ASSIGNMENT FOUR: WRITTEN REFLECTION-Section Two- Teaching Essentials Chapters 4-6
Read Writing Essentials, Chapters 4-6 and briefly reflect on the following thoughts written below and any additional comments that you have after reading these chapters. Post your reflection to the course blog.
Chapter 4: Raise Your Expectations
• Why we need to raise expectations – ESPECIALLY for our minority and lower socio-economic students
• How to raise expectations in your classrooms as well as in your grade level and throughout your entire building
• What about handwriting, spelling and editing expectations?
• How to use the Optimal Learning Model to support your students’ needs
“Raising expectations” for our students is a big push in all of our districts. Under “No Child Left Behind” many schools have been identified as “in need of improvement” and have been working furiously yet unsuccessfully for over ten years to “close the gap” for our minority children. But more important than improving performance on high stakes tests is remembering that if we raise our expectations and teach explicitly, then our students will rise to the occasion and astonish us with the high quality work that each of them is capable of.
Regie has some great insight into the need to raise expectations of our students and feeling comfortable and confident with the decision to set high standards for all learners. She raises the question, What are our clearly articulated, rigorous yet reasonable expectations? This is a question that we should reflect on as individual teachers, and one that should be the starting point for a conversation within our grade levels, buildings and across entire districts.
We’d like to know what you think of one of our favorite quotes from the book: “Worksheets aren’t good enough. The students who can do them don’t need them, and the ones who struggle with them feel defeated by the red marks, which only reinforce their feelings of inadequacy. WORKSHEETS FOSTER MEDIOCRITY!” (We personally wanted to shout out when we read that!) Please include your thoughts in your Section Two Reaction.
In this chapter, Regie also sheds some light on several topics that teachers often ask about. “What about handwriting expectations?” and “Conventions, Editing and Publishing?” It’s always helpful to get another professional’s point of view on these pressing issues! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 5: Do More Shared Writing
• Where does Shared Writing fit within the Optimal Learning Model?
• For which learners is Shared Writing appropriate?
• How can we link Shared Writing with Shared Reading?
• How can Shared Writing be used to support word work?
• What are some “Tried and True” ideas for Shared Writing?
Regie's idea of Shared Writing is very different than that of many other professionals in the field. So often we use Shared Writing only with the primary grades. As Regie states, “What a great way to teach and engage all students in all aspects of oral and written language.” If we are to consider teaching through all phases of the Optimal Learning Model, we can begin to see how important Shared Writing is for our students. We think that the idea of using Shared Writing in both upper elementary and the middle schools is a new way of thinking for many of us.
One of the reasons Regie encourages teachers to use chart paper and an easel, instead of projecting to a screen with an overhead or document camera, is that the children are seated right with you on the floor, which usually holds the children’s attention a little better. Another idea that has worked great for me is to move the overhead machine to the group area and place it on the floor in the middle of the group in front of the easel. I then project the machine onto the white space of the easel. It’s great because you’re able to be right there in the middle of the group and have the benefit of writing more quickly onto a transparency rather that chart paper. You’ll need to consider which of your Shared Writing activities you’ll want students to be rereading (don’t forget that you can hole punch transparencies and put them in a binder for future reference) and which you may want posted to your walls on charts.
Regie’s list of “Tried and True Ideas for Shared Writing” (page 112) is very extensive. It would be helpful to take a look at Regie’s list as you create your curriculum map for the year. Where would some of her suggestions fit within your science, social studies, math, reading and writing units across the year?
Chapter 6: Capitalize on the Reading-Writing Connection
• How can we become more effective integrating our reading and writing instruction?
• Are we as efficient as possible with our responses to reading?
• The benefit and necessity to integrate our content area teaching with both reading and writing
• The importance of writing (and reading) more nonfiction
We know research shows that reading achievement affects writing achievement and vice-versa, and we also know that it continually gets harder to fit “it all” into our day. Effectively using reading and writing connections throughout the day in all areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, and even specials such as art, music and library, is our only option.
Regie’s suggestion of taking a closer look at how we use written response to reading is a very important one. Careful consideration is needed to decide if what we’re asking the students to do is “worth their time.” For example, if the response we’re looking for will “deepen comprehension, cause the writer to reflect on the content, and/or foster appreciation for the text” then it’s worth it. We whole-heartedly agree with her statement that many of the overly structured assignments such as book reports can alienate our readers! While response journals do have their benefits for us professionally Regie states, “they also take up a lot of our time!” It’s a very organized teacher who can effectively keep up with their responses without feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Don’t forget the bottom line – “Be sure that students spend more time reading than writing about reading!” (Page 126)
We are so glad that Regie addressed how to effectively teach summary writing. We know that many teachers have a difficult time differentiating between a summary and retelling – I (Jackie) was one of them until several years ago. The snapshots and procedures that Regie shares on how to teach summarizing are invaluable and should be a reference that we all refer back to throughout our teaching year.
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Assignment # 4
ReplyDeletePart #1
There was a lot of information in Section Two of Regie’s book, I found myself agreeing with so much, taking notes and even making posters of some of the ideas in chapter four to display in my room. I agree with the statement that it is important to raise our expectations for all students (including minority and low socio economic students) because they all have the potential to succeed.
I realize that I need to demonstrate lessons more frequently; we need to have more discussions about shared experiences so my student writers will be more confident and their writing will be more relevant.
Raising expectations in our building will be more challenging. I am in the process of making posters and posting them outside my classroom in the hallway. The posters are “Capitalization Consultants”, “Spelling Supervisors”, and “Punctuation Professionals”. As students complete a writing piece that is perfect (or very close to perfect depending on the student) in one, both, or all of those categories, I will photo copy that paper and post it in the hall under that poster. After a few days, the students’ paper will come down off the wall and the child will get to sign their name to the poster (or posters). Hopefully other students and teachers will pass by, look at the writing, and possibly raise the expectations for their own students or themselves.
It is true that handwriting does reflect how people are perceived.
I have to admit, I haven’t pushed my students to have neat handwriting, but after reading Chapter 4, I realize handwriting needs to be more of a focus for some of my students.
Incorporating the Optimal Learning Model into my classroom instruction has to be a top priority for me. During my mini lessons, I have not allowed any time for shared discussions, shared demonstrations and I have allowed very little time for guided practice. I agree with Regie when she concludes that allowing opportunities for students to observe , talk, listen, suggest, collaborate, try out, make choices, set goals and evaluate allows our teaching to be more effective and relevant. I excited to try the model in my classroom since I feel like my students feel comfortable, safe and relaxed with one another at this point in the school year.
Part #2
ReplyDeleteAs far as use of worksheets in the classroom, it is my opinion that some worksheets are fine; some however are a waste of time. I send a math worksheet home once a week for homework. I have students complete a couple worksheets a week to practice on their spelling words. Sometimes a worksheet is necessary in order for me to work with a small group or individuals. There are teachers that have students completing more than their share of worksheets, I’ve seen that first hand. After reading this section of the book, my goal will be to allow more time for student writing time during our reading group time. I have always separated reading from writing in my classroom curriculum because for several years the second grade team grouped students for reading. Now that I have my own students, I can make more time for writing during that reading time and possibly integrate more writing about what we are reading.
Anything that is going to be published should be as perfect as possible in the area of conventions and spelling. Last week I had a student (who struggles a lot with writing) conference with me, about a personal narrative that he had written. His writing was in rough draft form, I complimented him on word choice and his ideas. I asked him about his use of punctuation and indicated that I hoped his final copy would be written neatly. The student went back to work, writing away for two days. He said he had completed his final copy, I asked him to have a friend read it, a student who is a very good writer in my class read it and pointed out some spelling errors, I looked over and the author wadded up his paper and through it on the ground. I could tell he was defeated. I pulled him aside and asked him if he would like to type his paper on the computer, he agreed, and he was happy. After all of that, I think you have to “pick” your battles with certain students, it was too much for this student to re-write his narrative again because his handwriting took so much of his energy.
I do try to integrate writing into other areas of the curriculum, including science. My students will write a couple of nonfiction pieces by the end of the year. Prior to that I will have read to my class a lot of nonfiction materials. Integrating shared reading experiences using nonfiction will also be part of that pre-writing experience. Teaching summary writing is something I haven’t tried yet, I will try it since Regie has it so well laid out in the book. I had never even thought of teaching summarizing, but I look forward to the challenge of trying it later in the year. I do think students who learn to summarize their reading will be better readers and writers.
Assignment Four
ReplyDeleteI feel it is imperative to raise expectations for all students and especially for minority and lower socio-economic kids. A teacher’s job is so significant. I just love the inspiring stories of how Regie works with students. With just the right words and attitude a child can feel validated, realize their worth and accomplish great things.
In my third grade I had several students who would just sit there during writing time. After many minutes they would not have written one word. One boy in particular didn’t seem able to get any words on the paper. He said he didn’t know what to write about and he didn’t feel that he had any good ideas. His mom had previously told me that he repeated second grade and that he didn’t feel that he was very smart. I sat with him and asked him about his interests to spark his ideas. He perked up and shared some thoughts with me. His heart map had just a few ideas written on it. I told him that he could tell me his ideas and that I would write them down to get him started. I tell the kids all the time that writing is just your thinking put onto paper. I have asked the class, “Who likes to talk?” They all raise their hands! “Well, writing is just putting your thoughts onto paper.” After a little more encouragement this boy continued with his own ideas and had a big smile on his face when he was finished. He got really excited when we learned haiku poetry and he wrote one that was just lovely. I published it in our class newspaper and he was very proud of that. He even went home and wrote several more on his own. When I met his parents at parent teacher conferences they were thrilled with his progress and his change of attitude toward writing. Previously, I had never seen this student ever show any enthusiasm in school.
In my school building our principal is working on raising our expectations for all students. As a staff we are reading, Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov and sharing ideas from the text in small groups at staff meetings. The first chapter of the book is entitled “Setting High Academic Expectations.” This has definitely inspired and encouraged the staff.
I have high expectations for handwriting, spelling and editing. I have taught my students to edit and check their spelling. Sometimes they don’t find all their spelling errors even after several attempts so I help them by writing the word in pencil and then they go and correct it themselves. One student who has messy handwriting didn’t want to do a final copy neatly. When I told her that her parents would read it at conferences this seemed to inspire her and she did a great job on her final copy. We worked on a small writing piece that the class revisited over a period of time. I taught them to use editing strips. It was such a rewarding feeling when every student was able to produce a worthwhile piece of writing that they could feel proud of. I shared these pieces with families at parent teacher conferences in November.
I totally agree with the quote about worksheets. I avoid them. My son told me that he always hated worksheets and he felt they were a total waste of time. I always remembered that when I work with my students.
After reading these chapters I can see the need for much more modeling on my part. I have been thinking a lot about how to use the Optimal Learning Model and I am excited to incorporate more of these ideas into my teaching. I know that we all get into habits of teaching that aren’t the best for our students. It was so inspiring to read Regie’s many examples of shared writing and it doesn’t seem that difficult. I feel it will just take practice and patience and getting into the habit.
Assignment Four
ReplyDeleteEvery year, like many schools, we have a “Back to School Night” in September. We have about 95% parent attendance. I begin my hour long presentation with, what I call, our three Focus Areas for fifth grade: High Expectations, Responsibility for Learning, and Attendance. I explain each of these focus areas to the parents so they have a clear understanding of my expectations of them and their children this new school year.
Setting high standards has always been a priority in my teaching!
The Optimal Learning Model fits my philosophy of teaching and parenting! I laugh at myself though, when it came to writing instruction, I didn’t follow the model. I was too intimidated by my own insecurities of writing that I couldn’t model in front of the kids!! What I am finding out now as I model more and more, my students are taking more risks, and volunteering their writing pieces to be read, and even corrected, in front of their peers.
I do use some worksheets, mostly for math homework, and some comprehension checks, but I agree with Regie when she says, “…WORKSHEETS FOSTER MEDIOCRITY!” When my students know that I believe they are smart and capable they rise to those expectations.
I remember once when I was teaching second grade, I introduced nouns, verbs, and adjectives to my students. We used picture books that the kids were reading for “silent reading” time to identify those parts of speech. The kids had a blast writing their words on sentence strips and taping them to the corresponding charts: Nouns, Verb, and Adjectives. They even started to “one up” each other, by searching for more advanced words. After school that day, I was talking to another second grade teacher about my parts of speech lesson. She responded by saying, “Second graders don’t understand what nouns, verbs, and adjectives are!” I was a new teacher so I didn’t know that second graders couldn’t do this. That was an eye-opening experience and lesson for me! If I expected less from my students then that was what I got, but if I expected more, I got more!!
In chapter 6 Regie talks about how important it is to integrate writing and reading instruction. Like I said earlier, we have so much to cover in one day, that we can’t possibly fit it all in without integrating our curriculum. I have been more aware now after reading Writing Essentials that I have to find other times in my day to include writing instruction. For example, we are studying Invertebrates in science right now, and I was able to fit both my writing instruction and science together! It was wonderful!
When I first started teaching fifth grade six years ago, I had my students write about what they read every night for homework. It was tough trying to keep up on reading their “summaries” (which I never did explain how to write). But the other 5th grade teachers I worked with did it so I could do it! About a month into school I had a parent tell me that her daughter USED to love to read every day, but now it was a battle every night! After hearing the same thing from a couple of other parents, I decided to eliminate the “summary” writing part of the reading homework. Wow! I had numerous parents coming in to tell how much more their child was reading now that they didn’t have to write about it every night!! I saw the love of reading return, and I learned the lesson that Regie talks about, “Be sure that students spend more time reading…than writing about reading!”
I loved the part in chapter 6 that talks about comprehension!! Every year we read Johnny Tremain, as part of our social studies curriculum. We would read a chapter or two aloud then I would have the kids write about what we read so I could see how well they comprehend. I didn’t really like the activity because I never got a true sense of the kids’ comprehension skills. I just got more of a “retell”. I realize now after reading chapter 6, I was not asking worthwhile questions!! I will definitely be changing that activity to make it more meaningful for my students and for me!! Thank you Regie!
Assignment Four (continued)
ReplyDeleteThinking about chapter 6 and the reading writing connection:
I finished a 4-month temporary teaching job in December. The reading block consisted of Literature Circles. Four different reading groups read a novel of their choice at their reading level and worked independently over a period of three weeks to complete their book. Each student had a lit journal, which they worked on each day. They had to complete short chapter summaries, respond to one written prompt a week. They had to design an original cover in color. They had to find a “Golden Line” and illustrate it. They also had time to discuss their novels with one another each week. Several students mentioned how much more they liked reading this year. Seeing lit. circles in action I feel that they creates a more natural love of both reading and writing. I loved seeing the entire class so involved in reading and writing with joy and enthusiasm. Sadly, our principal is mandating that all teachers use the Scott Foresman Basal by next year.
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ReplyDeleteIt has been an ongoing challenge at my school to raise student expectations across the board. Writing has been our main focus for the last several years in order to raise test scores of our fourth graders. Recently, we met as a school (K-6 teachers) and brought many different writing samples from our classrooms to a cross-grade level meeting. We exchanged papers and scored them according to the state rubric. What was interesting in the process, was that we got to see what kids from other grade levels were writing. I was shocked by some of the great writing done by 2nd and 3rd graders. That immediately raised my expectations for my fourth graders!!
ReplyDeleteAs far as conventions are concerned, I was relieved when Regie talked about the importance of "corrct" papers, especially those that are to be published. I wholeheartedly agreed with her. Handwriting is also extremely important. I agree that it is a sign of respect for the reader. I love Beth's idea of the conventions posters and think I might try that idea as well. Thanks Beth!
Shared writing cannot be done without using the Optimal Learning Model. When students see the teacher modeling the writing process, they benefit a great deal more when they get to see and then be a part of a shared piece of writing. The students develop ownership of the piece and often times want to "try it on their own."
We are studying the Oregon Trail in social studies. It is the perfect opportunity to create a common ground on which all kinds of shared writing can take place. The book Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie has become the backdrop for our study of the pioneers. After reading the section on the importance of nonfiction and integrating reading and writing, I want to incorporate some journal writing, poetry, and summarizing to go with the book. Once again, Regie has inspired my creative thought process!!
I forgot to post my opinion on the worksheet issue. There is a time and a place for worksheets as long as the worksheets do not replace quality instruction. I use worksheets to reinforce a skill that has already been taught. I don't necessarily agree that worksheets foster mediocrity. In all things, there is a need for balance. I don't feel it is appropriate to banish them altogether. Use them with discretion.
ReplyDeleteAssignment #4
ReplyDeleteI think many of us say “I have high expectations for my students” but then after three weeks of waiting for the final piece we say, “Thanks, you’re done.” I know this is exactly what I did because I was so tired of the assignment and I wanted to move on. The students with poor writing skills handed in their typical work, and even with peer and teacher editing, there was little improvement. I felt happy just to have work completed. Also, I can’t help but cringe when I keep reading about high expectations for my ELL students because year after year they are pulled out during writing for services. Writing always seems to be the time that is flexible, when in reality, it shouldn’t be.
Of course the students that enjoy writing and have good writing skills produce papers that were accurate and legible. I have really focused this year on giving lots of positive reinforcement but some students need so much help with their writing, it’s challenging to just pick one or two areas to focus on. I agree that handwriting should be legible but many of us don’t teach handwriting, including myself, because I don’t have time for it. I feel like using our time doing real writing and reading is more important than 15 minutes of handwriting. I also feel that in isolation the children can have neat handwriting but they find it difficult to transfer that to their writing. I have always felt that any writing that is displayed should be correct but it’s an uphill battle with both students and staff. We don’t have continuity in our school as far as our writing curriculum so each year I feel like I am starting at square one.
I need to post a copy of the Optimal Learning Model in my classroom to constantly remind myself that the students are all at different stages of writing. I always tell my students that my number one goal for them is to enjoy writing but there will probably be some parts of writing that they do not like. Those students that are ready to go back to their seats to try out a new strategy are always free to get started. I tell the rest of them that need more ideas or more explaining to stay at the carpet with me. The ones that need help will stay.
Part #2
ReplyDeleteThere is a time and place for worksheets. Quite frankly, I rarely use them because I don’t have time to stand in line and wait to make copies. I’d rather have them give me a reading response than to fill in the blanks on the worksheet. I like the comprehension worksheets with our reading program but I do agree that similar to the weekly comprehension tests “we have to give,” the students that get it, I know get it. The ones that don’t get it still don’t get it after the quizzes or worksheets. My school is data driven so I give them the data they want but make sure there is more time for silent reading and free writing. I don’t think that they need as much direction instruction as they continuously get.
Shared writing is appropriate for all learners. One way to make it appropriate is by differentiating the types of questions we ask while we are writing. When the students go back to reread what we have written, it becomes a shared reading activity also. It’s a good example of how reading and writing go hand in hand. The endless ideas for shared writing like letters of gratitude, how to… and book reviews remind me that I have a great resource in this book and I should consult it more often.
In order to become more effective integrating reading and writing I believe we need to move away from the basal readers. Again this proves to be challenging if one works for a district that thinks the basal is the beginning and end-all of reading. Districts believe that if we are all using the “same” program, then the students are getting the same material. While the latter might be true, poor teaching with a reading program is still poor teaching.
When I use reading response journals, I typically have them write once or twice a week. The students still seem to groan about that because they just want to read. They do seem to enjoy writing book reviews (after reading lots of book reviews) and they enjoy writing a readers theatre script with a performance afterward.
Content area teaching with reading and writing is important as it gives the students the exposure to nonfiction. Most students love science and social studies especially when they rarely get it. Getting them to write down their observations about plant growth or condensation is much easier and usually less painful that writing to a prompt. Because the students have done the experiment or chanted a song about the water cycle they now have the background knowledge necessary to write more meaningful responses. I wish that I was reading nonfiction everyday but the majority of my mentor texts are fiction. My goal is to read nonfiction twice a week with the second goal that the book relates to our reading or science theme.
Ann, Great minds think alike! I only read the posts after I have posted my comment because I don't want to "steal" everyone's ideas. Everything in moderation...including worksheets!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karrie, Beth, Tracy, Ann & Lisa for sharing all of your thoughtful reflections on section two of Writing Essentials. This section is chock full of things that make you reflect on your own instruction…are you raising “the bar” high enough for all students…is your instruction as effective and purposeful as it could be? I loved Karrie’s idea of using the posters to increase both student achievement AND motivation in writing. I can’t wait to share the idea with my colleagues. I think that Beth’s story of the young boy in her classroom shows how important classroom community, and a basic feeling of a child knowing that you really care for them, can do for motivation and achievement as well. I completely agreed with Tracy’s comments about how counterproductive it was to ask kids to write summaries every night when they read. The same think is being asked in several of the classrooms in our building, and guess what…these kids read far less than in other rooms because they’re smart…and know that the more they read, the more they’ll have to summarize. As teachers we do need to think carefully about our assignments and their purpose. I also wanted to just add in another little thought about worksheets based on Ann’s comment. Her comment was that you should use them with discretion, and I agree with this. There are times when students need additional practice (especially in math) and worksheets are purposeful. The frustration is when you are in a colleagues’ classroom for reading, and students are working in packets rather than actually reading!!! As Ann said, it’s about the balance as well as PURPOSE. I feel Lisa’s pain with regards to giving our ELL’s the instruction they need to be successful writers. Our reading department just met with the ELL teachers a couple of weeks ago to express our frustrations with the amount that these kids are pulled out and missing important core instruction. No solutions have been found as of yet, but at least the issue is out and on the table… and for these ELLs and our regular education students, increasing nonfiction reading is a must!!!
ReplyDeletePost for Chp 4.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read this amazing book, the more confident I feel that I can become an awesome writing teacher! I have RAISED my expectations for myself. I guess I have just been so frustrated this year as it is my first year as a kindergarten teacher. My sentiments were "how am I suppose to teach them to write when they don't even know how to hold a pencil or know their alphabet. The good thing is that I do have very high expectations and standards in my classroom. I don't allow the words "I can't". I always try to help the kids to feel successful. I agree that we shouldn't lower our standards for minority of low socio-economically challenged kids. In fact, I think they need to be almost better writers so as to have a fighting chance against their more affluent peers.
Although we only offer 1/2 day kindergarten, I am trying my best to incorporate writing everyday into our crammed schedule. I liked her example of a teacher she worked with who read at least 3 texts a day (pg 57.) After reading, I tried harder to do this and of course what to focus on. Unfortunately, I don't do enough poetry so I will be stepping up to the plate on that!! I love poetry and so do kids!! Such a great way to have fun with words and form.
Concerning handwriting - I loved the ideas she gave on pg. 68. I can see myself bringing in fancy paper and explaining to the kids that they can only use this for polished pieces and NEAT handwriting! Luckily, I have always been a stickler for handwriting and neatness because I tell the kids I need to know what you are saying and I want to be able to read your incredible stories or whatever genre we were working on.
Editing - I think showing good and bad examples of papers works well when teaching editing. Kids need to have a strong sense of how sloppy work can completely destroy meaning and desire to read a piece of writing. Also, I feel that although the other writing traits exhibit proficiency, if there is a complete lack of editing, it would fail all around as quality work. Poor editing can give readers a false sense of who the writer really is. Unfortunately, someone's intelligence, integrity, and motivation might be wrongly judged if their writing has many errors. Quite frankly, and this may sound harsh, it shows laziness and lack of pride.
Finally, the Optimal Learning Model or Gradual Release of Responsibility is once again revisited in the chapter. As I have mentioned before, I use this model in all other aspects of my teaching and just need to more efficiently and effectively apply it to writing. Model! Model! Model! Then model again. I have found this to be especially true in kindergarten where everything is so new. My hope is that I teach them to love writing. My fear is that I do the opposite!!
Kindess, patience, and understanding are first and foremost in my mind when I teach and especially in writing since it can be such a personal undertaking.
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Erin Dugan
Chp 5.
ReplyDeleteBefore I begin, I meant to comment of the quote worksheets! Of course I completely agree and am proud to say I haven't fallen into that trap when teaching writing. Where's the creativity in worksheets?! I don't necessarily like prompts either - but that is just my thing. I read a book this summer called "No more I'm Done" and it is an excellent resource as well for those who are interested!!
Okay, on to chapter 5!
This was a chapter I really needed to read. I definitely need to do more shared writing. Reggie gave the framework for this and boy did this help. I feel that in kindergarten, since it is for most the first expose they have had to school and academics, shared writing is going to be key to getting them to write independently. I like how she explains how to monitor responses and still be encouraging and keeping them engaged (pg. 101-104). Also I learned that is important to set a purpose and lay out guidelines about what the writing should include. She puts it as "applying criteria to writing". Although this was a helpful chapter, at times I felt it was written more for the older grades. She supplied great ideas for ALL grades for "Tried and True Ideas for Shared Writing" which I will absolutely be trying in my instruction.
Also, I liked her word work ideas, although I got a lot of wonderful ways to incorporate word work from a class I took and book I read called "The Daily 5".
Chp. 6
I just printed out an extensive list of picture books that help teach the writing traits. I will not use this exclusively but I thought I needed a place to start and this chapter motivated me to find somewhere to start.
One of the most helpful parts of this chapter came on page 130-131 where Reggie lays out procedures for teaching summarizing. At first I couldn't imagine my kindergarteners writing a summary of a story. Now I know it can be taught and accomplished!! Luckily, I do not only read fiction. Kids need exposure to all genres. I am thinking I might start reading newspaper articles and having them respond (shared writing) following the guidelines outlined by Reggie.
Again, some of the chapter I felt would be easier to apply to the older grades. Most kindergarteners cannot pick up a book or article and read it by themselves. I can model the skills discussed in this chapter (note taking, DRAWING responses, asking "worthwhile" high level questions, and having kids label to show comprehension. (Actually, we are currently working on that!!:))
I think when kids make those all important connections (text to text, text to self, text to world) the writing will become easier.
Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Erin Dugan
Chapter 4
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this chapter because it really made me take a step back and reflect on my expectations. I struggle with wondering if expectations I set are too high, and often times don’t stick with them. This chapter confirmed for me that I should be rigorous with my expectations and expect the best that each student is capable of, even those struggling writers! The chart on page 58, what makes writing interesting, is a great tool for students that I will be making to use in my classroom! I look forward to seeing how student writing expands! As a staff, we have focused on literacy the last few years and began a conversation about what our expectations should be at the end of the year for each grade level. I feel that is important that we continue this conversation and work in grade level teams to really put our work into action. There were 2 things I took from this chapter and used the next day with my students in a discussion about expectations and their work. Handwriting is always a big focus and the quote “sloppy handwriting is disrespectful to the reader,” really stuck with me! In a week, I have seen writing in journals and daily work improve! Emphasizing purpose and audience is something that can never be done too much (and something I have learned from this book!). Also, I have been much more aware of focusing on one or two things that a struggling writer has done well. Keeping their confidence up is going to help them develop as a writer.
The quote about worksheets is something I could not agree with more! Worksheets don’t allow students to express their creativity and leave no purpose for a student (except for to complete it). As teachers it is often easy to revert to worksheets because of our constantly busy schedules, but remembering that students don’t show their true work capabilities should be a reminder to us that worksheets don’t foster true learning!
Chapter 5
This chapter was very helpful in providing tips, ideas for structure, and language to use when doing shared writing with students. I feel that shared writing is especially important for struggling readers and writers because it allows them the opportunity to participate and to work with a piece of writing in a variety of ways. One thing I have noticed my struggling readers enjoy doing, is reading shared writing we have created into class books during independent reading time. Also, poems on poster board are something my students love to re-write and read. I was able to take away some good ideas of how to use shared writing to create activities for students such as highlighting frequently used words, cloze exercises, etc. As a newer teacher I’m still constantly looking for activities and ideas to incorporate in to my teaching! The sample lessons included in the chapter were helpful to read, and I am going to use some of the language from them to work on a shared writing piece related to our study of Oregon geography with my students! So many great ideas to take from this chapter!
Chapter 6
I have recently created reading response notebooks for my students and found this chapter to be an excellent guide for me about how this comprehension tool should be used. I feel that more often then not, students aren’t aware of the strong connection between reading and writing. I will be much more purposeful about talking about the connection on a daily basis. The section Regie wrote about summary writing was very helpful for me and is something that I will begin teaching my students. Re-telling is always a tedious task for both teacher and student, and summary writing is an efficient way to check comprehension. I will be using the lesson framework for summary writing; there is no doubt about it!
After reading chapter 4, I felt inspired to raise my expectations, and to help kids take their writing to the next level. It was interesting to hear her explain how to raise standards for handwriting. So many students rush through their writing and it looks messy, and I never knew how to get them to fix it. Sometimes I would make them re-do it, but that never seemed to improve it. I realized that if you explain why it is so important, and model precisely what you are looking for, it gives them a starting point. If you tell them that you can not display messy work, they begin to understand the importance of neatness. I did end up with more questions after reading this chapter. I wonder what to do with kids when they insist that they are done. I have tried to model how to edit, and encouraged them to take pride in their work. But, some kids just rush through and are convinced they are done. I remind them of things we have been working on, and they say they did that and that their piece is perfect. When I have 3-4 kids telling me they are done, I can not work with them individually because I end up with a line of student waiting to tell me they are done too. The chapter did give me a few ideas. I can keep modeling, keep expecting more work, and keep reminding them that they need to just keep working and do their best. That may always be a struggle though.
ReplyDeleteChapter five was one of the most interesting chapters yet. I have done a lot of modeling, and I feel comfortable with that. But, it was really interesting to read about how important shared writing is. She had so many great ideas of how to make it successful, and I felt excited to try it out in my classroom more often. It seems like such a great way for them to practice the strategies we are learning and for them to learn from each other. She mentioned cutting apart the words in a sentence, and I had a few ways to adjust that idea so it would work for my third grade classroom. I should be taking sentences from their writing, and have the class take it apart and work on making it better. We could do a shared editing lesson from time to time for them to have practice at making their sentences more interesting for their reader. She had some great topics for shared writing and I think that I will refer back to this chapter often during the year. I think this is a great way to incorporate math and science in your writing. We could do a shared writing on the steps you take when solving a math problem, or write a paper on the science unit we are studying. I know they would all have great ideas to share!
It was interesting to read chapter six because it was a great reminder of how important it is to combine writing with reading, and all subjects in school. It mentioned how important it is to remember that reading and writing go hand in hand. You can learn writing styles and important structures from reading a variety of meaningful books, magazines, and other forms of writing. I do have the kids keep a journal about their reading, and this chapter gave some good tips on making sure those are successful. It talked about the fact that sometimes oral summaries are just as effective as writing it down. It also was a reminder that the kids still need to show me they understand it, that should not be the only method.
After reading chapter 4, I felt inspired to raise my expectations, and to help kids take their writing to the next level. It was interesting to hear her explain how to raise standards for handwriting. So many students rush through their writing and it looks messy, and I never knew how to get them to fix it. Sometimes I would make them re-do it, but that never seemed to improve it. I realized that if you explain why it is so important, and model precisely what you are looking for, it gives them a starting point. If you tell them that you can not display messy work, they begin to understand the importance of neatness. I did end up with more questions after reading this chapter. I wonder what to do with kids when they insist that they are done. I have tried to model how to edit, and encouraged them to take pride in their work. But, some kids just rush through and are convinced they are done. I remind them of things we have been working on, and they say they did that and that their piece is perfect. When I have 3-4 kids telling me they are done, I can not work with them individually because I end up with a line of student waiting to tell me they are done too. The chapter did give me a few ideas. I can keep modeling, keep expecting more work, and keep reminding them that they need to just keep working and do their best. That may always be a struggle though.
ReplyDeleteChapter five was one of the most interesting chapters yet. I have done a lot of modeling, and I feel comfortable with that. But, it was really interesting to read about how important shared writing is. She had so many great ideas of how to make it successful, and I felt excited to try it out in my classroom more often. It seems like such a great way for them to practice the strategies we are learning and for them to learn from each other. She mentioned cutting apart the words in a sentence, and I had a few ways to adjust that idea so it would work for my third grade classroom. I should be taking sentences from their writing, and have the class take it apart and work on making it better. We could do a shared editing lesson from time to time for them to have practice at making their sentences more interesting for their reader. She had some great topics for shared writing and I think that I will refer back to this chapter often during the year. I think this is a great way to incorporate math and science in your writing. We could do a shared writing on the steps you take when solving a math problem, or write a paper on the science unit we are studying. I know they would all have great ideas to share!
It was interesting to read chapter six because it was a great reminder of how important it is to combine writing with reading, and all subjects in school. It mentioned how important it is to remember that reading and writing go hand in hand. You can learn writing styles and important structures from reading a variety of meaningful books, magazines, and other forms of writing. I do have the kids keep a journal about their reading, and this chapter gave some good tips on making sure those are successful. It talked about the fact that sometimes oral summaries are just as effective as writing it down. It also was a reminder that the kids still need to show me they understand it, that should not be the only method.
Erin, Nicole & Kelly – I enjoyed reading your responses.
ReplyDeleteErin – I feel your pain…it is so hard to “fit it all in” a ½ day K program. Integrating your content instruction is the ONLY way you will be able to address all of your curriculum areas. You mentioned including more poetry in your instruction, and that is a great way to incorporate science and social study topics. I also agree with your comment about prompts. If we can teach these kids to be efficient and effective writers….this will translate to our state writing tests. Here in CT, they score prompts based on three areas: FOE (fluency, organization, and elaboration). I’ll have to check out the book you mentioned. By the way…I LOVE the Daily 5…but even better is The Sisters’ CAFÉ system!!!
Nicole – That’s wonderful that your building is going to have the conversations around “end of year expectations”. It will be wonderful for the teachers who have the children the following year to have a clear guideline of what these expectations are as well as for your own grade level team (just curious as to whether you work with all 2/3 split teachers?). It’s super that both the neatness and confidence levels around writing have increased over the last couple of weeks – how encouraging! I absolutely LOVED Regie’s “conversation” around summary…and I have to remember to share this again with some colleagues in my building – thanks for the reminder :)
Kelly – One of the things that I found helpful to diminish that “pied piper” line following you around is to create a chart labeled: “When I’m Done With My Writing”. Have them create this list with you, but it might include: editing, illustrating, sharing with a writing partner, starting your next piece, trying a different piece of writing like a letter or card for a friend. Another strategy that a colleague used was having a box of interesting pictures that kids could pull from to write about if they didn’t have any ideas on their own at that time.
Jackie and Mary,
ReplyDeleteI love The Sisers' CAFE program as well. That was part of the week long class I took this last summer integrated with The Daily Five. Very similar with the conferencing chapter.
Erin
I found Ch. 5 on raising expectations extremely interesting. I always felt I expected a lot from my students, but while reading this chapter I realized how much more my students are capable of doing. I love how Regie talks about not relying on “scripted, one-size-fits-all programs” and how “worksheets aren’t good enough.” I definitely can relate, both schools I have taught at have had explicitly scripted programs and are in more affluent areas, not low income. How Regie talks about these programs and worksheets as not fitting our students needs is so right on- my higher level students are bored with the curriculum and can finish the worksheets in two minutes, while my struggling students need direct instruction and help to complete each page.
ReplyDeleteI feel very tied down by the expectations that I am held to by the district to teach the scripted curriculum and dread the boxes of worksheets every couple of months as they are delivered to my classroom. Hearing the ideas that first grade teacher Gail Westbrook began implementing in her class inspired me though. I found many ideas that I can easily implement in my class to help raise expectations while still following district curriculum. I love her idea of reading three texts a day. I try to read at least one story a day, but I would like to begin a chapter book with my class, and after completing this reading I want to incorporate more nonfiction as well.
I also liked the chart Gail made with her students about interesting writing. This process is similar to how I have my class create our class rules at the beginning of the school year. I have seen how effective it can be to have the students discuss and explain desired behaviors for our classroom so I imagine it would be equally effective in writing. I am very excited to try it.
Another idea I liked was raising expectations by teaching students to continue on with a topic instead of starting a new one each day. It is a struggle to get some of my students to start writing, so it makes sense to encourage them to continue a topic for multiple days. I think using shared writing will help me to demonstrate writing on the same topic for more than one day until students are more comfortable with the idea.
I appreciated how explicitly Regie discussed shared writing. I have used it in the past, but wanted to see how she does it. I have always used an overhead but am now curious to see if there is a difference with chart paper and everyone gathered on the rug. I also found her teaching tips helpful. I sometimes feel shared writing is going too slowly or not everyone is engaged. She had many ideas to keep the writing moving along quickly, which I hope will help. I have not done much shared writing this year, but I am inspired after reading this chapter. It sounds manageable and fun again. I also feel it will benefit my class greatly. I have many struggling students this year and I think shared writing will help build their writing skills and confidence.
I have used shared writing before to make class books, but I never thought there were so many activities that can be used with one piece of shared writing. I thought cutting up the sentences for students to put in order was a great idea and so much more meaningful than generic, pre-written sentences. My students could do this. I also like the idea of using shared writing for shared reading. I feel my reading and writing instruction is not always integrated. Using students’ own writing material as reading material is a great idea. I think it would help those students who struggle with reading to have more of an interest and again confidence in reading.
As with shared writing, I was glad Regie went into such detail on how to teach summarizing in reading. Her process is similar to what we are supposed to do through our reading curriculum by thinking aloud and explaining our thought process as we read, however Regie’s explanations seem clearer and more realistic than the scripted words I’m supposed to say from my teacher’s manual.
Chapter 4 really resonated with me. I really agree with Regie about having very high expectations. I feel very fortunate in my district because the parents are very involved and want to help out at home. I feel that having a strong home to school connection is crucial in raising your expectations. I am constantly having parents ask about what they can do at home to help which is great. I find that using the students as examples is highly motivating and will help the other kids in the class to want to work hard. I usually pick a few kids each day to share at the beginning of writer’s workshop the following day. I choose them based on a skill I was talking about, or if they had really neat handwriting, or a very interesting story. The kids love to share and they work hard each day in case I pick them to share in front of the class. As for the worksheets, I agree with Regie! They are usually a waste of time and the kids don’t learn anything new from them. The only struggle I have is with parents who request worksheets for homework because they think they will help their child. I try to explain to them that having their child write in an authentic way or read a book will better benefit their child!
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 talks about one of my favorite thing to do with my students! I really value shared writing and the kids love it! I usually do it on my document camera, but I liked Regie’s idea of using my easel and chart paper. I feel like that would help the students be more easily connected to the true form of writing. Half of the time I use the document camera my kids think it’s magic and they can’t believe that they can see my hand, and all of the colors. It will be neat to try using chart paper so they are physically watching my hand as I am writing. Another great point that Regie made in Chapter 5 is that you can’t work on everything at once! I am constantly reminding myself that. It’s easy to want to point out skipping spaces, using periods, capitalizing the first letter in a sentence, spelling high frequency words correctly all at once. If I were to do that they would become overwhelmed and not gain any new skills from the shared writing experience.
Reading chapter 6 was such an important reminder of how related reading and writing are. With growing demands on our time as teachers it’s so important to remember what is really important during our day and what “fluff” can be cut out. I know my first year teaching I was trying to do it all, and try every idea that other teachers gave me. I feel like I gained some great ideas, and I realized that there were many that were just a waste of time. I really like Regie’s bottom line to “Be sure that students spend more time reading…than writing about reading!” I completely agree with this statement and I feel that it’s an important one to share with parents as well. This chapter contains many practical strategies that you can implement directly into your day. They are very to the point and will help my students to realize what is important in their work!
Thanks Jennifer & Kristin for your comments on this section.
ReplyDeleteJennifer - I'm so sorry that you are battling with scripted programs in your district. I'm glad that some of the ideas in Regie's text are helping you break out of the mold of the one size fits all programs...you are right...both your at-risk and your advanced students need the flexibility in your instruction:)
Kristin - It's great that you have such a great rep or with the families of your students. It is so important that they understand the purpose behind your teaching philosophy. The more experienced you are as a teacher, the more confident you'll become in being able to identify what "the fluff" is and be able to continue to make educated choices about what you KNOW are best practices.
I find that I really do have low expectations for many students. I know where they come from and their family situations. I see that they are weak in certain areas, but will take whatever positive gains they get. I need to realize that I can expect them to do more and show them it is possible. I realize that I need to push my ELD students to write more since they have shown me what they can accomplish. I also need to do less handholding with my special ed students and gradually give them responsibility. Starting in first grade is important though.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I don't feel I have time for a lot of handwriting lessons, but they need to be neater. Students can do a better job and if I demand it a few times it will get better. I myself need to model it, work on it together, and then let the students out on their own. They also need to be able to evaluate it themselves and understand it is unacceptable even to themselves.
Shared writing is something I mainly work with in science. We do sentence strip paragraphs when we review concepts. The students create sentences about volcanoes and we rip and reorder the sentences until we have a paragraph. Here I do a lot of talking as I pull them apart. It is also a good visual for students so they are attentive. In a "regular" writing session I usually model and then give the independent assignment, skipping the shared piece. I will make more of an effort to include this into each writing assignment. I love the procedures piece. I could give one area to each student. It would be entertaining and provide the whole school with some real insight into what students feel is important or understood. It will provide them a real audience. Overall, I felt that this chapter emphasized rereading. This can be demonstrated through our comprehension in the stories we read. It can also help us to see what is good in our own writing and what needs to be tweaked.
I feel like our writing needs to be everywhere in our instruction, but it is difficult to put into all subjects. Integrating gives each student's writing purpose and context. It is not just a cold expository, it is focused on what our students are becoming experts on. I did like the information about summarizing. This can be used in all subjects as we learn new concepts, as well is in reading groups. The difficult part is how to respond in a time efficient/timely manner. I could check 5 a day until the end of the week. That would provide at least weekly feedback. Nonfiction is an interesting way to teach. Students eat it up, as long as it is not a straight biography. It must be magazines or fact books in my class. The kids do well with disposable literature, but most is reused for the whole intermediate half of the school. Those disposables can quickly become expensive, as can stocking the classroom with what students specifically want. Was Routman saying that we should take surveys and really stock our libraries, or just keep a pulse on what they read and buy as we can?
Scott – You are so right when you say that writing needs to be integrated cross-curricularly. Integrating curriculum is something I think all teachers KNOW is a necessity, but somehow, I just don’t seem to see it happening very often in classrooms across grade levels. I’m not sure if it’s because it takes more planning, or we’re not really sure how to do it well…??? You mentioned a little bit about your library and building nonfiction…magazines are a great way to do this. They can get expensive, but if you store them in magazine boxes (one year, I even purchased special covers like you would in a library) they can last a very long time if children treat them respectfully. Just make sure they don’t make their way into desks :) I do think Regie was saying to have libraries stocked with text kids will want to read, but you buying them isn’t the only way. We’ve had some incredible book swaps and drives in our building, you’d be amazed what families and the community will donate for kids. Another great resource is the local Goodwill.
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