I really liked that both of our readings this week had the idea that good writing can be taught. I think that this is an encouraging message to both children and adults.
One of the things that Regie Routman said in “Writing Essentials” is that teachers should be encouraged to read their writings to each other. I remember having to write “Where I’m from” for Jane’s class. I remember how hard it was for me to write (I wanted mine to rhyme) and how much harder it was for me to read it to my cohort. I was revealing a part of me to them and that was scary. I trust them and knew that they were going to be supportive towards me and I to them. This was a great exercise and is good to know for when I have my students share their work to the class. I know what it feels like.
Another idea that Regie brought to the table was showing your writing process to your class. Since the students see you revise/rewrite/cross out/misspell/make mistakes, they see that it is okay to do those things. I see this in my 3rd grade class. The teacher will write a story up on a flip chart in front of the class. The students, I find, like to learn more about the teacher too. (My master teacher wrote about how her dad taught her how to play kick ball.) This was an intro to what they were to write about. The teacher will give a broad topic in such a way that the students get to choose what exactly they want to do. For example: a special person -it could be about the person in terms of attributes or an event that happened with them.
In this same class, she has them work on their stamina. Neither of our readings covered this. Is there a need for building stamina for writing? How long should a 3rd grader spend on writing time? Can a class write for 30 mins? For example, at the beginning of the school year, the students had a hard time writing for 15 mins. So she had them build up to writing for 15 mins straight. (They started with 5 mins and then progressed.) Now they are able to do 20 mins. She also gives them tips on how they can write a story (organizing their thoughts on a page). Some of the students use this when they get stuck and don’t know where to begin.
I enjoy writing and am excited to teach it!
Yes, teachers should be encouraged to read their writings to others...I would like to thank my husband for this task!
ReplyDeleteI remember having a hard time writing the "Where I'm From" poem too, but unlike you I did not have the courage to read it to the class. (Great job by the way!) In a way I wish I would have read it,but I think I might not have been ready to open myself up to the whole cohort at that time. With that in mind, I think we definitely need to keep in mind how much courage is needed to read a piece of our work to others, especially a whole class. I agree with Routman that we need to have students read their writing to others and I am big on having peer review writing groups, but I think there needs to be a strong community in the classroom first.
I like the idea your master teacher does in her classroom for building up writing time. My master teacher does the same thing,but with silent reading. Starting with a feasible amount of time and working up really helps the children hone in on what they are expected (and can) do.