Student Writing Circles

 

You will write in circles of 3 to 5 (at least 3 so you get more than one other opinion).  You may be working on the same genre at the same time. Perhaps everyone in the circle is working on a personal narrative. We follow this procedure:

1.  You appoint a recorder and brainstorm together for memories for personal narratives. 

2.  When you have a long list (happy memories, sad memories, scary memories, first times, etc.), you each choose three of your own to work on.

3.  Individually you start webbing or listing details you remember.

4.  In the group you rehearse your paper by telling your stories to each other.  Each group member has a person appointed as his/her recorder, who jots down the details as the person tells his story.

5.  Group members then ask questions of the writer and the recorder jots down the answers to the groups questions.

6.  Recorders give your notes to the writer who, with the recorder notes and his/her own listing or webbing, then writes the rough draft. Email your rough draft to all members of your writing circle.

7.  When all members have rough drafts from other members, read each draft twice. The first time group members just read to get the overall effect.  The second time you jot down comments and questions (What I really liked, what I didn't understand, what I would like to know more about and What I heard, What I noticed, What I wonder – check the practice peer review site) - at the end of the paper.  Be sure you sign your name. 

9.  Group members Email the reviewed paper back to the original writer who then writes the second draft.

10.  Groups then read each others new draft and add any more fine tuning to comments. You will use the Review function in Word to do this.

11.  Individual members then conference with the teacher on your papers, and take feedback back to do your final draft.  

12.  There are two ways to conference with the teacher.  Either email your revision to the teacher or have the teacher come to your station and have a one on one conference with your paper on the screen.

12.  Group members prepare the clean copy of your final draft, correct any grammatical errors that you recognize and publish your writing on your individual web sites.       

13.  This is how we will do each piece of writing.  Sometimes the group collaborates on one piece of group writing. Then you are working together to write one group piece.

14.  You will form different groups several times throughout the semester so that you get used to working with each other