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Monday, April 27, 2009
Implementation Paper
Greetings--This is the spot to post your implementation paper! The last weeks have been exciting reading posts. If you have problems, just email me a copy by April 30 when I will turn in grades.
Next year I will use time in our language groups to ask the children to tell me what to write in response to a picture, experience, or object. We will create class stories, as well as individual stories for them to share with their parents. We might even include student generated “writing” in the monthly newsletter. That could take care of two objectives at the same time; boost their self esteem and encourage them to learn to love writing. It may even have the added benefit of the parents actually taking the time to read the newsletter and talk with their child about what they do while they are in school.
Next year I will continue providing materials for my students to “write” list, take orders, draw pictures to tell a story, and ask them questions about what they drew and the meaning behind their drawings. When we read stories I will maintain my practice of asking them to make predictions, tell me how a story could have ended differently, or retell the story in their own words. All of these ideas are precursors to writing.
Next year I may use a tape recorder or a digital video camera for them to hear and see their “writing” in action. All of this may seem a bit lofty given I am working with three and four year old students who have Individual Education Plans, many of them with language deficits. However, I am a firm believer that children will rise to our expectations. It is my hope that what we do in preschool will be a cornerstone for their future love of writing.
Next year instead of just verbally sharing some of my family’s experiences with students during circle time, I will read to them from my own daily writing, thereby modeling for them.
Next year the most concrete goal I have is for all of the students heading to kindergarten the following fall to know how to write their own name by the end of the school year. Good writers need to know how to write the alphabet. Or do they, what with computers, Smart boards, and whatever other technology is developed in the next few years.
Next year I hope to learn more, laugh more and write more.
How will I implement what I learned from this course into my classes next year?
Rubrics: I have used rubrics in my assessment for many years, but I did like to see the different forms that others have used in their classes. I will be using Lance’s ideas for a multi-grade classroom as I have students from the entire high school in each class, besides the fact that my students come to me because their skills are lower than most students at their chronological age. I must start them at the very beginning steps in writing to help the students in composing a cohesive essay…paragraph…sentence. Molly starts her youngsters out with listing the particular jobs associated with writing. I thought that was interesting, some may say basic skill; but if you haven’t been taught, or have forgotten what you have been taught, taking time at the beginning of the year to list out the responsibilities could make the entire year progress more smoothly. I would especially like the students to understand the writer’s job is to listen to the editor and keep track of ideas that may strengthen the work. Editors need to be reminded about being positive when they edit and avoiding “killer comments” that would hurt the writer’s feelings. I also liked the idea of the students coming up with their own rubric. I feel like this may give them more ownership in the writing, especially if you are studying the individual parts of a good essay when you and your students derive the rubric. It probably would help them learn the parts more thoroughly when they have to decide what to grade on. I know that I always understand better what was taught after I have corrected a few answers to my tests.
Portfolios: I like the idea of portfolio writing. I started all my students with portfolios this year. It is a good way for students to keep track of their work and be able to go back and see what they have accomplished over the semester. I also like to have them for parent-teacher conferences to show the parents what their child is accomplishing in class. I like the idea of the student picking out their best essay at the end of the semester. I used that idea with the student assignment for week eight. I asked one student to pick out his best essay for me to use in this writing course. I was afraid that he may not want to do it, but he was really pleased and said, “It would be an honor.” I held my face straight, but I was pleased with his response. He went right to his portfolio and reviewed his papers. Within the hour he had picked the one I was to use and brought it to me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that little request gave him pride and confidence in his work. Where I was afraid that he would look at it as teachers looking at his work, he looked at it in an entirely different manner. I wonder if I should get back to the practice of posting their work from time to time.
Self Reflection Component: While I have used a type of self-reflection component in all of my classes, I am going to revamp what I am using to make it more of a written exercise. At the end of each day, I am going to have the students write in at least a paragraph stating exactly what they attempted and what they accomplished during the period. I am also going to have a longer reflection component at the end of every project. This will have to be a page or so. Hopefully, this will help them to cement what material was covered, but also help students to be able to write more easily when asked about what they have been doing.
EJ- I loved your last line, “Next year I hope to learn more, laugh more and write more.” I want to be in your class! That is a wonderful motto. Your line about boosting the students’ self esteem also hit a nerve with me. That is probably the most important task you have ahead of you, but the one that is overlooked the most with teachers. It’s easy to teach a child when they come from a loving home and have been told that they can do anything in life. It is a completely different story to teach a child who hasn’t a solid base at home and has been explained over and over again everything that they do wrong. I’ll bet in your tenure of teaching you are directly responsible in keeping several children from entering the correctional system. I wonder if there is a GLE for that?
Next year I plan to journal more and will request more journaling from students. Journaling will provide the learner with an opportunity to revisit lessons and experiences that may have occurred in isolation. It is my goal to encourage students to draw on prior knowledge and to write across the curriculum. Journaling will help learners to organize their thinking and to develop their own meaning, voice, and style.
I also plan to provide writing opportunities that allow the author to craft and foster their own writing that matters to them. To assist the writer, I will provide a system of fast-writes and ideas to generate ideas. This will be complimented by peer review and revision opportunities that will offer authentic feedback to the writer. I think it would be a good idea provide meaningful time to the student so they can choose to write in an unencumbered free-writing as well. I will provide a variety of layouts for students to experiment with: simple single lined paper, double-lined paper, lined paper on the left with an opportunity to draw images on the right and vise-vera, comic book layouts, etc.
I will provide rubrics for peers to use when reviewing the authors writing and writing forms. A rubric might ask the reviewer to focus on meaning, if the writing makes sense, or to look for details. There will be a place fro the reader/reviewer to help share thinking that may help the writer understand the readers experience and help the writer to understand the audience perspective.
Peer feedback would not be limited to the rubrics; small conferences with me would also help serve to support the writer. I will conference with the author privately after the peer review processes have been explored by the writer.
Over a semester or throughout the year, the author and I, will look though many different lenses of Six Traits with the learners. I will need to make sure I have a suitable system to assist my record keeping as I hold conference with learners about their writing. Each writing might only focus on one or two of the traits, but all conferences will include a focus on meaning, style, and developing their thinking.
I will provide opportunities for small writing groups to collaborate as they write. I will require groups work together to focus and develop their thinking into one composition meeting a purpose specifically identified by me. “This collaborative writing assignment should be imaginative and is intended to entertain and inform an audience of third grade students,” for example.
There will be opportunities for active learning in this approach of collaboration. I may ask students work together to assemble meaning from different pieces of information that appear unrelated, articulate a possible solution to a problem, how to achieve a common goal, or complete a project.
Personally, I am leaving believing if writing was brought into the “blocks”, writing might open all subjects up to real understanding and how things are connected. Perhaps writing would reflect the focus that the teacher experts want, and perhaps writing provides the avenue for depth and clarity the student needs.
I've discovered something rather remarkable about my own writing, or more the point, how writing more has affected me. For the past few years, the only written for the same reasons I'm currently writing - classwork. I don't mind writing academic papers; on the contrary, once I get past the initial stages of procrastination, it feels rather good to stretch my brain. However, I've written more in the past few weeks than I've probably written over the course of the previous year. Consequently, I've noticed a profound difference in my ability to articulate my thoughts lately. If nothing else, this course has reminded me of the power of writing. To write is to think. Not 'think' in the passive sense of the word - as, " I thought about what I read and it was...you know...good," but rather think in the sense that I've had to really codify my ideas in a coherent, artful manner. In essence, this course reminded me that the simple act of writing can do wonders in making one more perceptive.
Next year I will strive to make writing more of a priority. While I have students write a lot, I haven't typically given them a lot of space to do so. They respond to prompts and discussion questions, but I haven't done enough to let go of the reigns and allow them to fully engage in exploratory writing.
I like the idea of writing workshops that I've encountered in this course. Thus far in my instruction, I've taught writing, grammar, and critical thinking skills in much more of a fragmented manner. Frankly, I haven't had much luck in improving any of those skills among my students using this approach. I'm looking forward to drawing on the ideas I've explored in this course to motivate my students to engage a bit more in the writing process. Also, I've learned the value of modeling in this course. While I've always been familiar with modeling, I've seldom actually engaged in the process. Last week, as a result of the readings and conversations from this course, I began modeling/collaborative writing with my students, and was impressed by the returns. Students seemed to buy into the process and actually commented about the usefulness of seeing good writing rather than discussing it in terms of the rubric.
Next year I aim to complete a piece of my own every two weeks and share all the relevant drafts, notebooks, napkin scratchings and scribbles with my writing students. Some pieces will be doomed to remain in purgatorial draft form and others will leap into final product. This class has shown me that I’ve put off following through on pieces out of, among other reasons: sloth, fear and lack of discipline. Thanks to my entire group for listening with care and achieving poems that prove people busier than myself can and do produce plenty of writing.
Next year I will invite peers, in-building and across town, to electronically exchange writings with me – perhaps on a pb wiki -- that can be read in my class during mini-lessons or in small group revision sessions. I think middle school-ers might be interested in how other writers take writing seriously enough to work on their revision processes LOTS before abandoning or publishing a finished piece.
Next year we will do MORE poetry and invite local poets into the classroom. Using forms of poetry and the many amazing websites available, along with podcasting and coffee house style readings I think we can write poetry nearly all year long and not repeat a single form, unless we choose.
Next year I will do more "nature" writing. Having place, as our theme is something I’ve not ever done and it is a wonderful entry into many genres. Dawn’s Dutch poem and Shelly’s Seasons would be an excellent jumping off point for us!
Next year I will try to keep on blogging and refine the use of blogging in my writing classroom to specifically address audience as an essential element in all writing. The Natalie Goldberg, along with our shared writings have caused me lots of thinking about how to make audience authentic to young writers, write what you need to and address the demands of a writing curriculum.
Next year I will refine my sharing time to be as conducive to writers as possible. As I have ‘listened’ to the sharing from our weekly readings, responses, formal assignments and general banter it has been with an ear toward how I can make my writing more succinct and clear.
Next year I will remember, as this class has so ably reminded me, that writing is a process that can be veraciously assessed with the help of Six Traits, my peers and my students and that assessment is only one part of that process.
Next year I plan to continue working with 6-traits as I did this year. The one thing I want to work on over the summer months is identifying and collecting picture books and chapter books that really give great examples of specific traits. I did this throughout this year, but it was always at the last minute scrambling for a book from the library.
I also want to implement some of the new technology I used in this class. I had no idea using goggledocs was so easy. Students could use this to write the text for picture books, or create their own books with illustrations; the possibilities are endless. (Thanks Lance for making this so easy to learn!)
I also want to refine how students share their work to get effective feedback from someone besides me. I still like using that last 30 minutes of the day when students are coming in and out of the classroom for specials etc. to visit with individual students and go over their writing. We can talk about specifics and what stands out and what could be done to make it stand out even more. I have lots of samples of peer revision sheets, but will spend some times this summer coming up with one that works for me.
The last thing I will continue with is using writing, science, and social studies journals to really keep students writing across the curriculum and to continue to model, model, model.
And finally on a more personal note, Sondra gave me a nudge to journal as I was going through the last week with my mom and I can’t begin to tell you how helpful that was. My last page of the Flotsam story is just that, a culmination of the many emotions and things I have felt this week and want to take with me as I continue on this journey we call life.
One improvement I’d like to make is to involve students in setting their own writing goals, as mentioned in our Week Seven reading, “Growing Beyond Grades.” I think I’ve been confusing the act of involving them with their writing through the self-revision step of the writing process with actually empowering them to take ownership of their own writing goals. Perchemlides and Coutant revisit writing goals with their students several times, “throughout the quarter, we require students to revise their goals, and revise them as their writing work changes” (54). Students must evaluate their writing using examples, reflect on their successes and struggles, and articulate what helped them the most. They then assign themselves a writing grade based on how well they met their goals. I would really like to borrow this idea and try it next year. Students may need to adapt their goals to different types of writing. For example, a student might need to work on organization for a persuasive essay but voice for a short story. That type of instruction might be better informed if I organized our study of literary genres to fit more cohesively with our writing projects to enable us to 1) read model writing, 2) develop a common vocabulary as we read that may be specific to a particular genre, and 3) ensure that student portfolios are varied and showcase their many different types of writing skills.
Another goal I have for next year is to break down the six traits in the beginning of the year and design/steal lessons that give students a chance to both practice individual traits and to revise peer writing using that trait. I have noticed that even as sophomores, students are fuzzy about the criteria for each of the six traits. Reviewing each separately will improve their understanding of my use of that rubric as well as help them become better writing circle participants (which in turn helps them become better writers as they are more likely to see in their own writing areas for improvement that they’ve documented in another student’s). Perhaps tweaking student self and peer revision requirements could also help me next year using the six traits. If I require students to highlight excellent examples of certain traits in their own and peer writing, they could see the revision process not just as a mode of finding error and weakness, but to help them recognize attainment of writing goals and mastery of new skills. In “Growing Beyond Grades,” the authors suggest having students practice using the six traits on evaluative models, both to help them recognize the trait and to provide students with an excellent example to which they can compare their writing. I would also like to do this.
I'm hoping that this course remains accessible for awhile because I'd like to be able to revisit many of the ideas and resources that are posted here over the summer when I have more time to think about using them.
This course has encouraged me not to put off my own writing. I plan to write more for enjoyment than purpose.
Next year I will continue to use 6 traits, portfolios, free writes and the writing process. However, the ideas that have been shared here will allow me to refine and improve those areas.
I haven't used journals for awhile and would like to include that again for my students and myself. I want to explore the resources that are posted and try some of the new ideas I find there to make instruction more interesting for me as well as my students. So I don't know exactly what I'll find yet. I have some colleagues that enjoy teaching writing as much as I do and I'd like to explore the "Writing Fair". I thought that was a great idea.
I have a geneaology project that I would like to do with my students that incorporates writing and technology. I've put it off every year because of the time it takes and my concern about losing students in the proces. I think there are some ideas here that I can implement to keep things going.
I'd also like to focus more on evaluation, particularly self evaluation. That starts with understanding what good writing is and how to analyze it and provide meaningful feedback to others. My students need a lot more practice with that. Spending additional time with individual conferencing would help I think.
Most importantly, I believe that this class has emphasized how much you gain through collaborations with colleagues and that in order to inspire your students you need to explore writing yourself. If I can schedule a little time every day for that in one form or another I can say I've accomplished my main writing goal.
Next year I will allot more time for writing right from the beginning of the year. I want my students to see themselves as authors and understand the power of writing. This year I excused myself by saying that my students were writing everyday but the type of writing tended to be limited to journal writing or mindbenders, (free writing). My students only wrote three stories all year and one research report, an embarrassing amount considering my own passion for the subject. This class has shown me the importance of diversifying the formats that my students are writing in so that they can have true appreciation and understanding of the craft. To support this endeavor I will build a structured writing lesson into every Monday’s plans. As we advance through the week there will be writing opportunities that support the specific skills taught on Monday. Next year will be my second year with this curriculum so I will be more familiar with the themes and genres that we will progress through. I have noticed that my passion becomes my students’ passion. I love reading and tout the glories of it at every turn. My students invariably become avid readers while in my class, a correlation that is very strongly related. If I infuse that much passion into my writing instruction I have a suspicion that my students will wield the pen with much more vigor.
To help me with the assessment portion of all the writing that my students will be doing I will look to Vicki Spandel’s Six Traits as well as my own created rubrics. I would like to infuse more of the Six Traits into my writing instruction, many people in our class are doing this already and most comments have been positive on this strategy. I also like the notion (what an idea! ☺) of putting more of the editing responsibility back on the students. The peer revision form that Molly offered on the blog piqued my interest and I will adjust it as needed to suit my students.
I have learned that I have lapsed into laziness as a writer this year. Once an avid journaler and note writer, I now write the minimum in emails and have sent very few cards and letters in the past dozen months. In my quest to fill every minute lest I get mopey, I have burned myself out creatively. Too much writing for another person drains my own desire to write for myself. A critical insight to have when thinking about the load of writing I will expect from my students.
In the words from Napoleon Dynamite, I love technology. Next year I am going to find more ways to use it. First, I am going to start a classroom blog or wiki that will be open for any of my students or parents to post on. Next, I am going to have my students start doing webquests. That is something we didn’t address in class but I was reminded of them when looking up websites for poetry. I am going to get permission from parents right from the beginning to set up email accounts for the students so that their audience is authentic and relevant to the 21st century. Finally, I really want to teach my students how to create podcasts so that they can record themselves reading their own writing.
Next year, I will have mastered the art of having endless patience so that I can make all of this possible.
Next year I will be teaching in a new culture. I am retiring from LKSD this year and moving to Washington State to spend more time with my Grands and my daughter. Since I do not know if I will have a full-time teaching position or be a substitute, I will tell you what I will carry with me in my bag of tricks for either outcome. Because I love writing about ‘place’ using poetry, I will take with me the “Two-Word” poem about our region of the world some of us tried earlier in the class. This is a great assignment for exploring adjectives and the notion of ‘place. The “I Am From” poem that the AWARE program sent out to all schools in Alaska this spring is a wonderful reflective poem about ‘self’ and ‘place.’ I will use this poem as a way to introduce myself and as a way to get to know my students. This can be an emergency sub plan or the opening assignment of the year in a regular classroom. Another poetry assignment that can be adapted for either situation is the “Language Keepers” poetry assignment I adapted with permission from a poem of that name by Caroline Kremers, an Alaska poet and writer. In this assignment, students are asked to write the names of the month of the year in their native tongue – and the meaning of the word. It is a very powerful assignment for connecting second language speakers with their cultural view of time and the western view of time. If all the students speak English as their first language, the model poem connects them to the notions of time outside Western culture. Of course, as a sub, I would just have each student take one month on the calendar, and then put the whole thing together with them by the end of the period. Yet another instant writing assignment can be found by just looking out the windows on the fall landscape or taking what I call a Journal Walk. On a Journal Walk, you and your class go for a short walk through the village or close to the school to observe the fall changes. It’s amazing how we can see, but not see. Students know that they will journal about what they see on the walk either at some point on the walk or when you get back to class. You talk to them while you are walking: “What do you see?” –“What do you hear?” – “What do you smell?” – “Color?” – “Sounds?” – “Something that has changed?” - “How do you feel?” Very powerful connecting activity.
Fast-writing has always been a mainstay of my classroom. Students write on the topic of the day for from 2 – 3 minutes. Then they are told to underline the sentence or phrase they like best. Next, we share just that phrase unless someone is brave enough to share the entire writing. A further step I’ve used is to take that one phrase or sentence and expand upon it in a short paper. Previous Fast-writes can be used later in the semester as ideas for papers and poems. Next year, I hope to connect with my students through blogging if I have a full-time position. I hope the school will have loads of technology – computers and projectors, scanners and more. I’ve found that schools outside of LKSD do not always have the same level of technology that I have become spoiled by here in LKSD. Computer access will make it possible for me to try a blog with my students to share their poetry and comment on each other’s work. The blog seems to be a quick way for a teacher to check to see who has been doing the assignments and who may need some extra coaching as well. I will prepare for this over the summer by learning how to create a blog. Writing Matters has been a rejuvenating experience for me. I am only sorry that I was not feeling well enough to put more into the class. I do plan to continue to explore blogging this summer. I wish we had had blogging when I was doing Bread Net exchanges. It is so much less cumbersome than email. No matter what the form, though, the important thing is that writing does matter. Students need to be exposed to the notions that writing is not just what you do to pass a class – writing is a necessary tool for life – for learning, for communicating, for achieving goals and for healing. And so it has been for me this past 8 weeks.
Next year I will be teaching third grade in Anchorage. I have taught third grade for six years now and am looking forward to strengthening the writing program. After finishing this writing course, I am excited about adjustments I can make in my writing program that will make it more effective.
One of my weakest areas is the assessment of student writing. I always know what I’m looking for but do not provide the students with enough guidelines before they begin. By using rubrics I can review with the students the expectations and they can refer to the rubric while they revise and edit. I’d like to create a “bank” where I can keep brainstorming/mapping tools and generic rubrics. I see this as resource that would help me structure their writing and match forms of writing with basic rubrics that I could improve as I become more proficient.
The second improvement I would like to make to my writing program is by adding “share time.” I envision this as an opportunity for students to share their writing and get feedback from their classmates and myself. I have done this effectively with my poetry unit, but only through discussion in writing classes have I realized how necessary it is with all forms of writing. I think students will learn from their own mistakes and successes as well as from those of their classmates.
The third improvement, which depends on implementing the rubrics and sharing time, is to teach the students writing skills that will strengthen their extended responses to text. I noticed that my group of students this year seemed to struggle with these tasks. This type of response is required for Alaska’s Standards Based Assessment so it is critical they have the skills and confidence to develop these extended responses. I know our adopted curriculum has some components that can guide me in improving this instruction and I plan to look into that over the summer and, ideally, can develop or find rubrics that will be useful in teaching students to write effective responses.
I think these are improvements that I can realistically implement next fall. I plan to take time this summer to organize materials that I have and are available to me at school. I also look forward to continuing my own journaling and writing, as that has been motivating. Putting myself in the shoes of the writing has let me approach my writing program with new eyes. I don’t want to loose that perspective!
Next year I will teach more poetry. In my first two years of teaching, I used the Core Knowledge Curriculum which required that I teach many different common poems. I will read more poems to my students and will allow time to study those poems. I also plan on teaching a poetry unit during writers workshop. I have dabbled in it this year. By writing poetry I feel that I can give my students another way to express themselves.
Next year I will revisit my long lost friend...6+1 traits. I have not looked at them since I was in my first year of teaching. At that time I dismissed it because I had too much on my plate and could not fathom applying anything else. After our discussions on the blog, I feel like I am not doing my students justice. I am trying to think realistically and am trying to not run out and implement the whole 6+1 Traits at once with 1st graders. I am not sure how to do it, I guess that is another summer project for me.
Next year I will create rubrics for specific writing pieces. As I looked at some of the assessments for next year I realized I could modify some of the writing assessment rubrics to fit specific writing assignments during writing workshop. I also want to start prepping the students for rubrics later in their school careers. After all, the foundation is laid in early elementary for the rest of a student's career.
Next year I will diversify my writing workshop. I have always relied very heavily on journal writing at the Kindergarten level. Next year is a whole different ball of wax, ie. poetry journals, weather journals, poetry composition, letter writing, book responses, travel responses, book reports, research papers, and any other form of putting pencil to paper that I can come up with.
Next year I will work with the 1st grade team to outline, record and implement a writers workshop. I would really appreciate a continuum of skills that outlines all areas that must be covered. I know that adjustments must be made based on specific needs of each child. A global picture of skills needed by the end of 1st grade would be fabulous. I have already started working with a few colleagues to see what is already in place.
Next year I will use my Activboard more. I will design several of my daily lessons to be taught from the Activboard. Learning the Activstudio software is another summer project.
Next year I will give my students more time to write. Not just directed writing but free writes as well. I do not ever plan enough time for writing. I look forward to having a longer day in 1st grade, which will translate to more time for instruction.
And last but not least, or at least not directly related to the immediate subject of this class, I want to incorporate a character building piece into my classroom. I believe that character education is so very important, but is often overlooked or thought not to be as important as standard teachings. The way I see it, one of the most important and lasting parts of my job is to help my students to become capable, engaged, respectful, empathetic, and caring individuals that can function in a community. Sorry Sondra, I am over my 400 words. =)
Lance-You did such a nice job of stepping out your writing process for next year that I have printed it and put it into my writing folder so I can glance at it from time to time to remind me of all the things I would like to cover during the year. I’ve enjoyed reading your musings. dc
As I reflect on my first year of teaching and my participation in this course, I begin to dream about what my classroom will be like next year. I am walking away from this with a wide variety of ideas and a great deal of inspiration. I must admit that some of my goals are a bit lofty, and I recognize that they may need some revision; only my students will be able to tell me that. I am aware of my need for improvement in both the teaching and assessing of writing, and am confident that the changes for next year will help accomplish both tasks.
I plan to use technology a great deal more. I only have a few computers in my classroom, but I am allowed a one-hour time slot in our lab each week. I would like to use this spot to focus on publishing work and updating our classroom blog. After using both blogspot and wordpress for collaboration and professional communication, I find that I am eager to use one of the two in my classroom. I see this as a place to keep parents informed and increase their involvement in the classroom. We can feature an author of the week and post student work, pending parental permission and the use of initials or nicknames for privacy purposes. Rubrics and upcoming projects could be posted here as well. I feel it will push me to spend more time thinking about how I teach and assess writing.
In addition to the increased use of technology, I also plan to increase my use of 6+1 traits rubrics and mini-lessons. So much of this year has been learning as I go and I am excited to start next year with a more solid foundation. I feel it will give me the opportunity to go a little deeper with my second graders of the future. I will establish a “bare-bones” rubric from the start of the year, training students in the language and proper use of the rubric and then diving in to more detail once they have foundational knowledge. I will create mini-lessons that correlate to the rubric and have students identify strengths and weaknesses in sample writing based on our focus for a particular piece. All in all, I will be more deliberate about my use of rubrics and my implementation of mini-lessons and writers workshop throughout the school year.
All of this dreaming about next year is deeply rooted in reflections prompted by this course. I have spent a great deal of time writing in the past several weeks and with that came a lot of reflection on my role as a writer. I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing and how much I missed it since starting my career. Writing helps me think, it helps me process information, thoughts, questions and emotions. Yet, at a time when I needed that processing the most, it was the first thing to get bumped off my “to-do” list. I fear that is due to my tendency to be a lengthy writer, I felt like I just did not have the time. It may also be wrapped up in my ever-present inner editor. At times I am acutely aware of the fact that no matter what I am about to put on paper, it is not going to look or sound the way I want it to. That thought stops me often; the desire for perfection and the knowledge that it is unattainable can be crippling. When writing with a pen or pencil, my inner editor often causes me to stop my train of thought and search for just the right word before putting anything down on paper. It’s a very frustrating experience. Honestly, I think it comes from my excessive use of a thesaurus in high school Honors English. Recognizing all of this helps me to understand my students in a new way. I see that same desire for perfection in many of my second graders. Some will get past it before the year is out while others will end up like me, blocked by their uncertainty. I am thankful for this revelation as it pushes me to grow past my insecurities as a writer, and understand how to help my students do the same.
There are many ideas floating around in my head in regards to improvements for next year, however I must also remember to keep doing what works. I will have students create their own writing journal for next year. I will implement power and polished writes at the start of the year and have students track their growth. Students will also have their portfolios once again; however I do plan to improve the organization of the portfolio. Open discussion and sharing of work will continue to be a key practice in my classroom. As always, seeking out advice, tips and tricks from more veteran teachers is a must for me.
I look forward to implementing all that I have learned in this course. More than that, I look forward to sharing what I have learned with colleagues, friends, and students.
As I reflect on my first year of teaching and my participation in this course, I begin to dream about what my classroom will be like next year. I am walking away from this with a wide variety of ideas and a great deal of inspiration. I must admit that some of my goals are a bit lofty, and I recognize that they may need some revision; only my students will be able to tell me that. I am aware of my need for improvement in both the teaching and assessing of writing, and am confident that the changes for next year will help accomplish both tasks.
I plan to use technology a great deal more. I only have a few computers in my classroom, but I am allowed a one-hour time slot in our lab each week. I would like to use this spot to focus on publishing work and updating our classroom blog. After using both blogspot and wordpress for collaboration and professional communication, I find that I am eager to use one of the two in my classroom. I see this as a place to keep parents informed and increase their involvement in the classroom. We can feature an author of the week and post student work, pending parental permission and the use of initials or nicknames for privacy purposes. Rubrics and upcoming projects could be posted here as well. I feel it will push me to spend more time thinking about how I teach and assess writing.
In addition to the increased use of technology, I also plan to increase my use of 6+1 traits rubrics and mini-lessons. So much of this year has been learning as I go and I am excited to start next year with a more solid foundation. I feel it will give me the opportunity to go a little deeper with my second graders of the future. I will establish a “bare-bones” rubric from the start of the year, training students in the language and proper use of the rubric and then diving in to more detail once they have foundational knowledge. I will create mini-lessons that correlate to the rubric and have students identify strengths and weaknesses in sample writing based on our focus for a particular piece. All in all, I will be more deliberate about my use of rubrics and my implementation of mini-lessons and writers workshop throughout the school year.
All of this dreaming about next year is deeply rooted in reflections prompted by this course. I have spent a great deal of time writing in the past several weeks and with that came a lot of reflection on my role as a writer. I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing and how much I missed it since starting my career. Writing helps me think, it helps me process information, thoughts, questions and emotions. Yet, at a time when I needed that processing the most, it was the first thing to get bumped off my “to-do” list. I fear that is due to my tendency to be a lengthy writer, I felt like I just did not have the time. It may also be wrapped up in my ever-present inner editor. At times I am acutely aware of the fact that no matter what I am about to put on paper, it is not going to look or sound the way I want it to. That thought stops me often; the desire for perfection and the knowledge that it is unattainable can be crippling. When writing with a pen or pencil, my inner editor often causes me to stop my train of thought and search for just the right word before putting anything down on paper. It’s a very frustrating experience. Honestly, I think it comes from my excessive use of a thesaurus in high school Honors English. Recognizing all of this helps me to understand my students in a new way. I see that same desire for perfection in many of my second graders. Some will get past it before the year is out while others will end up like me, blocked by their uncertainty. I am thankful for this revelation as it pushes me to grow past my insecurities as a writer, and understand how to help my students do the same.
There are many ideas floating around in my head in regards to improvements for next year, however I must also remember to keep doing what works. I will have students create their own writing journal for next year. I will implement power and polished writes at the start of the year and have students track their growth. Students will also have their portfolios once again; however I do plan to improve the organization of the portfolio. Open discussion and sharing of work will continue to be a key practice in my classroom. As always, seeking out advice, tips and tricks from more veteran teachers is a must for me.
I look forward to implementing all that I have learned in this course. More than that, I look forward to sharing what I have learned with colleagues, friends, and students.
…work harder to start the year off with a truly new attitude about me writing as an example/model for my students. I read every chance I get and I think that shows my students that I have learned to enjoy reading and that it might be fun, too. Now, I need to show them I’m writing, too. I used to pen pal friends all over the world when I was younger maybe I need to start that again. Emails are not the same as a letter you get in the mail and can hold in your hand as you read someone’s hand.
…use several tools that were introduced to me through the sharing we did early in the class. I loved the poetry sights I was told about and used them with my ninth graders. I will do it again and spend a little more time playing with my students creating some of my own poems, too.
…revisit using more peer-editing. I shied away from peer-editing because I felt it wasn’t accomplishing all that much but after reading chapter five in our text, “peer response can be another effective means for participation and engagement, so long as students are given the necessary skills and knowledge to responds critically…” I think I need to try it again. This time giving better instruction and modeling it more first.
…also try Six Traits again. I forgot how it helped my reluctant writers find themselves. It was a lot of work to get started and I failed a few times so I let others talk me out of trying it again but after hearing some of you talk about your successes with it I think I need to dust it off and try it again.
…continue to use Turnitin.com as a learning/teaching tool for the major tenth grade research paper, but also the ninth grade mini-research paper and the several informative and position papers my junior do over the school year. I like the idea that it shows the students where they have “cheated” and by letting them rewrite before they submit their final draft, it works for all involved.
…try to again go outside of my comfort zone and get brave enough to go “paper-free”. You know, have my students submit their papers through FILE’ or like we are here on this site. Others in my school have started to do this and I keep thinking “why not?” However, I’m still a little afraid of this new computer world I’m forced to be a part of because I’m an old dog, etc.
…not think as often about how much we have to cover and relax a little. Let time be our friendly enemy if not our friend. I’m tired of running through things to get to the next. Not slowing down when we find something we want to explore more is a big problem. Too often I think after the fact, it would have helped if I would have just spent a few more hours, a day or two, maybe a week so we all could feel successful.
…or would like to try to set some individual reading and writing goals for my ninth grader (especially if I have another small class). I’ll give them some ideas and prompts and ask them where and what they’d like to go with them. Like, ask one of them, “If you read this required novel what would you like to do to show me you read and understood it.” Or I could ask, “I need to see you understand what this author wanted to get you to feel can you tell me by writing down three things you understand now that you didn’t before you read the novel.” Personalize my instruction and get away from these long essay tests I insist on giving and make myself crazy correcting. I’ll start with one small class and see how it goes.
…work at getting more comfortable with technology. I will learn to use things like noodletools.com, bibme.com and other bibliography assistance programs, blogger.com and goggle.com as teaching tools to assist me in teaching communication skills and fostering writing as an exercise we can use to get better as writers. Again, “writing to learn and learning to write”.
…write, write, and write some more. I need someone to check in on me down the road a piece to see if I am faithfully writing more. I think I’ll try to continue or start a new blog. I hope to write this summer and then keep at it at least every other week after I’m back home and back to school. I agree with dc (I think it was dc) that we kind of stagnant when we stop writing, we forget how to express ourselves, and even dry up a little. How can you teach if you don’t do?
…focus on improving the writing skills of my students but also help them see (if I can) how rewarding it is to finish something. Something that you have spent time improving after others have helped you look at it and where it could be improved. Helping them see that it is possible to improve something by revising it a little or a lot.
…have on-going dialogues with my students using blogger.com or another internet source outside of the classroom. I already use the internet to email my students and their parents and hope to expand that next year.
…remember the closing comments in our text Because Writing Matters, “Writing helps students become better readers and thinkers. It supports their growth as adult independent thinkers. Writing is a gateway to students’ emerging role in our nation’s future as participants and decision makers in a democratic society.” Boo rah!!!
This is a list of my thirteen impulsive aims that I'd like to put into action. A lot of what I've learned this semester could be part of my plans for next year. Thanks to you all for all the encouragement and support. I needed it to get my otherwise, lazy butt in gear and take some chances. I hope I will reread this before school starts and actually do several of these "high in the sky" goals. It would definitely make me a better example and a teacher. Bye for now, JJ
More than anything else, this class has been an inspiration to me. Throughout this semester working with other teachers, hearing what they are doing, and being challenged to make time to write myself, I feel like I have become a better teacher not only of writing, but also my social studies and reading classes. I look forward to implementing the things I have learned in this class to teach a more well-rounded classes next year, from using writer’s workshop to writing critically across the curriculum to using the six traits.
Next year I plan to use a lot more writing in all of my classes. This semester, while being a part of this class, I have increased the amount of writing I require from my students in history, reading, and even geography. The different sorts of connections students have been making is really extraordinary. I wish I had known what I know now, earlier.
Another thing I found particularly useful from this class is the group blog. I’m hoping next year I will be able to have my students keep collective blogs. I’ve tried personal blogs before, and they have worked okay, but I’d really like to have them work collectively, either as a class or in groups, on one. I haven’t thought through this plan fully, but I think I’ll have them keep blogs for my social studies classes. It’s a great way to get students thinking, writing and challenging one another.
Something else I’d really like to do better next year is give students more purpose to their assignment. They’re probably tired of me being their only audience. I hope to give them different audiences, perhaps find more places for them to publish their assignments. This summer I’m going to do some more research into the writer’s workshop. I would really like to find a way to get students more involved in the whole process, revising, editing, and conferencing with each other and with me. I’d also like to start having students assess themselves and one another, not only their final projects, but also their process. One of the assignment in our curriculum is for students to write about how they use the writing process. This assignment doesn’t come until they end of their high school years, but I’d like to have them monitor themselves throughout each year of their high school career to see that as they develop stronger brainstorming, crafting, revising and editing skills, they are becoming better writers and better thinkers.
Lastly, on a more personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed the assignment of having to write on my own. I like to write, but it’s a challenge to find the time to sit down and write. I hope to continue carving out ten minutes (at least) a day to write so that it becomes a habit as much as drinking water or eating dinner. Finding the time to write has forced me to slow down a little bit to take care of myself, process through my day and some of my past experiences.
How will I implement what I have learned from this course into class next year?
Take Time to Write: I plan to implement Natalie Goldberg’s timed exercise for writing practice. Students must commit to the amount of time chosen for the writing session and write for the entire time. Goldberg’s rules are simple: keep your hand moving, do not cross out, and do not worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar. I plan to provide time for students to practice writing across the curriculum. Journals: I plan to incorporate weekly journal writing into advisory groups. Journaling provides students an opportunity to improve writing skills and express their true selves. I believe confidentiality is key to the success of journal writing. When students know their writing remains confidential they will share amazing things and develop a personal relationship with teachers. Trait-based Writing Samples I plan to find and organize samples of Trait-based writing from the school; to include technical manuals from the auto shop, college brochures from the counseling office , science fiction books from the library, and maps from the earth science class. I will file and label these samples by traits: content, voice, word choice, organization, sentence fluency, and conventions to use throughout the semester.
Student Portfolios: I will give students folders the first day of advisory groups to store their writing. I want to encourage students to collect all of their work in one place so they see examples of fast writes, personal essays, personal profiles for letters of recommendations, pieces in different stages of revision, and completed writing projects. Building students portfolios ties in with the self-reflection letters I have students write and allows them to see improvements in their writing over the course of the semester.
Self Reflection I will ask students to write a self-reflection letter at the beginning of each semester and set their own writing goals. At the end of the semester, students will reflect on how they have developed as a writer. Their reflection letter will answer the following questions: What do you notice about your earlier work? How do you think your writing has changed? What are your strengths in the six traits of writing? How did you revise your work to improve it? What traits of writing in the future would you like to improve? What was the best thing about keeping a student portfolio? How has your attitude toward writing changed?
Technology I also want to implement the new technology I have discovered and used in this writing class. I like using Google Docs so students can work on their files from any computer, share documents with classmates, and publish their papers and presentations on the web. I was surprised blogging was such an easy way to collaborate and get feedback as a writing class. I want to create a blog for advisory groups so students can share their thoughts about writing, and post photos and videos.
20 comments:
Next year I will use time in our language groups to ask the children to tell me what to write in response to a picture, experience, or object. We will create class stories, as well as individual stories for them to share with their parents. We might even include student generated “writing” in the monthly newsletter. That could take care of two objectives at the same time; boost their self esteem and encourage them to learn to love writing. It may even have the added benefit of the parents actually taking the time to read the newsletter and talk with their child about what they do while they are in school.
Next year I will continue providing materials for my students to “write” list, take orders, draw pictures to tell a story, and ask them questions about what they drew and the meaning behind their drawings. When we read stories I will maintain my practice of asking them to make predictions, tell me how a story could have ended differently, or retell the story in their own words. All of these ideas are precursors to writing.
Next year I may use a tape recorder or a digital video camera for them to hear and see their “writing” in action. All of this may seem a bit lofty given I am working with three and four year old students who have Individual Education Plans, many of them with language deficits. However, I am a firm believer that children will rise to our expectations. It is my hope that what we do in preschool will be a cornerstone for their future love of writing.
Next year instead of just verbally sharing some of my family’s experiences with students during circle time, I will read to them from my own daily writing, thereby modeling for them.
Next year the most concrete goal I have is for all of the students heading to kindergarten the following fall to know how to write their own name by the end of the school year. Good writers need to know how to write the alphabet. Or do they, what with computers, Smart boards, and whatever other technology is developed in the next few years.
Next year I hope to learn more, laugh more and write more.
How will I implement what I learned from this course into my classes next year?
Rubrics:
I have used rubrics in my assessment for many years, but I did like to see the different forms that others have used in their classes. I will be using Lance’s ideas for a multi-grade classroom as I have students from the entire high school in each class, besides the fact that my students come to me because their skills are lower than most students at their chronological age. I must start them at the very beginning steps in writing to help the students in composing a cohesive essay…paragraph…sentence.
Molly starts her youngsters out with listing the particular jobs associated with writing. I thought that was interesting, some may say basic skill; but if you haven’t been taught, or have forgotten what you have been taught, taking time at the beginning of the year to list out the responsibilities could make the entire year progress more smoothly. I would especially like the students to understand the writer’s job is to listen to the editor and keep track of ideas that may strengthen the work. Editors need to be reminded about being positive when they edit and avoiding “killer comments” that would hurt the writer’s feelings.
I also liked the idea of the students coming up with their own rubric. I feel like this may give them more ownership in the writing, especially if you are studying the individual parts of a good essay when you and your students derive the rubric. It probably would help them learn the parts more thoroughly when they have to decide what to grade on. I know that I always understand better what was taught after I have corrected a few answers to my tests.
Portfolios:
I like the idea of portfolio writing. I started all my students with portfolios this year. It is a good way for students to keep track of their work and be able to go back and see what they have accomplished over the semester. I also like to have them for parent-teacher conferences to show the parents what their child is accomplishing in class. I like the idea of the student picking out their best essay at the end of the semester. I used that idea with the student assignment for week eight. I asked one student to pick out his best essay for me to use in this writing course. I was afraid that he may not want to do it, but he was really pleased and said, “It would be an honor.” I held my face straight, but I was pleased with his response. He went right to his portfolio and reviewed his papers. Within the hour he had picked the one I was to use and brought it to me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that little request gave him pride and confidence in his work. Where I was afraid that he would look at it as teachers looking at his work, he looked at it in an entirely different manner. I wonder if I should get back to the practice of posting their work from time to time.
Self Reflection Component:
While I have used a type of self-reflection component in all of my classes, I am going to revamp what I am using to make it more of a written exercise. At the end of each day, I am going to have the students write in at least a paragraph stating exactly what they attempted and what they accomplished during the period. I am also going to have a longer reflection component at the end of every project. This will have to be a page or so. Hopefully, this will help them to cement what material was covered, but also help students to be able to write more easily when asked about what they have been doing.
EJ- I loved your last line, “Next year I hope to learn more, laugh more and write more.” I want to be in your class! That is a wonderful motto. Your line about boosting the students’ self esteem also hit a nerve with me. That is probably the most important task you have ahead of you, but the one that is overlooked the most with teachers. It’s easy to teach a child when they come from a loving home and have been told that they can do anything in life. It is a completely different story to teach a child who hasn’t a solid base at home and has been explained over and over again everything that they do wrong. I’ll bet in your tenure of teaching you are directly responsible in keeping several children from entering the correctional system. I wonder if there is a GLE for that?
Next year I plan to journal more and will request more journaling from students. Journaling will provide the learner with an opportunity to revisit lessons and experiences that may have occurred in isolation. It is my goal to encourage students to draw on prior knowledge and to write across the curriculum. Journaling will help learners to organize their thinking and to develop their own meaning, voice, and style.
I also plan to provide writing opportunities that allow the author to craft and foster their own writing that matters to them. To assist the writer, I will provide a system of fast-writes and ideas to generate ideas. This will be complimented by peer review and revision opportunities that will offer authentic feedback to the writer. I think it would be a good idea provide meaningful time to the student so they can choose to write in an unencumbered free-writing as well. I will provide a variety of layouts for students to experiment with: simple single lined paper, double-lined paper, lined paper on the left with an opportunity to draw images on the right and vise-vera, comic book layouts, etc.
I will provide rubrics for peers to use when reviewing the authors writing and writing forms. A rubric might ask the reviewer to focus on meaning, if the writing makes sense, or to look for details. There will be a place fro the reader/reviewer to help share thinking that may help the writer understand the readers experience and help the writer to understand the audience perspective.
Peer feedback would not be limited to the rubrics; small conferences with me would also help serve to support the writer. I will conference with the author privately after the peer review processes have been explored by the writer.
Over a semester or throughout the year, the author and I, will look though many different lenses of Six Traits with the learners. I will need to make sure I have a suitable system to assist my record keeping as I hold conference with learners about their writing. Each writing might only focus on one or two of the traits, but all conferences will include a focus on meaning, style, and developing their thinking.
I will provide opportunities for small writing groups to collaborate as they write. I will require groups work together to focus and develop their thinking into one composition meeting a purpose specifically identified by me. “This collaborative writing assignment should be imaginative and is intended to entertain and inform an audience of third grade students,” for example.
There will be opportunities for active learning in this approach of collaboration. I may ask students work together to assemble meaning from different pieces of information that appear unrelated, articulate a possible solution to a problem, how to achieve a common goal, or complete a project.
Personally, I am leaving believing if writing was brought into the “blocks”, writing might open all subjects up to real understanding and how things are connected. Perhaps writing would reflect the focus that the teacher experts want, and perhaps writing provides the avenue for depth and clarity the student needs.
I've discovered something rather remarkable about my own writing, or more the point, how writing more has affected me. For the past few years, the only written for the same reasons I'm currently writing - classwork. I don't mind writing academic papers; on the contrary, once I get past the initial stages of procrastination, it feels rather good to stretch my brain. However, I've written more in the past few weeks than I've probably written over the course of the previous year. Consequently, I've noticed a profound difference in my ability to articulate my thoughts lately. If nothing else, this course has reminded me of the power of writing. To write is to think. Not 'think' in the passive sense of the word - as, " I thought about what I read and it was...you know...good," but rather think in the sense that I've had to really codify my ideas in a coherent, artful manner. In essence, this course reminded me that the simple act of writing can do wonders in making one more perceptive.
Next year I will strive to make writing more of a priority. While I have students write a lot, I haven't typically given them a lot of space to do so. They respond to prompts and discussion questions, but I haven't done enough to let go of the reigns and allow them to fully engage in exploratory writing.
I like the idea of writing workshops that I've encountered in this course. Thus far in my instruction, I've taught writing, grammar, and critical thinking skills in much more of a fragmented manner. Frankly, I haven't had much luck in improving any of those skills among my students using this approach. I'm looking forward to drawing on the ideas I've explored in this course to motivate my students to engage a bit more in the writing process. Also, I've learned the value of modeling in this course. While I've always been familiar with modeling, I've seldom actually engaged in the process. Last week, as a result of the readings and conversations from this course, I began modeling/collaborative writing with my students, and was impressed by the returns. Students seemed to buy into the process and actually commented about the usefulness of seeing good writing rather than discussing it in terms of the rubric.
Next year I aim to complete a piece of my own every two weeks and share all the relevant drafts, notebooks, napkin scratchings and scribbles with my writing students. Some pieces will be doomed to remain in purgatorial draft form and others will leap into final product. This class has shown me that I’ve put off following through on pieces out of, among other reasons: sloth, fear and lack of discipline. Thanks to my entire group for listening with care and achieving poems that prove people busier than myself can and do produce plenty of writing.
Next year I will invite peers, in-building and across town, to electronically exchange writings with me – perhaps on a pb wiki -- that can be read in my class during mini-lessons or in small group revision sessions. I think middle school-ers might be interested in how other writers take writing seriously enough to work on their revision processes LOTS before abandoning or publishing a finished piece.
Next year we will do MORE poetry and invite local poets into the classroom. Using forms of poetry and the many amazing websites available, along with podcasting and coffee house style readings I think we can write poetry nearly all year long and not repeat a single form, unless we choose.
Next year I will do more "nature" writing. Having place, as our theme is something I’ve not ever done and it is a wonderful entry into many genres. Dawn’s Dutch poem and Shelly’s Seasons would be an excellent jumping off point for us!
Next year I will try to keep on blogging and refine the use of blogging in my writing classroom to specifically address audience as an essential element in all writing. The Natalie Goldberg, along with our shared writings have caused me lots of thinking about how to make audience authentic to young writers, write what you need to and address the demands of a writing curriculum.
Next year I will refine my sharing time to be as conducive to writers as possible. As I have ‘listened’ to the sharing from our weekly readings, responses, formal assignments and general banter it has been with an ear toward how I can make my writing more succinct and clear.
Next year I will remember, as this class has so ably reminded me, that writing is a process that can be veraciously assessed with the help of Six Traits, my peers and my students and that assessment is only one part of that process.
Next year I plan to continue working with 6-traits as I did this year. The one thing I want to work on over the summer months is identifying and collecting picture books and chapter books that really give great examples of specific traits. I did this throughout this year, but it was always at the last minute scrambling for a book from the library.
I also want to implement some of the new technology I used in this class. I had no idea using goggledocs was so easy. Students could use this to write the text for picture books, or create their own books with illustrations; the possibilities are endless. (Thanks Lance for making this so easy to learn!)
I also want to refine how students share their work to get effective feedback from someone besides me. I still like using that last 30 minutes of the day when students are coming in and out of the classroom for specials etc. to visit with individual students and go over their writing. We can talk about specifics and what stands out and what could be done to make it stand out even more.
I have lots of samples of peer revision sheets, but will spend some times this summer coming up with one that works for me.
The last thing I will continue with is using writing, science, and social studies journals to really keep students writing across the curriculum and to continue to model, model, model.
And finally on a more personal note, Sondra gave me a nudge to journal as I was going through the last week with my mom and I can’t begin to tell you how helpful that was. My last page of the Flotsam story is just that, a culmination of the many emotions and things I have felt this week and want to take with me as I continue on this journey we call life.
Next year I will…
One improvement I’d like to make is to involve students in setting their own writing goals, as mentioned in our Week Seven reading, “Growing Beyond Grades.” I think I’ve been confusing the act of involving them with their writing through the self-revision step of the writing process with actually empowering them to take ownership of their own writing goals. Perchemlides and Coutant revisit writing goals with their students several times, “throughout the quarter, we require students to revise their goals, and revise them as their writing work changes” (54). Students must evaluate their writing using examples, reflect on their successes and struggles, and articulate what helped them the most. They then assign themselves a writing grade based on how well they met their goals. I would really like to borrow this idea and try it next year. Students may need to adapt their goals to different types of writing. For example, a student might need to work on organization for a persuasive essay but voice for a short story. That type of instruction might be better informed if I organized our study of literary genres to fit more cohesively with our writing projects to enable us to 1) read model writing, 2) develop a common vocabulary as we read that may be specific to a particular genre, and 3) ensure that student portfolios are varied and showcase their many different types of writing skills.
Another goal I have for next year is to break down the six traits in the beginning of the year and design/steal lessons that give students a chance to both practice individual traits and to revise peer writing using that trait. I have noticed that even as sophomores, students are fuzzy about the criteria for each of the six traits. Reviewing each separately will improve their understanding of my use of that rubric as well as help them become better writing circle participants (which in turn helps them become better writers as they are more likely to see in their own writing areas for improvement that they’ve documented in another student’s). Perhaps tweaking student self and peer revision requirements could also help me next year using the six traits. If I require students to highlight excellent examples of certain traits in their own and peer writing, they could see the revision process not just as a mode of finding error and weakness, but to help them recognize attainment of writing goals and mastery of new skills. In “Growing Beyond Grades,” the authors suggest having students practice using the six traits on evaluative models, both to help them recognize the trait and to provide students with an excellent example to which they can compare their writing. I would also like to do this.
I'm hoping that this course remains accessible for awhile because I'd like to be able to revisit many of the ideas and resources that are posted here over the summer when I have more time to think about using them.
This course has encouraged me not to put off my own writing. I plan to write more for enjoyment than purpose.
Next year I will continue to use 6 traits, portfolios, free writes and the writing process. However, the ideas that have been shared here will allow me to refine and improve those areas.
I haven't used journals for awhile and would like to include that again for my students and myself. I want to explore the resources that are posted and try some of the new ideas I find there to make instruction more interesting for me as well as my students. So I don't know exactly what I'll find yet. I have some colleagues that enjoy teaching writing as much as I do and I'd like to explore the "Writing Fair". I thought that was a great idea.
I have a geneaology project that I would like to do with my students that incorporates writing and technology. I've put it off every year because of the time it takes and my concern about losing students in the proces. I think there are some ideas here that I can implement to keep things going.
I'd also like to focus more on evaluation, particularly self evaluation. That starts with understanding what good writing is and how to analyze it and provide meaningful feedback to others. My students need a lot more practice with that. Spending additional time with individual conferencing would help I think.
Most importantly, I believe that this class has emphasized how much you gain through collaborations with colleagues and that in order to inspire your students you need to explore writing yourself. If I can schedule a little time every day for that in one form or another I can say I've accomplished my main writing goal.
Next year I will allot more time for writing right from the beginning of the year. I want my students to see themselves as authors and understand the power of writing. This year I excused myself by saying that my students were writing everyday but the type of writing tended to be limited to journal writing or mindbenders, (free writing). My students only wrote three stories all year and one research report, an embarrassing amount considering my own passion for the subject. This class has shown me the importance of diversifying the formats that my students are writing in so that they can have true appreciation and understanding of the craft. To support this endeavor I will build a structured writing lesson into every Monday’s plans. As we advance through the week there will be writing opportunities that support the specific skills taught on Monday. Next year will be my second year with this curriculum so I will be more familiar with the themes and genres that we will progress through. I have noticed that my passion becomes my students’ passion. I love reading and tout the glories of it at every turn. My students invariably become avid readers while in my class, a correlation that is very strongly related. If I infuse that much passion into my writing instruction I have a suspicion that my students will wield the pen with much more vigor.
To help me with the assessment portion of all the writing that my students will be doing I will look to Vicki Spandel’s Six Traits as well as my own created rubrics. I would like to infuse more of the Six Traits into my writing instruction, many people in our class are doing this already and most comments have been positive on this strategy. I also like the notion (what an idea! ☺) of putting more of the editing responsibility back on the students. The peer revision form that Molly offered on the blog piqued my interest and I will adjust it as needed to suit my students.
I have learned that I have lapsed into laziness as a writer this year. Once an avid journaler and note writer, I now write the minimum in emails and have sent very few cards and letters in the past dozen months. In my quest to fill every minute lest I get mopey, I have burned myself out creatively. Too much writing for another person drains my own desire to write for myself. A critical insight to have when thinking about the load of writing I will expect from my students.
In the words from Napoleon Dynamite, I love technology. Next year I am going to find more ways to use it. First, I am going to start a classroom blog or wiki that will be open for any of my students or parents to post on. Next, I am going to have my students start doing webquests. That is something we didn’t address in class but I was reminded of them when looking up websites for poetry. I am going to get permission from parents right from the beginning to set up email accounts for the students so that their audience is authentic and relevant to the 21st century. Finally, I really want to teach my students how to create podcasts so that they can record themselves reading their own writing.
Next year, I will have mastered the art of having endless patience so that I can make all of this possible.
Next year I will be teaching in a new culture. I am retiring from LKSD this year and moving to Washington State to spend more time with my Grands and my daughter.
Since I do not know if I will have a full-time teaching position or be a substitute, I will tell you what I will carry with me in my bag of tricks for either outcome. Because I love writing about ‘place’ using poetry, I will take with me the “Two-Word” poem about our region of the world some of us tried earlier in the class. This is a great assignment for exploring adjectives and the notion of ‘place. The “I Am From” poem that the AWARE program sent out to all schools in Alaska this spring is a wonderful reflective poem about ‘self’ and ‘place.’ I will use this poem as a way to introduce myself and as a way to get to know my students. This can be an emergency sub plan or the opening assignment of the year in a regular classroom.
Another poetry assignment that can be adapted for either situation is the “Language Keepers” poetry assignment I adapted with permission from a poem of that name by Caroline Kremers, an Alaska poet and writer. In this assignment, students are asked to write the names of the month of the year in their native tongue – and the meaning of the word. It is a very powerful assignment for connecting second language speakers with their cultural view of time and the western view of time. If all the students speak English as their first language, the model poem connects them to the notions of time outside Western culture. Of course, as a sub, I would just have each student take one month on the calendar, and then put the whole thing together with them by the end of the period.
Yet another instant writing assignment can be found by just looking out the windows on the fall landscape or taking what I call a Journal Walk. On a Journal Walk, you and your class go for a short walk through the village or close to the school to observe the fall changes. It’s amazing how we can see, but not see. Students know that they will journal about what they see on the walk either at some point on the walk or when you get back to class. You talk to them while you are walking: “What do you see?” –“What do you hear?” – “What do you smell?” – “Color?” – “Sounds?” – “Something that has changed?” - “How do you feel?” Very powerful connecting activity.
Fast-writing has always been a mainstay of my classroom. Students write on the topic of the day for from 2 – 3 minutes. Then they are told to underline the sentence or phrase they like best. Next, we share just that phrase unless someone is brave enough to share the entire writing. A further step I’ve used is to take that one phrase or sentence and expand upon it in a short paper. Previous Fast-writes can be used later in the semester as ideas for papers and poems.
Next year, I hope to connect with my students through blogging if I have a full-time position. I hope the school will have loads of technology – computers and projectors, scanners and more. I’ve found that schools outside of LKSD do not always have the same level of technology that I have become spoiled by here in LKSD. Computer access will make it possible for me to try a blog with my students to share their poetry and comment on each other’s work. The blog seems to be a quick way for a teacher to check to see who has been doing the assignments and who may need some extra coaching as well. I will prepare for this over the summer by learning how to create a blog.
Writing Matters has been a rejuvenating experience for me. I am only sorry that I was not feeling well enough to put more into the class. I do plan to continue to explore blogging this summer. I wish we had had blogging when I was doing Bread Net exchanges. It is so much less cumbersome than email. No matter what the form, though, the important thing is that writing does matter. Students need to be exposed to the notions that writing is not just what you do to pass a class – writing is a necessary tool for life – for learning, for communicating, for achieving goals and for healing. And so it has been for me this past 8 weeks.
Kylie Lake
Spring 2009
Implementation Paper
Next year I will be teaching third grade in Anchorage. I have taught third grade for six years now and am looking forward to strengthening the writing program. After finishing this writing course, I am excited about adjustments I can make in my writing program that will make it more effective.
One of my weakest areas is the assessment of student writing. I always know what I’m looking for but do not provide the students with enough guidelines before they begin. By using rubrics I can review with the students the expectations and they can refer to the rubric while they revise and edit. I’d like to create a “bank” where I can keep brainstorming/mapping tools and generic rubrics. I see this as resource that would help me structure their writing and match forms of writing with basic rubrics that I could improve as I become more proficient.
The second improvement I would like to make to my writing program is by adding “share time.” I envision this as an opportunity for students to share their writing and get feedback from their classmates and myself. I have done this effectively with my poetry unit, but only through discussion in writing classes have I realized how necessary it is with all forms of writing. I think students will learn from their own mistakes and successes as well as from those of their classmates.
The third improvement, which depends on implementing the rubrics and sharing time, is to teach the students writing skills that will strengthen their extended responses to text. I noticed that my group of students this year seemed to struggle with these tasks. This type of response is required for Alaska’s Standards Based Assessment so it is critical they have the skills and confidence to develop these extended responses. I know our adopted curriculum has some components that can guide me in improving this instruction and I plan to look into that over the summer and, ideally, can develop or find rubrics that will be useful in teaching students to write effective responses.
I think these are improvements that I can realistically implement next fall. I plan to take time this summer to organize materials that I have and are available to me at school. I also look forward to continuing my own journaling and writing, as that has been motivating. Putting myself in the shoes of the writing has let me approach my writing program with new eyes. I don’t want to loose that perspective!
Next year I will teach more poetry. In my first two years of teaching, I used the Core Knowledge Curriculum which required that I teach many different common poems. I will read more poems to my students and will allow time to study those poems. I also plan on teaching a poetry unit during writers workshop. I have dabbled in it this year. By writing poetry I feel that I can give my students another way to express themselves.
Next year I will revisit my long lost friend...6+1 traits. I have not looked at them since I was in my first year of teaching. At that time I dismissed it because I had too much on my plate and could not fathom applying anything else. After our discussions on the blog, I feel like I am not doing my students justice. I am trying to think realistically and am trying to not run out and implement the whole 6+1 Traits at once with 1st graders. I am not sure how to do it, I guess that is another summer project for me.
Next year I will create rubrics for specific writing pieces. As I looked at some of the assessments for next year I realized I could modify some of the writing assessment rubrics to fit specific writing assignments during writing workshop. I also want to start prepping the students for rubrics later in their school careers. After all, the foundation is laid in early elementary for the rest of a student's career.
Next year I will diversify my writing workshop. I have always relied very heavily on journal writing at the Kindergarten level. Next year is a whole different ball of wax, ie. poetry journals, weather journals, poetry composition, letter writing, book responses, travel responses, book reports, research papers, and any other form of putting pencil to paper that I can come up with.
Next year I will work with the 1st grade team to outline, record and implement a writers workshop. I would really appreciate a continuum of skills that outlines all areas that must be covered. I know that adjustments must be made based on specific needs of each child. A global picture of skills needed by the end of 1st grade would be fabulous. I have already started working with a few colleagues to see what is already in place.
Next year I will use my Activboard more. I will design several of my daily lessons to be taught from the Activboard. Learning the Activstudio software is another summer project.
Next year I will give my students more time to write. Not just directed writing but free writes as well. I do not ever plan enough time for writing. I look forward to having a longer day in 1st grade, which will translate to more time for instruction.
And last but not least, or at least not directly related to the immediate subject of this class, I want to incorporate a character building piece into my classroom. I believe that character education is so very important, but is often overlooked or thought not to be as important as standard teachings. The way I see it, one of the most important and lasting parts of my job is to help my students to become capable, engaged, respectful, empathetic, and caring individuals that can function in a community.
Sorry Sondra, I am over my 400 words. =)
Lance-You did such a nice job of stepping out your writing process for next year that I have printed it and put it into my writing folder so I can glance at it from time to time to remind me of all the things I would like to cover during the year. I’ve enjoyed reading your musings. dc
Implementation paper:
As I reflect on my first year of teaching and my participation in this course, I begin to dream about what my classroom will be like next year. I am walking away from this with a wide variety of ideas and a great deal of inspiration. I must admit that some of my goals are a bit lofty, and I recognize that they may need some revision; only my students will be able to tell me that. I am aware of my need for improvement in both the teaching and assessing of writing, and am confident that the changes for next year will help accomplish both tasks.
I plan to use technology a great deal more. I only have a few computers in my classroom, but I am allowed a one-hour time slot in our lab each week. I would like to use this spot to focus on publishing work and updating our classroom blog. After using both blogspot and wordpress for collaboration and professional communication, I find that I am eager to use one of the two in my classroom. I see this as a place to keep parents informed and increase their involvement in the classroom. We can feature an author of the week and post student work, pending parental permission and the use of initials or nicknames for privacy purposes. Rubrics and upcoming projects could be posted here as well. I feel it will push me to spend more time thinking about how I teach and assess writing.
In addition to the increased use of technology, I also plan to increase my use of 6+1 traits rubrics and mini-lessons. So much of this year has been learning as I go and I am excited to start next year with a more solid foundation. I feel it will give me the opportunity to go a little deeper with my second graders of the future. I will establish a “bare-bones” rubric from the start of the year, training students in the language and proper use of the rubric and then diving in to more detail once they have foundational knowledge. I will create mini-lessons that correlate to the rubric and have students identify strengths and weaknesses in sample writing based on our focus for a particular piece. All in all, I will be more deliberate about my use of rubrics and my implementation of mini-lessons and writers workshop throughout the school year.
All of this dreaming about next year is deeply rooted in reflections prompted by this course. I have spent a great deal of time writing in the past several weeks and with that came a lot of reflection on my role as a writer. I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing and how much I missed it since starting my career. Writing helps me think, it helps me process information, thoughts, questions and emotions. Yet, at a time when I needed that processing the most, it was the first thing to get bumped off my “to-do” list. I fear that is due to my tendency to be a lengthy writer, I felt like I just did not have the time. It may also be wrapped up in my ever-present inner editor. At times I am acutely aware of the fact that no matter what I am about to put on paper, it is not going to look or sound the way I want it to. That thought stops me often; the desire for perfection and the knowledge that it is unattainable can be crippling. When writing with a pen or pencil, my inner editor often causes me to stop my train of thought and search for just the right word before putting anything down on paper. It’s a very frustrating experience. Honestly, I think it comes from my excessive use of a thesaurus in high school Honors English. Recognizing all of this helps me to understand my students in a new way. I see that same desire for perfection in many of my second graders. Some will get past it before the year is out while others will end up like me, blocked by their uncertainty. I am thankful for this revelation as it pushes me to grow past my insecurities as a writer, and understand how to help my students do the same.
There are many ideas floating around in my head in regards to improvements for next year, however I must also remember to keep doing what works. I will have students create their own writing journal for next year. I will implement power and polished writes at the start of the year and have students track their growth. Students will also have their portfolios once again; however I do plan to improve the organization of the portfolio. Open discussion and sharing of work will continue to be a key practice in my classroom. As always, seeking out advice, tips and tricks from more veteran teachers is a must for me.
I look forward to implementing all that I have learned in this course. More than that, I look forward to sharing what I have learned with colleagues, friends, and students.
Implementation paper:
As I reflect on my first year of teaching and my participation in this course, I begin to dream about what my classroom will be like next year. I am walking away from this with a wide variety of ideas and a great deal of inspiration. I must admit that some of my goals are a bit lofty, and I recognize that they may need some revision; only my students will be able to tell me that. I am aware of my need for improvement in both the teaching and assessing of writing, and am confident that the changes for next year will help accomplish both tasks.
I plan to use technology a great deal more. I only have a few computers in my classroom, but I am allowed a one-hour time slot in our lab each week. I would like to use this spot to focus on publishing work and updating our classroom blog. After using both blogspot and wordpress for collaboration and professional communication, I find that I am eager to use one of the two in my classroom. I see this as a place to keep parents informed and increase their involvement in the classroom. We can feature an author of the week and post student work, pending parental permission and the use of initials or nicknames for privacy purposes. Rubrics and upcoming projects could be posted here as well. I feel it will push me to spend more time thinking about how I teach and assess writing.
In addition to the increased use of technology, I also plan to increase my use of 6+1 traits rubrics and mini-lessons. So much of this year has been learning as I go and I am excited to start next year with a more solid foundation. I feel it will give me the opportunity to go a little deeper with my second graders of the future. I will establish a “bare-bones” rubric from the start of the year, training students in the language and proper use of the rubric and then diving in to more detail once they have foundational knowledge. I will create mini-lessons that correlate to the rubric and have students identify strengths and weaknesses in sample writing based on our focus for a particular piece. All in all, I will be more deliberate about my use of rubrics and my implementation of mini-lessons and writers workshop throughout the school year.
All of this dreaming about next year is deeply rooted in reflections prompted by this course. I have spent a great deal of time writing in the past several weeks and with that came a lot of reflection on my role as a writer. I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing and how much I missed it since starting my career. Writing helps me think, it helps me process information, thoughts, questions and emotions. Yet, at a time when I needed that processing the most, it was the first thing to get bumped off my “to-do” list. I fear that is due to my tendency to be a lengthy writer, I felt like I just did not have the time. It may also be wrapped up in my ever-present inner editor. At times I am acutely aware of the fact that no matter what I am about to put on paper, it is not going to look or sound the way I want it to. That thought stops me often; the desire for perfection and the knowledge that it is unattainable can be crippling. When writing with a pen or pencil, my inner editor often causes me to stop my train of thought and search for just the right word before putting anything down on paper. It’s a very frustrating experience. Honestly, I think it comes from my excessive use of a thesaurus in high school Honors English. Recognizing all of this helps me to understand my students in a new way. I see that same desire for perfection in many of my second graders. Some will get past it before the year is out while others will end up like me, blocked by their uncertainty. I am thankful for this revelation as it pushes me to grow past my insecurities as a writer, and understand how to help my students do the same.
There are many ideas floating around in my head in regards to improvements for next year, however I must also remember to keep doing what works. I will have students create their own writing journal for next year. I will implement power and polished writes at the start of the year and have students track their growth. Students will also have their portfolios once again; however I do plan to improve the organization of the portfolio. Open discussion and sharing of work will continue to be a key practice in my classroom. As always, seeking out advice, tips and tricks from more veteran teachers is a must for me.
I look forward to implementing all that I have learned in this course. More than that, I look forward to sharing what I have learned with colleagues, friends, and students.
Implementation Paper/Final Draft
Next year I will…
…work harder to start the year off with a truly new attitude about me writing as an example/model for my students. I read every chance I get and I think that shows my students that I have learned to enjoy reading and that it might be fun, too. Now, I need to show them I’m writing, too. I used to pen pal friends all over the world when I was younger maybe I need to start that again. Emails are not the same as a letter you get in the mail and can hold in your hand as you read someone’s hand.
…use several tools that were introduced to me through the sharing we did early in the class. I loved the poetry sights I was told about and used them with my ninth graders. I will do it again and spend a little more time playing with my students creating some of my own poems, too.
…revisit using more peer-editing. I shied away from peer-editing because I felt it wasn’t accomplishing all that much but after reading chapter five in our text, “peer response can be another effective means for participation and engagement, so long as students are given the necessary skills and knowledge to responds critically…” I think I need to try it again. This time giving better instruction and modeling it more first.
…also try Six Traits again. I forgot how it helped my reluctant writers find themselves. It was a lot of work to get started and I failed a few times so I let others talk me out of trying it again but after hearing some of you talk about your successes with it I think I need to dust it off and try it again.
…continue to use Turnitin.com as a learning/teaching tool for the major tenth grade research paper, but also the ninth grade mini-research paper and the several informative and position papers my junior do over the school year. I like the idea that it shows the students where they have “cheated” and by letting them rewrite before they submit their final draft, it works for all involved.
…try to again go outside of my comfort zone and get brave enough to go “paper-free”. You know, have my students submit their papers through FILE’ or like we are here on this site. Others in my school have started to do this and I keep thinking “why not?” However, I’m still a little afraid of this new computer world I’m forced to be a part of because I’m an old dog, etc.
…not think as often about how much we have to cover and relax a little. Let time be our friendly enemy if not our friend. I’m tired of running through things to get to the next. Not slowing down when we find something we want to explore more is a big problem. Too often I think after the fact, it would have helped if I would have just spent a few more hours, a day or two, maybe a week so we all could feel successful.
…or would like to try to set some individual reading and writing goals for my ninth grader (especially if I have another small class). I’ll give them some ideas and prompts and ask them where and what they’d like to go with them. Like, ask one of them, “If you read this required novel what would you like to do to show me you read and understood it.” Or I could ask, “I need to see you understand what this author wanted to get you to feel can you tell me by writing down three things you understand now that you didn’t before you read the novel.” Personalize my instruction and get away from these long essay tests I insist on giving and make myself crazy correcting. I’ll start with one small class and see how it goes.
…work at getting more comfortable with technology. I will learn to use things like noodletools.com, bibme.com and other bibliography assistance programs, blogger.com and goggle.com as teaching tools to assist me in teaching communication skills and fostering writing as an exercise we can use to get better as writers. Again, “writing to learn and learning to write”.
…write, write, and write some more. I need someone to check in on me down the road a piece to see if I am faithfully writing more. I think I’ll try to continue or start a new blog. I hope to write this summer and then keep at it at least every other week after I’m back home and back to school. I agree with dc (I think it was dc) that we kind of stagnant when we stop writing, we forget how to express ourselves, and even dry up a little. How can you teach if you don’t do?
…focus on improving the writing skills of my students but also help them see (if I can) how rewarding it is to finish something. Something that you have spent time improving after others have helped you look at it and where it could be improved. Helping them see that it is possible to improve something by revising it a little or a lot.
…have on-going dialogues with my students using blogger.com or another internet source outside of the classroom. I already use the internet to email my students and their parents and hope to expand that next year.
…remember the closing comments in our text Because Writing Matters, “Writing helps students become better readers and thinkers. It supports their growth as adult independent thinkers. Writing is a gateway to students’ emerging role in our nation’s future as participants and decision makers in a democratic society.” Boo rah!!!
This is a list of my thirteen impulsive aims that I'd like to put into action. A lot of what I've learned this semester could be part of my plans for next year. Thanks to you all for all the encouragement and support. I needed it to get my otherwise, lazy butt in gear and take some chances. I hope I will reread this before school starts and actually do several of these "high in the sky" goals. It would definitely make me a better example and a teacher. Bye for now, JJ
More than anything else, this class has been an inspiration to me. Throughout this semester working with other teachers, hearing what they are doing, and being challenged to make time to write myself, I feel like I have become a better teacher not only of writing, but also my social studies and reading classes. I look forward to implementing the things I have learned in this class to teach a more well-rounded classes next year, from using writer’s workshop to writing critically across the curriculum to using the six traits.
Next year I plan to use a lot more writing in all of my classes. This semester, while being a part of this class, I have increased the amount of writing I require from my students in history, reading, and even geography. The different sorts of connections students have been making is really extraordinary. I wish I had known what I know now, earlier.
Another thing I found particularly useful from this class is the group blog. I’m hoping next year I will be able to have my students keep collective blogs. I’ve tried personal blogs before, and they have worked okay, but I’d really like to have them work collectively, either as a class or in groups, on one. I haven’t thought through this plan fully, but I think I’ll have them keep blogs for my social studies classes. It’s a great way to get students thinking, writing and challenging one another.
Something else I’d really like to do better next year is give students more purpose to their assignment. They’re probably tired of me being their only audience. I hope to give them different audiences, perhaps find more places for them to publish their assignments.
This summer I’m going to do some more research into the writer’s workshop. I would really like to find a way to get students more involved in the whole process, revising, editing, and conferencing with each other and with me.
I’d also like to start having students assess themselves and one another, not only their final projects, but also their process. One of the assignment in our curriculum is for students to write about how they use the writing process. This assignment doesn’t come until they end of their high school years, but I’d like to have them monitor themselves throughout each year of their high school career to see that as they develop stronger brainstorming, crafting, revising and editing skills, they are becoming better writers and better thinkers.
Lastly, on a more personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed the assignment of having to write on my own. I like to write, but it’s a challenge to find the time to sit down and write. I hope to continue carving out ten minutes (at least) a day to write so that it becomes a habit as much as drinking water or eating dinner. Finding the time to write has forced me to slow down a little bit to take care of myself, process through my day and some of my past experiences.
How will I implement what I have learned from this course into class next year?
Take Time to Write:
I plan to implement Natalie Goldberg’s timed exercise for writing practice. Students must commit to the amount of time chosen for the writing session and write for the entire time. Goldberg’s rules are simple: keep your hand moving, do not cross out, and do not worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar. I plan to provide time for students to practice writing across the curriculum.
Journals:
I plan to incorporate weekly journal writing into advisory groups. Journaling provides students an opportunity to improve writing skills and express their true selves. I believe confidentiality is key to the success of journal writing. When students know their writing remains confidential they will share amazing things and develop a personal relationship with teachers.
Trait-based Writing Samples
I plan to find and organize samples of Trait-based writing from the school; to include technical manuals from the auto shop, college brochures from the counseling office , science fiction books from the library, and maps from the earth science class. I will file and label these samples by traits: content, voice, word choice, organization, sentence fluency, and conventions to use throughout the semester.
Student Portfolios:
I will give students folders the first day of advisory groups to store their writing.
I want to encourage students to collect all of their work in one place so they see examples of fast writes, personal essays, personal profiles for letters of recommendations, pieces in different stages of revision, and completed writing projects. Building students portfolios ties in with the self-reflection letters I have students write and allows them to see improvements in their writing over the course of the semester.
Self Reflection
I will ask students to write a self-reflection letter at the beginning of each semester and set their own writing goals. At the end of the semester, students will reflect on how they have developed as a writer. Their reflection letter will answer the following questions: What do you notice about your earlier work? How do you think your writing has changed? What are your strengths in the six traits of writing? How did you revise your work to improve it? What traits of writing in the future would you like to improve? What was the best thing about keeping a student portfolio? How has your attitude toward writing changed?
Technology
I also want to implement the new technology I have discovered and used in this writing class. I like using Google Docs so students can work on their files from any computer, share documents with classmates, and publish their papers and presentations on the web. I was surprised blogging was such an easy way to collaborate and get feedback as a writing class. I want to create a blog for advisory groups so students can share their thoughts about writing, and post photos and videos.
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