The Harper article gave me a lot to think about in regards to my teaching and the way lead conferences. My mentor teacher and I have been beating ourselves over the head trying to come up with new ways to explain revision. My mentor teacher feels a great deal of pressure with the 5th grade writing test quickly approaching. Our students still ask questions like, "Can I add something to my draft?" because they are "past the graphic organizer" stage. It's a disaster. These kids are stuck in the recopying rut!
In our EDEC class, we are expected to have 5 connected lessons. I plan to demonstrate/lead a mini-lesson based on the 5 tools and see if my student's writing improves. I think the Questions tool will be most helpful because my students love to talk and ask questions. They are naturally curious and interrupt with questions ALL the time! Teaching them how to use the Questions tool to improve their drafts will, hopefully, be an awesome lesson.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Focus Lesson Draft 1
Standard: ELA5W2a(P)
Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker’s voice, and otherwise developing reader interest.
Rationale: I am teaching a lesson on persuasive writing. It’s important because my students have heard arguments their whole lives. If they can learn to express their opinions in a controlled and logical way, the number of conflicts in their life—especially their school life—would drastically decrease. They are so used to yelling over people in order to be heard, that any practice in calm dialog is incredibly useful.
Mentor Text: Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late! (Mo Willems)
Lesson Description: This would be the first focus lesson in a persuasive writing unit. I would choose several students who struggle to convey their position with a clear voice that grabs the reader’s attention. The lesson would start with a 15 second background/focusing on the book: “As we read this book, listen to the strength of the writer’s voice. Take a mental note of any good passages in which you hear the writer speaking to you.” Then we would read the book.
Independent Writing: After we finished the book, I would say, “Did you notice how the writer set up the context by saying, “X, Y, Z…”? What is one page you notice had a clear speaker’s voice? What two sentences made you most interested in the book? Now it’s independent writing time. I would like for you guys to write the first few sentences of a persuasive piece about… Try to mimic/adapt some of the writer’s techniques into your writing.
Sharing: “Who would like to share three sentences that grab our attention? Does anyone feel they introduced their argument in an interesting way?”
Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker’s voice, and otherwise developing reader interest.
Rationale: I am teaching a lesson on persuasive writing. It’s important because my students have heard arguments their whole lives. If they can learn to express their opinions in a controlled and logical way, the number of conflicts in their life—especially their school life—would drastically decrease. They are so used to yelling over people in order to be heard, that any practice in calm dialog is incredibly useful.
Mentor Text: Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late! (Mo Willems)
Lesson Description: This would be the first focus lesson in a persuasive writing unit. I would choose several students who struggle to convey their position with a clear voice that grabs the reader’s attention. The lesson would start with a 15 second background/focusing on the book: “As we read this book, listen to the strength of the writer’s voice. Take a mental note of any good passages in which you hear the writer speaking to you.” Then we would read the book.
Independent Writing: After we finished the book, I would say, “Did you notice how the writer set up the context by saying, “X, Y, Z…”? What is one page you notice had a clear speaker’s voice? What two sentences made you most interested in the book? Now it’s independent writing time. I would like for you guys to write the first few sentences of a persuasive piece about… Try to mimic/adapt some of the writer’s techniques into your writing.
Sharing: “Who would like to share three sentences that grab our attention? Does anyone feel they introduced their argument in an interesting way?”
Monday, February 8, 2010
Conferring
The chapter on conferences was probably one of the most helpful things I have read this semester. Most of what I do in my classroom during the writing period is individual conferences with students. We talk about their writing... or we sit in awkward silence while I try to think of a probing question.
I especially struggle with the question "How do I get them to talk?" I cannot count the number of times I've thought those words. I do not have many students who enjoy writing, and those who do enjoy writing do not always want or know how to talk about what they're writing. My classroom contains many struggling writers. Are they struggling because they don't know what/how to write? Or are they struggling because they don't understand how to fit their ideas into The Writing Process?
When I really think about it, there is an uncomfortable writing atmosphere in my classroom. Students come to conferences with the expectation of having their work critiqued and fixed for them. How do I conference and dialog without writing for them? I want to help them, but I want them to be independent writers. I still just feel torn in different directions when I consider my writing instructional style. Clearly, I have no conclusions or clarity right now about how I want to teach writing. Updates on my thought progress to follow...
I especially struggle with the question "How do I get them to talk?" I cannot count the number of times I've thought those words. I do not have many students who enjoy writing, and those who do enjoy writing do not always want or know how to talk about what they're writing. My classroom contains many struggling writers. Are they struggling because they don't know what/how to write? Or are they struggling because they don't understand how to fit their ideas into The Writing Process?
When I really think about it, there is an uncomfortable writing atmosphere in my classroom. Students come to conferences with the expectation of having their work critiqued and fixed for them. How do I conference and dialog without writing for them? I want to help them, but I want them to be independent writers. I still just feel torn in different directions when I consider my writing instructional style. Clearly, I have no conclusions or clarity right now about how I want to teach writing. Updates on my thought progress to follow...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Writing Environment
This picture reminded me of the question “What could I teach students in this study that is just really cool stuff?” on page 198. My teaching personality naturally drifts toward the really cool stuff. I could imagine this student taking his writing notebook to the unusual places in order to fully understand what he’s writing. He is so inquisitive! My fifth grade students spent about an hour writing on Thursday and Friday. They are writing a persuasive essay in support or against having vending machines in the school cafeteria. It was such an enjoyable experience to watch them argue and think and argue and write together. When I read chapter nine, I was stuck comparing my fifth grade class to the book’s description of a workshop. I love the five ways of thinking about teaching and learning in the workshop.
The environment is very writer friendly. We have a couch for individual work, a small group table for students who need to bounce ideas off each other,
and another table for conferencing.
Some students chose to work independently at their seats, but most are actively involved with the room as they write. 
The students pursue whatever and whoever they need in order to write. I love this aspect of having older students!
Monday, January 25, 2010
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