Chapter 3: Share Your Writing Life
• Write together as a staff
• Note your writing practices
• Tell students why you write
Chapter
Two of Regie’s book segues right into her third chapter, “Share Your
Writing Life.” In this chapter Regie drives home the importance of
teachers sharing their writing process with their students. She
encourages teachers to become writers in front of their students, on
their own and with their staff, and also to share their daily writing
practices with their students. The purpose of the assignment below
(Assignment #3) is to get you writing.
ASSIGNMENT THREE: Sharing Your Writing Life!
For
many of us, writing is not enjoyable and/or is very difficult. Perhaps
it is because we ourselves were never celebrated as writers. Or perhaps
we only remember the “skills” based comments written in various colored
pens on our papers…that always sliced deep (and turned many of us into
“non-writers.”) These comments never really helped our writing become
any better. As a requirement of a summer writing institute (which I was
conned into attending “so that I could become a better teacher of
writing”) I (Jackie) bit the bullet and wrote extensively throughout the
course. What they say is true: the more I wrote, the more I enjoyed it,
and I believe I grew as a writer. The goal of this two-part assignment
is to get you writing.
Part One:
For
the first part of this assignment you need to think about topics for
your own writing (ideas/stories that you can share to excite your
students) and then actually write a short piece (ideally in front of
your students.) If you do not presently have the opportunity to write in
front of your students then please complete the activity on your own.
1.
Use the topic idea list from Regie’s “Try It and Apply It” on page 26.
Choose several topics, and then create a list of sub-topics for each.
2.
Choose the sub-topic that most interests you and write a short piece
that you can use to model writing in front of your students.
Part Two:
1.
On pages 45-46, Regie gives suggestions for writing exercises for the
start of school (or really anytime you need to get writing started.)
Follow her criteria for “Capturing A Moment” (from the summer or any
other time ) and draft a short piece. Follow the directions in the
chart on page 46.
2.
After completing the draft, which should take no more than 10 minutes,
take a moment to write down some of your observations of your writing
process. Again, use the suggestions from the chart or the bullets below:
o What are you thinking about as you are composing?
o What exactly did you do to plan, to get started writing, when you got stuck, or when you completed your piece?
o What does your process look like? Do you write straight through? Stop to re-read? Revise as you go? Look up information? Edit?
The
goal of this activity is to get you to write - which will hopefully get
you more comfortable writing in front of your children! Complete this
activity and let us know how it went by sharing your answers to some of
the bulleted questions above.
Please
post your comments to the course blog. (We don’t need to see your
writing piece. We are more interested in your thought process as you
completed the exercise.)
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Assignment # 3
ReplyDeleteSharing Your Writing Life
I completely agree that “celebrations” in education, in any subject area, are a recent and welcome phenomenon. Clearly, the concept has been embraced with great success through the span of grades and ages!
The topic list, from page 26, was a delight to read through; however, deciding on one topic was tricky because of my audience. After a bit of deliberation, I finally decided on the topic of “special memory”.
I started the story as a narrative but quickly turned to a “moral of the story” piece. I wrote straight through not caring about structure, I simply wanted to get all the thoughts down on paper before I forgot them entirely. I edited my piece after I finished.
My observations of my writing process are as follows: Again, I found myself switching from a narrative to a moral-of-the-story type piece. Once I established the moral of the story, I was constantly thinking of my use of adjectives, because I wanted the reader to feel every aspect of the story in a personal and private way. For example: the physical environment, I wanted the reader to feel the beach environment. I also had a desire for the reader to sense my excitement about the event that subsequently turned to angst and fear.
In conclusion, I learned that connection to personal interests is an excellent starting point with writing. Albeit, writing the “dreaded” personal narratives can kill the writing spirit rapidly, however, I am delighted to gain more ideas from the author on subject matter and theme for narratives, especially for the upper elementary grades. Also thinking of ways to engage a reluctant writer, I can resonate with the example on page 30 and the use of sticky notes to write key words and ideas. I believe Regie Routman’s idea here is let writing be fun again and use whatever it takes to engage students in the joy of writing!
Hello Penni,
DeleteI smiled as I read your sentence "deciding on one topic was tricky because of my audience". When I read the topics I completely forgot about the students, and I only cared about myself. I thought of a topic that is personal to me and I can easily compose interesting ideas about it. I think as teachers we should consider our students' interest too.
I also experienced same feelings as yours while I was writing. I wanted my audience to feel the beauty of my home country and to understand why I miss it so much. I think that is a normal process to assure that students are engaged with me and eager to read my story.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Madiha, Thanks for your thoughts! I believe personal narratives are so interesting. As a reader, it gives us opportunity to learn about others and for the author more experience with the writing process with a subject we know very well, ourselves! We (teachers) are under the impression that personal narratives are a great launching point for writing, however, I find that depending on the grade level, it can be about as much fun as watching paint dry. That is why I cherish the expanded ideas that Routman shares with personal writing and then in chapter 5, with the “tried and true ideas.”
Deletepenni
Assignment 3
ReplyDeleteMadiha Guezguez, February 1st, 2013
Though I don’t have my own classroom, I wanted to have an audience to experience the sharing part. I asked my daughter (eight years old) to watch me composing my paragraph and editing it. We both had fun though after that she was questioning every step of mine. I also was thinking out loud through the whole process. First I read all the topics, and then I thought for a moment about the most personal and engaging topic to me. As I read “favorite place” I thought of my home country Tunisia, so I started composing my paragraph about this topic. I wrote for about four minutes straight through, and I did not revise as I was writing.
When I finished, I read loudly what I wrote, and I tried to figure out if my topic sentence and my ending were appealing. I checked my ideas and I changed some vocabulary words to make it more coherent. After editing for few minutes, I read it again I thought out loud if there is a way to add some humor to my composition. I wasn’t able to think of anyways so I decided to keep it the way it is.
Of course doing the same assignment in front of my students might be different especially if I ‘m doing it for the first time, but since it is going to be helpful for them in the future I will definitely try it, and keep on doing it. I’m sure the first few writings will be challenging, but through practice and time, it will be a simple procedure of my teaching routine.
The list of topics that I think might be interesting to my students were:
ReplyDeleteBest friend
Bullying, doing something nice, unexpected surprise
Start of school
How did you feel on first day? How do you feel now?
Sports
What sports do you play? Watch? What team do you cheer for? Why? Who watches with you?
Favorite Movie or Book. The word favorite always messes with me and I have had students tell me the same thing. Maybe it is better for some if you just say “A book or movie you liked.”
Pets
What kind of pet do you have? Want?
My writing process is messy. I like to quickly jot down my main thoughts in bullet points and then go back and add detail and spice it up with vocabulary. I am a horrible speller and my students know it. I let them know that perfect spelling is a must for final drafts but that writing is an art, just as painting or composing music is, and you have to let your artistic side run free, if possible, at first to get your best thoughts and then go back to revise and edit. I, like so many of my students, have a hard time narrowing down what to write about. I often want the perfect occasion or antidote and I find myself wasting time in thinking mode when the topic so often doesn't matter at all. I would like to find a solution for this. I have realized that taking the word “favorite” out can help me to start writing quicker. It gives me freedom to open up my options instead of wasting time trying to narrow down my true favorites.
Throughout writing this year, I have been telling my students over and over that their first draft will look messy. Their handwriting doesn’t need to be neat, they might have words or even whole sentences struck out, and words can be misspelled. I tell them that their first draft is just about getting their thoughts down on paper as they flow out, and not interrupting that flow with having to use the dictionary, or taking the time to have perfect handwriting. All of those things will come later when they edit and create their final draft, yet they still continue to ask me how to spell words. I’ve been thinking maybe they didn’t truly believe me when I said it was okay to make it messy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I began my writing I made it a point to think out loud, write continuously as my thoughts came, striking out and re-writing things I didn’t like, and made my handwriting a little less neat. I did a “Capture the Moment” piece about the day I found out my best friend from 2nd grade was moving away. The students that I work with are in 4th and 5th grade, so I thought it would be a very appropriate topic, as I was in the 5th grade when she moved and it is something that they have or could experience as well. It was a time of strong emotion, so I thought it would be a perfect piece to share with them and let them see that I’m just a regular person like they are. I have gone through some of the same experiences, and felt the same things that they feel. I think it’s really important for teachers to share life stories, as it allows students to connect better with them.
I felt like I had a rough time starting, and wrote 2 different beginning sentences. My first one was a scene setting sentence, but it felt too boring so I immediately crossed it out and began with a quote. I sometimes have trouble staying on topic, and not going off on tangents so I re-read my piece a few times to make sure that it made sense and had a good flow.
When I was finished with my writing, one of my students wanted to share a story about one of the students who moved away at the beginning of this year and how he missed him. Another student commented on how sloppy my writing was. And I realized that I don’t do this sort of sharing nearly enough. It helps to build a connection with my students, inspires them to share stories, and shows them that perfection isn’t necessary on first drafts.
Part 1- Topics and Subtopics
ReplyDeleteSchool
* Best Day
* Talent show/Concert
* First Day
* Teacher
Memories
* Summer /winter/ spring break
* Holidays
* Birthdays
Emotions
* What I’ve done for someone?
* What someone has done for me?
* Most embarrassing moment
* One time when I was scared
Expert
* How to book - with photos or illustrations?
* Animal reports
I do something like this with my students. We draw an outline of a hand, heart, a brain, and a thought bubble. They represent things we can do, things we love, things we know or want to know about, and memories and thoughts. We have these at the beginning of our journals so that we can refer back to them.
Part 2-
o I was thinking about my audience and also me. I wanted to write for myself as well as my students. I was writing about the day I found out I was pregnant- my husband’s birthday. So I was thinking of my beautiful baby girl and my hubby.
o It took me a while to think of an inviting start, so I jumped to the meat of the story. Then went back and figured out a beginning and ending. I still wasn’t totally happy with me ending but I have a good direction. When I got stuck, I read what I wrote and was able to keep going.
o I didn’t worry about spelling or word choice, which is something that I will go back and revise. But at the same time I fixed little errors that didn’t slow down my writing process.
I'm comfortable writing in front of my students and I enjoy it. Sometimes I try to leave extra room for revision. So I can have students help with that process too.
Part 1.
ReplyDeletePossible writing ideas
Meeting my best friend
My Dog Pebbles
First day we brought her home
The day she ran away while our house was being remodeled
The class Lizard escaping
Getting glasses
Losing my car keys
The day I broke my finger
Part 2
I decided to write about getting my glasses when I was 5 years old. I have modeled writing in front of my students many times. One of my struggles is that I often find that it takes so long that lose the kids attention, but this time i promised myself that I would focus on a) writing the story just for myself and b) do my best to think out loud. The kids were mesmerized for the entire lesson.
I think many of them were caught up in trying to imagine their teacher as a tantruming 5 year old. I was touched when one the my kids suddenly burst out and said "oh Mrs. Frisby, you really have to publish this story."
I did a little brainstorming and jotted down a few of the main points I wanted to cover in the story. I did some revising and clarifying as I went along. I did a bit of crossing out and adding in. When I was done I went back and worked on the beginning a bit. My concluding sentence was "I couldn't wait to show my friends at school my new glasses." I put down my pen and asked my students, so what do you think? Does my story feel finished? The kids all chorused "NO!!!!!" I was flabergasted , I had thought it was a fine ending. The kids wanted to know what my friends thought of my glasses, did they like them. Did they recognize me (that had been one of my big worries.) I was quite surprised (and maybe even a tiny bit hurt) to get that feedback. So with the kids help we worked out an ending that satisfied most (but not all) of them. Some of the kids wanted me to write an entire 2nd chapter. So much for me thinking the kids wouldn't want to sit and watch me write. I was kind of interesting how the lesson evolved into a shared writing experience.
I learned a couple of things from this experience. I do a better job writing in front of my students when I am being authentic (I wasn't mispelling words that I can really spell. I did stop and stretch out a few tricky words. But that is something that I really do have to do from time to time.) The 2nd thing that I learned was that it stings a little to be told that your story isn't finished! I was touched however that the kids really did want to know more. When I'm encouraging kids to write more, I will need to remember to let them know that I want them to write more because their story has me interested.
Hello Penni, Madiha and Tonya!
ReplyDeleteI have seen great success with beginning writers writing about things that they know; stories from their lives. In Kindergarten, in the beginning of the year, it’s even better to write about things that the teacher knows so she/he can support the students. For example, the day there was a substitute, the class trip to the farm, when the pet hamster got loose, etc… This way the teacher is able to support the students with details and sequencing.
Tonya, though we def. don’t want students zoning out for a half hour…I think there is value in allowing students time to think and plan. (I’m also a huge fan of oral rehearsal in the support of writing.) You raise a good point about the word “favorite.” I also can find myself taking too much time trying to decide what my “favorite” this or that is. This raises the point that the way we ask our questions or design or lessons can have a huge impact on student outcome.
Carol, do you have a word wall or individual writing dictionaries where the students can add words that are important to them and they can have quick access to finding out the correct spelling? Maybe one of these two tools might help your students move past the stopping and asking how to spell a word. It sounds like the writing lesson went well. I agree that students need to see that writing is not always easy for adults and that we struggle and change our minds and get off task. All this affirms to the students that they are doing the right thing and are the same as other writers; that writing is not easy for many people.
Hi Sarah,
I love the images in the students’ writing journals. I’ve done the heart before but def. will be adding the others to my list.
Susan,
What a great writing lesson! You have raised a couple of important points. Teachers will often tell students that their writing isn’t done. Hearing your example and how you felt as an adult is important for all of us to keep in mind. Your point of telling the students you want to know more because you are “hooked” and interested is fabulous! One other thing that I thought of while reading your blog post is as a teacher it’s important to keep in mind when we write to write a length that is about what our students can do (or a little more.) It doesn’t make any sense (to me) to write four pages for Kindergarten students in October when most of the children are unable to replicate this.
TOPICS
ReplyDeleteWHAT WE WORRY ABOUT
*HEALTH
*MONEY
*FAMILY
OUR FAVORITE PLACES
*SCOTTSDALE
*MY RECLINER
*MY GARDEN
*MY BACKYARD
PETS
*CHANCE
*GEORGE
*ISABELLE
*SPARTACUS
ISABELLA
EVERY MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP MY BEST FRIEND ISABELLA IS BY MY SIDE. ISABELLA ISN'T A PERSON SHE IS MY EIGHT YEAR OLD SCHNOODLE. YES, THAT IS A BREED! SHE IS HALF SCHNAUZER AND HALF POODLE AND HAS SALT AND PEPPER CURLY HAIR.
SHE IS ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN SHE GETS UP AND IMMEDIATELY GOES TO GET HER BALL, READY TO PLAY. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE TO GET READY AND HEAD FOR WORK FOR THE DAY. SHE STAYS BY MY SIDE WALKING WITH ME AS I GET MYSELF AND EVERYTHING READY TO GO. WHEN I HAVE TO LEAVE SHE HEADS FOR HER KENNED FOR A PIECE OF CHICKEN JERKEY, A MILKBONE AND HER FAVORITE CHEW TOY. EVERYDAY I FEEL GUILTY HAVING TO LEAVE HER BUT SHE DOESN'T HOLD A GRUDGE AND IS BOUNCING WITH JOY AS SHE HEARS ME COME COME THROUGH THE DOOR AT NIGHT.
Part II
SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
WILL I BE GREETED BY SMILES
OR FACES FULL OF DOUBT?
HOW WILL I KNOW
WHO'S NAME GOES WITH WHO?
EVERY YEAR MY HEART WORRIES
ONLY TO CALM AS THE DAY BEGINS
NEW FACES, NEW NAMES
NEW PERSONALITIES
EXCITEMENT FILLS THE ROOM
I LOVE TEACHING 6TH GRADE.
FREE VERSE POETRY
*MY BEGINNING- A DATE SEEMED LIKE A GOOD LEAD
*I WANTED A TOPIC THAT MY STUDENTS WOULD RELATE TO
*WHEN I GOT STUCK, I RECALLED THE EVENTS OF THE MORNING, THE FEELINGS OF THE FIRST FEW MINUTES OF THE DAY.
*I REREAD, THINK, CONSIDER THE ORDER OF EVENTS, WORDING, HOW WILL I END THE PIECE.
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteDid you try this in front of your students? If not would you consider doing a similiar lesson?