Good Morning Bloggers! I would like to thank those of you who remembered to post your final letters and reflections and to nudge those of you who have not! Also please notice I am posting the special section for observations.
This week I would really like you to think about the work of Katie Wood Ray and write a personal response to something in the text that has "spoken" to you. Perhaps you might take a quote right from the text and write to that. What did you mark in the text? What makes the most sense to you? What does not make sense? What do you like? Dislike? The point here is not to write a summary, remembering we have all read it! The point is to write YOUR personal reactions so that we can all read and share the different ideas we have read about thus far. Here is a sample reaction from me!
I really like the list that Katie keeps about the process of writers that begins on page 103 and continues onto 104. She writes "When our students envision writers at work, then need to be able to see them doing lots more than just sitting at desks. Active development possibilities like those in the lists above need to be a big part of what our students can envision themselves doing as writers."
I wish that someone had pointed that out to me years ago! If you look at my background and my history it is somewhat overwhelming. Coming from a family of self-proclaimed writers, ( my grandfather wrote his town's history and multiple plays for the local players, My Dad, has owned and created newspapers and magazines throughout his life, my sister, worked for my Dad and started writing stories for the family when she was 10!) I was unwilling and unable to see myself as a writer!! In fact, I found the idea completely intimidating and made it my goal to be anything BUT a writer! I mean really, who could compete in world such as this? And yet, over time I found myself more and more drawn to the written word. I slowly became an avid reader and revelled in how different authors used words to convey their thoughts. And so I started thinking about how I would say different things. I began to "play" with words in my head...having no idea that I was heading down the exact path that I was eager to avoid!! Still, the image of a writer was one who was perched over their typewriters for hours and I knew that I would never have the patience for something like that. I needed to move and to play outside and to experience all that I could everywhere I went. And again, I was doing things that "writers do!" I just never knew it.
It was not until very recently that I actually was able to start calling myself a writer. It seemed simple enough as I started working on some writing that writers write. I was writing and so I tentatively called myself a writer. I do not do this still, though, in the company of my family and I think they are always surprised to hear that I am a teacher of writing. It is as though they forget and are startled back into reality every time I mention that I teach writing. I can teach writing because I write and because I write I am therefore a writer! Katie's list only confirms all of my active processes that involve so much more that actually sitting down at the keyboard. In fact, by the time I actually sit down I can write with a general flow because I have done so much thinking about it before I find myself banging out everything that I have spent so much time thinking about!
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Good Morning fellow bloggers. Didn't mean to say "11" twice. Ahhh the age of technology... I would like to respond to Katie Wood Ray's page 106 "One of the simplest guiding questions for hypothetical inquiry is, I wonder where the author got the idea for this piece of writing?" I often pose this same question to my students. I believe it to be important for all readers and writers to try and envision where the ideas and the written piece originated. It is amazing to hear the various ideas from my students when asked this question. I think it actually puts them in a position to be a better writer themselves when they "can see" what the writer might be thinking, feeling, doing etc... I agree with the author that if there is PURPOSE to the written piece whether it be a creative story, poetry, research paper... then students will rise to the expectations set to achieve the goal of a well written piece. Enjoy your week everyone. Go Pats!
I am responding (again, as I lost the last one somewhere in cyberspace) to Katie Wood Ray's page 126 "It is important to me that students are able to envision using various crafting techniques in their own writing. If they can envision them, then they can have more power as writers because they have more choices about how they will write something." It would be nice is we were always able to let kids have free expression to express themselves and use a variety of techniques more often. We get caught up the the formula of writing (e.g., topic sentence, 3 details, closing sentence)which often impedes their ability to be creative. I know that in the younger grades, especially 3 and 4, we need to provide children a scaffold on which to build, but it is important that we don't take the creativity out of the process so that we can continue to enrich their language and foster the creative side. There is so much knowledge that we need to get in their heads, grammar, syntax, punctuation, topic maintenance, spelling. etc. Where is the time to look at just the art of creating? I work with some phenomenal teachers who seem to walk that line very well. They are able to teach the mechanics as well as letting the creativity fly. I hope that this continues and we can continue to incorporate more of the "craft" in writing. If we could only get more time... Isn't that the question that we are constantly asking ourselves?
How nice that we have this opportunity to share our reactions to our reading in a personal way. I found myself shouting out "YES" in agreement when I read Katie Wood Ray's saying that she felt that reading aloud is the single most important classroom structure there is. What a wonderful subtitle: Filling the Room with the Sound of Wondrous Words (p.65). She later says journeys of words have so much to offer us (p.67)- new people become a part of our class, new words and expressions create a new shared language. As a looping teacher, my read alouds - their characters, their stories, their messages - become just that. They are woven into our fiber and become a part of our community for two years. Charcters are compared to other characters (real or fictional), story lines to other story lines, themes to other themes. Hence the treatment of Native Americans experienced in The Sign of the Beaver revisits us in 5th grade Social Studies, transforms itself in learning of the treatment of Jews (Number the Stars) and again in the horrific experiences of slavery (Nightjohn). The students themselves begin to understand the universal themes - of man's inhumanity to man, the power of love, and the power of friendship. Over the two years Marty (Shilo), Travis (Old Yeller), even Edward Tulhane in his miraculous journey enter our hearts and become a part of our souls. Throughout this sharing of people and stories, we share also the "sound of words" - their cadences, rhythms, and as Katie Ray adds intonations and pitches.(p. 71)Through these experiences the children again and again hear the sound of good writing, of those wonderous words. Through all of this, at some point I realize, as did Katie Ray (p.80) that, "I'm not reading to them because it's good for them; I'm reading to them because it's good for me." Good for me as a teacher, as a mentor, as a member of a close-knit community. Indeed, we need to recognize great writing as having a special sound, the sound of wondrous words.
I am responding to Pg. 95. "Experienced writers begin moving toward writing projects not because they have great ideas, but because they have good reasons to write. With good reasons to write behind them, experienced writers know that any idea can become a good idea. It is the good reason to write that will propel the experienced writer forward through all the processes necessary to move an idea to publication." It really hit me. Yes, the best writing comes from "good reasons to write", not choosing a fantastic topic. I think that as a kid, I always thought that I had to select some unique topic to write about. Yet when I think about it, when I was passionate about something or had a purpose to fulfill, I develop my strongest and best writing. Maybe that's why I always loved writing persuasive essays. So when I ask children to list their favorite topics, (and I proceed to post them on the wall), I should have them write to their personal passion, an audience/occasion, purpose to fulfill, or to a special genre that they are attracted to/excited about. Also, to have them stick with their "reason to write" for the year, and have them write to it and then publish. Have a writing project going - just like real writers do. Revising and editing might make more sense to them if done this way. Perhaps it would make more sense to me too!! Just reading the words, "good reasons to write" makes we want to write, and I am immediately reminded of Martin Luther King, his passion, his voice, and his purpose to write.
Like Sandy, I tuned right into the quote on page 126, "...students are able to envision using various crafting techniques in their own writing..." Learning more about the craft myself, has allowed me to feel stronger as a writer. As I begin looking at writers' craft in my own reading, I am more comfortable questioning words and format with my students. I think it puts them in a very active seat when looking at writing. Going right along with this idea has been the mentor texts. By pulling select biographies from the shelf, my students were able to see how to write their own autobiographies as a story, rather than a list of facts. (Showing not telling!) Although it takes time to evaluate writing models for specific purposes, when found it practically does the teaching without me!
Sandy - I agree with what you're saying , but I always worry about the students learning the grammar skills.
Merry - Whenever you read to your students, you become the characters. I wish I had your talent. I would have to really praactice and know the book in order to do it justice, but then that takes the fun out a book for me. So, my alternative is to let Marilyn Jasper read to my kids for their library time which they love.
In fourth grade I read some short stories from Paul Jennings to my class, and they absolutely loved it. In the chapter about read-alouds they mentioned short pieces of work are good to read, does anyone have any author or suggestions of reading material to use?
I would love to read more, but I find there just isn't enough time in the day. My intentions are good, for example: I just started reading to the class a book from their "battle" list, which is a good thing. But the bad thing is I started to read last Tuesday and haven't opened it since. Time is a major issue for me. Thank you for any suggestions. Barb
Wow! I am impressed with all my colleagues and their insight. I was particularly interested in the section on "reading as writers" on page 117. I like that Katie uses the seamstress metaphor to share the importance of how you look at a writing piece. As I read this section I could envision my students enjoying the partnership of looking for differences in writing. As said by some of us; I applaude the creativity and yearn to get more of that excitement back into to my young writers. I was happily surprised to see how my students embraced the writing assignment using Ruby Bridges as our mentor text and choosing a character to write from their perspective. I plan on using Katie's ideas to ignite my writers.
A couple of quotes caught my attention:
page 60 "...we often teach revision as if it were like being sent back to clean your room again because you didn't do a good job the first time"
I will admit that I am guilty of treating editing as a last opportunity to correct all mistakes, that the writing may not be good enough after a first draft. What a terrible message! No wonder third grade students are so resistant to this phase of writing. Students who learn to envision the possibilities of text, students who have been exposed to various genres of literature, students who are exposed to many authors and their writing styles, students who have a strong foundation of writing skills, and students who have a purpose for meaningful writing experiences will need to do little editing. They will see revision simply as an opportunity to fine-tune their piece. We don't need to clean our entire room again, just hang up a few things!
page 65 "reading aloud is important teaching time" I agree entirely with Merry. Reading aloud to our students is a bonding experience. It gives us a common base of reading experiences that can be visited again and again throughout the year. Reading aloud is also an excellent opportunity to expose children to books above their independent reading levels. I make time to fill the classroom with "wondrous words" every day.
Page 100 "A good reason to write is what motivates (experienced writers)..."
Are the writing prompts we give students three times a year a good reason to write?
page 126 "It is important to me that students are able to envision using various crafting techniques in their own writing. If they can envision them, then they can have more power as writers because they have more choices about how they will write something."
This quote by Katie Wood Ray really spoke to me because I have learned so many new crafting techniques this year through in- class work and reading Ray's book. I feel like my interest/ enthusiasm for teaching writing has really blossomed this year. I have more tools to share with students and consequently I am seeing much better writing from them. I am also seeing much more enthusiasm from students when writing (probably because I am more enthused about teaching it). I have especially valued gathering mentor texts to share with students. It is amazing to see how powerful the sharing of these mentor texts can be in the classroom. Mentor texts have enabled students to envision themselves as succesful writers. Very valuable tools indeed!
Page 48 “Really good writers can imagine all kinds of things to do with text, and this imagination comes from their sense of craft, a sense garnered over time from reading like writers and from writing themselves-trying out the crafts they have come to understand.” Students who have great imaginations can make great writers especially if they understand some crafts. I always had a great imagination, but I never quite understood how to write. The written word and creative thoughts never worked together. It didn’t help that I absolutely hated reading. Both reading and writing were always long difficult chores. So now I notice that my students who love to write are also my students who have great imaginations and they also have a passion for reading. I now use authors as examples to show students what makes good writing.
Page 48 “Really good writers can imagine all kinds of things to do with text, and this imagination comes from their sense of craft, a sense garnered over time from reading like writers and from writing themselves-trying out the crafts they have come to understand.” Students who have great imaginations can make great writers especially if they understand some crafts. I always had a great imagination, but I never quite understood how to write. The written word and creative thoughts never worked together. It didn’t help that I absolutely hated reading. Both reading and writing were always long difficult chores. So now, I notice that my students who love to write are also my students who have great imaginations and they also have a passion for reading. I now use authors as examples to show students what makes good writing.
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