Writing Essentials Chapter 12

If in chapter eleven, I was overwhelmed, chapter twelve allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief.  There is light at the end of this tunnel we call teaching and "teacher accountability."  In reading this chapter, I felt as though Regie Routman were speaking to me directly, telling me to take a breath and concentrate on what is important.  Her tips are invaluable because she knows how it feels to be a teacher in this day and age.

I read through about reducing paper and worksheets.  I can completely relate to their overuse.  When I teach my MAP Prep class, all I use are packets of work.  I need to stop and think about how is that packet really teaching students.  I need to be mindful of the time I have with students and reflect on what and how I am teaching.

I do need to ask myself "so what?"  What was the purpose of that lesson or what did the students learn?  What was the point and the outcome?  I think too many times we move onto the next unit without thinking about how we taught the previous that we can be making the same mistakes with our students.  I know that I do not evaluate and assess myself and how I am teaching, and I need to.  I want to improve my student's learning, and the only way that they are going to grow, is if I grow as well.

Writing Essentials Chapter 11

I was flipping through Chapter 11 about using the best research and practices and I was once again overwhelmed.  I feel as though many teachers know the best practices and know the research, yet we do not know how to incorporate all of these things into the day.  I was looking at the "Key Research Findings" page 263.  I know many of these things, for many of them are common sense, but how to integrate all of this in the day.

I just feel as though there is not enough time in the day to work through all of these things.  I know how important it is for students to write and to want to write, but how can I make that happen throughout the day?  I feel as though my principal gives us 30 minutes of writing instruction a day.  That is the only time the students are to write.  How can I possibly improve their writing ability in only 30 minutes?

I realized that I had to take a step back and think about how I use writing.  We work on stories, poems, and nonfiction pieces, but many times they do not tie into the reading, math, and science curriculum.  As I am reading through this chapter, I see now that I have to integrate.  The students have to write about what they are learning.  I need to not just have the students write during our writing block, but have them writing across the curriculum.  I feel that by using what the students are already learning, they will write more, and have more of a willingness to write.

Writing Essentials Chapter 10

Assessments.  I dread them, and I think we all dread them as educators.  The assessment that concerns me the most is the state assessment.  It can determine if we do not make AYP that we will fall into the different levels of improvement.  It feels as though with the emphasis on passing the state assessment that much of the joy of teaching has slipped away.

It's a shame to think that for me from January until April, I am thinking about preparing my students for the MAP test.  We are continually doing practice writing and reading exercises.  We are reviewing math skills. I feel as though so much time is actually wasted because I am in a panic to prepare them.  I realize now that I may be causing a detriment to my students.

In reading this chapter, it shed some light on how to prepare for assessments.  On page 245, it states that "high achievement and high test scores result when what is tested is woven into daily teaching and challenging curriculum in a relevant manner."  I think that I need to take a step back and realize that in order to prepare my students for The Test, I need to actually stop preparing them.  My students will do fine if we work all year on the skills they need to learn and if they have lots of practice writing.

I do have my students write a lot throughout the year.  I make it a point to have them write every single day, but I don't grade their work.  Because of the grading system my district uses, it seems pointless to actually grade their work.  I realize now that perhaps I do not need to grade it, but I need to assess it.  My students and I need to develop criteria for how their work should look when they go through the writing process.  I think that the students will be better writers if they think about basic guidelines for their writing.  One of my goals in my professional development plan is to improve self-assessment for the students.  I think that having the students self-assess their work will also improve their writing.  

I think that with these goals, the students will not feel the anxiety of the MAP test, but more importantly, i think that I can relax and focus on preparing my students in a more constructive manner.

Writing Essentials Chapter 9

Conferencing. This is one of the hardest things for me to do. I struggle with finding a time to conference with each student. I also find it difficult to focus each conference in an effective manner.  It seems like something so easy, talk with the student about his or her writing, but it isn't.  I sometimes feel as though I am talking above the student, or giving them too much information.  The last thing I want is to overwhelm my students because I want their writing to be as perfect and polished as it can be.

For me, the challenge arises when I look at a student's paper.  I do see the great content and the wonderful story that is developing, but the errors in the writing make me want to cringe.  I do pride myself in knowing how to construct meaningful sentences into a cohesive paragraph, into a well-executed paper or essay.  I find it difficult to not mark up the student's paper with corrections.

I have battled the need to fix everything, but focusing on fixing one thing at a time.  I tell each individual student to work on one or two skills that will improve their writing.  Here's where I get into trouble.  The majority of my students are at different places in their writing.  How can I bridge the different levels of my students in order to create more meaningful conferences?  I know that I should look at their writing and use weaknesses to form mini-lessons, but what if all of the students do not need that mini-lesson.  This is where I find conferencing to be so difficult.

I do not know how to make the time for each student.  They all want me to read their work.  They beg me to work with them and look at their writing.  I am fortunate that my students do love to write, but how can I manage all of things.  It just seems like I am having to keep twenty balls in the air, juggling them all, without missing a beat.

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Writing Essentials Chapter 8

I really do try to teach writing every day.  We have a writing block set up from 2:30-3:10 every day where the students write using Writer's Workshop.  Here's the problem, there are times I am grasping at straws as to what to have the students do.  We work through different genres of writing, Poetry, Fairy Tales, Narrative Writing, Fantasy Stories, Nonfiction, etc, but there are days when we are wrapping up, or we do not have the time to write, that I struggle with what to do.

I believe that part of my problem stems from the fact that I do not really "plan" my lessons.  I go into class, thinking about what my students are going to do, but I do not have a clear focus, or plan of action.  When it comes time to teach writing, I am acting like a crazy woman coming up with children's literature and topics to inspire the students.  This is a major flaw of mine.  I need to sit down and actually process through what am I going to have students do with this unit.

One thing that grabbed me from this chapter is that students can write every day and it can be great writing.  I do not need to lower my expectations of my students at all.  Also, I need to be more diligent in establishing the purpose and audience for the students.  So many times, they know that they are only writing for me, and I think that their writing could be so much more powerful if they knew others were going to read their work.

Writing Essentials Chapter 7

In reading this chapter, I am overwhelmed.  The chapter refers to integrating basic skills, but it is so much more than that.  I need to think about the writing process and how to teach that to my students.  I realize that I need to slow down my teaching.  I do focus too much on getting through different genres on writing, that my students are not improving as much as I would like.

For example, at the beginning of the year, the students set up their Writer's Notebooks.  We focus on personal narratives, so that they feel a connection to their writing.  Here's where I drop the ball, I do not teach the students what they are doing wrong.  I use authentic children's literature as models and guides, but I myself do not model for the students.  I am actually hurting them by not explaining to my students how to improve and grow.

The book discusses using mini-lessons.  I will admit that I do not pull my student's writing to use as examples for students.  I also do not use mini-lessons effectively because my students cannot spell and do not know how to use grammar appropriately.  I try to teach them one-on-one using their own writing, but I have not brought the class together to go through examples of how to correct simple mistakes.

I realize in reading this chapter, that I have a lot of areas in which to improve.  I need to sit down and actually plan out my writing units, looking at how to incorporate mini-lessons, and focus on taking the student's writing to the next level.

Writing Essentials Chapter 6

Without reading, there cannot be writing.  In order to students to become better writers, they must be readers.  I was very fortunate this past year to have students who loved to read.  They loved to go to the school or class library and often had several books in their desks.  I loved their enthusiasm for wanting to read and learning how to read more successfully.  The problem is that I did not require my students to really respond to their independent reading.

The students would complete a reading log every night, documenting the number of pages they would read, but that would be the extent of what I would ask of them.  The students did not have to create a response, review, or summary of their independent reading books.  I now know that I missed valuable teaching opportunities.  The students were reading, but I need to have them writing about what they are reading in order to ensure that they comprehend the stories they are choosing.  I did not stop to ask the students what they are reading, their thoughts, and how well they understand.

If the students are writing about what they are reading then they should be able to explain the complexities happening in the novels.  However, I did not find out this information because they were not asked to do any of these types of exercises.  I do not know if my students were reading books that were too easy or far too difficult for them.

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Writing Essentials Chapter 5

I am going to be completely honest here.  I do not do a lot of shared writing in my fourth grade classroom.  I did a ton of shared writing when I taught kindergarten because the students needed the model and the guide to help them with their own writing.  I suppose I forget that fourth grade students are not accomplished writers (though many of them have such fantastic ideas) they still need guidance.

In reading this chapter on shared writing, I did not know that shared writing was so necessary an experience for students.  In having, students write in their Writer's Notebooks, I have come to realize that I live them to their own devices far too often.  I introduce the topic, share a few children's books, discuss the components of the unit, and then let the students to on their own to write.  I am not adequately processing with them HOW to write.  I am assuming that through mini-lessons they are going to gather the information on their own and take it to their writing, but that is not the case at all.

Even fourth graders, who can write, need modeling.  They need to be able to work as a class, in a group, or with partners to develop their thoughts and ideas.  I am an independent writer.  I do not like to work in groups or with other people.  I forget that my students are not that way.  They enjoy being social with one another and working with members in their classroom.  Through shared writing experiences, my students will be better able to have those experiences.  I need to give them the opportunities to work with me and with the members of their community in order to foster that love of writing.

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Writing Essentials Chapter 4

High expectations.  It is so necessary for teachers to ensure that they are not lowering their expectations when it comes to student achievement.  I know how easy it can be to tell a student that mediocrity is good enough especially when the student causes problems in the classroom.  I have a student who left the entire state assessment blank when it came to the written responses (constructed responses) because he felt that he could not do it.  I told the student he could do it.  The principal told the student he could do it.  A district coach talked with the student.  Even the student's parent sat in the room while the class took the state assessment.  Therefore, the student even told me that he knew he could do it, but he chose not to do it.  How can I change the student's mind if this situation ever arises again?

Does it all come down to expectations?  Does it all come back to building that relationship at the beginning of the year?  The student knew that I cared for him, that I thought he was smart, and that he could do anything he set his mind to, so what was it about him refusing to work?

My other students do try their very best.  I know that not all of them are going to be fantastic writers, but they know that the number one expectation in my room is TO TRY!  If students do not even try, then I cannot help them to grow as readers and writers.  I can give them all the tools, set high expectations, and model, teach, direct, and scaffold until I am blue in the face, but my students know that one of my biggest expectations is that they try their very best, and we work from there.

Taken from Microsoft Word Clip-Art

Writing Essentials Chapter 3

I had never thought before that I should write for my students.  When we compose in our Writer's Notebook, I have my notebook open and write along with them so that they see me as a writer, but I had no idea that I should share my writing with my students.  I did not know that it would be powerful for them to see how I write.

I know that I should model, think aloud, and scaffold for students, but I thought that I just needed to show them and explain the different types of writing and how to create our stories.  I did not realize that I was missing a major component in my writing instruction.  Students need to see authentic writing from me!  What a novel idea.  I had no clue that students would learn more if I show them the processes of working through a piece of writing, by watching and listening to me write.

I realize now that I need to take the time to model for my students how to write.  We read authentic pieces of children's literature, discuss components in those stories, and work on individual pieces, but there has not been much in terms of collaboration with other students or with me.  It is clear to me that for students to progress they need more than excellent authors as a model, they also need me.

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Writing Essentials Chapter 2

I am going to admit it.  I am guilty of teaching correctness more than I teach quality of writing.  I know that I struggle to look past errors in student work because I pride myself on writing papers and work that is grammatically correct.  I learned all of the grammar rules in school and even helped others in college by checking their papers.  To look past errors seems like such a disservice, but now I see that I am the one doing the disservice to my students.

When I conference with students about their work, I need to take a step back and realize that the students have valuable things to say in their writing.  I need to stop focusing on the trivial (grammar and conventions) and start with their ideas.  If the students have great ideas, then I can go from there and work with them on the polishing components.

My main concern is how to incorporate grammar and conventions into their writing instruction.  I know that the school in which I teach does not have a school-wide writing program.  In addition, teachers do not teach the different writing components.  Students cannot even tell you what is a noun, verb, adjective, preposition, etc. or even what is a subject and predicate.

Are these necessary components to writing instruction?  Do students need to know subject-verb agreement in order to be accomplished writers?  Should I focus my mini-lessons on these types of skills, or should the focus be on their thoughts and ideas?

I realize that I do need to celebrate student's writing more for what they can do and not focus on what they cannot do.  I just wish I could understand how to find a balance of teaching the students the skills of writing grammatically correct without losing the fun of writing.

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Writing Essentials Chapter 1

Taken from Microsoft Word Clip-Art

When I think back on how to teach students how to write, I realize that the school in which I teach focuses on the same problems described by Regie Routman, procedures, processes, genres, and testing.  Too many times, other teachers have said that students should learn to write using the 4-square method.  The students write the topic in the middle and four supporting sentences around the topic.  I feel as though this method does not evoke a sense of true writing for students.

It is difficult to teach writing in a building that does not have a central focus for how to teach.  It seems that every teacher in the building teaches writing in a different way.  There is not a common language, like there is in math or science.  The students go through school learning a different way to write each year.

When reading Chapter 1, I saw that there was a building belief on writing.  Every grade level seemed to have input and it seemed to unify the building.  Once the building had a common belief system in place, they can look at the best way to incorporate that belief into teaching.

I know that in order to teach writing to the students I need to show them HOW to write, but the problem arises in the best way to do this.  For the past two years, I have followed the Writer's Workshop method of teaching writing, but I feel as though I cannot make the gains possible because the students come to me in fourth grade, not having had enough writing experiences.  When attempting to teach writing, I feel as though I have to start with the basics.  I do not have enough time to actually teach them how to write for authentic purposes and real readers.  It feels like a never-ending battle.