Cooperative Writing

In Other Speakings : Partner Writing, Collaborative Writing, Buddy Writing, Shared writing

You get the picture, right?

Contentions• Children’s social development is just as

important as their writing development.• Children produce better quality projects if

they enjoy the process.• Children are more engaged in the process if

they have ownership and feel valued.• Students need to be empowered to work

together without always having a teacher tell them what to do.

Standards• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and

writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.6: With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.F: Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

Discussion• Covers all four domains of language in

one activity (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking)

• Opportunities for social development • Scaffolds skills for students who may

be struggling• Promotes peers taking ownership &

helping each other

Related Readings• “When they enjoy writing, they are more likely to engage in it.”

(Dean p. 47)

• Dean also cautions us to be sure that the activities are not just for “fun” but support the goals of collaborative writing. (Dean p. 47)

• “I assert that collaborative writing is a highly valuable method because students have to be active in writing…students need to use writing as a tool to figure out what they want to say before they formalize their thoughts to inform others about what the students have learned about their writing.” (Speck, 2002)

• Discuss how writing can be a means for social positioning (Zacher, 2008)

• “Writing is a set of social and cultural practices…Children’s texts can be viewed as simultaneously individual and social, writing opportunities are tied to social possibilities.” (Schultz, 1997)

All Writing is Collaborative

• Speck asserts that all writing is collaborative because no writer exists in a vacuum and therefore has been influenced by other writers and other ideas around them.

• Writers turn to other models or forms to inform their writing and seek the help of others to revise/edit their piece-writing is not a sole person composing a written piece.

(Speck, 2002)

Dean also reminds us to reflect on the

effectiveness of our practices…

:

Does the activity achieve the intended goals?

Do the students benefit more than they would by doing the work individually?

Do they gain skills in writing and in working together with others?

Collaborative Writing Steps

• Mini-Lesson to highlight/review specific skill • Teach/Review expectations for group work• Group students• Draw & Write• Pace each step to assist with time management• Share out to group• Display or Document

Participation• Review expectations for activity• Choose partners (more than 2 less

than 10)• Compose a collaborative story• Share story

Other Benefits

*Can include various teaching points of story elements (Compare/Contrast , Retelling of stories, Beginning/Middle/End)

*Can be used with technology to produce archives of shared projects(Digital photos, Video, Google Drive, Blogs, Wiki, etc.)

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add

Assessment• Assigning individual grades

“Undermines the purposes of Collaboration” (Speck, 2002)

• Consider connecting assessment to the student’s interaction (Speck, 2002)

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add

Sharing Out• Did you enjoy the activity?• Was there anything that stood out for

you as difficult?• Do you think your students would

benefit from this activity?

Reflection• What part can you take away for your

own classroom practice? Do you foresee any challenges?

• Do you have any suggestions regarding assessment strategies?

• How can I better align my practice with goals and standards of older grades?

Resources• Dean, D. (2010). What Works in Writing Instruction. National Council of Teachers

of English.• Elsbree, L.(1985). Learning to write through mutual coaching. In J. Katz, Teaching

as though students mattered. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 21 (pp. 23-29)

• Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. (1991) . Cooperative Learning: Increasing college faculty instructional productivity. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report (vol 20, no. 4). Washington, DC. Graduate School of Education and Human Development, The George Washington University.

• Speck, B. (2002). Facilitating Students’ Collaborative Writing. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report (vol 20, no. 4). Washington, DC. Graduate School of Edu

• Schultz, K. (1997). Do you want to be in my story? Collaborative Writing in an Urban Elementary Classroom. Journal of Literary Research. (pp. 253-287)

• Zacher, J. (2008). Analyzing Children’s Social Positioning and Struggles forRecognition in a Classroom Literacy Event. Research in the Teaching of English. (vol. 43, pp.12-41 )