Assignment Nine: Final Course Reflection
(All assignments are due by 8/21 !!!)
Take a look at the last section in Regie's text, Writing Essentials, it's chock full of great resources!!!
Teaching in Action: Lesson Essentials 5 Day Lesson Plans & Appendices
• Secrets of Second Graders• Heart Poems• Procedural writing• Hero writing• Persuasive writin• Appendix survey
Be sure to look through this section. If you haven’t already done so, look at Appendix A (page A-2.) Re-examine your beliefs about writing by re-reading the statements about the writing process and marking true or false in your book. Did you change any of your previous answers? Would you consider bringing this page to your team or even to your entire school to jump-start discussions about writing? Take some time to look through the appendices. There are several useful examples included. One we’d like to point out to you is Appendix L- The Genre Characteristics Excerpt on page A-13. Look to the Writing Essentials companion website at www.heinemann.com/writingessentials for the entire chart as well as directions to assist you playing the DVD.
ASSIGNMENT NINE: Final Course Reflection - Critically examine your current literacy program and develop realistic goals to improve your instruction. Also reflect on the balance between your home and school life. If our students are to become happy, literate people, they need happy, balanced teachers. BRIEFLY, share several of your goals with the class by posting them to the blog for this final assignment.
Thanks for taking our course!!!! Mary & Jackie!
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Essentials of Writing Assignment 9
ReplyDeleteIrene Osterman Sussman
Goals to Improve my Writing Instruction
These goals are a synopsis of the most inspirational ideas I gleaned from this course. They are, for the most part, practices that I was not doing, or was not doing as well as I would like to do this year.
Model my writing or do a shared writing every day: In the beginning of the year I would like to with my grade level team to create a September/October list of shared writing ideas along with several teacher writing ideas so I have a framework for including these into my daily writing instruction.
Use whole class sharing as a way to teach. This one I did, I would like to refine and improve how I did it to really use the time well.
Schedule one-on-one conferences. Last year I had no other adults in the room during writing and didn’t feel it was worth the time pulling one child away from the group. However, conference can be right at a table with other children present and that the other children may learn from listening in.
Discuss, model and create with the class chart of what writers do. I love the chart on pages 299 and 300 and would like to create one with my class. In previous years I always had a “What good readers do” chart, it makes so much sense to have one for writers.
Teach skills first, label them later. I love this one and it makes so much sense for first graders to understand a skill before we give it a name.
Read at least one poem to the class each day and have a class poetry writing session or sessions once a month. My team does a “poetry unit” in March. After reading Regie’s book I believe poetry can be a wonderful way of encouraging and exciting reluctant writers.
Ask myself each day, “Is what I’m doing going to help my students become more joyful and skilled readers, writers, artists, scientists? Is it really the best use of my time?”
Leave work with enough energy to enjoy my evenings and weekends. Spend my time off doing more reading, writing and talking to friends and family so I can return to work with enough energy to inspire my students.
I REALLY want to use parents in literacy workshop. In the past, I have had some issues with parents interfering with the teaching. This year, I think I'd like to do a quick workshop on how to help in my classroom :) I REALLY want to use them for editing!
DeleteLast year I copied a poem a week and they glued it into their reading journals :) We read the poem with expression LOTS of times that week, so ALL kids could read it fluently by the end of the week. I also used it to teach word work sometimes (magic e, bossy r, etc). They LOVED it! I caught them reading their poems through fluency phones ALL the time.
I think your goal of leaving work with en energy to enjoy YOUR life is an amazing goal :) Happy teacher = happy students :) Good luck this year, I've enjoyed reading your posts!!!
I am walking away from this class with some GREAT ideas for changing my literacy workshop.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to re-structure my writers workshop to include a mini lesson and writing time, but after that, they will get to choice write. I am going to offer some fun weekly prompts as well as have an anchor chart of what "free writing" can be (lists, stories, letters, reports, etc...). I am also going to restructure my writing notebook to include the front for our lessons/writing together - I want it to be double spaced so I can teach editing properly, and leave the left side blank so I can give comments/reminders/practice areas for word work during my individual conferences (or whole class). I am going to let the kids write from the back (their "heart" writing) when they finish working.
I am going to teach my kids when to sign up for a conference using the list. and also share, share, share...and turn those into whole class conferences.
I also am going to make sure EVERY piece of writing has an audience and purpose. After reading this book, I feel like this is a less daunting task.
Finally, I am going to attempt to start a group with some peers. I might be able to get a few on board. I like the suggestions on page A-15 to help me get started.
Finally, I am going to continue to evaluate what I take on. Is it directly benefiting my students? Is it going to take away from what is important? Does it fulfill MY professional goals? If not, I have to say no so I can be the best teacher for my 30 (eek!), second graders :)
Overall, I found this book to be really helpful and inspiring as I think about my teaching for this next year. I like the way that Regie explains everything in the book and gives really good examples of lessons and exact words to use. While I know that there are a lot of things that I could change as a result of this book, there are four main goals that I have for myself based on reading this. The first goal is to use more demonstrating writing and shared writing. I want students to see how I write and to see the strategies that I use and the fact that even I struggle when I write. I also want to do some more shared writing with them because I see this as another way to get them engaged and excited about the writing process, while also allowing me to teach some important skills. It will be fun to use some of the shared writing we do for our reading time as well. The second goal that I have is to start with the whole and to work in context. I have focused a lot on skills in my classroom because that is how their IEP goals are written. However, if I want them to use the skills in their writing, I need to show them first what their writing needs to look like. They need to be invested in what they are writing in order to learn and to comprehend what the skills are used for. The third goal that I have is to keep my expectations high. While I do this in general, I think the area that I have let go a little bit for them is in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. In the past I haven’t wanted to stop them for these things because I wanted them to keep writing. However, if I am going to get them interested and invested in the writing in other ways (as mentioned above), then it’s okay to have them slow down during their writing and make sure they are getting some of these things correct. The last goal that I have for myself is to reduce the paperload and enjoy life more. By not making and finding lots of worksheets for students to do and complete and instead having them just write more, it will open up more time for me to enjoy time outside of school, which will make my time at school more enjoyable as well. It will be difficult to share and write stories with students if I don’t have any stories to tell them, so I need to make sure that I am making time to do the things I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you all know that I see all your assignments and will be responding to them soon. (Within the week or so.) We need to get grades to TINT for PSU very quickly this term so once all grades are submitted I will be working on the assignments that came in this week. Talk to you soon.
Thanks ladies! These are excellent goals! I'm glad you enjoyed the text and wish you a wonderful start to your new school year. Be sure to plan to re-read the text at a later time, you'll come away with even more ideas. It's been a pleasure working with you this term. I'll email you your grades. PSU will have the grades posted after 9.3. Thanks! :)
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