Caitlyn’s Inquiry Project

Inquiry Questions 

How can Writing Groups help to develop a community of writers? How can Writing Groups help to foster confidence and a respectful atmosphere in my classroom? 

The Parlor

“Talking about Writing: The Language of Writing Groups” by  Anne Ruggles Gere & Robert D. Abbott

This article was the perfect start to help with my inquiry project. This article discussed and tracked the progress of writing groups at various levels. 

This was the format for the Writing Groups discussed in the article: 

1. The writer reads the same selection aloud twice, taking a short break between the two readings. 
2. The writer does not comment on or apologize for the selection read. 
3. Listeners, who have NO copy of the manuscript, make notes between readings and during the second reading but NOT during the first. 
4. After the first reading, the listeners write a general impression response which summarizes the meaning of the reading for them. During the second reading the listeners take detailed notes on the language of the selection, nothing what they especially like and dislike. 
5. Each listener, following an order established either by the group leader or by discussion, offers comments on the selection read, and the writer notes all comments for later reference. 
6. The time available to the group is divided by the number of participants so each has an equal share, and steps one through five are repeated until all participants have read their work. 

After the outline of the writing groups, the article discusses the data which resulted from each group. 

One major take away I got from the article was, “…demonstrate how students in writing groups are reflective about what they do when they write, recognize problems, consider possibilities in a reasoned way, revise their approaches, and assess the worth of what they have produced.”

This confirmed my believes that the writing groups could be supportive and create an engaging atmosphere. In addition, the implications of this experiment were as follows: 

• Enable students to become more conscious of themselves as writers 
• Attention given to writing in these groups 
• Many perspectives 
• Greater sense of audience 
• Language in Writing Groups
• Writing Groups = sources of information about what writers do as they write 

This sparked some ideas for me to try in my classroom:

• Roles and responsibilities for students in their Writing Groups
• Structure for middle schoolers 
• Creating handout(s) for writer’s notebooks 
• Rubrics for grading 
• Graphic organizers 

What I Tried & What Happened In Class 

In my two sections of Writing Lab (an “elective” class new as of this year) I including Writing Groups into my lessons. Writing Groups were established in September, students were able to pick whoever they wanted for their groups. Groups varied from groups of 2 – 4, depending on the class. 

When the second marking period began, students were asked to select new Writing Groups with different members. This forced them to choose people other than their friends, and switched up who they were working with. 

Unfortunately, in November, I found that the Writing Groups faltered. In trying to keep with the other ELA teachers, I found that I didn’t seem to have time to incorporate Writing Groups with the project we worked on (Current Event and Presentations). There was a month where the Writing Groups didn’t happen, and while I was conscious of this, there didn’t seem to be much I could do.  

I utilized Writing Groups for drafts of different assignments such as Paint Chip Poetry, Letter, and Spooky Stories. Students provided feedback on drafts and final copies of their writing assignments.  During “formal” assignments, I gave students a graphic organizer to complete in their groups to help structure what they should be doing. Students had to provide feedback, ask questions, and also provide commentary on speaker’s assignment. I followed a similar format of reading aloud twice as per my research. 

What surprised me most was the willingness of the students to share their writing. Many students were eager to share in their groups, and with the class. I’m not completely sure of the implications of this. Are my students confident? Did working in these groups help to motivate and foster confidence? Not all students displayed this confidence, but all students did participate in their groups. Besides the graphic organizer, I would sit in with different groups and circulate the room to monitor their progress. 

The most recent assignment was a Do Now – write from the perspective of an item from your Thanksgiving feast (turkey, pie, mashed potatoes, napkin, table, etc.) We looked at a model and brainstormed some ideas before they got started. Students had time to write, got into their groups, and provided feedback using Post It Notes. After students worked in their Writing Groups, volunteers shared their writing with the class. 

Next Steps

I’ve found that students seem to enjoy creative writing assignments, and want to share what they write. However, I feel like I could do more with Writing Groups. My middle school students struggle with providing constructive feedback and engaging in conversations about writing. Middle schoolers are easily distracted and off task, or think they have said all they can say. My inquiry project led to more questions of how else I could implement Writing Groups, facilitate natural discussion, and practice providing feedback. While I don’t think I could really utilize Writing Groups in my regular ELA classes (at least not as frequently), I think I have a great opportunity to see how I can include them in my Writing Lab Course. My goal is to continue experimenting with Writing Groups, specifically focusing on talking about writing and providing feedback. I think this is a valuable experience for middle school students. 

Learning Environment – Context 

This year has been very trying for me because I’ve encountered a lot of changes. In my district, I loop with my students from last year moving from 7th grade ELA to 8th grade. I’m teaching a new curriculum include 8th grade honors, and the Writing Lab Course. In addition, this was the first year the middle school changed to a rotating drop schedule. (See example below) 

Monday – G	Tuesday – H	Wednesday – A	Thursday – B	Friday – C
Period 3 WL A	Period 2 ELA 8C	Period 1 ELA 8	Period 4 Prep	Period 3 WL B
Period 4 Prep	Period 3 WL B	Period 2 ELA 8C	Period 1 ELA	Period 4 Prep
Period 1 ELA 8	Period 4 Prep	Period 3 WL A	Period 2 ELA 8C	Period 1 ELA 8
Unit Lunch	Unit Lunch	Unit Lunch	Unit Lunch	Unit Lunch
Period 8 DUTY	Period 7 ELA 8	Period 6 TEAM	Period 9 Honors	Period 8 DUTY
Period 9 Honors	Period 8 DUTY	Period 7 ELA 8	Period 6 TEAM	Period 9 Honors
Period 6 TEAM	Period 9 Honors	Period 8 DUTY	Period 7 ELA 8	Period 6 TEAM

The district where I work is made up of middle class and upper class communities. Parents are very involved in their children’s lives, I frequently get emails from parents for various reasons, and there is pressure put on the students to do well.

Inspiration & Philosophy 

My inspiration for this inquiry stems from ECLI. In July, Writing Groups were introduced to me and I was paired with Dan and Sierra. ECLI was the first time in a long time that I was writing for me, and for different reasons. There were many reasons I enjoyed these Writing Groups with my peers. I found such value in sharing my writing, and hearing the writing of my peers. Sierra wrote in a way that I don’t think  I’ll ever be able to but I can appreciate. Dan gave me insight into his life, who is he, and who he was. He had a completely different writing style and approach to things. It helped to open my eyes to yet another perspective. Both of my peers gave me such great feedback that helped to give me confidence in my writing. We didn’t have many opportunities for Writing Groups, but I found such value in the time we shared together. Where else would I have an opportunity like this? The way Writing Groups were set up for us in ECLI was simple but extremely effective, and I couldn’t wait to bring that to my classroom. 

I was able to find value in my own writing, hearing other people’s perspectives, and seeing how sharing my ideas impacted others. These experiences helped to shape my inquiry project. I wanted to try to recreate my experiences in my classroom because I felt that students could find the same positive experiences that I did. I felt that this would help to create a new bond and sense of community of writing that I felt during the summer at ECLI.

Works Cited 

Gere, Anne Ruggles, and Robert D. Abbott. “Talking about Writing: The Language of Writing Groups.” Research in the Teaching of English, vol. 19, no. 4, 1985, pp. 362–385. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40171067.