Follow up post to "Let's Talk About the Struggle of Formative Assessment"

What a treat!  I never get a chance to have extra writing time on Tuesday mornings during the school year!  Well, let's just say, I never take the time.  Yes, I'm still struggling to fit in my writing time.  

I'd like to celebrate some of the direction Lucy Calkin's new book Writing Pathways, part of the new k-5 units of study.  At my school, we had a great conversation about formative assessments.  but, like many topics in teaching and learning, we only touched the surface.  There is so much more to talk about.  I'm thankful we have an open minded leader who values professional conversations.  So, I know we will be continuing to move in this direction.  But, I'm restless.  I want to move faster.  I want to talk more.  There aren't a whole lot of people who have time to talk about these ideas when we are trying to keep up with the hamster wheel.  But, back to celebrating!  I found the checklists in her book so helpful to guide my observations and writing conferences with my students!  I love it that I was able to have another conversation with my teammates about using these checklists as a point of common understanding about our teaching of writing within the units of study.  

So far, I'm already able to provide clarity for my students about where they are as writers, and where they are moving toward.  I love these checklists as tools to help me narrow the scope of teaching points for individual writers.  

I am so thankful to the writers of the units of study and professionals at the TCRWP for modeling and sharing thinking with teachers.