the television series used as
inspiration].
Core two: 2BB1 and 2BB2 were checking each others spelling.
2BB1: Is seemed a word? Nobody?
Core two: 2BW1 and 2GW6 were discussing 2BW1s draft about a fishing trip with his
family. The story was difficult to follow. It should be noted, 2BW1 had difficulty tracking
written text, which may have explained his difficulty writing.
2GW6: You need to finish this sentence. [She showed him the sentence.]
2BW1: Oh, out. I meant to put out there.
2GW6: Your story doesnt make sense. [I encouraged her to explain more
specifically, then to read the sentence back to him.] Was the boat called the
Captain?
2BW1: NoMark that one. Ill come back to it.
2GW6: Whats that? [She pointed to a word in the text.]
Core three: 3GW2 and 3BW3 were reading each others papers for errors, asking
questions or making comments as they arose.
3GW2: You have to spell out four.
3BW3: Oh, you do? I didnt know that. How do you spell cadet?
Students Reflections
At the end of the unit, I asked students to attach a reflective analysis to their final copies
as a portion of their portfolio. To provide guidance, I included five questions for students to
consider while writing their analyses, which can be seen on Appendix H. When reviewing the
reflections, I found most students had opinions on the following topics: the subjects of notes, the
amount and employment of writing time, the allowance of conferences, the tasks faced in the
revision process, and suggestions mentioned in their final words.
Writing workshop. The majority of the students reflected positively on the writing
workshop, for various reasons. Only a handful of students declaimed the project, considering it a
waste of time. Many enjoyed the change that occurred in class, being able to focus exclusively
on a project for a month. Surprisingly, even students whose grades declined during the course of
the workshop claimed to enjoy the project; several stated a growing confidence in themselves as
writers. A common complaint regarding the unit was the inclusion and treatment of notes,
though many students claimed to understand their benefit upon writing. The personal opinions
on the writing workshop can be found in Appendix J.
Mini-lessons. Few students were fond of the note-taking aspect of the writing workshop.
They were presented as PowerPoint slideshows (Appendices B-F) with occasional graphics as
visual aids. As the unit progressed, I attempted to increase classroom interaction, inviting
students to contribute knowledge to the mini-lessons. In the future, I expect to take students
suggestions by making the mini-lessons briefer and providing students with skeletons notes to
complete, instead of asking them to copy the notes word-for-word. My reader may find
students opinions in Appendix K.
Writing time. According to my students, the best aspect of the writing time provided in
class was that it was unaccompanied by a teacher-directed writing prompt. Students greatly
welcomed the opportunity to choose a topic important to them, and this aspect of student choice
provided a natural differentiation in the classroom. Students could write at varying levels of
ability some were prepared to tackle novels, while others were challenged by writing about a
favorite movie. Most students also appreciated the use of class time to complete each stage of
the writing process. If they used their time well, none of them needed to complete drafts for
homework. This writing workshop was not intended to create more work for them; it should
have been accomplished within scheduled class time, with the assistance of classmates and the
guidance of teachers. Some students disagreed with the use of the class time. A few thought the
time provided was too little, and they felt stressed to complete the tasks by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, a handful of students were able to complete that weeks writing sample, edit it, and
begin the following weeks draft. The differing opinions may be found in Appendix L.
Conferences. Reflections on the conferencing stage revealed three responses to the
practice. The majority of students found the task helpful and enjoyable. They could discuss
their writing with their peers, view their classmates writing styles, and collaborate on possible
improvements. Conferencing took the writing assignments from independent tasks to social
ones, fulfilling the tendency of writing to serve a social purpose. On the other hand, several
students deplored their classmates tendencies to cause distractions while conferencing, using the
time to behave off-task rather than taking advantage of the opportunity for further critique. Very
few students claimed to have lacked the time needed to confer with classmates prior to
submission of their drafts. More descriptive opinions are included in Appendix M.
Revision process. Though students truly had two weeks of revisions (one before the
original submission, one before the final submission), I only asked students to reflect on the
revision process that occurred in the final week of the writing workshop. Most students found
they only needed to revise two or three writing traits, which they could identify through their
analytical reflections. The majority of these mistakes occurred in the areas of mechanics, such as
spelling and punctuation, and syntax, mentioned as run-ons and grammar. Several students
found assistance in their notes, classmates, and other resources, like dictionaries. Many took the
initiative to complete their writing samples as homework, preferring to type their drafts with the
aid of word-processing tools rather than hand-write the final copies during class time. Students
opinions on the revision process can be read in Appendix N.
Final words. As a conclusion, I asked my students to summarize their main ideas from
the analysis, restating how they felt about participating in the class, taking notes from mini-
lessons, writing during class, conferencing with peers, and revising their work. Again, overall
the responses were positive, with only a few students claiming to be disinterested in ever
repeating the unit. Most students displayed a desire to reproduce the process in future classes.
They appreciated the group element inherent in the writing workshop, as well as being
encouraged to rework their original drafts before submitting the revised copies for a grade. Their
further comments, wishes, and suggestions can be found in Appendix O.

Discussion
Controlling the environment of a classroom is impossible; no class is ever perfect, and
each day presents new challenges. During the month I conducted this research project, several
external factors affected the plans and routines Id scheduled, including the populations of the
classes, the times they classes met, and the surprising number of snow days that occurred.
Despite the obstacles that arose during the study, I drew several conclusions that may affect my
future application of the writing workshop. Finally, I developed questions for further study in
the area of writing instruction.
Possible Influences.
Class populations. The members of each class contributed a significant element to the
productivity and performances of that classs participation. For example, first cores inclusion of
the focus group indicated a population of gifted students capable of comprehending and
performing at a higher level than their peers in other classes. The cognitive abilities of this class
seemed to affect the students behavior, as they were more likely to remain on tasks and
complete their assignments with less obtrusive supervision. Similarly, class sizes often affected
the students performances. The larger sizes of first and second cores signified an allowance for
students to work with different partners each week, gaining a wider variety of audience
members. Third cores smaller size should have indicated more one-on-one instruction, which
would have led to more improved performances on the writing samples, yet my reader should
have noted that third core produced mixed results in the findings section. In fact, the small class
size seemed to detract from the students performances, as they tended to have a close rapport
that led to many distractions and instances of being off-task
Class times. Just as it became important to differentiate for who was in each class, it also
became necessary to plan according to when the class met during the day. Those students who
met first thing in the morning had the advantage of a homeroom period, which provided a few
extra minutes under my guidance should they need the time to write or conference. They also
had the typical traits of early morning students, still quiet and barely affected by the drama of a
school day. With its minimum of distractions, first core always ran the most efficiently. In
contrast, my second core approached English after their elective periods (band, art, drama,
health, or PE) and spent one hour taking notes or writing before a half-hour of lunch, leaving
only a twenty-five minute period for further study. With so many distractions built into the
classs timing, I had to plan carefully to make the most of my students focus when I had it. To
accommodate the schedule, I often rearranged this cores daily itinerary, leaving their twenty
minutes of writing and conferencing for the shortened period after lunch, instead of introducing
it earlier and interrupting it by the departure for lunch. Finally, my third core came to English at
the end of each day with all the stories and excitement of the days events. Having spent so
many hours within the school already, most of these students were restless for dismissal by the
time they walked through my doors. This restlessness, combined with the students natural
personalities, tended to create an atmosphere easily distracted by any comment or change.
Six traits. Often, a deciding element in the success of the workshop depended upon the
writing trait used as an evaluation. Students excelled in the area of ideas, excited to create their
own topics and write from their own imaginations. Voice also came easily to students, as they
had the option of writing in any tense and the responsibility only to keep the tense consistent.
Typically, organization was another fairly simple trait, as students were already familiar with the
notion of paragraphs and ways to organize writing. A common difficulty with organization arose
in the use of dialogue, when students neglected to indent for each new speaker, despite explicit
instruction to do so. Another similarly hit-and-miss trait was that of diction, typically assessed
based on the instructed spelling of three common homophones (their/theyre/there, its/its, and
youre/your) rather than the spelling of all words without direct instruction. Similarly, syntax
was a topic on which students showed a varying grasp of understanding. For this trait, students
were evaluated based on inclusion of run-ons, fragments, and passive sentences; all of which
were common errors in final writings, and could be improved with further practice. Finally, the
trait of mechanics proved to be the most difficult for students to achieve, perhaps because of the
many possibilities for mistakes. On their first drafts, students were graded loosely on mechanics
issues, only losing points for every 3-4 errors in spelling, capitalization, commas, and other
punctuation. They received notification of the errors and had the opportunity for correcting the
mistakes prior to the final copy, on which each error lost a point (Appendix H).
Snow days. This element certainly proved to be an unexpected factor in our school
schedule this year, as the area experienced an unusual amount of snow in the first January and
February. In the first two months, students only attended one full week of classes; every
consecutive week typically lasted two three days. All totaled, we had close to twenty snow
days in the first few months, which certainly upset many areas of the school climate. Lessons
had to be abbreviated to allow for the missed days. Several mini-lessons were either dismissed
from the schedule or postponed for a later week. Instead of providing twenty lessons over the
course of four weeks, I instructed eighteen over five weeks; rather than expect four writing
samples, I typically gathered three drafts from each student. When present in the school
building, students were excited to be reunited with their classmates, communicative of their days
off, and distracted by the possibility of more weather occurrences.
Conclusion
I began this action research project seeking a way to engage my middle school students
with the literature they were capable of creating. I wanted to encourage my students to take an
active role in telling their own accounts, seeing themselves as authors of their life stories rather
than simply characters. After employing a writing workshop for one month, interrupted by
school schedules and unexpected weather, Ive come to many realizations. For one, I recognized
again the impossibility of controlling each days plan, as so many last-minute surprises can
occur. Additionally, even with a month of explicit skills instruction, writing remains a difficult
topic to teach, requiring much repetition and practice. Ive learned that collaboration should be
included as often as possible in writing instruction, encouraging students to assist each other by
catching mistakes and making suggestions for improvement. Students take a more active role in
their learning when they know they can help a classmate with a task, and they often receive a
lesson more easily from a peer than an instructor. After completion of this research, Ive come
to the conclusion that the writing workshop method provides a positive impact on students
writing skills, as observed through my students improved grades. With the proper mix of mini-
lessons, student choice, and opportunities for conferences and revision, students are able to learn,
practice, and improve their writing.

Implications
Future Application.
Though this particular writing workshop occurred as a month-long unit, with a specific
focus on the workshop style each day, I would prefer future application of this instruction to
occur more often and for shorter periods of time throughout the term. I would intend to include
the same aspects that I used in this writing workshop, but modified to occur over a couple weeks
each grading period. This format would consist of gradually decreasing the amount of time spent
on mini-lessons and writing samples, expecting students to work on these tasks outside of the
classroom as well as within it. I would gather a rough draft from each student after the first
week, and then expect a final copy in the second week, following a similar timeline to that
provided during this research. By the end of the year, after four units of writing workshops, the
students should have a collection of written samples from which to select material for a portfolio.
I would incorporate more literature, using it as a model by discussing the qualities of
different genres and having students mimic the literary elements in their own samples. I would
be interested in modifying the writing workshop to involve technology, adapting the unit to a
flipped classroom. Within this format, students would watch video-recorded lessons for
homework, take notes as needed, and complete activities based on these notes during the school
day. Students would have the opportunity to work on their samples, conference with peers, or
perform other activities based on the lessons from the previous night. This would allow class
periods to be used effectively, whether by practicing skills under my tutelage or by discussing
literature which would be used as models.

Future Studies.
Flipped classrooms. As mentioned previously, I am interested in learning how the
flipped classroom format may impact writing workshops. Flipped classrooms are becoming
more and more popular across curricula, gaining merit for requiring students to take
responsibility for learning lessons in their own ways as well as for allowing class periods to be
used for student practice. While students practice their newly-learned skills, they can seek
immediate guidance and feedback from their instructors, which in turn allows students to amend
any errors theyve made in thinking before those errors become regular practice. When teaching
in the traditional format, students tended to lose interest while taking notes on mini-lessons;
requiring students to take these notes overnight allows them to take the time they need to study
and copy the mini-lessons without being influenced by their classmates needs. This format,
then, allows for more differentiation than the traditional format.
Technology. Much of the research I had found prior to conducting this study presented
writing workshops in the more traditional formats, dedicating class time to each stage of the
writing process. I would be interested to know, however, how students use of technology
influences the format and success of the writing workshop. Many of my students used
technology to type their final copies, whether on computers or handheld Apple devices, and Im
sure word processors and Internet access assisted students in catching and fixing errors prior to
submission of the portfolios. This assistance may have been useful on original drafts as well, but
students lacked access to computers during regular class times.
Effect of music. Besides the use of word processors, many students preferred to work to
the accompaniment of music, listening to mp3 players while writing their original copies. The
benefits of music in the classroom have been discussed constantly over the past few years.
Students claim to work well with the distraction of music, though teachers often fear that the
music may be too much of a distraction. Before applying this unit to another class, I intend to
research the benefits and detriments of listening to music while creating written texts. These
effects could be evaluated fairly easily within a class; I could compare how students write
without music to how they write with music. For further research, I could compare students
writing with the accompaniment of classical or instrumental tunes to their writing with popular
or lyrical songs.
Summary
After observing student success in the areas of writing performance and self-perceptions
through the use of the writing workshops, I fully intend to implement the instructional format in
my future classroom. While depending upon the traditional workshop components like personal
notebooks, student choice, mini-lessons, writing time, conferences, and publication, I also hope
to incorporate more modern aspects. In order to exercise the 21
st
century skills currently lauded
in the educational realm, I wish to include technological components like flipped classrooms,
word processing software, and stimulating music in an effort to motivate students toward
improved writing scores. The use of these tools, while bearing little effect on students
perceptions of themselves as authors, could assist students in developing writing skills that
would remain with them throughout later educational encounters.

References
Abbey, S. M. (2001). Activities for writing instruction. Voices from the Middle, 9(1), 48-55.
Applebee, A. N., & Langer, J. A. (2011). A snapshot of writing instruction in middle school and
high schools. English Journal, 100(6), 14-27.
Atwell, N. (2003). Hard trying and these recipes. Voices from the Middle, 11(1), 16-19.
Bellamy, P. C. (2000). Research on writing with the 6+1 traits. Portland, OR: Northwest
Regional Educational Laboratory.
Brooke, R. (1994). Small groups in writing workshops: Invitations to a writers life. Urbana, IL:
National Council of Teachers of English.
Calkins, L. (1994). The art of teaching writing. 2
nd
ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
De La Paz, S., & Graham, S. (2002). Explicitly teaching strategies, skills, and knowledge:
Writing instruction in middle school classrooms. Journal of Educational Psychology,
94(4), 687-698.
Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). What we know, what we still need to know: Teaching
adolescents to write. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11(4), 313-335.
Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of
adolescents in middle and high schools A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Hoff, L. R. (1994). From omnipotent teacher-in-charge to co-conspirator in the classroom:
Developing lifelong readers and writers. The English Journal, 83(6), 42-50.
Irving, B., Janney, N., Jordan, M., Kass, A., Mayer, L., & Rittershaus, A. (2004). Dear Bob
Kerrey: Six middle-schoolers tell how they became writers. New England Reading
Association Journal, 40(1), 18-22.
Lacina, J. (2012). Guiding principles for supporting middle school writers. New England
Reading Association Journal, 48(1), 78-83.
Lacina, J., & Block, C.C. (2012). Progressive writing instruction: Empowering school leaders
and teachers. Voices from the Middle, 19(3), 10-17.
Lain, S. (2007). Reaffirming the writing workshop for young adolescents. Voices from the
Middle, 14(3), 20-28.
Morgan, D. N., Clark, B., Paris, J., & Kozel, C. (2012). Teaching writers through a unit of study
approach. Voices from the Middle, 19(3), 32-36.
Murray, D. M. (2005). Writing to learn. 8
th
ed. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Potter, E. F., McCormick, C. B., & Busching, B. A. (2001). Academic and life goals: Insights
from adolescent writers. The High School Journal, 85(1), 45-55.
Ray, K. W. (2002). What you know by heart: How to develop curriculum for your writing
workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Robbins, K. (2011). Grading written work: An integral part of writing workshop practice. Voices
from the Middle, 19(1), 10-12.
Roessing, L. (2004). Toppling the idol. The English Journal, 94(1), 41-46.
Saddler, B. (2003). But teacher, I added a period! Middle schoolers learn to revise. Visions
from the Middle, 11(2), 20-26.
Schroeder, K. (2006). Education news in brief. Education Digest, 74-75.
Shah, D. C. (2001). Composing processes and writing instruction at the middle/junior high
school level. Theory into Practice, 25(2), 109-116.
Taylor, M. M. (2000). Nancie Atwells In the middle and the ongoing transformation of the
writing workshop. The English Journal, 90(1), 46-52.
United States Census Bureau. (2012). Summary File. American community survey.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/summary_file/. Retrieved 20
November 2013.
VanDeWeghe, R. (2008). Research matters: Writing next and the power to teach. The English
Journal, 97(5), 88-92.
Virginia Department of Education. (2013). Fall membership report.
Weaver, C., McNally, C., & Moerman, S. (2001). To grammar or not to grammar: That is not the
question! Voices from the Middle, 8(3), 17-33.
Wormeli, R. (2001). Meet me in the middle: Becoming an accomplished middle-level teacher.
Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association.

Appendices
Appendix A. Assent/Consent Letters 46
Appendix B. Week One PowerPoint Notes. 49
Appendix C. Week Two PowerPoint Notes. 52
Appendix D. Week Three PowerPoint Notes. 54
Appendix E. Week Four PowerPoint Notes. 57
Appendix F. Week Five PowerPoint Notes. 61
Appendix G. Portfolio Assignment. 62
Appendix H. Analysis Rubric. 63
Appendix I. Learning Gains. 64
Appendix J. Student Reflections: Writing Workshop 67
Appendix K. Student Reflections: Mini-lessons 75
Appendix L. Student Reflections: Writing Time 80
Appendix M. Student Reflections: Conferences 85
Appendix N. Student Reflections: Revision Process 90
Appendix O. Student Reflections: Final Words 98

Appendix A.
Dear Parents and Guardians,

Hello, my name is Hannah Kassebaum, and I am a student-teacher gaining my Masters degree in
Secondary Education from the University of Mary Washington. This year, I have the pleasure to be a part
of your students classroom, under the mentorship of Mrs. Speights. As a graduate student, a requirement
of my training is that I conduct an action research study in an area related to my studies. I am inviting
your child to participate in the research study I am conducting in the classroom. Involvement in the study
is completely voluntary, so you may choose to have your child participate or not. Also, your child is free
to stop participating in the study at any time. Your child would still participate in the classroom project,
but data for the research study would not be collected from him or her. Any decision not to participate in
the study will not be held against your child in any way; any work or data from your child or results
involving your child will simply be omitted from the ensuing reports.

Action research studies seek to solve what are seen as problems, or gaps, in current research. This
particular study will seek to determine the impact of writing workshops on both the students perceptions
of themselves as authors as well as the quality of students writing. Writing workshops are widely
considered to be effective tools for improving student writing. From January through April, students will
participate in daily writing workshops, which will consist of four key elements mini-lessons, notebooks,
conferences, and final portfolios. The mini-lessons will provide instruction in writing skills and literature,
while the other three elements will provide material for assessment. Students notebooks will store notes
from mini-lessons and drafts, which should present evidence of progress through the writing process.
Conferences should show students proficiency with the writing process as students focus their
discussions on revising and editing their drafts. I plan to audio-record the conferences so that I can have
an accurate record for research purposes. Finally, the portfolio will include both original and final drafts
selected by students; these drafts will be graded and used as research data. Therefore, the final copies
should show differences from the originals, which should include notes from editing, revising, and
conferencing. In addition to data from students notebooks, conferences, and portfolios, I will be making
observations of students while they work during the writing workshops, and noting my observations in
field notes.

Data in the study about your child will be kept confidential. His or her name will not appear in any
reports regarding the project. All names will be changed to protect his or her privacy. Following the
project, students samples will be returned to them; any copies I have made will be destroyed.

The benefit of this research is that you and your child will be helping me understand the influence of
writing workshops on students self-perceptions as authors and their progress in writing. The only
potential risk is that your child may be uncomfortable sharing his or her writing with classmates or with
me. This risk will be minimized by allowing students to choose the writings they share and with whom
they share them, as well as by keeping collaboration reserved to a one-on-one basis.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my university supervisor,
Dr. Patricia Reynolds (preynold@umw.edu) or myself (hkasseba@mail.umw.edu). Please return this
form by February 12, 2014 . I look forward to working with you and your child!

Thank you,

Hannah Kassebaum

Dear Student,

I am very excited to be your student-teacher this spring! It was a joy to meet you in the fall, and I look forward to
working together and learning together again! For this round of working together, were going to try some new
ways of writing. Im sure youll be excited to hear that!

While we exercise our writing muscles, I will be collecting information for a research project that I am doing. I
want to see how writing workshops affect how you see yourself as an author, and how you write. During my study,
you may notice me taking notes as I observe the class, and sometimes I might ask to record a conference with you to
help me remember what you say. I want to be sure I remember what you say exactly, so that I can have an accurate
record for my research. I will not quote anything you say by name in any reports that I write. You wont be graded
for your help in my study, so please be sure you give me truthful responses not just what you think I want to hear!

I am letting your parents know about this study. If they do not wish for you to participate in the study, then you do
not need to sign this form. If, however, they do allow you to participate, I invite you to take part in this research.

You do not have to be in this study. Your grade will not be affected if you decide to participate, nor if you decide
not to. If you decide not to participate, though, you will still work with the class as usual, completing all the work
that everyone else does. If you choose not to participate, however, then your work or opinions will be excluded
from my research. Even if you start the study, you can decide to stop later if you like. Feel free to ask questions
about the study at any time.

If you decide to be in the study, I will keep your information confidential. This means that I will not use your names
or the name of the school in anything I write. I wont even reveal any identifying information about you, like hair
color or favorite sport.

Study Guidelines:
During this study, were going to be pretty busy. As Ive warned you, were going to be writing a lot. Luckily,
youll also be able to do some group work, if you like. A big portion of this study includes student choice, which
means youll get to make the decisions of how you spend your time. This means I trust you, a lot, and I hope to see
that trust proven right. Its the only way this kind of study can work!
1. Mini-lessons Every day, well spend some time on a mini-lesson. These mini-lessons are going to be
about topics that are important to writing and literature, and will be chosen based on areas of weakness.
2. Notebooks These notebooks are where you can keep notes from the mini-lessons, answer writing
prompts, or work on drafts during your conferences. Ill monitor your notebooks for specific elements that
will be evaluated on the rubrics and to ensure that youre using your time wisely. After your conferences, I
may check to be sure that youve marked your drafts for editing or revising. Each week, you will choose a
draft youve been working on and submit it for a grade.
3. Conferences When you have a draft, youll have the chance to work with a classmate to revise or edit it.
During these conferences, you will read your writing and discuss ways to improve it. Ill be checking in on
these conferences to be sure youre using your time wisely and focusing on the work. Sometimes, I may
record these conferences as evidence of your use of the writing process.
4. Portfolios At the end of the semester, you will turn in a portfolio of at least two (2) drafts completed
during the workshop. These assignments should be the best writing that you have produced, and will be
submitted with previous drafts. Your rough drafts should show notes from your conferences, especially
revision and editing marks, so that I can see the changes youve made throughout the workshop. The
portfolio will earn a grade, as well as provide evidence that youve used the writing process and improved
in your writing skills.

Signing this form means that you have read it, you understand it, and you are willing to be in this study. If at any
point you have any questions, please ask me!
Thanks,

Ms. Kassebaum
Parent/Guardian

I have read the above letter and give my child, , permission to
participate in this project.

*(Parent/Guardian Signature) (Parent/Guardian Name Printed) (Date)

I give my child permission to be tape-recorded during conferences.

*(Parent/Guardian Signature) (Date)

I, , agree to keep all information and data collected during this research
project confidential.

(Researcher Signature)

Student

I have read the above letter, all my questions have been answered, and I agree to participate in the project.

*(Student Signature) (Student Name Printed) (Date)

I agree to be tape-recorded during conferences.

*(Student Signature) (Date)

I, , will keep your names and personal information confidential.

(Student-Teacher/Researcher Signature)
Appendix B.
Week 1 Ideas --- February 3, 2014

Week 1 Organization February 4, 2014

Week 1 Diction & Syntax February 6, 2014

Week 1 Mechanics February 7, 2014

Appendix C.
Week 2 Ideas February 10, 2014


Week 2 Voice February 12, 2014

Appendix D.
Week 3 --- Ideas February 17, 2014





Appendix E.
Week 4 Ideas February 24, 2014





Appendix F.
Week 5 Ideas March 6, 2014

Appendix G.
Writing Portfolio
Choose two writing assignments youve worked on in the past month. You already have
comments on those samples, so use those comments to guide your writing. Remember the notes
weve taken in the past few weeks they should be in your notebooks! Each assignment should
be 5 paragraphs.

I. Writing Assignment One
a. Original copy %
b. Final copy %
i. Make corrections
ii. You may type it
II. Writing Assignment Two
a. Original copy %
b. Final copy %
i. Make corrections
ii. You may type it
III. Analysis %
a. Introduce how you felt about the writing unit and your writing assignments.
b. Reflect on the classes from the past four weeks. Consider:
i. Notes
ii. Writing time
iii. Conferences
c. Reflect on Writing Assignment One
i. State the main topic.
ii. Describe changes you made
d. Reflect on Writing Assignment Two
i. State the main topic.
ii. Describe changes you made
e. Conclude by wrapping up your main ideas
Appendix H.
Portfolio Rubric
Skill Expectation Points
Ideas 1. Writing is centered on an original
idea.
2 4 6 8 10
Organization 2. Paragraphs are properly indented. 2 4 6 8 10
Voice 3. Verb tense is consistent. 2 4 6 8 10
Diction 4. Correct homophones are used:
a. its or its
b. theyre or there or their
c. youre or your
2 4 6 8 10
Syntax 5. Run-ons are corrected. 2 4 6 8 10
6. Fragments are eliminated. 2 4 6 8 10
7. Passive voice there was or was +
verb is changed to active.
2 4 6 8 10
Mechanics 8. Spelling or capitalization 2 4 6 8 10
9. Commas 2 4 6 8 10
10. Other punctuation
a. quotation marks
b. periods
c. question marks
2 4 6 8 10

Appendix I.
Learning Gains

Core One

Student
Identifier
Original
Grade
Final
Grade
Learning
Gain
1BW1 84 80 -4
1GW1 80 93 +13
1BH1 85 86 +1
1GH1 64 84 +20
1GW2 68 88 +20
1GB1 76 89 +13
1GW3 84 94 +10
1BW2 76 93 +17
1BW3 72 82 +10
1BW4 72 75 +3
1BH2 68 91 +23
1GW4 88 93 +5
1GW5 85 86 +1
1GA1 96 96 0
1GW6 88 97 +9
1GW7 84 96 +12
1BW5 68 80 +12
1BW6 56 79 +23
1GW8 85 96 +11
1GB2 68 81 +13
1BW7 92 92 0
1GW9 80 91 +11
Average 78.1 88.3 +10.2

Figure 8. Learning gains for first core. The table on the left depicts the scores on the first
writing sample, the table on the right depicts the scores on the second sample.

Student
Identifier
Original
Grade
Final
Grade
Learning
Gain
1BW1 92 91 -1
1GW1 65 72 +7
1BH1 85 73 -12
1GH1 95 83 -12
1GW2 76 82 +6
1GB1 92 95 +3
1GW3 80 95 +15
1BW2 90 92 +2
1BW3 85 94 +9
1BW4 72 69 -3
1BH2 88 92 +4
1GW4 100 98 -2
1GW5 90 87 -3
1GA1 95 97 +2
1GW6 95 96 +1
1GW7 85 84 -1
1BW5 75 74 -1
1BW6 90 94 +4
1GW8 95 97 +2
1GB2 80 89 +9
1BW7 80 89 +9
1GW9 95 91 -4
Average 86.4 87.9 +1.5
Core Two

Student
Identifier
Original
Grade
Final
Grade
Learning
Gain
2BW1 68 67 -1
2GW1 88 97 +9
2GW2 85 97 +12
2GW3 76 89 +13
2BW2 76 75 -1
2GW4 84 78 -6
2BA1 68 90 +22
2GW5 64 82 +18
2GH1 96 88 -8
2BA2 68 72 +4
2GB1 68 80 +12
2BB1 76 84 +8
2GW6 88 93 +5
2BA3 88 85 -3
2BB2 72 85 +13
2BB3 56 73 +17
2GB2 60 65 +5
Average 75.4 82.4 +7

Figure 9. Learning gains for second core. The table on the left depicts the scores on the first

Student
Identifier
Original
Grade
Final
Grade
Learning
Gain
2BW1 76 80 +4
2GW1 88 81 -7
2GW2 68 92 +24
2GW3 65 82 +17
2BW2 76 85 +9
2GW4 75 81 +6
2BA1 88 96 +8
2GW5 76 83 +7
2GH1 64 86 +22
2BA2 76 78 +2
2GB1 72 83 +11
2BB1 76 79 +3
2GW6 72 77 +5
2BA3 76 83 +7
2BB2 80 90 +10
2BB3 75 87 +12
2GB2 75 60 -15
Average 75.2 82.5 +7.3
Core Three

Student
Identifier
Original
Grade
Final
Grade
Learning
Gain
3GW1 76 86 +10
3GW2 76 86 -10
3GB1 76 87 +11
3BW1 76 93 +17
3BW2 55 81 +26
3GW3 76 83 +7
3GW4 85 89 +4
3BW3 84 86 +2
3BB1 76 93 +17
3BW4 68 85 +7
Average 76.8 86.9 +11.1

Figure 10. Learning gains for third core. The table on the left depicts the scores on the first

Student
Identifier
Original
Grade
Final
Grade
Learning
Gain
3GW1 90 83 -7
3GW2 96 81 -15
3GB1 68 82 +14
3BW1 68 85 +17
3BW2 60 54 -6
3GW3 80 84 +4
3GW4 80 93 +13
3BW3 80 73 -7
3BB1 85 84 -1
3BW4 65 68 +3
Average 77.2 78.7 +1.5
Appendix J.
Student Reflections: Writing Workshop
The writing unit was enjoyable and pretty helpful. I loved when we got to write stories
and learned a little bit from our notes. 1BW1
I feel that these writing assignments have been a great learning experience.Each week
we write our papers, take notes, and conference with our classmates. Doing this helps us become
better writers. We are also learning about our mistakes. 1GW1
Writing this year was sometimes fun and sometimes boring. 1BH1
In this writing unit, I did not really like it. It was boring most of the time. All we did
was write, write, write. In the beginning, it was fun. 1GH1
The way I felt about the writing unit was okay. I didnt really like it because we already
have summaries we have to do and also I really dont like writing. I sorta liked it because we got
to listen to music in class and it helped my spelling a little. 1GW2
I found the writing unit extremely fun. I enjoyed every part of it from writing to the
final typed copy. It gave me the ability to express my writing skills and allowed me to write
what I wanted to write. Not a prompt that had a specific topic. This unit opened up writing more
for me. It showed me that there is more to writing than just the words and stories. It is also
about how you put it all together. 1GB1
I feel like the writing unit was educational and used time wisely. As I learned more, my
writing skills got better. 1GW3
I think it was a fun and creative way to learn about writing and making corrections. I
can now write papers better, understand corrections, and make corrections. The knowledge will
help with my future papers and summaries. 1BW2
The writing unit was surprisingly easy. I expecting it to be hard, but it was not. The
majority of the work was like review because I knew most of it, but I did not use it before.I
also found the process to be very tedious and precise while being fun. 1BW3
When we first started the writing unit, I was kind of happy we were starting something.
I felt it gave me a reason to be excited for english class. I also felt that the writing assignments
gave me an oppurtunity to have fun while writing. 1BH2
Writing of any sort has always bored me, even though I am (apparently) gifted at it. The
past four weeks bored me too. At first I thought, what could the point of so much writing be?
However, I can appreciate the practice and assistance it has provided me with. Despite how
dreary English class has been, from a mature perspective I rate this unit highly. 1GW4
I think that the unit was a good way to help us grow as writers. I also think that I grew a
lot from it, but personaly, I didnt really like it. It wasnt very exciting. 1GW5
When I first found about the writing unit, I was not too excited. Writing and taking nots
everyday seemed pretty boring to me. I thought that we had to write a specific kind of story.
But when I learned that we could write anything we wanted, I got a little more excited. I like to
free write, so I was really happy about this. 1GA1
Overall, the amount of time for everything was pretty good. 1GW6
I have always loved writing, so I was excited to start his writing unit. I liked how I
could write about whatever I wanted to. Although one of the hardest things was coming up with
an idea that I thought was good enough. I realized that no matter how good a story is I have to
edit it to get a good grade. Classes in this unit were fun at times but mostly boring. I realize
that learning isnt just about having a good time, but I think some things could be changed to
make the unit more enjoyable. 1GW7
I felt like the writing was a bit pointless. But I enjoyed coming up with my stories that I
wrote. The unit was pointless because we already write frequently but now more writing on top
of that. 1BW5
In this unit I learned how to adjust my technique in writing. It has also taught me more
ways to improve my writing. It was a lot of fun to have a place to write stories everyday. I liked
that we could write what we want with no prompts. 1BW6
I loved, but disliked this assignment at the same time. I loved how we could write
whatever we wanted. I dont like writing prompts because you are forced to write about topics
that you dont necessarily know about or like. I dont like it because we were forced to write
more than 5 paragraphs. I think you should be allowed to write whatever you want and how
much you want. If someone isnt writing then you tell them to write and help them come up with
ideas. 1GW8
How I feel about our writing unit? Im not sure, my teacher are great, I Just dont like
school. I didnt mind the actual writing, but note taking wasnt fun. Although, school isnt
supposed to be fun, and yet it surprises you in many ways. My friends helped because we
would do the work, while talking about how much we didnt want to do it. This made taking
notes, conferences, and writing time actually bearable. Along with help and support from both
my teachers. 1GB2
At first I Kinda didnt want to do the whole writing unit. Then when the second week
cam around I Kinda liked it because It was fun to write. The writing assignments were the best
parts.All and all I love the writing unit. 1BW7
The teacher are trying to push us to our limits and to write to the best of our abilities.
Its to share what we know about writing and how many mistakes we can catch to fix the writing
grammatically. When pushing ourselves to the limit, its as if walking to the edge of a cliff and
you balance precariously, teetering on the edge of the precipice. Youre at your wits end on
what more to do and then, you yank yourself away from the edge. Thats exactly what these
writing assignments and lessons do. They push me to my limits and Im finally at my wits end
on what I can do to make these writing assignments better.I believe that these assignments are
my best pieces of writing yet. Also, this writing isnt forced. When I wrote these assignments, I
have free reign to write whatever I want and let my imagination do as it wishes. Then, I would
reign it in, take a step back, think logically and start looking for errors. Due to that, this was one
of the times I actually enjoyed myself and writing. It is different. The amount weve gone in
depth about writing is the most I have ever gone. 1GW9
This writing unit was a little hard for me. It was hard for me to put my though on the
paper. Some of papers were a little long to write. The writing unit was a little long for my
tastes.To me the writing month seemed very long. 2BW1
I have learned a lot about writing and it has made me a better writer. 2GW1
I liked the writing unit but I wish we had more time to prepare the writing assignments.
I felt I did good from a personal perspective, from the teachers perspective I did not do well.
2GW2
The writing unit was an amazing learning experience. I like writing, so it was fun to
learn about how to write correctly. Every paper I got back, the score got higher. It was a nice
feeling knowing I was improving in class. 2GW3
Writing in class was a lot of work. Some parts were easy, and some were hard.But I
learned a lot about writing and new things that I can put in my writing.In the last four we did a
lot of work. More than I have done in English class before. 2BW2
In this writing unit, I have learned so much. It was a great expirience. My writing, I
feel has improved greatly. The assignments were really fun and I enjoyed writing my stories.
2GW4
This writing unit has been difficult and boring. The unit writing has been challenging
because it is hard for me to put my thoughts on paper and it takes me a very long time to get
started. I often have a writers block. It has been unexciting because I am just not interested in
it. Although most of the writing assignments were tedious, I have enjoyed writing about Bigfoot
and the Cat. The Bigfoot writing assignment is one of my favorites because it is a very
interesting myth to learn about. Another one of my favorite is a cat writing assignment because
it was a funny story.The past four weeks has been helpful for me as a writer and a student.
2BA1
I like to write random stories that pop into my head.I liked the writing unit for the
most part. Sometimes I would get writers block and stare at the wall. But, after a few min.
something would pop in my head. 2GW5
When the teachers first introduced that we would be writing every week, I wasnt too
sure about it. But now I really like it. It gives us time to be creative and still learn at the same
time. Writing these papers has taught me alot about punctuation and spelling. I think we should
keep doing it.Over the past four weeks we have been taking notes, writing stories, and
confrencing with other students. All of these things have really helped me with my writing style,
punctuation, and getting new ideas from other students. 2GH1
The writing unit in class wa fun and difficult. Over the past four weeks we have been
taking notes and writing lik crazy!...I hope I never go on a writing rampage again. 2BA2
I thought the writing unit and writing assignments was ok. I really didnt like it.
Personaly, I didnt like to write or write notes for 30 mins. The only thing I real liked adout it
was being able to listen to music and read other peoples stories. 2GB1
Our writing assignments were fun to write read and learn about.Overall our writing
was a fun learning experience.The last four weeks have been good to my writing skills.
2BB1
I felt like the way you taught the writing workshops and notes were a good way to teach
them.The classes from the past few weeks were taken seriously by some people and as a joke
by others. 2GW6
During the writing unit I had many different feeling. Sometimes I couldnt think of
what to write, but other times I couldnt stop thinking of ideas. Overall I had a good time
making my writing assignments.The past 4 weeks have been a very busy yet simple time.
2BA2
When I did the writing unit, first I was kind of stunned. I didnt know how to do the
writing assignment at first but I manage to get something up. 2BB2
Through out the writing I would ask myself why do we do this, until I saw that the unit
made my writings better. At first the writings looked like busy-work to me to get a grade for the
class.Now that it is over my head is fuller and my writings began to improve. 2BB3
When I was writing my two story, I felt like I related to parts of my story. I enjoyed
writing everyday. It has helped me understand myself and writing. 2GB2
Me personaly dont like writing. The writing assignments we had to do didnt thrill
me. 3GW1
When our class was introduced to these writing assignment, I was thrilled. I personally
couldnt wait to start writing. What iced the cake was being able to write about whatever we
wanted. 3GW2
I felt very satisfied throughout the whole writing unit. My writing has improved
immensely from the beginning of the writing unit to now.I honestly should being saying, thank
you. 3GB1
I didnt like the writing unit. It was too much writing. It was fun sometimes. 3BW1
During the first two assingments I hated the idea, but I discovered that I was a good
writer and that I like writing. This writing assignment gave me a idea to work on my on book, so
overall I am Pleased we did this. 3BW2
My thoughts on the writing unit and the writing assignments are mixed .Overall I
liked this unit. 3GW3
For most of the third quarter we have done a writing unit. It has been lots of fun for me
to write and then learn from the mistakes I have made. This unit has helped me become more
advanced in my work and everyday life. It will help a lot in the future. 3GW4
I love writing. Its my favorite thing to do in english.I liked how we could write
about what ever we wanted to. I like writing so much because I can just calm down and write
about what ever I want. Writing just comes natural to me, and I like writing about events.
3BW3
When we first started the writing unit, I hated the extra work.However, I started to
really enjoy creating our own stories.I learned new information that I didnt know before. I
feel more confident now that I can do better on my writing ssignments this year with the new
tools that I have learned. 3BB1
I really liked writing the past few weeks. It was really fun. I am probably 10 times
better at writing than I was before we did this. 3BW4

Appendix K.
Student Reflections: Mini-lessons
Some of these notes I found helpful, while others seemed meerly like a review.
1BW1
The notes we took in class were useful, because I could look at them if I needed
information on mechanics, voice, diction, transitions, punctuation, and organization. 1GW1
The part that was boring was the note taking.I might have hated notes but they sure
did help me. After I was done writing sometimes I go back and refresh my brain then check over
my writing. 1BH1
the notes were very useful, I learned things I have not already known. 1GH1
Most of the notes were the thing we already knew about so it realy didnt help really, It
helped on a few of them because some I needed work on and some I couldnt remember.
1GW2
The notes that we took helped me modify my writing and make it better. I did not think
that all of the mechanics, syntax, and diction were a part of writing. 1GB1
The powerpoint with the notes was well organized and colorful. When a student writes
them down, they have a long list of notes to look at for future assignments and studies. 1GW3
The notes were presented in an understandable way, helping me to understand them to
use as a resource to make corrections and write clearer. 1BW2
The notes from the last four weeks were like review. It is a good thing to look back on
during projects. 1BW3
Doing notes in writing has taught me many ways to improve my writing. It has also
taught me how to fix my mistakes carefully. 1BH2
Ms. Kassebaum focused each day on a different topic, such as tricky homonyms or point
of view. It was easy to understand the topics, and pictures and diagrams were often included.
1GW4
I think that the notes should have been more interactive. I felt like we were just copying
the bored a majority of the time. 1GW5
There were lots of notes to take and my hand got pretty tired afterwards. 1GA1
The one thing that everyone dis-liked was the decent size of notes every day. I admit, it
was quite a bit, but it benefited us. 1GW6
I did not like taking notes, especially when they were long and tedious. 1GW7
The notes are good in all but they didnt seem to help me. Now if we were taking test on
this material you have notes to student but we arnt, so they didnt help me. 1BW5
Using all of the notes and writing down notes, were great ways to learn and improve
upon writing. 1BW6
Also notes were a bit boring. It seemed like we were just writing stuff down and not
actually learning it. I would have learned it better if we did more hands-on activities. 1GW8
Most of the notes were short but a little boring. 1BW7
All the notes, of course, are new. The notes taught me things in writing that I never
would have thought about I didnt think before about the verb tense and when I made an effort
to change it, it became all the more intense and attention capturing. 1GW9
The least favorite part was all the notes we took I already knew most of the material we
went over.To me we took to many notes it took up most of the class period before lunch so we
did not have a lot of time to write or conference.The notes took up to much of the time we
should have used to write. 2BW1
The notes were a good size long and I liked them because they heped me write my
stories. 2GW2
The notes could get boring, but I know with out them I would have failed all my writing
papers. 2GW3
we also took a lot of notes. But I learned a lot about writing and new things that I can
put in my writing.the notes were boring. 2BW2
The notes really helped sink it in to my brain. My notebook filled up quick. 2GW4
With the notes I now know how to revise and write better. 2BA1
I think that the notes helped me write my short stories.The notes on commas helped
me a lot with placing commas were they needed to go. 2GW5
Over this past couple of weeks I have been writin and taking notes like crazy. Everyday
we took notes every day. 2BA2
I thought the notes were too long but they where really useful during writing time.
2GB1
When we took notes we would use them to improve our writing for the week. 2BB1
Some of the note were hard to understand because they were new things and I would
probably understand more of the note if we practice with them.some people tryed to take the
notes and learn something new to improve. While others messed around while taking notes.
2GW6
The notes were helpful for finding out mistakes, in my paper. Learning different ways
to write and organize my paper was very useful. 2BA3
For the notes I wanted to get through them fast and kind sort of neatly because I didnt
want to do it for the whole time. Even though I didnt like the notes as much it still helped me
for my writing paper. 2BB2
Ms. Kassebaum added notes that she used to grade our work. I then understood that
the notes helped me with my summaries that raised my grade.My opinion on the notes are that
they are good for us so we can improve our summaries and class writings. They are extremely
helpful when writing for a grade or for fun. 2BB3
I loved taking notes because it helped me know what I needed to improve and make sure
I had what I needed in my stories. 2GB2
Though I dont enjoy writing I did lean a thing or two. I now fully understand how to
use a comma and know when to use one. 3GW1
All the notes we took in English really helped me expand my writing. 3GW2
When taking notes I like to keep them organized so I can use them later on. I think that
giving each student a spiral notebook for new writing, notes, and stories. 3GB1
I liked how the notes werent that long.The notes were short which was good and they
were helpful. 3BW1
However many good things do have downsides for example we had to take notes
everyday but I noticed that my grades on each writing report rise. 3BW2
The writing unit, as in notes, was fun and boring. Fun part was using [3GW2]s pens to
make my notes colorful, boring part was doing it everyday. Notes were fun, because of what I
said above I loved using the pens. I also tried making my notes clean which made a little
challenge. 3GW3
One of the things that have influenced my writing is notes. Through the four week of
the unit we have taken notes on topics that would help our writing. The notes really have
impacted my grades positivly. 3GW4
Taking notes came in handy for when we wrote our storys, but it got really boring taking
them every day. 3BW3
The classes were to improve our punctuation and the way we are supposed to write
paragraphs. We learned different things.You need to have these things in order to create a
good paper. 3BB1
I really liked how each day we could take notes and It wasnt alot. 3BW4

Appendix L.
Student Reflections: Writing Time
Everyday when I walked into english class I wanted it to be writing time. When we had
writing time, I felt a creative freedom and just jotted down my ideas on paper. The topics I came
up with for my stories were all from my favorite subjects so that made me happy. 1BW1
I had to come up with different ideas for each story.The time we had in class was
enough 1GW1
But when it came to writing time, I would be so happy! I love to write. You can choose
to write anything. That was my favortie part of writing.After notes was my favortie time,
writing time. I could write forever. 1BH1
We have had enough writing time. Enough to come up with ideas and write them.
1GH1
I liked writing because I could express my feeling in a story but in a different way.
1GW2
The time we had to write was perfect. Fifteen to twenty minutes is enough time to think
of a good idea and start writing a good five paragraph paper. 1GB1
The writing time was a different story. I personally felt that the longer we had to write,
the better quality my stories were. About twenty-five minutes could make me give my best
effort. 1GW3
There was more than enough writing time each week and I could finish more than the
required 1 every week and go back to make corrections. 1BW2
The writing time is a good time to let out your creativity and flow. 1BW3
I learned how much work I should put into my editing and revising. Writing time in
class gave me time to focus on writing. I was excited to have writing time as it allowed me to
add my new ideas to the story I was working on. 1BH2
Despite how I feel about writing, it was nice to be able to relax in the quiet with no
distractions, and pick any topic I wanted. 1GW4
I also think that the writing time should have been longer. Even if it was just by five
minutes, it would add up. 1GW5
Writing was fun, especially when we could listen to music. Some of the stories that Ive
written are actually pretty funny.Sometimes, the room was really quiet when everyone was
writing. It was too quiet, so I think we should be able to at least whisper to each other about
what to write. 1GA1
The writing time was excellent. I really liked that we just got to write every day for
about 20-30 minutes. 1GW6
I did have fun writing to express my creativity and hearing my friends stories. I
actually had to do most of my writing as homework because I did not have time in class.
1GW7
The writing time was good for me because with the time we had I could write 5
paragraphs no problem. 1BW5
During the writing time we had quiet to get out our ideas on paper. 1BW6
I think writing time was too short. We needed more time. 1GW8
The funnest part was writing time because we could just write and listen to music.
1BW7
We were given plenty of writing time where it was perfectly quiet so we could work
efficiently. Yet, it also gives those who like to work with music a chance to. We hve bene given
effective writing time to work with others and apply the new information weve been given.
1GW9
We really needed more time to write, some weeks I barely finished my paper for that
week. 2BW1
One thing I did like was working independently. 2GW1
The writing time was very helpful because I am at soccer almost every night so I dont
really have to write a story. 2GW2
Writing time was my favorite part. It was quiet and fun to think of new ideas to put in
my story. 2GW3
I liked writing time better than doing writing prompts. 2BW2
The assignments were really fun and I enjoyed writing my stories. I was free to write
whatever I wanted and I really enjoyed that.I really enjoyed the writing. It made me feel like I
was on another plant. 2GW4
For our assignments the writing time was a little short. If I had a little bit more time I
could have finished my papers faster. 2BA1
I believe that the writing time was the best part out of the three. 2GW5
We wrote five paragraphs every week. The promts that I wrote about were fun, but the
amount of writing that we did was difficult. Just for this assignment I have wrote over twenty
paragraphs. I have stayed up until eleven to get this writing done. 2BA2
Writing time I didnt like that much because I dont like to write but I be as creative as I
wanted to be when writing. 2GB1
When I wrote my assignments I felt free to write about school appropriate topics. When
we got our papers back it was good to build off of.After we would take our notes we had
writing time which was a quiet time where we wrote our stories. We did that every day and was
kind of fun when it came to conferencing. 2BB1
While we were writing it was quiet and we could listen to music. 2GW6
We got a lot of time to write our stories during the week. It was good time to
concentrate because it was really quiet. 2BA3
For the writing time, it was good enough so I could have an idea on what I am going to
do. Whenever I write I still like making it up, like fantasies, but this was a lot different. 2BB2
When writing my stories I was free to get creative and imagion a story that pleases me
,which I liked alot. 2BB3
Writing was quiet, it was great to pour my feelings out somewhere. 2GB2
The writing assignments we had to do didnt thrill me. Sometimes it was really easy to
think of something and write about it. Other times it wasnt as easy. If we would have done one
paragraph a week that would have been cool.I thought that we had way too much time to write
each day. 3GW1
Writing time really helped me to. I revised my writing so I could make it the best it
could be. I also could start my writing for the following week. 3GW2
The writing assignments are actually really fun because I love writing. Being able to
make up my own stories is so much fun.we have a certain period of time to write. Im given
enough time throughout the school week to finish my five paragraph story that I turn in by
Friday. 3GB1
Class was fun and quiet in a good way. Writing time was good so we could do some at
school. 3BW1
We had a good amount of time to write I think, but I am a very fast writer. 3BW2
The real writing was fun! I love making stories!...Writing time was good with music,
but without it I couldnt write as well. 3GW3
After notes we would have time to write. Although noisy, it gave me time to think.
During writing time, people who were finished conferenced. 3GW4
I liked the writing part because it was very quite, and we had a lot of time to write.
3BW3
Writing time is when we wrote papers for our Student Teachers research. 3BB1
The writing time was good we had got to listen to music and It wasnt to long but it
wasnt to short. The writing I took rally serious it was really fun and we got to share what we
wanted to talk about not what you guys wanted on a prompt. 2BW4

Appendix M.
Student Reflections: Conferences
I did enjoy reading what stories my peers came up with. 1BW1
conferencing with our classmates gave us feedback. 1GW1
Conferences was also fun. I like to read about other peoples papers and see what
theyre writing about. Conferences also helped me get new ideas about What to write. 1BH1
Our conferancing was not very effective. Some people were just off task and not
conferencing. 1GH1
Conferences were an excellent idea because we got to share our stories with our
classmates to see what they thought about our writing. It was a way to see what types of things
are going through each others minds. I realized while reading my classmates work, that we all
have such diverse imaginations. We got to interact, correct the mistakes, and suggest changes to
help with improvement. 1GB1
The conferences were the best ideas of all. A student could discuss their stories with
another, making it fun and educational. The student can have a chance to edit their stories while
being with friends. 1GW3
The conferences helped me realize my mistakes and taught me about what to look out
for in others mistakes. 1BW2
I like the conference time to see other styles of writings and as a break. The
conferences can also help me make corrections and review how my stories sounded. 1BW3
We also had conferences in the class, which allowed us to share our stories while giving
input. 1BH2
Conferencing was neat, too. Other teachers I have had never let us speak while we were
writing. However, conferencing turned out to be a great way to communicate ideas and revise
our writing.Conferencing with other students exposed my weaknesses and also assisted me in
becoming stronger in those areas, such as verb tense and syntax. 1GW4
The confrences were good. I like that we were able to talk about our writing with other
people. I gave us the chance to share our work. 1GW5
I love reading everybody elses stories because they were all hilarious.I dont think
that conferecing was really effective for me. Whenever Id conference with someone, we
wouldnt really conference. We would just read each others stories. Conferencing became
worse when we had to answer the questions on an index card. 1GA1
I dont think conferencing was very effective because we would just read each others
stories and not really discuss them. 1GW7
Confrences kinda helped because the person I was confrencing with would fix a few
things. But you Just gave us time to socialize, not saying I didnt like having time to socialize but
we would more benifit with Just confrencing and no socializing. 1BW5
The conferences were great ways to improve on writing by having our peer give their
opinion. 1BW6
The conferences were fun. I got to share my silly stories with my friends. They would
look over them and give me advice. For future stories and the story that they had read. They
also fixed grammatical errors. 1GW8
The conferences were really fun. 1BW7
One of the things I enjoy about our writing time, is the conferencing. Ive always only
ever conference with a teacher. So having so many unique and different perspectives is
refreshing. Its also interesting to see hwat other peoples imagination can conjure up. 1GW9
The conferencing question should have stayed the same for all four weeks. It was hard
to remember all of the questions, to think of when looking at someones paper. 2BW1
Although I did like conferencing with other class mates. 2GW1
The confrences didnt help me very much. I felt that they werent really helpful.
2GW2
Conferences were a good way to show other people your story, sometimes I got nervous
that my friends wouldnt like my story, but I liked their opinions so that could improve my
story. 2GW3
Conferencing was fun to because I got to look at what other people wrote. It also gave
me inspiration when I had to write a story. 2BW2
I enjoyed confrencing because I got to read other peoples stories and they helped fix
mine. 2GW4
Conferencing was very helpful. It helped me see what I needed to fix and what would
be better for my story. 2BA1
The confrences helped me realize some of my mistakesI also liked the confrence
when we read each others stories. I like to see what other people write about. 2GW5
During conferences I was writing most of the time. When I was able to conferences I
enjoy it. I liked reading other peoples stories. 2GB1
Conferencing is when we talked to each other about the stories. 2BB1
Some just conferenced just to talk not to do anything with the writing. 2GW6
Conferencing was good because I got good advice from other people. 2BA3
Conferencing was great, and I liked to see what others could come up with. So overall, I
did like the writing time and the conferences. 2BB2
Coferencing really didnt appeal to me because most of the time the couldnt catch any
of my mistakes because the couldnt see them. 2BB3
Conferencing helped me speak my mind and share my thoughts with my peers. And to
enjoy others writing and understand the way they think and maybe us some of their ideas.
2GB2
The conferences also helped my writing. Everybody who I conferenced with gave me
good pointers that I didnt see. 3GW2
When I finish I conference with my neighbors or someone I usually wouldnt partner
with to get a more honest opinion. I like to think I give nice and understanding corrections and
opinions on other peoples writing. 3GB1
Conferences were fun, too. I liked it because you can read other peoples papers and
they can check yours. 3BW1
Another cool thing was beign able to talk abot your story with another student. That is
what we called confrencing, it was one of my favorite Parts of this editing Period. 3BW2
Conferences I only got to do one and we didnt do it correctly. I understood the
concept of the conferences though. 3GW3
I also liked doing confrences because it was cool making changes, and reading other
people papers. 3BW3
We would read other students papers and tell them what we thought about it through
questions our teacher gave us. This activity was to better ourselves in the study of English.
3BB1
The conferences were good. I liked how we had our classmates revise instead of
teachers knowing every mistake. 3BW4

Appendix N.
Student Reflections: Revision Process
Ill have to focus on mechanics and syntax when I write another story. 1BW1
I made a lot of punctuation errors, so I corrected those. I also corrected several spelling
errors, such as, millions, finding, and Stepped. I indented the paragraphs. I even changed the
story some so that it would flow better. 1GW1
My first writing assignment I corrected had a lot of spelling errors.My second writing
assignment I corrected my spelling, bigger vocab, and its more specific. I also made it MUCH
neater. 1BH1
Some changes I have made were that I added a couple of more paragraphs they were
only two paragraphs I also did some spelling errors and capitalization. 1GH1
I mostly chaged aroud sentences and fixed words and fixed mostly what was needed
to be fixed.All I did was fix past tence and present tensce to all past tence. I fixed all
sentences that didnt make sence. 1GW2
The changes that I made consisted of changing the sentences around, correcting spelling
mistakes, and correcting grammatical mistakes.Some sentences did not sound right when we
read them allowed, so I worded them differently. When I was done typing it up, I read it all
again to make sure I was happy with the result.In this chapter I had more mistakes dealing
with organization and mechanics. Some sentences were supposed to go with certain
paragraphs. 1GB1
Some errors needed to be fixed. The use of past and present tense at the same time was
inappropriate, and punctuation had some major fixes.The spelling I used througout my story
was horrific, spelling avocado very wrongly. Commas and paragraphs were badly needed.
1GW3
I made changes to the tense, word choice, and punctuation.I made changes to the
tense, word choice, punctuation, turned passive sentences into active sentences, and worked on
the sentence and paragraph structure. 1BW2
My whole basis was weak at first. It was hard to smooth out the rough edges. The
grammar was also bad, but I could fix that easily. A main problem was the length of my story
and I really had to get creative to make that work out.The organization was horrid before and
my time went to that. My sentences were mostly passive and I had to shift it too. The tenses
were all out of whack, so I had to review every world. A small change was the descriptions of
everything because they were poor and it was hard to get into the story. 1BW3
For my final draft, I made changes to improve the quality of my writing. I changed
everything to present tense it wouldnt be a mix of tenses. I also added more descriptive words
to add flavor to the story.I had to readjust dialogue for new paragraphs. I also fixed spelling
mistakes. For this one, I had to make changes to the tense too. 1BH2
I mostly focused on point of view and syntax, making my writing smoother and easier to
understand. In the first paragraph I drew the readers in with an interesting hook, then stated the
main idea. The whole paper flows and sounds better than before I learned about the things
wrong with it.In the revision I focused on verb tense and changing my sentences from passive
to active. The hook in the first paragraph captures the readers attention using the surprise
tactic. 1GW4
Some of the mistakes I did while writing, was that I kept on changing from past to
present tense. I read through my story again and decided to make my story in the present tense.
1GA1
When I revised it, I had to fix how I split the paragraphs. I only had four at first but it
was easily split into five. Most of the other corrections were also simple.I had too many short
paragraphs and I had to put them together. 1GW5
Two major things that I had to do, was add the third and fourth paragraph. At first, I
only had three paragraphs in all. Then, I also had little changes like commas, and spelling
corrections.Most of the changes in there were past and present. To many times in this writing,
it changes from past to present within two sentences. 1GW6
The stories length made it very hard to edit and complete by the deadline. When editing
this story I had to fix lots of spelling and grammar mistakes. I did not spend much time editing
this story, which I regret.The biggest thing I had to fix on this writing was my organization.
Before I revised it, there were many run-ons and unnecessary new paragraphs. I also had to fix a
few mechanics, mostly commas. Mechanics was not such a problem this writing as in others
because I typed it, forcing me to check through it again. 1GW7
And all the odds and ends stuff like capitalizing, putting commas, fixing grammer,
and puncuation.I changed puncuation , grammer, names, took out people and certain places.
1BW5
While editing I made many changes, but the largest change I made was added two
paragraphs.I liked the first assignment a lot, it was an easy fun assignment.Assignment two
was probably my favorite piece to write. It was a bit more of a challenge.When I was editing
this most of the changes I made were spelling, grammer, and verb tense. 1BW6
After writing and confrencing this piece, I made little changes. I fixed spelling mistakes
and grammatical errors.I made many changes to this story. At first it was a three paragraph
story will many mistakes. I had to add two paragraphs and fix mistakes. I worked hard to insert
2 more paragraphs which was difficult. I wanted to keep Pans looks and backround a secret. A
mystery for you to solve. But I did it. 1GW8
My first writing assignment was based off of a quote that inspired me.When I rewrote
this paper I made alot of changes in mechanics. Where my commas are seems to always be a
problem in my papers.On occasion I have a very wild imagination. This paper was written
during one of those times.I made a lot of revisions on this paper, including tenses, mechanics,
and sentence structure. I hope I did better the second time around. 1GB2
The changes I made were simple mistakes. Instead of a period a comma would be
better. Some of my mistakes were spelling, which are really easy to fix.The second
assignment was really bad with spelling. I know now that I need a dictionary when Im writing
and to triple check my words. Again some of my mistakes were needing a comma to be placed.
These were many little mistakes to be fixed. 1BW7
Unfortunately, my verb tense and boice in the original is sloppy, repetitive, and all over
the place. My verb tense mainly kept changing between past and present. Words were being
used repeatedly and the paper was just plain out boring. So it got altered so that the verb tense is
in the present, new words are used, and more detail as added. The one speaking part is different
so that this chapter can adjust to new ideas in my head for rest of the story. The changes from
the original to the final is undescribable. The final is like a whole other chapter that is more
intense. Yet, they are the same chapter with the same ideas.All the past tense is now present
tense. In other areas, I changed my wording so it is not repetitive. Also, there is new sentences
added to explain things better, add humor, and give my charachter a little bit more personality.
Before, my paper had many grammatical errors and was a little drab. Now, I believe it looks and
sounds much more like real writing. 1GW9
The changes I made was that all of the spelling was corrected. I also fixed all of the
grammar issues and there were a lot.I made some spelling changes. I also added a few more
sentries. I had to fix a lot grammar issues. 2BW1
The first time writing this story I made a lot of mistakes with mechanics. When I got
my writing back from being graded I made changes by putting commas in the right spots. I also
changed my writing by changing the wording to make sense. After I made the changes I wrote
my final draft.Just like on my first writing I made a lot of mechanic mistakes. I made changes
by adding commas and putting them in the right place. Before finalizing my writing I changed a
couple sentences. Then I wrote the final draft. 2GW1
I made many changes to my paper. I changed how I started my sentences, I changed
punctuation, and the order of my paper.I did the same thing to the first story to the second.
2GW2
In the story I had to fix commas and spelling and a few sentences that were mixed up.
In this story, I had to fix many run-ons I had in my story. Also Syntax and mechanics. 2GW3
Some changes I made was I added paragraphs together and had to add more commas. I
also had to change some words that I spelt wrong. After I made the changes, I think that the
story sounds better. It also sounds smooth when I read it.There was a couple things that I had
to fix. I had to make spelling corrections and add commas. I also had to fix my paragraphs.
After all the corrections, my paper is better. 2BW2
The changes I made were punctuation, spelling, and grammar. I had other people check
it and look over it. So I had other eyes look at my paper.I typed this up and I had my cousin
check over it. I fixed the mistakes and it definitely read more smoothly. 2GW4
While I was doing my final draft for this story, I fixed my spelling and grammar. I
knew my spelling was easy to fix. Using a dictionary, I corrected all of my spelling mistakes. I
read your suggestions that you wrote on my papers and made all of the necessary
changes.Spelling and grammar was still the thing I needed to change. Using the same
resources I was able to fix all of my mistakes. 2BA1
I made some tweeks to some of the paragraphs because they didnt feel right. So, when
I read over the paragraphs I went back and restated them.In this short story I made a bunch of
changes because I just didnt like it as much. I went back in and rewrote some of the story and it
flowed a lot better. 2GW5
In this story I had very few changes to make. I was missing four commas and had four
spelling errors. Overall I got a very good grade and I think I did a good job and a long time on
and writing this paper.In this story I had many spelling errors and gramar errors. The problem
was I kept using diffrent tenses! I also added words and forgot many commas. I took very little
time writing this. Next time I will stop and take my time. 2GH1
I mainly made punctuation and gramer mistakes. I had so may spelling mistakes. I
discided to use my I-Pad. At the end I used a dictionary. I was fliping threw the dictionary like
a mad man.In this essay I had a lot of mistakes. I had spelling, gramer, and run on mistakes. I
tooks some run on sentences out. Spelled the word correctly and put the punctuation in the right
place. 2BA2
I fixed spelling errors and added words that I forgot to add before. I also fixed passive
voices.I fixed spelling, added quotation marks and fixed verb tense. 2GB1
I made many changes to improve my writing including syntax and mechanics. Also I
added to make the story go deeper. This writing was improved after we took all the notes.The
changes I made Were adding or changing words to make more sense. Other changes were also
syntax and mechanics. That was my last writing. 2BB1
I changed the way some sentences were wrote and some spelling. I also changed some
commas.In this piece of writing I changed some spelling and I moved some commas.
2GW6
I made the most correction on commas because I forgot to put them in. I also got rid of
words I didnt need. I also fixed some spelling mistakes.My biggest problem was writing with
verb tense. I also had to add commas and fix words in some places. I learned a lot about my
writing and how to fix it because of this story. 2BA3
Maybe I should have done something a little bit more exciting and adventurous, rather
than something weird and crazy. Some changes that I did were, make him sound worse, and
make one of his soldiers, Scorpion, well known for being in a combat game inside this book;
which I would probably get fined for but its okay.So that story was kind of weird but it was
ok. For my changes I made a very dramatic ending, dont know why, and I made him look like
Superman because he sounds invisible. 2BB2
I changed spelling and run-on in the second to last paragraph. My spelling was not as
bad as some of my writings in earlier grades but was easily fixed. The run-on was fixed by
adding commas and periods to one of my longer sentences. 2BB3
I had bad spelling issues and grammar issues as well. I made a lot of changes to the way
I stated somethings. But this was my first story and I enjoyed writing it.The story had
grammar mistakes when I first wrote it. I had to remember to add periods to the end of my
sentences but I enjoyed writing this story as well! 2GB2

Appendix O.
Student Reflections: Final Words
This unit was entertaining and I hope we could have another one like it. 1BW1
This assignment help me to become a better writer.Overall it was very valuable.
1GW1
Overall I liked what we did in class for those four weeks. 1BH1
This writing assingment was not the funest dont think thats a word but it was nice to
let my ideas out and write stories. 1GH1
This has been so much fun to write because I got to create a story with no boundaries. It
has so much detail and I would have continued the story, much further, if I could. 1GB1
It was a good idea! 1GW3
Writing is fun when you can be creative and have time. This unit gave me the
knowledge to write future papers. 1BW2
This unit teaches you to write, and do, new things in the world and not be scared of it.
1BW3
The writing unit was an exciting time in class for me. I learned how to really improve
my writing.The writing unit showed that there is always room for improvement, but you can
have fun while improving. 1BH2
Being forced to write week after week also, to my surprise, has taught me writing is only
as difficult as I make it. 1GW4
Over all I think that I became a better writer from this. It was not the most fun unit but
it was definatly helpful. After revising my stories I relized how much I grew as a writer.
1GW5
I think it helped me grow in writing. Without the writing unit, we wouldnt have all the
funny stories to share and talk about. Writing was a great escape to let our imagination run
wild. 1GA1
I enjoyed the fact that we were able to write whatever we wanted, but not everything we
learned was absolutely necessary. Granted, we will have to learn these topics sooner or later, but
maybe some of the lessons should be taught later. Overall, I really like the unit. It helped me
improve quit dramatically, and I hope that in other grades we will do something like it. 1GW6
I enjoyed the opportunity to write creatively, but I did not think some of our daily
procedures were efficient or necessary. Editing was one of the hardest parts of this unit for me
as well as finding time for my long writings.Although there were aspects that I disliked,
overall I thought this unit was interesting and it has taught me a lot about writing. 1GW7
I think the writing unit was pointless because we socialize and not confrence.This is
my analysis and I think this unit is pointless. 1BW5
The writing unit was good to learn from. This was also fun unit we got to have a writing
to ourselfs. It would be cool to do another unit like this in the future. Doing notes and writing
has benifitted me a lot. 1BW6
Of all my stories I liked those two the best.The overall assignment, including notes,
was very different. Normally in English class we learn and maybe do a writing prompt. Here we
took notes and then got to write whatever we wanted. It was fun, but still learning. All in all I
enjoyed this and would do it again. 1GW8
Writing. I guess you could say that this was a good, strong unit. Just because I didnt
love it doesnt mean that my teachers did any less of a job teaching it. I learned alot through
these weeks. I guess you can say this whole writing expereiance wasnt so bad after all.
1GB2
I really didnt like writing at the beginning of the year. Now I cant stop writing about
new things that happen.All and all I really like this writing unit and I hope one of my teachers
do it in the future. 1BW7
This writing unit was interesting and enjoyable. We could write fun short stories and we
still learned so much about writing.This writing unit was a new experience. 1GW9
This unit was to long for me to sit through. The notes took up to much of the time we
should have used to write.This unit really need to be shorter because we dont have that long
an attention span. 2BW1
Before doing this writing lesson I wasnt a very good writer. I have come along way,
but I still need to practice. Letting us pick what we want to write about was helpful because Im
not good at writing something we were told to write about. This writing lesson has made me like
writing a little more. I hope that I keep getting better to make writing easier in high school and
college. 2GW1
The writing unit is something we should do again in the future. Hopefully Ill keep
writing and keep improving on my writing. 2GW3
After all of the writing the past four weeks, my writing has gotten better. It was fun to
write, I would never write this much on my free time. This was fun to do, I wouldnt think that
before the last four weeks. Some parts werent as fun as the wrting. The parts that werent fun are
the notes. But he last four weeks were very interesting because of all the stories I had read and
all new things that I have learned. 2BW2
These past few weeks have been so informing. I really enjoyed writing. Taking notes
helped me remember the class better. 2GW4
Though I did not like this writing unit, I believe that I have gained better writing skills
and knowledge through the past four weeks. Some of the skills that I have improved on were
revising, spelling, and grammar. All of my writing assignments were very good practice. I now
have more confidence and I am able to write easier and better. In the long run the knowledge I
learned will help me write good papers in college. 2BA1
My favorite part of class was the time we had to write our stories. I like to read other
peoples stories and get some new ideas. I feel that I wrote as well as I could so, hope you liked
them. 2GW5
Over all I think I had very good ideas but I shouldve taken more time. 2GH1
The writting has been fun and difficult.During this unit my hand writing has
improved. My writing grade has increast. The most important thing is I had fun when I wrote
about what I wanted to write about. 2BA2
After that month of writing and I still dont like to write. I still enjoyed it thoght. I
didnt like writing notes everyday before writing. But I learned how to become a better writer.
2GB1
Overall the writing experience improved my writing. My second writing got better after
the first and I picked up so valuable writing notes. In eighth grade and high school I will keep
them. This writing experience also increased my love of writing. 2BB1
My main ideas were about fictional things because I find it easier to just write about
things that come to your head. Both of my writings were about travling because you could make
events happen along the way. I like writing these types of things because of the type of writing it
is. 2GW6
All in all, I liked the writing assignments because it was sort of amusingand I enjoyed
writing it, even though there were some distractions. I liked the conferences the best because I
like having conversations with other people to see what they were thinking. I still, still dont
know why all my stories have dramatic endings but it was still fun. So overall, I like the writing
unit and writing time, and all the writing assignments. (Except for notes) So I do like to write,
just not ones that are confusing. 2BB2
Through out my time writing, note taking, conferencing, revising I saw a lot of mistakes
I have made writing the two paper. My spelling of certain words was the same in both of my
writings.I though out this writing unit these two stories my favorite by far because of their
twists, but they only got better because of the notes that helped improve them. 2BB3
Writing was very fun and I enjoyed every second of working on each story. 2GB2

Characters Becoming Writers

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Characters Becoming Writers

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Running Head: CHARACTERS BECOMING WRITERS: A CASE STUDY 1

Characters Becoming Writers:

You might also like