Assignment Nine: Final Course Reflection
(All assignments are due by 3/14!!!)
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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Reflection:
ReplyDeleteThis class has sparked my love for teaching writing again after having to struggle with adopted programs. My team and I will continue to have more conversations about the challenges given to us through district mandates. And hopefully, more conversation across grade levels. My desire is to get back to some of the freedom in writing that will help my students develop not just skills, but an excitement for being writers.
I will intentionally find more ways to have students share, celebrate and reflect on their writing. This means advocating for a change in schedule next year that provides a more reasonable chunk of time. I used to make lots of class books and send them home for a night for each student to share. It’s also my goal to get back to this sort of publishing that shows students the value of their hard work.
I am still ruminating about the connection between my home life, my own writing life and work. Teaching is a demanding but rich profession and it can be a challenge to know when to quit and head home. Finding ways to take care of myself has been a fun adventure over the last few years and I’ll continue this pursuit with the goal of sharing more with my students and friends.
Assignment 9
ReplyDeleteI’ve mentioned many times the scripted writing curriculum the district has purchased for us. The only positive I could say about it is that it supports the lowest, struggling writers with outlines, sentence structures, etc. One huge problem it has is it makes students dependent upon the teacher for WHAT to write, WHAT to fill in the sentence structures with. There is very little creativity or use for what good writers do. Because of this program, this books is hugely valuable to colleagues and myself who have/are taking this class. We have had many great discussions and planning around the many things learned from this text.
Goals:
Identify an audience for their writing
Use whole class conferences
Shared writing
Find time for free writing
Refer to the book for lessons/genres
Celebrate writing/writers!
My role as an ESL teacher is to teach/develop language through writing. Our model strings together different curriculums as well as a healthy dose (in my case) of making stuff up. We have a year-long writing plan and teach one genre of writing at a time.
ReplyDeleteOne critique of my school’s literacy program is that reading and writing are not integrated as of now. My personal writing instruction has many strengths and weaknesses. The following are a few weaknesses. I don’t have kids free write very often/at all. I try to align each unit with authentic purposes/audiences but it doesn’t always happen (I’ve done much better since starting this course). I sometimes teach skills in isolation. I sometimes get bogged down in units that last 3-4 weeks (that’s too long). I have not done enough think alouds and whole class shares. I haven’t done enough (I do try) to share both my reading/writing life and my personal life. I have not been successful in getting kids to be careful editors/revisers of their writing. As far as my writing unit topics, I feel like they are good but could use some critical thought to see how they could be more engaging.
The grand ideas I’ve taken away from this class is do all the little things to get children to enjoy writing. Also, engaging writing assignments with real audiences and purposes are an important aspect of keeping young writers motivated. Teaching skills in context is another important aspect I’ve learned.
My goals…
-Reexamine a couple of writing units I do that are less popular/more challenging to see how I could make them more engaging
-Continue to/expand on ways to embrace authentic writing
- Reach my struggling writers by celebrating their ideas/output and helping them from there
-Conduct writing conferences in a more effective way
-Provide more free writing opportunities
- Strike a balance between using graphic organizers and frames with encouraging risk-taking
-Provide quality instruction and win each class
Work life balance – I have a great trip planned for this summer. Thinking about that helps me get through days that go long. I could always read, write, and exercise more. I’ll try to do that.
Final Reflection:
ReplyDeleteThis class has cemented my thoughts regarding the importance of unscripted writing instruction. In my opinion, my first grade team is on the right track in creating a classroom environment where students love to write and love to celebrate each other’s successes in writing. We meet as a PLC each week and I would love to revamp our year long writing schedule. We can make it so much more enjoyable if we keep all the outside stresses and mandates out of our head. Personally, I will be writing more in front of the class and be messy while doing it. I will also work on “telling a story” before I write. I will schedule time for more “free writes.” I started morning messages at the beginning of the year, but somehow it dropped off. I would love to pick that back up. I will slow down my writing instruction and enjoy it more. I can’t say that I will be able to manage my individual writing conferences with greater success and less stress, unless perhaps I create a calendar like I have done in the past with reading conferences. I need to think how to conduct those conferences with so many non-writers who like to be off task. For now we will be focusing on authentic writing (ie. procedural writing after spring break) and good content, while continuing to edit during whole group conferencing. We will create a rubric for self checking and I will keep my expectations high. Best of all, I will write out and share Regie’s Secrets of Good Writers.
This class has filled my brain with so many new ideas for writing instruction. All those great thoughts and ideas are written on at least a hundred bright green 3x3 post-its in my book. Thank goodness, because I have been referencing them a lot and will continue to do so as my team and I continue to make thoughtful changes to our writing instruction.
Thanks everyone! It's been a pleasure working with you this term. I will email your final grades. Have a wonderful rest of your year. :D
ReplyDelete