"Make more time for conversation around writing." p. 38
I made a note of this in Ch 2. After I give a writing assignment that I want the kids to do independently I haven't let them talk. Holy cow! That sounds really bad.
I want them to write their own ideas and we might brainstorm together and then I tell them to get busy. I let them write for 10 minutes before we talk again. Usually the quick writers get busy and moan at the 10 minute mark because they want more time. It's the other ones that look up at me with "I don't like what I've started" or "Whew! Time's up!" We'll talk as a class, again, not independently, and hear some of the starts. I think if I'd change this method, I might have all of them enjoy writing more.
"Writing enhances thinking and helps develop it." p. 42
I like having the kids write at the end of a unit, it sure tells me what they understand and any parts that aren't clear. However, I'm never sure how to grade it. Maybe I need to notice more how the kids are writing. Tell them what's really strong as a writer. Give them confidence to be a writer.
"...we found out that not one of us made a graphic organizer as a way to plan our writing." p. 47
What's that say about teaching kids to use graphic organizers to write?
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Ch 2 Start with Celebration
" Most of all, stories are fun, and fun is sadly missing from our classrooms these days." p 24
Isn't this the truth how fun is so easily stifled with all the pressure to perform.
"I put my heart on the page when I tell the story." p 25
The other day I wrote with my students about their favorite person using our list of character traits. Since I have my own kids, I couldn't pick my usual favorite person because they might want to write about Nana, too. Instead I wrote about a childhood friend that passed away with cancer. It was tough and inside I wanted to abandon the experience but my kids wrote with more expression than I have seen the entire year.
"Talking through stories and possibilities before writing often helps to 'find' the story you really want to tell." p 27
Oops! I've felt if they sit and talk I lose them for writing. But when I assign to work in groups, some end up whining because they want to write their own story. I'll try letting them talk through their stories and possibilities this week.
"As teachers, we need to view children's writing through a nurturing, positive lens and notice all the small and big things kids do well." p 29
Okay, Julie G, now I understand better how you feel about grading for the report cards.
Isn't this the truth how fun is so easily stifled with all the pressure to perform.
"I put my heart on the page when I tell the story." p 25
The other day I wrote with my students about their favorite person using our list of character traits. Since I have my own kids, I couldn't pick my usual favorite person because they might want to write about Nana, too. Instead I wrote about a childhood friend that passed away with cancer. It was tough and inside I wanted to abandon the experience but my kids wrote with more expression than I have seen the entire year.
"Talking through stories and possibilities before writing often helps to 'find' the story you really want to tell." p 27
Oops! I've felt if they sit and talk I lose them for writing. But when I assign to work in groups, some end up whining because they want to write their own story. I'll try letting them talk through their stories and possibilities this week.
"As teachers, we need to view children's writing through a nurturing, positive lens and notice all the small and big things kids do well." p 29
Okay, Julie G, now I understand better how you feel about grading for the report cards.
Ch 1 The Essential Writing Life
"Pressured by a demand for higher scores...we understandably succumb to the latest program or newest method." p. 4
Typed right from the book, this statement speaks for itself.
"Although teaching writing well is a complex art, we have made it far more difficult than it needs to be." p. 5
I've always wanted writing to be simple, but with all the direction of the latest program we get bogged down trying to teach all the traits in isolation.
As a shared belief on writing, "Quality is more important than quantity." p. 9
I remember a few years ago while rating writing, the question arose as to why our papers were so short. For one, we typed in size 12 font double spaced with one inch margins and one to two sentences could easily fit on a line. I have always told the kids that writing is like a mini skirt; long enough to cover the subject but short enough to create interest. I have never told my students how long their writing must be in length. We might build a certain number of paragraphs in an informative report but never the exact length. I really felt like my kids didn't get a fair shake because their length was questioned before the grading even began.
12 Writing Essentials for All Grades: The audience may be the writer themselves.
I've always worried about finding an authentic audience and was glad to see that they can write for themselves. Yes!!! That sounds kind of silly, doesn't it?
"Teaching writing by focusing on the parts- spending weeks teaching sentence fluency or transitions or voice, ...is not how writers work." p 15
In the beginning of our 6 trait model, I tried to teach the traits in isolation but it just didn't seem natural. After fighting with the correct way for a number of years I now teach the traits by looking at what real authors in real books do to make their writing better. It's easier in mini lessons after the kids have a lot of writing to look at and compare with what they've done in the past.
Typed right from the book, this statement speaks for itself.
"Although teaching writing well is a complex art, we have made it far more difficult than it needs to be." p. 5
I've always wanted writing to be simple, but with all the direction of the latest program we get bogged down trying to teach all the traits in isolation.
As a shared belief on writing, "Quality is more important than quantity." p. 9
I remember a few years ago while rating writing, the question arose as to why our papers were so short. For one, we typed in size 12 font double spaced with one inch margins and one to two sentences could easily fit on a line. I have always told the kids that writing is like a mini skirt; long enough to cover the subject but short enough to create interest. I have never told my students how long their writing must be in length. We might build a certain number of paragraphs in an informative report but never the exact length. I really felt like my kids didn't get a fair shake because their length was questioned before the grading even began.
12 Writing Essentials for All Grades: The audience may be the writer themselves.
I've always worried about finding an authentic audience and was glad to see that they can write for themselves. Yes!!! That sounds kind of silly, doesn't it?
"Teaching writing by focusing on the parts- spending weeks teaching sentence fluency or transitions or voice, ...is not how writers work." p 15
In the beginning of our 6 trait model, I tried to teach the traits in isolation but it just didn't seem natural. After fighting with the correct way for a number of years I now teach the traits by looking at what real authors in real books do to make their writing better. It's easier in mini lessons after the kids have a lot of writing to look at and compare with what they've done in the past.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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