Ms. King asked the students to share with the observer what they were currently working on in writing. Ms. King asked. Students described how they will write stories about Lacomb staff members based on what those staff members tell them in the interviews. They then described the difference between biography and autobiography. Ms. King's students engage in 40 minutes of writing each day.
Topics are usually student selected.
She has the students participate in prewriting conferences with one another, although she notes that this is difficult with young children, because they get off task easily. Vicki Van Noy is a second grade teacher and one of the cadre of on-site experts in Lacomb's writing improvement project. She is the OTE leadership team chairperson in 1989-90. Ms. Van Noy's students were drafting stories on subjects of their choice. The observer approached students individually, asking them what they were working on, whether they like writing, where they get their ideas, and related questions.