Building

Effective

Partnerships

2015

Our Work For Today:

*Partnerships will work for all content areas and grade levels.

● The “Why” of partnerships

● How to partner students using instructional reasons

● Teaching students how to be effective partners

● Strategies to use to get started

● Building and Using Anchor charts

Think of partnerships you admire…

Why do you

admire?

What makes them strong?

Why

Partnerships?

Research says…

Why Partnerships?

● we need opportunities to interact through giving and receiving feedback as well as collaborating on writing activities.

● this increases the sense of community in a classroom, as well as encourages students to become engaged in the writing process with their peers.

● establishing partnerships helps with efficiency, expectations, and a consistent routine.

Rehearsal before writingWhy Partnerships?

All of our writing actually starts with cognition and speech. Providing time for rehearsal is actually providing additional thinking time.

During the active engagement part of the minilesson, there is always a spot for partners to rehearse or practice a writing move together. This rehearsal is the part of the “we do”/practice before independent writing. .

Everybody loves feedback. Rehearsing together is an additional way to provide immediate feedback.

Using partnerships

within a classroom,

gives the message

that we can be in

charge of our

learning, and we

can learn from one

another.

Why Partnerships?

Setting Goals…

Partners can push each other to set goals and be accountable to those goals.

Teacher can conference with partners then partners can check in on each other at the end of workshop.

Without writing partnerships With writing partnerships

During Independent Work Time

TEACHERTEACHER

How do I build

partnerships?

Every student is partnered with someone he/she can benefit from in some way. NO EXCEPTIONS!

What are some ways to assess our writers with the idea to build exceptional partners? How can we do this quickly?

Brainstorm with a partner● green partner goes first ● alternating from green then blue, name what

criteria information you might gather from their on-demand writing.

Making Partners

PARTNER A - works very, very slowly and sometimes too carefully

PARTNER B - drafts quickly and freely, gets thoughts down fast

PARTNER A - methodical and strategic about writing

PARTNER B- writes fast all of the time and too sloppy

Structures and Routines

● Partner work should be happening every day. TURN AND TALK IS NOT

PARTNERSHIP TIME

● Partners will sit next to each other during mini-lesson time. (efficiency)

● At the beginning of independent writing/reading time partners tell

each other what they are working on today. At the end of that time,

partners share whether they accomplished their goal or set a new

goal. (accountability/self-assessment)

● Place partner chairs around the room with a five minute timer.

(accountability, stamina, self-assessment)

How do I

partner

students?How do I make partnerships meaningful?!

WANTEDWrite a want ad for a writing

partner. Think of at least 3 things

that you are looking for in a

partner. Be specific. Remember

you are looking for someone that

will help you to become a better

writer.

APPLY to the WANT ADWrite a brief letter to

answer the application or

ad for the writing

partnership job. Include at

least 3 specific skills you

can bring to the

partnership.

Strategy Two: Videotape

Pay close attention to what

the students are saying and

doing. What does the teacher offer

this partnership?

What are some benefits of

videotaping your student

partnerships?

2:26

Methods to Teach Partners

demonstration Proficient Partner

Ghost Partner Fishbowl

FISH BOWL

Find willing partners to

display their partner

dialogue while the rest of

the class observes. Then

students discuss and

sometimes suggest how

to improve.

(midworkshop share?)

ASKING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

What are you working on?

Can you show me where you tried that?

How can I help you?

Productive Powerful

Partnerships Set goals

Summary Checklist

3. Structure and Routine!

2. Make them meaningful

1. Establish partners

LASTLY...

1. Find yourself a partner

that will push you to be

better.

A placeholder for text for the first picture

More information can be added here by changing this text.

A placeholder for the second picture

More information can be added here by changing this text.

Make changes to this text.

Two Picture Page Layout

Picture Page Layout

Here is a place holder for the picture

caption. You may delete this text.

Questions?

More

Information?