Welcome
to Essentials of Writing! We look forward to working and learning with
you. In order for everyone to get the most out of the course, please be
sure to read and respond to each others comments. Please try to keep
your responses within one allotted "comment" space to ensure that the
blog remains manageable for all participants.
Also,
you may want to type your comments in a Word Document and either copy
from Word and paste onto the blog or save it in a folder on your
computer and then post it to the blog. I have written a couple of
lengthy comments that I lost before I was able to post it to the blog.
This extra step may save you some frustration later on this term.
Last
of all, we will write our comments to your posts on the blog, so you
will need to check back to the corresponding week for feedback (and to
make additional comments if you wish.)
Let
us know if you have any questions. You can email us, but please put the
words "Question for Essentials of Writing" in the subject line so that
we can respond in a timely fashion.
ASSIGNMENT ONE: Post your Introduction to the course Blog.
Introduction Post- Tell
us about yourself. Where do you teach? What grade do you teach? How
long have you been teaching? How many students are there in your class?
Do you have instructional support? What does your current literacy
program look like? (If you aren’t currently teaching let us know.) What
is your knowledge/training in the area of literacy (be specific about
your experiences teaching writing?) Does your district provide training
in literacy –especially writing? If so, what exactly have they offered?
Has your district been bogged down with getting students to perform well
on state writing assessments – prompts? How do you feel about teaching?
Are you happy at work? Also, let us know a little about you outside of
the classroom: Interests/ Hobbies/Family Life? What do you hope to get
out of this course? Post your reflection to the blog.
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Hello-
ReplyDeleteMy name is Michael Mulkerin. I live in Portland, OR. with my wife and two kids. My son is nine months today and my daughter is two and a half. I teach in Gervais, which is about a 35 minute commute from my home. It is a rural school in the center of the Willamette Valley. I have been there for 15 years. I began my career as a middle school social studies teacher. I am currently 7th grade math, sans a new writing class that all of the teachers in the building have been assigned. There are 20-30 students in my classes. I have limited IA support. We have one IA that is shared between the seven teachers in my group.
I can’t write in detail about what our Literacy Program looks like. I know that we have one block of Reading for all students in our school. Some of our ELL 1-2 kids take a class called Laguage!. I don’t know much about it except that the kids are working on increasing English vocabulary. Our ELL 3-4 students are in an English Language Development class. I believe this class is focused on students that have moderate to strong conversational skills, but need help with educational vocabulary. As I mentioned above, all of our students will have a separate writing class next year. This is a new class and the primary motivation for me to take this class. Finally, we have support reading and math instruction classes for students that have not passed our state assessment. This class specifically targets skills needed to help the kids pass the test.
I have been trained in SIOP and ELL instruction. This was mostly to be able to help my math students access the language of math and social studies. I have not taught writing as a class. My district does not offer classes or trainings in literacy. The expectation is that a Language Arts teacher will outline curriculum for me to follow next year. We were also given a flier on a writing class that we could take locally and encouraged to sign up.
I wouldn’t say that my district has been bogged down with writing assessment. Our middle school has tried to focus on the reading and the math tests. I think that the creation of a writing class may be a response to our writing scores, but I can’t say that for sure. Our assessment coordinator sent us daily updates on our reading and math progress, but not our writing.
I have been teaching fifteen years in middle school. On the balance, I love it. I enjoy working with kids in the classroom and watching them grow. Of course I am stressed and tired at work. Who isn’t? I am taking this course to help my students have a positive experience in my writing class and hopefully get something useful out of it. I want to get an overview in the basics of teaching writing and hopefully avoid common mistakes of a newer writing teacher. I also want to learn enough to be an efficient and interesting teacher.
As I mentioned above, I have a family with two younger kids. Most of my time outside of school right now is spent in that world. We go to swim lessons, the zoo, read books and play in the sand. My wife and I do get out to play coed soccer and we have a couple of family vacations planned this summer.
Hello Michael! Welcome to class. We think you will find this text very useful. Regie has wonderful ideas and suggestions and her approach is realistic and works with whatever requirements that teachers have to work under. You will likely find that after reading the book this summer you will want to re-read it in the winter or spring. Every time I read it, I come away with new things to try. (You should see my copy- it's tabbed, underlined, highlighted and noted on all over the place.) We leave the past term up on the blog and if you want you can go back and read the other students comments from the assignments. You may find it informative.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 13 months old and I have two boys: ages six and seven. They are a lot of fun.
Assignment One: Introduction Post
ReplyDeleteKristian Erickson
This is a second grade class. There are 23 active, engaged, excited kiddos. They pop in the room excited and eager to learn. This is my 15th class of students. Over the past 15 years they have ranged from kindergarten, first grade, second grade, 2nd/3rd blend, 1st/2nd blend, and third grade (which so far is my favorite). The numbers have ranged from 16 to 31. Thirty one was intense! In Portland, Oregon that is more of the norm. In my school that is very large. Students at my school enjoy music, library, art, and p.e.
Each day we read, read, read, and “write for the reader!” We have Readers Workshop where we read, think about our reading, and write about our reading. And we have Writer’s Workshop. We sloth through a mini lesson, write in our writing logs, and share when possible. What started out as my favorite subject where students can’t wait to write each day has become laborious. Our district does not have a specific writing curriculum. We draw from Ralph Fletcher and Lucy Calkins and the district has given those resources to each teacher for reference. A few years ago a team of teachers (from all over the district) put together grade level binders. These are sets of lessons for different genres. It is very helpful and useful. My students always loved writing, I always loved teaching writing. But something has happened, something is lost in my enthusiasm and energy.
To get to where I am today as a writing teacher I have been through district workshops, training from the district on using writing scoring guides, grad courses at Portland State University, and personal research. I have been given a copy of the required text a few years ago and put it on a shelf to read “when I have time.” I have been involved in the Nike School Innovation Fund (NSIF) to focus on writing in our school. I have led writing professional development based on our work with NSIF. During our NSIF work the staff focused on revision, mentor texts, and anchor charts. This work helped the staff to focus on strategies that were helpful to students and that we could agree upon. Sadly, this work was a one year assignment and has not been revisited as a staff.
The last 15 school years have been a series of lessons learned. I have worked toward and received a Med, had two children (both who attend the school where I teach), had fabulous years professionally and not so fabulous years. Last year was an all time low. Am I getting tired of this profession? Do I need to move up grades? Do I need to move schools? These questions plagued me this year to the point of distraction. My students felt it, I felt it, and my teaching partner felt it.
Those two kiddos I had, they are 12 and 7. Both attend (or attended “my” school). Both are healthy, happy, and intelligent children (of course, right?). We like to read, hike, play piano, and play outside (all day long). Dad coaches soccer and takes the kids on long walks with the dog.
My reasons are many for taking this class. First, the money. It wouldn’t hurt to move up the pay scales, would it? But really, more importantly, my teaching partner took this course and thought it would be cool for us both to have this shared information and knowledge. Lastly, but not least important, I have moved away from what I know and feel is important writing instruction. I need a refresher, a reminder, and a kick in the butt.
Assignment One: Introduction Post
ReplyDeleteJennifer Hunt
Hi all. I live in Beaverton, Oregon with my husband (who is a high school counselor), our cats, and dog. We are working hard at starting a family. We travel, do a lot of home improvement, and enjoy evenings of friends, tv, or reading.
I just finished my 8th year teaching. I started in 5th grade, then moved to a 1/2 blend for 5 years, but now I'm in my dream job. I just finished my first year as a kindergarten teacher. This has been the dream for a decade. I can't wait to start another year with 5-year-olds. I completely relate to the stress and fatigue that Kristian and Michael were expressing- I felt it too in 1/2. I didn't know how many years I had left in me, and I'd only put a few in! But this last year revived me and gave me hope that I still enjoy this job and breathe for these kiddos. Part of the reason Kinder is my passion is because I want to be in on the ground floor- right when they learn what their skills are in writing and how to write. I know that Regie Routman is a writing-goddess, but I hope that this book next to me really can deliver on its promise to serve teachers K-12. Many times, literature or inservices lean a certain way and kinder teachers have to work hard to adapt the learning to those who don’t know how to write yet. In this light, I took a Kindergarten Writing class in Salem last month taught by Nellie Edge that was a wonderfully inspiring look at 5-year-olds, specifically, and how to help them be writers and use the writing to help them read.
I work in Lake Oswego- so most of my kiddos come in knowing a lot about reading- many of them can read simple text on the first day of school, but their writing is abysmal. Typically, in early literacy, a child’s reading and writing will grow simultaneously, but parents are doing more at home these days to encourage their children to read early (this is great!) but then the child’s writing doesn’t develop at the same time (not a huge problem, just a statement). I have 25 students and no IA, so I try to get parent volunteers in as much as possible. I can usually count on parent help 2 days a week, though we write every day. I have been trained under a balanced-literacy model (Margaret Mooney, Debbie Miller) of using some phonics instruction and some whole language instruction, but my current district is in love with a pure phonics reading program. I do use Lucy Calkins’ materials, though I had to borrow them from a friend. The district has “resources”, but they are a stretch for kinders. Our daily Writers’ Workshop includes children’s books as inspiration, or current science topics in the classroom (like our chickens), or their personal experiences. Model, model, model, then support, support, support. I like what I’m doing in writing right now, but I am taking this class because I know I can be doing more and doing it better. The most important thing is that they feel confident about themselves as “writers”, and the second most important thing is that they leave kindergarten knowing how to write! I really hope I can help them learn that “writing” isn’t just a subject in school that we spend time on, but also a tool for life- and something that can be fun, or an outlet, or useful for people. That’s a lot to squeeze in to 2.5 hours!
Hello Kristian!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to class. What district do you teach in? I think it’s wonderful that you are able to teach at the school that your children attend! :D
We have had many students in this class say that they felt refreshed and inspired after reading Regie’s text and we hope that is the case for you as well. I believe it’s a positive thing that you are questioning if you want to stay at your present grade level or make a change, perhaps to another school. I have said in other courses that if we aren’t happy or satisfied in our present teaching situation then do something about it. Change levels, get an endorsement to become a specialist or administrator, move to a new school. It’s the people who constantly complain and do nothing that are the most unsatisfied. (Plus they are a bummer to be around.) Whatever you decide to do, we wish you well. In fact, Jackie has just taken a new position at a different school in her district so that she can focus solely on literacy. The change has her leaving the school that her children attend, but she feels that this is for the best as her passion is reading and writing. I resigned from my district since I wasn’t happy and the changes that I tried to affect weren’t happening. Rather than become bitter and angry with the political situation I left on a good note. Both of these were hard decisions but in the end we feel we made the right ones. :D
Hi Jennifer, Welcome to you as well! We have had quite a few Kinder teachers in our class and they have felt it was worthwhile and did receive new ideas to try with their students. I do believe that they did make some adjustments, as have other teachers for various reasons, and we’re happy to work with anyone who needs other ideas or has questions. Do let us know what you think after reading the text as we want to be sure to offer the course to the levels that it will truly serve. Also, congrats on finding the level that you love to teach! So many teachers are burning out these days with all the demands and “stuff” being put upon them. We need to take care of ourselves and by doing so we are better able to serve our students. Is Kindergarten a half day program still in LO? It amazes me that there are still schools that try to fit everything into a two and a half hour day. I don’t know how you (and others) do it but my hat goes off to you!
I also taught in LO when I lived in Oregon, so I know exactly what you mean regarding their tunnel vision for a phonics program for K-2. From what I hear from friends they have lightened up a lot in recent years compared to the mandate that “we all follow Read Well with fidelity, word for word, or it was considered insubordination.” Not to mention that when I brought up that there was NO comprehension component to the administration and Read Well representatives, the answer I received was, “We know, we’re working on it.” Anyway that is a soapbox and story for another time. :D Welcome again and we look forward to working with you all.
Sorry, I forgot to say that I teach in Portland. Kristian
DeleteHi, my name is MacKenzie and I just finished teaching my fourth year of 3rd grade at Banks Elementary School. I had 31 students in my class last year. I did receive some instructional support however it was not during my literacy time.
ReplyDeleteOur school currently uses Scott Foresman Reading Street for our literacy program. We were trained four years ago when we adopted the program but due to budgets have not received much literacy training since. I was able to attend a few mini trainings on using Daily 5. I have been using it for the past four years and love it. I am also currently taking the CAFE course.
I love teaching but am feeling very tired and worn out from several years of fairly large class sizes. The idea of writing makes me feel stressed. It is by far the area in the classroom that I struggle with the most. Especially when my number is at 31. I have not received very much training in the area of writing and feel a tremendous amount of pressure when I hear 'they have to take the state writing test next year.' I am hoping to take something away from this class to help my writing instruction.
Outside of the classroom I enjoy spending time with my husband and every extra second I have with our 2 year old daughter. We have been doing many fun things outdoors this summer and I am really enjoying the much needed break!
MacKenzie I feel writing is the area that I struggle the most with as well.
DeleteI will tell you at this time there is not a statewide writing assessment at 4th or 7th grade due to budget issues. Writing is now only tested at 11th grade. This however can change at any time depending on what the State chooses to do.
Enjoy your little one. My littlest just turned 13. My older one is 19 and in college. I can't believe how fast time has gone with them.
Hi MacKenzie! We're happy to have you join our class this term. Jackie has had a lot of positive feedback for the CAFE course so I think you'll enjoy the class. As you may know, Regie is one of The Sister's inspirations so you'll find that their ideas mesh nicely together.
ReplyDeleteWith such large class numbers I'd def. suggest looking at ways to assign shorter writing pieces and ideas for cutting back on your correcting. Remember, just as with reading, students need a tremendous amount of opportunities to practice writing and not all of it has to be commented on or corrected. We don't correct every single error that students make when they are learning to read, so we shouldn't put the pressure on ourselves to comment on every piece of writing. Now this is not to say that we shouldn't be monitoring, conferring and providing meaningful feedback. We just need to be doing it in a way that is purposeful and sustainable. We can go into this more later in the course, but having students decide what amazing lead they want to share or a really gripping ending or descriptive sentence may be some ways to save you time, involve the students in the process and make the feedback more constructive and meaningful for the students.
Hi my name is Julie Brown. I currently teach at Highland Elementary in the Gresham/Barlow School District. I am going into my 5th year of teaching. I taught 3rd grade for one year and 5th grade the past 3 years. This upcoming school year I will be teaching a 3/4 blend. I live in Portland, OR.
ReplyDeleteThe literacy program my district currently uses is Literacy By Design. It has a reading and writing component to it but we only use the reading piece. Over the last 2 years we have had numerous training sessions on the whole group and small group instruction of LBD. I also have been to several Sheltered Instruction and modes of writing trainings.
Our currents literacy schedule has 90 minutes for whole and small group reading and 45 minutes for writing instruction. I don't not have any type of instructional assistance during this time. I teach at a school with a high percent of English Language Learners and we have difficulty getting the students to meet the high standards of the writing test. My district doesn't have a specific program to teach writing other than that we need to follow state standards. I hope that through this course I can get some ideas and skills that I can bring back to my classroom to better focus my current writing program to help the students see great successes in their writing. I want my students to feel empowered through writing instead of thinking that it is something I make them do. I love working with my students and seeing them grow everyday.
When I am not at school I enjoy spending time with my husband and 2 year old daughter Abby. We love to go to the park, zoo, and Children's Museum. We also like to go on nature walks and spend time at the lake or river. When I find a little bit of alone time I enjoy reading.
I am really looking forward to learning a lot in this course and hopefully creating a more focused and cohesive writing program for my students!
Hi Julie! Glad you are joining us. I do believe you will find some very useful information in the text for your writing instruction. Portland has so many things to do with young children. I was just talking with my husband about how much we miss the city. We may plan a trip out west for this fall with our kids. :D
ReplyDeleteI’m in the master’s program in Writing and Book Publishing through PSU’s English Department. My dream is to teach in a writing center or community college to adults and to offer creative writing workshops for all ages in the community. I hope to become a facilitator for Write Around Portland someday.
ReplyDeleteOver a decade ago, I worked with at-risk students in the public school system through AmeriCorps. I partnered with Title 1 reading instructors in a grade school tutoring elementary-aged children. I also worked in an academic Alternative Learning Center with middle school youth. I’ve spent the last 6 years working in marketing/PR/communications for nonprofits and higher education. I can’t wait to make the career change and once again work with students.
I’m taking this class in hopes of understanding more about the way writing is taught in public schools and to understand the background my future adult students will have. At the very least, I want the people with whom I work to feel confident and capable as writers. In the larger picture, I hope to foster enthusiasm for books, literature, and writing as a form of self-expression. I want to help people find their voice.
Oh, and my name is Tiah. TiahMaria is just my gmail account name. :)
Hi Tiah!
ReplyDeleteYou have quite a variety of experiences to bring to your future students! Welcome to class. We'll be interested in your thoughts after your finish the text as your background is different from our "typical" students.
I was on vacation last week, so I am catching up on assignments this week.
Mary
My name is Karyn McBride. Sorry it has taken me so long to get going. I have also been taking Essentials of Reading and wanted to finish that class first and I have had some posting trouble that is now solved. I have taken two trips this summer, one to Bandon and one to Detroit Lake. No electricity or internet at Detroit Lake where we stayed. I currently teach K-6th SPED for the Estacada SD at Clackamas River Elementary. I have been teaching since 1997. Before 1997, I was an EA in PPS self contained programs while I worked my way through college. My BA is from Concordia University in K-9 gen. ed. My MA is from PSU K-12 SPED. I have had self contained classrooms with significantly cognitively impaired children (Intellectual Disability, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Language Disorders, etc….) and I have taught in the Learning Center mode, which I have now. At one point for several years I taught high school curriculum in a modified format-about a 3rd grade reading level. I taught Language Arts, Social Studies, Economics, Senior Seminar and Health. I have also been the Statewide Testing Coordinator for all IEP students grades 7-12. I have taught in three districts in the local metro area; PPS, Centennial, and Estacada. I have taught K- age 21. Most of my current students are three or more years behind grade level.
ReplyDeleteI currently have one full time EA and one part time one. However, about two hours of their day is spent on duty time and not with me or our students in an academic setting. We cover reading, writing and math with our groups. I ended last year with 64 students on my case load. I will be starting this year with about 33 students.
I do not have a set reading curriculum for my program since we are SPED. We are a Title 1 school. This will be the first year that students will not be double dipping with Title and SPED. I use many programs to improve the reading abilities of my students. What is used varies depending on the needs and skills of the student and the groups. I have Edmark, SRA’s, Story Town, Reading Recovery, and several other programs or parts to programs that we use with students. The training in our district for literacy is aimed at what is to be done in the general ed. classroom and Title 1 groups. My kids need more. They have been receiving these programs and are still behind. I need to provide other support in addition to these pieces.
I love teaching. I can’t think of anything else I would do besides working with students. However, like most teachers, I have my days where I wonder if it is worth it; all the paper work, the meetings, the parents who don’t show, the disruptions. Then one of my darlings will have a break through, do something to make me laugh or break my heart and I just want to make it better for them so I keep trudging away. I can become very stressed at work. There is a lot to teaching. Two years ago I dissected my interior carotid artery on the right side as it enters the brain. Teaching is stressful.
I am married and have been for 16 years as of July 12th. Mike and I have been together for 24 years. We have two children, Casey is 19 and attending Clackamas Community College, Nicole turned 13 on July 11th and will be an 8th grader at Happy Valley Middle School. Nicole is on a travel softball team called MAYHEM. Mike is an assistant coach for the team and I am in charge of fundraising. My son has been an ASA umpire and this past season was an assistant coach for another team. We love to go to the beach. I love to read and play games. My favorite author at this point is Debbie Macomber. My favorite poet is Robert Frost.
To be honest I am taking classes because I need PDU’s for my license renewal in 2015 and I want to move over on the pay scale. But, I chose the reading and writing courses because I want to update my tools and bring new concepts to my instruction to help my students grow and allow what happens in their gen. ed. classroom to be a bit easier for them, instead of the battle many of them have to learn.