ASSIGNMENT TWO: WRITTEN REFLECTION–Section One- The Essential Writing Life Chapters 1-3
BRIEFLY reflect on the following comments written below from Chapters 1-3 and any additional thoughts that you have after reading these chapters.
Chapter 1: Simplify the Teaching of Writing• Simplify our teaching
• Becoming more knowledgeable about teaching writing
• Examine your beliefs
Regie gets to the heart of her book Writing Essentials with this quote on the final page of Chapter One: “By reducing the clutter in our teaching lives-the over-planning, the unnecessary activities, the paper load, all the ‘stuff’ that takes our time and energy and does little to improve teaching and learning-we bring joy back into our work and the world of our students.” Many of us work very hard and spend many hours complicating our teaching lives. In this book Regie will help you simplify your teaching life for your benefit and that of your students.
One of the frustrations that teachers encounter regularly is the ever changing “latest and best” writing programs that districts or states force on them and their students. With this revolving cycle of programs, teachers are spending too much time learning how to use the program rather than becoming better writing teachers. Regie explains that in the districts where students are the best writers, they are writing for real purposes and audiences and publishing their writing; teachers are not using prescribed writing programs.
Look at Appendix A (page A-2.) Examine your beliefs about writing by reading the statements about the writing process and marking true or false in your book. (Go ahead and write in your book, it’s OK! You can even use a pencil and mark very lightly if you want to.) We found this activity very enlightening. Let us know what you think after you complete the activity.
In your reflection for Section One, please include your thoughts about the following questions or statements:
• Regie demonstrates how to use the Optimal Learning Model (shown on the front cover and page 11) throughout the book. Consider how the Optimal Learning Model fits into your own instruction.
• As you think about how to teach writing so that all students can become successful, effective and joyful writers, reflect on how you presently teach the “12 Writing Essentials” (as described on pages 13-14 in the text) during your daily writing instruction. As we continue to read through Regie’s book, hopefully you will begin to see how you might make changes in your instruction to better incorporate these “12 Writing Essentials.”
Chapter 2: Start With Celebration
• Make sure writing is meaningful not just correct
• Use stories as springboards and ensure that ALL students hear stories
• Write in front of your students and connect home and school
The title of Chapter Two simply states, “Start with Celebration,” and that’s exactly what we need to do for our students. The celebration of all students’ writing needs to be put into the forefront and be made our first teaching goal. Celebrations should happen school-wide, within our classrooms and with students individually. As children begin to see themselves as successful writers, they will take more risks in their writing and in turn will become better writers who enjoy the writing process.
Another key point that Regie highlights in this chapter is to “make sure writing is meaningful, not just correct!” Students need to understand that writing is “enjoyable and for a real purpose and audience.” She also reminds us “that teaching skills in isolation does not make student writers; neither does teaching to the test. And breaking writing into bits and pieces robs children of the joy of writing.”
Regie suggests using stories as a springboard for teaching and learning. Hearing and telling stories builds our students’ oral language skills and these stories are “an entryway into reading and writing.” Only when students are reading and writing real stories can they connect the “skills” based learning to their reading and writing!
Please include your thoughts about the following questions or statements in your written reflection of Section One:
• Regie explains how important celebrating student writing is. How do you celebrate student writing in your classroom? How might you add more celebration of student writing to your day/year?
• Consider what changes you could make in your writing instruction to make writing more meaningful and purposeful for your students.
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Regie’s Optimal Learning Model fits beautifully into my own instruction. In fact, the workshop model that I currently use, for reading and writing, in my classroom is all about this gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. I was happy to see that this entire structure was not going to be new. During my writer’s and reader’s workshop, there is a recursive flow of “to, with, and by”. (Crafting, composing, reflecting are the terms we use in my school.) This gradual release is the heart of best practices for all instruction. However, I also noticed I need to be a lot tighter with my teaching/modeling time. Truly keeping it to 10-15 minutes of me teaching, then having students practice me, and finally having students try on their own (supporting them when necessary).
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that the 12 Writing Essentials are direct, descriptive and applicable to all types of writing and can provide a focus for mini-lessons throughout a unit of study. I agree that students need to participate in authentic writing opportunities. We are doing students a great disservice if we are only teaching them to write to a prompt or preform well on a test. Real authors don’t do this so why would we teach writing in this way. In order to write as an author we need to give students the same experiences an author has, therefore given them an authentic experience. I have already been teaching several of the ideas on the Writing Essentials list, including determine an appropriate topic, present ideas clearly, with a logical, well-organized flow, reread, rethink, and revise while composing and apply correct conventions and form. I look forward to adding the additional ideas to my writing curriculum. I feel that Regie’s 12 Writing Essentials provide an ideal list from which to work during the school year. It is a list I plan to use throughout the year as I teach my students to be authors.
It is essential for students to reflect on their writing practice and be able to identify their strengths and struggles students can only do this if we as teachers allow them to share their writing. One important thing to remember that student writing can be shared at any point in the writing process. In fact, sometimes it is more important or helpful for students when it is shared during the process. This past year I was fortunate enough to receive a document camera for my classroom. This has been such a gift because now it is so easy for my students to share their writing. At the end of each writer’s workshop we share 3-5 students work from the day. Classmates then have the opportunity to ask questions, give complements or make suggestions to the writer. We also celebrate when a student has published a piece of writing. The published piece then becomes a part of our classroom library so we can enjoy the story for the remainder of the school year. A few lucky students from the school also get to share their writing during our school wide assembly. This is called the featured author of the month. This is a goal for all students to aspire to. Featured authors range from Kindergarten to 6th grade. All are accomplished authors. Celebration is key to student success and motivation.
I think a great opportunity for authentic writing is to have pen pals or a buddy classroom within the school. I would like to work with a colleague this next year and have a buddy classroom where students can write letters to each other as well as get together and celebrate and share published stories. This would be a great way to provide students with an authentic writing opportunity. I also would like to create free writing area. This would included many different tools for writing as well as examples of different types of writing (letters, lists, reminder notes, poems, short stories, questions, journal, etc.) Students could choose to come to the free writing area when they have extra time or during choice time. What a great way to promote authentic writing.
Writing Essentials Assignment # 2--Joyce Reynolds-Ward
ReplyDeleteI found the list of beliefs about writing in Appendix A to be quite interesting because I had a few notes that were "depends," "sometimes," "can be," and "maybe." Some of these qualifications stem from the reality that middle school writing abilities and interests can be all over the charts ranging from the kid who can't get five words down during a five minute free write, even with a prompt and adult assistance, to the kid who can ramble on for an entire page without paragraphing or punctuation, to the kid who delivers a nicely formulaic paragraph with little guidance and who needs to move beyond the formula!
Regie's Optimal Learning Model falls in line with the Vygotsky and Bandura theories that are the foundation for much of special education teaching theories, including a big chunk of the Direct Instruction curricula (I maintain that DI is not about the scripts but the model, and the Optimal Learning Model fits right in with DI). I use that scaffolding model quite a bit in how I teach writing, but how it works and how much time I spend on each step depends upon individuals and classes. Some classes need much more scaffolded supports early on but can skip through guided practice quickly. Others need more guided practice than demonstration, because they can tell you what needs to happen, they just can't do it. Those students can be more difficult to teach at the middle school level because they strongly resist guided practice, perceive themselves to be more competent than they are, and they really don't want to keep writing. They need to be enticed into writing more--in some cases by being offered business writing case studies (I have used memo writing as a means to develop writing interest).
Needless to say, I wholeheartedly support and teach the 12 Writing Essentials! However, I had an issue with the Teach Writing the Way Real Writers Work, because as a pro, I've done the three of the four things Regie says she doesn't do! If I am striving for a particular mood or effect, I will think about sentence length in my first draft. Action scenes require shorter sentences. I often struggle with my internal editor, and talk freely with the students about what it means to kill your internal editor in the first draft. In fact, I walked away from writing fiction for a good ten years because my internal editor had become so toxic that I couldn't write. When I'm writing the first draft of a nonfiction professional piece, I often will structure it in terms of topic/detail sentences. The only thing I haven't done is consciously thought about my voice, but I know writers who do agonize over this part of their craft (Jay Lake in particular is one writer who will openly talk about this, also Ursula LeGuin). Other than these points, though, I'm heartily encouraged to find this support for what I've been doing based on my special education training and my professional writing experience.
I've tried to celebrate my students' writing, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I think I want to encourage more story creation and sharing. I saw my Humanities co-teacher do this with the students we shared last year during her ELA class, and it's a mode I want to develop further. Because I work with remedial students, however, building up their confidence needs to start from day one. Fortunately, most of the students I'm working with in the next school year should be feeling okay about sharing their writing because of the preparatory work that has happened with their ELA classes.
I also want to show students more of how writing is a skill that they need in their everyday lives, not just in school. So I think we will practice writing letters to the editor, letters to landlords, letters to bosses, as well as memos to the teacher.
Lori Fossati Writing Essentials Assignment #2
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first three chapters, I was relieved to find out that even though writing is not my strongest or my favorite subject, I can see that I am on the right track and not too far off the mark. As far as how the Optimal Learning Model fits into my first grade classroom, what I do is very similar. I usually start the week with some type of mini-lesson on an area of writing that I’ve noticed students struggling with the previous week. Most of the time I can use our class writing piece, rereading what we wrote, talking my way through the lesson, asking students for input.
After the mini lesson, students have time to work on their own writing. I scaffold students writing as needed, working with a small group of two or three students if they require the same level of assistance. (Guided Reading) The rest of the class is doing independent writing.
Presently I do not teach all of the “12 Writing Essentials” at least not to the degree I should with my class. There are some parts, about half, that I use consistently, such as the Author’s Purpose, language variation, paragraph organization, reread, rethink and revise while composing, (This is where my mini lesson comes in.), conventions, and when reading really discuss how and why the author is writing.
I know I need to “Celebrate” my students writing more often in class. Last year. It worked out that, students had between four to six times to sit in the Author’s Chair and share their finished work. This worked out okay, as not everyone was finished at the same time, so I would have one or as many as three students sharing at the end of Writers Workshops. One way students could celebrate more of their writing would be to have them share their unfinished work with their class as part of the mini lesson. Having students share word choice, engaging leads, or exciting endings. This would be another way of teaching the “12 Writing Essentials”, using actual student writing.
I am sure I will have more ideas at the conclusion of this book and class. Some of the changes that I will make for next year, one being the sharing piece mentioned above, would be to add a writing station, which would include lots of writing supplies and writing samples. Such as various list, (Shopping, To Do, Christmas, etc.) letters, also poems, short stories.)
** I meant "Guided Writing", not "Guided Reading". Lori
DeleteI was speaking with my mother earlier this summer and mentioned that I was taking this course. Her reply was “Good. Maybe this will motivate you to begin writing.” My quick, and all too familiar response was, “Oh no, I’m not really a writer; I am taking this class to be a better teacher!” Can you imagine the gulp I took when Regie stated that all students should see their teacher as a writer? Oops, I have some paradigm shifting to do! I have not really considered myself a writer because I struggle with organizing my thoughts; this probably is because I am a bit of a perfectionist. It is hard to be a Bronte on a first draft.
ReplyDeleteI try to compensate for my insecurities by planning, planning and more planning. I use the optimum learning model regularly in class but I am the person who plans what my rough draft looks like. It really struck me when Regie said that I “rob my students of the opportunity to see me plan, think, compose, revise and edit in front of them.” I guess it did not occur to me that along with modeling the process of writing I am also modeling the process of working through … In addition, I was struck by Marquita’s story (page 31). I regularly check at spelling and grammar as well as content. I need to rethink that. Possibly checking content at first and then checking spelling and grammar in subsequent drafts. As I look through the 12 writing essentials I see that each “essential” has its valid purpose in writing. I tend to give more weight to conventions and form, presenting and organized paper, etc. However, good writing should incorporate a good balance of all 12 essentials. I hope that I will find ways to be more balanced in my approach as I continue in this course.
As I read through Section 1 and reflected on areas where I need to improve my writing instruction, I did have one “aha” moment. In chapter 2 Regie talked about celebrating writing. My favorite writing unit of the year is our poetry unit. I spend almost six weeks reading and writing poetry with my students. At the end of the unit we host a poetry café. The café is an evening of cookies, cocoa and poetry. Students invite family and friends to hear all the poetry we have created. I love this unit and I love poetry café. We go with a revised beatnik theme; we wear berets and snap for applause. It is a big deal to the students and most of them look forward to the event. The “aha” moment came when I realized that I feel a sense of freedom and joy when I teach poetry. My class spends time thinking, laughing and celebrating throughout the entire unit. I don’t spend a lot of time pre-planning because we spend time writing a class poem during guided instruction. It always is fun. How can I create that same learning environment when I teach narratives or expository writing? I look forward to learn how to become more purposeful in that way.
Hi Tricia!
ReplyDeleteYou said it!!! “This gradual release is the heart of best practices for all instruction.” I know this model (OLM) has various names besides The Gradual Release of Responsibility: To, With, By/ I do, We do, You do…but the one issue I have with these two last names is that they imply that it’s a three step process, which I feel can be misleading for teachers. Most educators do a good job of showing students what needs to be done and having them work independently. The area that is often the weakest is the Shared demonstration where the teacher does the work with the students helping AND THEN the Guided Practice where the students do the work with the teachers helping as needed before the final stage of Independent Practice.
What has been my experience is that teachers often merge Shared Demonstration and Guided practice together (likely in the interest of time) and move on to Independent Practice. Taking the time to fully utilize all components of the OLM makes a stronger lesson and supports the students in their learning.
Does anyone else have any thoughts about this? I also want to say that I can be just as likely to do this as the next person. My point is that when we really take the time to give students the time THEY need to process, practice, reflect and understand, their learning is more solid/deep and long-term.
Keeping it tight and short is important and another area I think many of us struggle with. But when we do so, then the students are able to have more time to practice and create.
Yes, many teachers in this course tell us how much they appreciate the 12 Writing Essentials and plan to utilize them in their instruction. Glad you found them useful. (And isn’t it great to feel like you are already doing some things right??? ☺ It feels good to be validated by an expert that what we are doing in our class is best practice.)
Another great point you mentioned is that sharing (and celebrating) student work can be done at any step in the writing process. Not only can it, but it should be shared at different steps during writing. Document cameras make this so easy and I am a big fan of them, especially when you consider the bang for the buck that you get out of them. Document cameras can be used in any subject, all day long.
Hi Joyce!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you took the time to note Appendix A with your thinking. We will have you revisit this list at the end of the course, and have had previous students say they wish they had noted in the book their thoughts as they knew that they had changed their thinking in some areas after finishing the text. So, to other students in this class, if you haven’t already, check out Appendix A and use a pencil to lightly mark your answers. You may be interested to see if you have changed any thoughts at the end of the course. :D
Great point Joyce. Yes, the amount of time it takes to move through the OLM varies often depending on the subject and students. Some days you can fly through Shared Demonstration and Guided Practice to Independent Work and other lessons could take weeks. We should always keep in mind that teaching is about the students learning and not just about us “getting through the curriculum.” I am hoping with the CCSS that the focus of going deeper will help all educators to feel more comfortable to give students the time they need for processing, practicing and reflecting.
I think it’s great for you to share your perspective about the writing process. In fact, I think Regie would welcome hearing other viewpoints. :D
When you said you’ve tried celebrating student writing, do you mean big celebrations that were pretty involved and time consuming? Quiet a few teachers have shared with us that they felt like they’ve had an ah-ha moment that celebrations do not always have to be big parties with food and families invited. (Though these are nice sometimes too.) I would say, like with many things, it’s about balance. Something may be wonderful to organize or plan or do for the students but is it worth your time, effort, or money? Maybe yes, maybe no. You don’t want to do things that make you grumpy, burned out and angry. Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. (Though many of us have in the past or presently do.)
YES!!! Show students that writing is an everyday skill and make it applicable to them. What about writing to the principal or school board? Perhaps there are issues the students could brainstorm about things they would like changed or added to the school. How great to invite the principal or school board members into your class. I think this would show students that writing is important and their words matter and can give them power.
Hi Lori!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad that you mentioned using students’ work to teach minilessons. Again, the document camera makes this so easy to do. I remember doing this with the overhead and even making packets for the students on the copy machine. ☺ So if you don’t have a document camera you can still share students’ work.
No worries on the typo. I’m sure you will all spot a couple of mine throughout the course. (I am not a very good speller, but I always share with my students that I feel like I’m a pretty good writer. :D)
Hello Kristin!
Thanks for sharing your story about how you feel about being a writer. (You made me laugh!) You are not alone. Many teachers tell us that they didn’t feel that they were a strong writer or strong in instructing writing. We believe by the end of the class you will feel much more confident in this area!
I would strongly suggest focusing on the content, meaning and clarity of the writing before you confer for grammar, mechanics and spelling. These are important and Regie will talk about them in a later chapter, but building the writer’s confidence is more important than having a perfect first draft.
Your poetry unit does sound fun! I believe you’ll find some of the answers you are looking for as you continue reading the text. :D
The Optimal Learning Model fits precisely into the goals of "how" I want to teach. I have yet to have the opportunity to lead my own writing blocks, so many of my comments will be connected to observations of the classrooms I have worked with/supported (1st and 2nd grade). As a new teacher I have barely had the chance to set sail and navigate the waters on my own! Just starting out is a blessing and a curse. I have not yet been able to test what will and will not work for me. However, thus far the road map that Regie is presenting is clear, simple, and includes many methods I have thought about. The process of demonstrating, shared demonstrations, guided practice, and independent practice was already a process I employed in my 4th grade math class. I would have been scared to have considered this model in teaching writing and probably would have charted a course towards disaster!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought of the 12 Writing Essentials was related to my own writing. These are all concepts that I try to employ in my own writing. But this often done without much thought of the individual items. Somehow, somewhere these essentials became embedded in my writing process. Next, as I considered the 12 points related to how to teach writing the connection was made and the proverbial light went on. Sharing and demonstrating my own writing, thoughts, and process is the key (and the first part of the OLM).
It was already a previously held belief of mine that sharing student writing was important and necessary. But the chapter opened my eyes to the multitude of ways in which the celebrations can and should occur. The celebrations need to expand beyond just the author's chair when pieces are completed. I already feel that I do a good job of individually celebrating with students when they have produced a piece and we are meeting to publish. However I realize now that by simply achieving the OLM in my classroom will allow me more time to individually meet with students and celebrate their writing, complete or in progress. I am still working through the thought process of what to do to include more specific celebrations of writing. This may be a result of a lack of clarity on what grade level I will actually be working with when I get my own classroom. I am confident I can find appropriate means and celebrating writing we will do!
I particularly was impressed by the thought of writing is writing. It is so simple yet not always clear that everything from daily lists and emails are equally important means of writing as are personal narratives and persuasive pieces. I can see the value and progressions that can be made by allowing the students to write about what is meaningful and connected to their lives as opposed to always an assigned prompt. And I will foster this by demonstrating and sharing writing examples from my life that were connected and meaningful to me. I liked the idea someone mentioned of pen pals. This provides the built in concept of writing for a specific reader. And there are so many other possibilities to capture meaning and joy for individual writers: a review of a product used, an advertising pitch, a letter to a friend, step by step instructions on how to do something, a poem, a grocery shopping list, thank you letters..........the possibilities are endless and exciting!
HI Todd!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are getting many ideas from the text in how to structure your own writing program. Def. plan to re-read this text, you will be glad you did and take away even more ideas that are relevent to you at the time. One of the many things that Jackie and I like about this text is that it works with all grades, K-12 so it doesn't matter what level you wind up in, you still can use the framework and principles in your instruction.
Yes, "writing is writing" and is an important message to share with students. I have in the past compiled a list with students of all the places we write in our lives. You can also send this home and ask families to create a list together of the different types of writing that they do.
Simplify, simplify, simplify...words that I need to remember when I am planning and teaching writing in my classroom. I know that this is an area where I can streamline my efforts, while improving instruction and student success. As a first year teacher I am aware of the many things I was doing in the classroom that were not necessary or an effective use of my time. (Reading through the "Examining Beliefs About Writing" was an eye-opener for me!) I'm all about becoming more efficient with my time so that my instruction is more meaningful. What I took away from Chapter 1 was that while there are many of the 12 Writing Essentials that I use in my classroom, I spend more time on some areas (apply correct conventions and form for example) and less on others. I have always had a tendency to first review writing in this manner, and I realize that is is merely only a small part of the writing process - something I should look at after considering ideas and content with students. I'm hoping to find a better balance in these 12 areas this year. In addition, I realize that I need to thoroughly examine my instruction and make sure that I am giving time to "Shared Demonstration" in the Optimal Learning Model. I feel that I use 3 of the 4 aspects of this model, probably squeezing shared demonstration and guided practice together into one. Being even more explicit in my planning and instruction is a goal of mine for the upcoming school year. I'm hoping that I'll find more answers on how to make this happen in the upcoming chapters.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad to be taking this class because I feel like I'm not often making the most of my writing time. Yes, we do write in our classrooms every day - but is it meaningful writing? Well, from what I'm reading from Regie...yes and no. Our writing curriculum does a nice job of making sure we're addressing the many modes of writing (narrative, expository, friendly letter, etc.), but are these experiences joyful and do they make writing fun? I think this is where I can do better. Fortunately for me, the first grade students in my classroom are usually excited about writing and want to share the things that they write about. (One of the great benefits of teaching younger students - they love to write and share!) This is where I was excited to read about the need to really "celebrate" writing. Too often, we feel that our students need writing prompts to direct their writing. While it's true that some do need ideas or direction at times, it's still important to give them time to free write about what motivates them. I never want it to feel too prescribed. Giving them options is something I will look to implement more of this fall. I also plan to use their writing and assemble more classroom publications. How they love to read and reread stories written by friends! The benefits are multi-faceted - it sends a message that writing is an important part of our lives and that we can celebrate our accomplishments/successes.
Hi Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI agree, it’s important to think of ways to streamline and simplify but don’t forget as a new teacher you’ll likely putting a bit more time and effort into your program and room.
I feel it takes about three years to really get your groove going when you are new at any level or even if you’re experienced and make a grade-level, subject or school change. :D Usually the first year you are getting accustomed to how the school and your team works plus learning the curriculum. The second year is a bit easier, but this is where you are fine-tuning your approach and the content. By the third year is where I feel like you start to really get comfortable with your content, your expectations and knowing what the students are capable of doing. So remember to be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack.
I know that since I’m heading back to work in a few weeks (yikes! :D) after being home with my baby, I’m going to have to spend some extra time for the first few years at school and working at home that I normally wouldn’t if I hadn’t changed schools and taken time off.
You are not alone with squeezing the shared demonstration and guided practice together. I think many of us do this in an effort to save time and move along. Being more aware of the different phases of the OLM (or gradual release of responsibility) will def. help you to be more intentional in your planning and instruction.
Yes, those primary students are so excited and eager, that it is, in my opinion, easier to engage them with writing because they like writing and like sharing. ☺
Giving choice within structure helps students have a focus and direction but allows them to have more freedom and independence about writing. I also tell students if there is something that they are really excited about writing or a topic they wish to write about they can ask me and usually I’ll let them, even if it’s different from what the choices are. (You know the exception where that student ONLY wants to write about StarWars or dinosaurs or whatever topic they are interested in…they have to have a variety of subjects, not just one. :D)
And class books are an excellent way to differentiate for students. Students can work in pairs, complete a page themselves or do a whole book independently. And the children love to read class books, even from previous years. ☺
Writing Essentials Assignment #2: Written Reflection Section One
ReplyDeleteChapter 1:
Writing instruction is something that I don’t really engage in that often. I do much more reading instruction, but am taking this class with the goal in mind of imbedding more writing instruction into my reading groups. With that being said, I don’t really use the optimal learning model in my daily instruction and find that, when writing is a part of my reading groups, I tend to engage in guided practice.
Of the 12 Writing Essentials, the one I spend most of my time focusing on is applying the correct conventions and form. Many of the students who I spend time with on writing are still working to master letter formation. I will say, I believe this is an important point for these writers as it is the foundational skill needed to communication (independently) their ideas through writing.
Chapter 2:
I absolutely love the idea of reading student’s writing at the beginning of staff meetings! This seems like such a simple idea, but the idea of showcasing student work for the whole staff is so powerful.
In my instruction, I tend to be more superficial in celebrating student work. I complement students on their effort but don’t often recognize the important stuff like word choice or how they used transitions. This is something I would like to improve.
One thing I am taking away from this chapter is the value of story time and allowing students to hear stories for many reasons. As someone who takes students out of classrooms for “special classes” I need to work with classroom teachers to ensure I’m not pulling students (especially those who struggle with language and writing) during that time. I also need to incorporate more story telling in my groups. I don’t always feel that I have very good stories to tell, but even sharing a read aloud would be a step in the right direction. I think many of the students I work with enjoy telling about what they did over their weekend (usually playing video games ). For those students who don’t do weekend news in their classroom, perhaps this is something I can incorporate into my groups.
Chapter 3:
I don’t think of myself as a writer, I never have. The idea of writing as together as a staff scares me, I can see great benefit in it, but I am such a self-conscious writer that the idea of this type of experience causes a great deal of anxiety in me. Part of my anxiety comes from the feeling that I don’t think I have very good ideas, but also that I worry I won’t craft a sentence correctly, will use improper conventions or grammar or will misspell a word. While I have these feelings of worry and stress when it comes to writing, I’m sure many of my students do as well. My worry is that, while I can still share writing experiences with my students, I don’t enjoy the process and what message does that send them? On the other hand, the more I share that process with them, perhaps I will come to enjoy the process.
I love that Routman starts this book like she ended the Reading book, discussing making our teaching life less cluttered and overburdening. While I love teaching reading I must admit that I hate teaching writing. It is overwhelming. Everyone of my students is in a totally different place. Some like to write but have very poor skills. It is hard for peers and staff to read, they can’t read their own writing and they don’t remember what they wrote after they are done. Others may get 1-2 words written in the allotted time. On top of that, many of our kids do not show up for our writing groups on time. This past year our students only got 15-20 minutes for IEP writing. If the teacher does not release them on time we may have as little as 10 minutes to work on their writing. Trying to teach a student to spell when they can’t hear sounds correctly (with my population this is not uncommon) is a never ending struggle. They know rules like end a sentence with punctuation but can’t get passed using a period. Also, capital letters do not necessarily end up where they belong. One of my students always writes a capital “F” no matter where in the word the letter is used. At his IEP meeting I mentioned this and his father laughed. He does the same thing. Neither one of them sees or notices this until someone else points it out. I have never come across a writing program I have been satisfied with. This past year I tried the “Step Up to Writing”. I had not been to training for the program. My EA’s and I read the manual and did the lessons from each unit. We used the primary kit and many pieces I felt were harder and wordier than I expected.
ReplyDeleteI like hearing her say the content comes first and the mechanics will come as we go. While I hate teaching writing I love to write. I write poetry and even have a piece published, which I do share with my students. I read them the piece and show the book. Apparently, I need to focus less on the rules and more on the “12 Writing Essentials”. I look forward to a new approach this year. I like the idea of my showing my writing and sharing and thinking with my students to show them what I am looking for. I was planning on using more DOL this year. I am rethinking that strategy.
I remember back in high school receiving papers back covered with comments and marks in red. I had decided in 2nd grade I would be a teacher. I vowed I would never use red pens or pencils to mark or comment on students papers. I vow now to find something great about each person’s writing and acknowledge that before addressing areas to work on as well. When I hold an IEP I always start my “Present Level” area with a strength of the student and end with a strength. All the other stuff comes in the middle. I will do that with comments, suggestions and questions about writing this year. I loved how Routman told the one student she couldn’t wait to hear the start to his story. WOW, what a great way to acknowledge him, show what he was able to do mattered and encourage him to continue. I have used the sticky not technique many times myself or personal dictionaries if it is just one word. For my very young writers I have them illustrate a story and then label items. Many times they aren’t writing the whole word yet, especially at the start of the year. They can usually give the first sound. I have them write that, share the word with me, I put it on a sticky, they copy it and then I model a simple sentence that they help write and then copy. Another big issue with many of my kids is letter formation. Sometimes it is very difficult to know what they have written because the letter formation is so poor. I am wondering if penmanship is addressed at all in this text. I like the idea of giving the students choice in what they write- one problem that I have ran into with this is the kid who can’t pick a topic. When topics are suggested they turn them down. I do also like the idea of it being ok for a topic to remain the topic for several days or weeks. For some of my kids this would help.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you are considering the times you pull students from the classroom. YEAH! This is so important for all the reasons stated. Oh def.!!! I can understand your anxiety about the thought of writing in front of the staff, but I really think that no one would be holding you up to perfect standards with a first draft, on the spot writing. Think of me, writing these posts for all of you…I write and re-read, but I’m sure there are spelling, grammar and other mistakes that happen. The big take away point, which I’m sure you realize now that you’ve finished the text and course, is that we want to work on meaning first.
I think these feelings of anxiety would be so powerful and helpful to share with some of your students. And yes, the more we write in front of our students, the easier it becomes. I would also say students are really interested in our stories and I’m sure (positive in fact!!!) that you have more stories to share than you believe.
Even a quick write about how excited you were to have your morning cup of coffee (I’m a tea girl actually, but you get what I mean.) and you get up early from your warm, cozy bed. Tread quietly to the kitchen and trip on the lego Death Star that your sons had half demolished the night before and left in a mess; which then caused you to step on to Lightening McQueen, (that your daughter had playing with while the boys were blowing up the Death Star,) and slide across the kitchen floor almost, but not quite landing in a split. And then, to top everything off, as the cat ran from the room (I’m not actually a cat person, but just as an example) you go to make your coffee and the water pours all over the counter. Sounds like it’s going to be a terrible, rotten, no-good, very bad day.
So I would say, and hope, that you will also find some joy in writing with your students because it is so hard to teach something well that we don’t like doing. (Hopefully after this text you feel more prepared and inspired!)
Hi Karyn,
ReplyDeleteTeaching writing can feel overwhelming, but hopefully the framework and ideas from this text will help you with instructing writing. YEAH, love that vow! Yes, find something great about each piece before commenting on the (one or two) things to improve. (We must focus on only one or two things for improvement with the students. Any more is too overwhelming and disheartening for the children. Think, what is the one or two things that AT THIS TIME will help your student move forward in their writing skill??? This also takes the pressure off of fixing everything at once.)
I would write on a sticky note and tape it to the back of the paper what the writing says if you aren’t able to read it later. (Or the student can’t.) I am a HUGE believer of dating all work so that you can monitor progress. It may be small and slow but there will be progress and having pieces in a portfolio is so helpful to track this AND show the students their growth over the semester or year.
Yes, Regie addresses handwriting and mechanics, grammar and conventions later in the text. When I taught in the classroom (2nd grade) I had a student on an IEP that had fine motor skills issues. So teaching keyboarding was one of his modifications. He was allowed to use a computer or alphasmart for writing. I think if these modifications are needed then we should allow the students to use the computer. Of course the student needed to work on his letter formation and fine motor skills with OTs and in the classroom, but during writing I was more interested in his thoughts and stories than if his letters were perfect. I think we need to separate these two things so that the meaning and content and ideas can be recorded and that the child can feel that they are a good writer with important things to say.
I mentioned this in a later assignment, but for students who can’t make a choice, I give choice within structure. I believe it’s easier, as a classroom teacher, to write about things that happen in the classroom so that you can more easily guide and support the student. Like writing about a class field trip or when Jimmy’s pet rat got out of the cage during show and tell or when a mouse ran across the floor during math. Sometimes you may have a child who just needs you to begin with them or be told they have to write about X. Usually this student and the teacher will have a conference to discuss the matter and perhaps make a plan.
Karyn,
ReplyDeleteI meant to mention about the teachers not releasing students early enough for you to have your full time...Do you think you might want to talk about this with your administration and/or staff. It is important work you are doing, but if you have only 10 minutes, there isn't much time to get anything done. With the start of a new year, this may be the time to bring up this subject. I know it won't always be perfect but maybe with a quick conversation teachers will remember or work harder to help the students get to you for their allotted time.