Family Message Journal

This is an example of the family message journal that we do in my classroom. The students love to write to a family member at home. Most importantly, students are writing to an audience. Found at www.primaryconcepts.com.

Chapter 12

Chapter 12-Make Every Minute Count

The teaching tip I found most helpful what letting students know that writing can be hard but that there are secrets that good writers know. These may include: thinking about their writing all the time, reread as they go, read the piece aloud to hear how it really sounds, read a lot, write everyday in quiet space, and stick with it even when the going gets tough. These are just a few but feel like these could help children that struggle each day with writing. I am going to make a poster in my classroom of the secrets of good writers. I think children could find this handy when struggling or for motivation. I try to motivate students by limiting the use of prompts that have no real audience as well. One thing we do is a family message journal. Each week, students write a letter to an adult at home. Parents write back and it is a continuous cycle each week. The children love to share what their parents have to say and get excited to write back to them. This is an example of writing to a real audience!

I have to say I’m guilty of giving my children writing prompts and they don’t know why I’m making them write it. This year, I plan to do a better job of making the writing purpose understood at the beginning of the lesson. Students will invest more in their writing and take more time if they understand the purpose.

            Most importantly, students need to have writing modeled. The best writers have had good models to show them what it should look like. Students need to be motivated by picking a topic of their choice and keeping writing simple and short. It should not seem like a job, this should be an enjoyment! 

Chapter 11

Chapter 11-Build on Best Practice and Research

Researchers have found some key research findings for all students K-12. First, students need to write everyday. They need to write for varied purposes and audiences to become fluent, competent writers. Writers who enjoy writing and are motivated to write do write more. As teachers, we need to understand social contexts and provide students with these experiences. In a classroom, writers who share ideas and respond helpfully to one another make it easier and more enjoyable for students to write.

I really liked the paragraph about how effective teachers are constantly reevaluating and rethinking their practices to improve student learning. There is no one best program to teach writing, good teachers make decisions based on research, teaching and learning experiences, and observations of students. Some of the most important aspects to remember when teaching writing include: Reading pieces aloud, receiving response, celebrating others efforts, and developing trust as a community of writers. Professional development is a big part of teaching high quality writing. Most of what teachers teach is a product of professional development that they have received. It is vital that professional development hat is received is aimed at excellent teaching at deep, lasting levels.  

I really enjoyed reading about how our beliefs about teaching and learning have changed over the years. It is amazing to see what we used to do and what we do now. I looked at the chart and plan to incorporate every item listed this year. One thing I really want to focus on is higher expectations for content and conventions. I teach first grade and never wanted to discourage children from writing. I am planning on having more conference time and using peer conferences to improve student writing.

This is an example of Kindergarten writing rubric. I chose to include this image because rubrics can be found at any age level. Some teachers believe they can only be used with higher grades. This is something simple that can help teachers. I found this at sbac.edu

Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Make Assessment Count

            There are two different ways to assess student writing. Assessment of learning is a way of assessing by standardized measures of assessments to check whether or not students are progressing. Assessment of learning is rarely used for daily instruction. Assessment for learning is a classroom-based assessment to inform parents, teachers, and students about student’s progress for a specific purpose of improving student writing.

            One way of assessing is by using rubrics. A rubric is a set of criteria for what needs to be included in a piece of writing. A content rubric provides criteria to frame writing and to define the task. An evaluation rubric provides criteria explaining how the writing will be rated or scored. Rubrics can be formal or informal. It is important to not apply rubrics in every piece of writing. When it comes to using a rubric, the author says to use professional common sense. It is not advisable to neither apply rubrics to all writing nor score all writing.

            There are several things to expect from students writing every single day. As a teacher, it is vital that we schedule writing everyday for 20 to 30 minutes. This even includes whole class share at the end of a lesson. The whole class share improves the quality of student’s writing. One thing I found beneficial is to assess the students writing everyday. This does not include a long process but can be very simple. I have always found it difficult to assess how the students are writing. I can do the assessments for learning through one-on-one conferences, whole-class shares, conversations, summaries, and evidence of revision and editing.  

This is an image of a teacher conferencing with a child during writing workshop. I liked how she was on his level and worked one-on-one conferencing with this student. Found at otterbein.edu

Chapter 9

Chapter 9-Conference with Students

            A writing conference is a meeting to discuss student work. Conferences help children grow as writers. There are a number of writing conferences: whole class, quick shares, on the run conferences, one-on-one formal conferences, and peer conferences. In my first grade classroom, I tend to do whole class share, on-the-run conferences, and one-on-one conferences. These all seem to be work the best in my classroom, even though I’m interested in doing the peer conferences. I struggle to find a way to do an effective way with 6 year olds doing peer conferences. The students do not have as much guidance and this seems to be relaxed where students are not getting anything out of their time.

            Conducting roving conferences is something that I usually do on a regular basis everyday. I liked the idea of having anecdotal notes where I can easily jot down how the students are doing and some specific guidance. This would be a great way to show the progress the student is making, and easily communicated with parents. There are several things that make a conference productive. These may include: having the student sit side by side, listen for and focus on the writer’s strengths and message, and narrowing the teaching focus to one or two major points.

            Most importantly, I liked how the author stated to be generous with praise. This means that information being relayed is not just towards one student, but modeling a response for all students. When you don’t think those little ears are listening, they really are! After many demonstrations and lots of practice, students begin to pick up on writing language and behavior in a whole-class share and in peer conferences.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8-Organize Daily Writing

            As teachers begin to establish a writing workshop, there are a few things to keep in mind. These may include: establishing a purpose and audience for all writing and always model. Demonstrating is where students will begin to catch on and gradually become better writers. Finding time for daily writing is essential for any grade level. The author stated that anybody that writes everyday in a regular planned writing session produces about twice the volume and twice the number of ideas as writers who write when they feel like it. With this statistic and preparing students with lifelong skills, it is our responsibility to provide students with a daily writing time.

            Most students and teachers write best in a quiet setting. After writing time each day, it is vital that the whole class does a reflection. Some of these questions could include: what went well, how could we have done better, what will we do differently tomorrow, etc. Modeling writing behavior shows children what the teacher expects and holds students accountable.

            One part of this chapter that I found helpful in my first grade classroom was the short writing projects with simple criteria. This could include a book of compliments, letter or poems, small moments, book reviews, and personal keepsakes. This is all topics that children feel comfortable writing about and feel like they all have something special to say. It is important that we publish children’s writing in classrooms and hallways in an attractive way that lets visitors read it easily. If children know that they will have an audience reading their writing, they will put more effort into all aspects of their writing.  Even those students that struggle with writing, they could have adaptations. This could include using parent volunteers, computers, peers, and the teachers help. 

Word Wall Image

I chose this image because it is a picture of a word wall that grabs students attention and my students find very beneficial using in my classroom. Found at valerie.ferrellweb.com

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Be Efficient and Integrate Basic Skills

            Research has shown that drills and worksheets do not improve student writing. The problem with isolated skills is that children don’t know what teachers are talking about and why. This author states that lessons should arise from what kids are doing, or not doing in their writing. Skill instruction should be an ongoing effort to construct meaning from text.

            The author made four major changes to a writing program to shift away from teaching isolated skills. These included: identifying writing genres that would interest students, deciding who the audience would be for each piece of writing, modeling their own writing process and struggle, and having students share their writing regularly. After having implemented these skills, children took more chances with their writing and some kids were asking if they could write more.

            One of the best ways to get quality writing is writing for an audience. Students need to provide information that the reader will need to understand their writing, and when writing for a teacher they fail to do this. Teachers need to provide students with opportunities such as writing as real as possible and topics of their choice. Voice is another important part in holding a reader’s attention. Voice is the writer’s personality on paper, and no student’s voice is the same. Voice and passion will go together, and teachers need to make an effort to make sure students are interested in their writing topics and the audiences.

            One part of this chapter that I’m guilty of is assuming that because I have modeled the writing, the students understand what they are supposed to do. It is important that I ask the children to repeat what they are to do before they start writing. Word wall words are helpful with children when they are beginning to write and read. This allows students from getting frustrated and develops a strong spelling consciousness. 

Chapter 6

            Integrating reading and writing leads to more authentic teaching, better reading and writing, and higher scores on tests. Children’s writing reflects the quality of reading they do. The texts that children read influence the quality of their writing. Children who read well-written literature (folktales, narratives, and trade books) become better writers than children who primarily read basal reading texts. Being an avid reader is the best preparation for becoming a writer. I like when Gary Paulsen wrote about how the most important part of writing is to read. If you read enough, when you sit down to write, that information is in your head and you can write, or it will start to work for you. This is evident in my first grade classroom. Those students that spend a great deal of time reading at home and school, writing becomes natural for them.

            Another part of this chapter that was helpful for me was using writing in guided reading groups. The most important part of guided reading groups is to make sure that students comprehend what they have read. Asking a guided reading group to do a little bit of writing is a great way to monitor and improve comprehension. This holds students accountable and lets the teacher know how students are doing. Asking worthwhile questions goes along with guided reading groups and whole group instruction. Students that answer higher-level questions get higher scores on standardized tests. 

Shared Writing

This is an example of shared writing. Students could be finishing a story or working together to share their writing. Found at education.umd.edu

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Do more Shared Writing

Shared writing builds on what the teacher has already modeled through writing aloud and helps with scaffolding students. The topic must be engaging to students and can be used with pairs, groups, or whole class. Shared writing is ideal for all learners. I especially like the idea of shared writing for the ELL students, challenged learners, and economically underprivileged students. Shared writing helps provide the rich oral language modeling that stimulates literacy development. When the topic is interesting for the students, the students see and value its purpose, and are motivated to work harder.

The teaching tips that go along with shared writing were helpful. They included: choosing a meaningful topic, say the words as you go, shape students’ language, move along quickly, look for opportunities for all students to participate, and stop and reread as you go. One of the most interesting to me was looking for opportunities for all students to participate. This could be done by saying, “What if the story went this way, or “What do you think is a better idea for this part”? Children could continue the class-generated story on their own or with a partner and write their own endings.

One part of the chapter I found helpful was cutting up and reassembling sentences. This could be done as a center in first grade. This is a great way for students to learn how language works. I am always looking for creative centers, especially reading and writing centers. This chapter gave me a lot of ideas: writing messages, demonstrating cutting words apart and reassembling them, making word sorts, working with words, making words with tiles, and writing a mystery message.

Teacher modeling and questioning

I chose this picture because it shows the teacher modeling in front of children. It is important for the teacher to take the time and ask students high-level questioning. Found at www.ehow.com

Chapter 4

Ch 4: Raise your Expectations

It is important to set school-wide expectations for writing that are reasonable and rigorous. This way teachers, administrators, and students are all on the same page and are working towards the common goals. All students needed to be held accountable and teachers must expect excellence. Every student needs excellent instruction, but those that are disadvantaged may need more of it. I had to agree with the author when she said that we sometimes further disadvantaged students by feeling sorry for them and expecting less. We need to never give up on a child and if they are struggling, we need to work twice as hard.

Children achieve faster and benefit from lessons and materials that are interesting and relevant to them. The author could not of said it better, worksheets are not good enough! When expectations are set high and the work is interesting, the students succeed, even those that are disadvantaged. I enjoyed reading about the first grade teacher that attributes her students excellent writing to: reading aloud at least three texts a day, writing poetry, having good peer models, focusing on audience, modeling frequently, intentional teaching, and holding high expectations for all students. One thing that I found interesting from this chapter is reading about how some teachers say their goal is to have their students write three complete sentences with capitals and periods by the end of the year. They are capable of so much more! If teachers are reading everything the students write, the students are not writing enough. Kids become writers by writing every day, not by completing exercises about writing. Students who are excellent writers write a lot. 

Writing Essentials Ch 1-3 Picture

Found this picture at www.writeshop.com. I chose this picture because it showed the individual conferences teachers should be constructing daily with children.

Writing Essentials Chapter 1-3

As adults, we feel at ease writing when there is no pressure on what we write. However, as teachers, we need to provide students with this exact same experience. This passion comes from teachers that raise their expectations, but show the students how to do the necessary skills effectively and efficiently to become great writers. I am a strong believer that students should be able to pick the topics they want to write about. This gives students some motivation and passion, but within structure.

One of the most interesting parts of this reading was reading about how writers always write with a reader in mind and make their writing and thinking processes visible. Teachers should provide students the opportunity to write to a real audience or be able to read their writing to a real audience. This provides students with real world connections. It was interesting to read that as early as first grade, many children already dislike writing and lose their writing spirit and energy. Teachers can prevent children from feeling like this with a change of how they perform their writing block each morning. One element that I would like to incorporate into my own classroom was meeting regularly and having conferences with students to assess and give feedback on their writing. This could be beneficial in setting goals and noting strengths.            

I enjoyed reading about how children need to experiment and play around with the pop culture stories in movies, video games, and sports. Most of all, these stories are fun and spark children’s imaginations. I know I always have those few students that have nothing to write about day in and day out. The list of topics that are easy for students to write about was helpful because most of the topics the children can relate to. This can easily be modeled in front of the class for those students that are having trouble getting started.