Thursday's Thoughts
Based on today's readings and presentations, discuss one aspect of writing instruction that you think you can address in your own classroom. What challenges do you face in providing your students with the writing opportunities they need to improve as writers?
Having students write across the curriculum in grades K-12 can have a tremendous impact on college and career success. In order for this to happen academic writing needs to be taught, demonstrated, and simplified for teachers to learn so they can effectively model writing for students. PD workshops and training needs to be offered to "ALL" teachers. Most teachers feel uncomfortable teaching writing because the "roadmap" is unclear. Most educators feel as though writing should be mainly taught by ELA teachers . However, teachers need to be aware that writing is not isolated or it is not the job of one teacher to teach. Writing encourages creativity, deep thinking, and empowers students.
ReplyDeleteDo not stifle the child....This is should be included as a key element in the approach to teaching writing. When students have too many requirements to follow, the writing process, I feel gets drowned and lost. Writing should be authentic, purposeful and relevant but I feel that it should not have to follow a set pattern for a successful grade .
ReplyDeleteI think I can incorporate ways for students to make their writing more personal, and this will be one of the areas I focus on in regard to writing so that that students are not simply rephrasing what they've read. Choice in genre is another option to engage students and make the writing more meaningful. A challenge could come from administrators who may not see the value in time spent having writers share.
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom, I tend to focus on writing conventions and grammar rather than features and genres. However, after this week, I realize that this is not what is best for my students. Of course, I still think it is important to teach conventions, as they are required by the common core standards, but they should not be the main focus of my feedback. In the future, I plan to focus on the meaning and macro features of the writing rather than the micro features.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest challenge is trying to weave bits of the writing workshop into my very prescriptive program that is focused on reading intervention. However, we all know that writing and reading are hand in hand. By becoming better writers they will become better readers. I'll have to make my mini-lessons extra small. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher of the young children who are just beginning to write, it is important to set them off on the right foot. I think it is incredibly important for me to give them choice in what we write so that they come to love writing, instead of dreading it. I have the opportunity to show my students the importance of writing by giving them meaningful writing opportunities that they enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI really want to restructure their writer's notebooks this year. I think the addition of a "choice" board section within the notebook is one way to provide the time and opportunity for my students to write. If students are reading and writing during their independent time then they remain engaged and on task. I want them to view reading and writing as fun, not work!
ReplyDeleteI would like to make sure that my students get to work on their writing genre that would produce the most success. I think working on the genre daily for 3 or 4 weeks at a time in short interval will help them to be successful. I am looking for ways to include this in my daily schedule. I think this will help not only my ELLs but my whole class.
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