In our reading for today, Chapter Five looks at the connection between reading and writing. We also discussed ways to teach different kinds of writing and the value of getting students to do peer feedback. Thanks for bringing in your favourite children's books, and as part of your posting for today, please give the title and the author of your book. Lastly, we did two writer's workshop activities; in the first, we wrote about a time we felt successful and then examined the writing process we used. In the second, we tried a creative writing exercise where one person wrote the beginning of a story, the second the middle, and the third person wrote the ending. Thanks for being willing to try this challenging task, especially in such a short time frame. As teachers, by stepping out of our comfort zone we can grow and understand more about writing and different kinds of learners.
Have a great week. Fingers crossed for the Canucks!
Dialogue Journals:
ReplyDeleteDialogue journals are used for students to communicate to the teacher or another student (Tompkins et al., 2011, p. 202). I really liked the idea of this type of journal because it allows for a conversation that may not take place in person. If a student is shy or is not confident with English as language yet then the journal provides an opportunity for discussion to take place. I met with my 405 SA the other day and he does something called a “Response Journal” everyday. He writes a topic on the board that may have been talked about during current events, and the students are to write a response to this topic. They can write their thoughts on the subject, or if something is troubling them, they can write to the teacher with questions. At the end of their writing time, they hand in the journals to a bin, but if they have a question written for him then they hand it directly to him. He said there are some students that hardly speak to him in person all year but they have great conversations via the response journal. I think having a journal that allows for dialogue between teacher and student is great because it is another way to reach students. I think have this in an online form would be interesting also because it mirrors the technological advancements taking place in society. Students text and email all the time so providing a blog or some other form of online interaction would be something that may get students excited about writing.
Sketch-to-stretch:
I had never heard of this strategy until reading the textbook and I think it is such a great way to have students actively listening. So often I wonder if students are daydreaming as I read so this makes students accountable for listening. I like this strategy because it is low cost and students can take risks with their drawings as long as they can explain it. It really encourages thinking out of the box and exploring the theme through a means other than writing. This activity would be great for students who struggle with writing because they can express their ideas pictorially and then orally as part of a discussion. This activity can be applied to subjects other than just reading as well. As students listen to socials or science text being read they can sketch what comes to mind then a class discussion can take place. I like that students are involved and responsible for learning in this type of activity.
Favourite Picture Book: Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman
Writing Prompts
ReplyDeleteI believe that writing prompts are an excellent way to get children motivated to write stories, poetry etc. I find there are many students who draw a blank when given the task of composing a short story or reflection. I think that one method which can inspire students to write is through the use of instrumental music. For example, the teacher could play two different genres of instrumental music and ask the students to record thoughts or simply words which come to their mind when listening to these songs. It may be a good idea to play two types of music which are very different from each other, for example, techno music and soft rock. It would be interesting to see the comparisons that can be drawn from these different styles of music. I believe music sparks a creative side in our brains which inspires us to create interesting written pieces. Of course, there are many who would prefer a quiet, serene atmosphere when it comes to formulating thoughts, but I think that music can affect our imaginations and allow us to create more meaningful pieces. I also believe that soundscapes can also be used as a writing prompt. The sounds of waves crashing or woodpeckers could also inspire some creative written work.
When to Introduce Rubrics
In class we discussed methods we can use to teach writing and one area I was interested in was “when to introduce rubrics”. I understand that presenting a rubric before an assignment may hinder a student’s imagination and as a result, the student may solely focus on the technical portion of the assignment. However, I believe that students need to know right away what is expected of their written piece. For example, if I instruct a student to create a piece of poetry, I want the student to know what is expected – the format of the poem, the sensory and literacy devices which should be included in the piece and the content of the poem. Perhaps, in some situations, creativity is not affected with the introduction of the rubric. I believe in certain cases, rubrics may even enhance a student’s written pieces because they will know the instructor does not tolerate incomplete work or work which demonstrates a lack of effort. The issuing of expectations right away also sends the message to students that grading with be more objective versus subjective. I find that when marking language arts assignments, it is easy to praise students who create pieces which interest the teacher most. This brings about unfairness and could also result in favouritism. Overall, I believe a teacher can present a rubric right away, without stifling a student’s creativity, as long as the rubrics are simple and give clear guidelines of what is expected of them.
Favourite Book: Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever
Seeing everyone's favourite stories was quite interesting. Although there were many different reasons as to why these books stood out for us, I noticed some commonalities. For some, it was the humour that made the story so enjoyable; in other cases, there was sentimental value of some kind. This experience made me realise that as a teacher, I want to give my students choice over their reading material. Perhaps having a "gallery walk" of books where students preview and skim 5 books and choose the one they like the most to pursue would enable this. If students feel they have some degree of agency over their learning, they are sure to be more motivated to do their best.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed our discussion about journals. They can be a great way for students to express what is going on in their life. Even if they are not struggling with a parent's divorce, bullying, or another challenge, students will learn to articulate their thoughts and just how powerful writing can be. It is a healthy outlet for all forms of emotions. I feel that in the older years the teacher would have to work quite hard to earn the trust of their students to successfully implement journal writing. As students enter the pre-teen years, their willingness to confide in an authority figure may very well decline. A teacher who is not afraid to let their personality shine through their teaching should be able to make students feel safe enough to use their journals to their advantage.
“Todays class was cool! I really enjoyed the writing activity that we did because not only did I enjoy the process of writing but I was also thinking about what people were adding on to my story and I couldn’t wait to read the final product. It was so fun to read afterward and to see how creative other people are. This is definitely an activity that I would use in my classroom; it could work for any grade. The story could be short, like ours were today or the kids (especially the older ones) could take them home over night and write several pages creating a novel that we can later “publish” and have around the classroom. This is a really good activity for children to learn about the benefits of collaboration and how good it feels to be part of a great project. If doing a longer one then I think one thing I might do is get the kids to type it up their parts on the computer and print it out without their names so that they are able to remain anonymous (to the other students). I’d of course collect them from the students individually to make sure the work has been completed. I think that it’s really important for children of all ages to read for pleasure as much as possible. Part of the reason I think this is because it helps with their creative writing abilities, as well as writing abilities in general. Exposing children to different kinds of books helps them find what they enjoy to read and also shows them the how people can use their imaginations to write about the most interesting places, people, things and events that they may have not otherwise ever thought or heard about.
ReplyDeleteThe reading this week has provided a plethora of useful strategies and activities. Although it seemed that most of the activities were for intermediate grades there were many things that could be adapted and applied to the primary grades as well. I especially thought the poetry activities were great. Kids love listening to, reading and some even like making their own poetry. Having these strategies and assessment tools at hand will be useful but how do we know which are the right, or appropriate, ones to use? I guess it will depend on the kids and the unit that you’re working on in class. For someone who hasn’t done their long practicum yet I’m starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with all the strategies that I’m learning in my classes…when you’re actually in there teaching do you just know what to use? How do you decide?!”
Courtney wrote:
ReplyDeletethink collaboration is important when it comes to teaching and learning from one another. Teachers must take the opportunity to collaborate with each other regarding teaching strategies and unit planning. Teachers must also facilitate student collaboration in the classroom in order to maximize learning opportunities. I was just discussing this with my SA. She suggested I collaborate with another student teacher regarding unit designs for my 405 practicum. She asked how I felt about it because some teachers choose to keep their ideas to themselves. If a teacher designs/discovers a lesson that works well with his/her students, then I think they should be proud to share it with other teachers. Isn’t it a teacher’s obligation to maximize student learning opportunities? I find it selfish for teachers to hoard their ideas.
Anyways, that was a bit of a ramble. So when it comes down to collaboration with different personality types I feel it is important to respect the different perspectives even though you may disagree. Any kind of group collaboration can be challenging when people disagree, however it is beneficial for everyone when each person brings something different to the table. Even though grouping students according to personality types may prevent conflict from arising, mixing them up with one another teaches them to acknowledge not everyone is the same. Collaborative learning teaches students communication skills, decision making skills, leadership skills and conflict management skills. I think introducing personality type theory to students can help increase self-awareness and encourage acceptance and understanding for how others function.
Through Mamchur I have learned to recognize my personal learning style according to my personality type. I really think this is important for all teachers to understand the diversity of learning styles so we can help students achieve their potential and ability of success. What I have learned so far has opened my eyes to how essential it is for educators to accommodate the differential learning needs of students. Even though educators are taught to modify and adapt lesson plans according to the class we are teaching, I never realized how tailored lessons must be in order for students to learn at their best. I am thankful for the resources that exist today.
Sharing reading material:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed people sharing their favourite book. I think this is a great activity teachers can utilize in their classroom as it allows children to share a part of them. Sharing will also engage children as they become excited about trying to find their favourite book. I found that while I was looking for my book to share I started to get really excited about finding the one and only “favourite” book. My favourite book was a scratch and sniff called “Little bunny follows his nose” by Katherine Howard. Allowing children to share their books could be beneficial in striking a love of reading within students, but it also introduces different genres of books to the students. It is possible that a student wants to read their friends favourite book, which originally would have been something they were not interested in. Teachers can use this to assess what types of stories appeal to individual children in the class and they may be able to incorporate each child’s story into the lessons throughout the year. A further extension would be to have students share their book with a buddy. This is an activity that I would use within my classroom sometime within the first 2-3 months of school.
Writing activity:
Learning about the writing process and being able to experience creative writing really opened my eyes to how important creative writing is. The first activity where we had to write about how we felt at a time when we were proud was beneficial. I feel that because I am busy as a student I have suppressed my love for creative writing. Students should be given ample time to free write and experience creative writing in the classroom. Tompkins et al. (2011) state multiple benefits of journal writing giving teachers no reason to not include it in the classroom. A further debate is whether teachers need to read students journals. I think that as teachers we should be reading the journals that are handed in; however, I do not think that spelling and punctuation should be assessed. If teachers do need to record a mark then they should assess on effort and thoughtfulness. In addition, I would like to comment on the second creative writing activity where three different people wrote the beginning, middle and end of a story. When the activity began I found myself worrying about others judging what I wrote, but after reading the completed story I was really impressed. I was surprised and excited to read past the part that I wrote to see how others envisioned the story. I think that I would do this within a classroom, but I would ensure that students were comfortable with the others who would be reading their work when practicing the activity the first few times.
Writing Prompts:
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that in class we discussed writing prompts in a strictly positive sense. I've always liked writing prompts and have used them in various forms both explicit and implicit. So, I was surprised when I read our text give a negative perspective on providing students with writing prompts. The text suggested writing prompts are over used which causes students to become reliant on them: never being able to come up with ideas of their own. After reading that, I asked myself if it was entirely fair the way the text demonised writing prompts, especially since the chapters continue to give writing prompt ideas for teachers to use. I was expecting the topic to be addressed in class but instead we discussed writing prompts as if no one else read that portion of the text. So be it I suppose; writing prompts can have a negative effect of course when they create children who rely on the teacher for ideas, but if used sparingly, they can have far greater benefits than repercussions.
Standardizing Our Students' Creativity:
On p.214, the text refers to Cumming describing children as having a natural ability to detect rhythm, rhyme and alliteration. If this is true, we need to consider its huge implication for educators. It's not a small population of critics that assert the current school system works effectively to standardise our students. That is, the way school is structured, how we evaluate and how we teach, encourages students to learn the "right" way to express themselves. Consequently, creativity is stifled and students produce work that reflects what the teacher expects--incidentaly the same thing the teacher's teacher expected, and what that teacher's teacher expected ad infinitum. That is an exaggeration but the point is, teaching poetry in highschool can be painful but if those same students, 10 years earlier, were naturals at engaging in poetry, what has gone wrong in the time between?
Rachel wrote:
ReplyDeleteTEACHER INTERVENING WHILE STUDENTS READING
I found it very interesting during this week’s in-class discussion when someone briefly mentioned about whether or not teachers should intervene students reading when students seem to have chosen a lower-level book than the reading level they are actually at. I immediately remembered myself in my grade 3 short practicum when my SA provided DEAL (Drop Everything And Learn) time where students were free to choose any type of book displayed in class and read quietly for about 10-15 minutes of their school time. I was truly surprised how engaged and focused every student was in reading, including those extremely hyperactive students who were usually unable to manage themselves from acting up in class. Some boys chose to read (well, ‘look at’) NHL magazines and based on what I observed they were looking mostly at the pictures on each page rather than reading the texts that came along. I was concerned at that time whether I should or should not interrupt the student from flipping each page so quickly which obviously meant the student were not reading when they were supposed to. However, I soon realized I should let his self selected reading time be his own time and let the motivation keep growing. I believe it is very important for children to find motivation and engagement in any type of learning activity regardless of any complexity level of the content they choose to read. In order to promote positive experience in reading, I find it crucial for teachers to let students interact with books at their own pace and not judge on what types of books they are capable to read by themselves. It is equally valuable for all students to spend quality time performing self-directed reading time at school.
WRITER’S WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE
At first, we were asked to write about a time we felt successful and then discuss in small groups about that specific incident with the help of what we had written down on paper beforehand. Later in class, we were told to do a creative writing by beginning a story and then pass the story to the person next to us for that person to continue writing. Personally, I enjoyed doing the first writing activity as I was aware it’s my own writing based on my personal experience; in other words, I knew no one is going to judge me on what I wrote or how I wrote it. However, when we were asked to do creative writing by introducing a story, I was honestly panicking what I could possibly write about. I have always said strongly in previous education classes how hugely I support creative writing in classrooms, but I realized how frightening it can actually be for some students. I think it is extremely important for teachers to introduce creative writing step by step and to gradually lead them into writing rather than jump right onto a task which they might feel very uncomfortable in performing the task. For teachers to encourage students in writing activities, I believe teachers should provide ample time for students to explore and extend from their own writing style rather than to let them feel their writing style is not good enough compared to others. I noticed that creative writing can be open, highly creative, thus allow students to express thoughts and feelings using descriptive words in writing, but at the same time it can also be threatening and hindering students from becoming expressive. Appreciate students’ creativity and never judge on their level/ability of writing
Writing Activity
ReplyDeleteI really liked the writing activity that we did today where we each wrote a beginning, middle, and end to a story. It is a great activity to explore the imagination of students and allow them to showcase their creativity. It was really neat reading how the story had continued. It helps give new and fresh ideas to a story that you had begun to write. I think that kids would really benefit from something like this because it allows them to share ideas and with the truncated time table it forces them to focus on content rather than grammar and punctuation which can really help them explore their ideas.
Sharing Favorite Books
My favorite book was "Love you Forever" by Robert Munsch.
I really liked this activity. It would be a great way of sharing literature in a class. It would expose children to different genres that they were unfamiliar or unaware of. It would really help create a special feeling for reading because everyone is so enthusiastic about their favorite book. It would also be a great activity for a teacher because it would help you understand what types of literature your students liked and would aid in your selections. I also really loved hearing about why these particular books were special to us. It was also great to get so many different ideas of how to incorporate these books into our practice. I thought that this activity was great for sharing ideas and a love for literature.
Simulated Journals
ReplyDeleteOne idea presented in the textbook that was new to to me is that of simulated journals. Simulated journals are when the journal writer writes from a character's point of view. This idea is so interesting me to because it really helps the reader understand the perspective of the character in the text. While my practicum experience has been in primary ( and they are too young for this activity), I think it would work really well in an intermediate or secondary class. Often, I think, students become focused on understanding the plot of a book that they forget to think about the characters and their experiences, and this type of journaling would really help improve that understanding.
Assessing Understanding of Stories
The textbook briefly discusses an idea that seems contrary to what I experienced in school. The authors write that students' interpretations of a text are personal and thus assessing them with plot related questions is ineffective. While I understand that students' backgrounds and value will cause them to interpret a story or novel in varied ways, and that they will relate and connect to characters in different ways, the basic plot of text remains the same, and should be understood by all students. Perhaps when teachers asses students' comprehension of a book, they should use questions that are only plot related and do not refer to specific characters' relationships, values and emotions. I think that brief plot related assessments do have a place in classrooms so that teachers can determine how many students read the text and understood before engaging the class in various analysis’s and in depth discussions.
Favorite Picture Book: Leo the Lop by Stephen Cosgrove
The two activities that I found most interesting this week were the discussion on writing prompts and on the story writing workshop. In both cases I was really interested in how looking at someone else’s work students can really improve their own creative writing skills. These strategies not only achieve their face-value goal of getting kids writing but they also teach the many embedded skills within the activities. In using writing prompts it not only helps students jump past writers block but it also models new writing devices students may other wise only hear about out of context. For instance, many students are so familiar with the “Once upon a time” beginning but by providing an interesting opening line for students also teaches them new writing devices such as opening with a quote or a question. Students learn the variety of ways to hook a reader in context as they create the story around the new phrases.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, the story writing workshop is not only a great way to get kids writing but it also is a great way for students to see other students writing styles and work with them. It is one thing to read someone’s story, but another to try to continue writing in their style. It really makes you conscious of the different ways people write while giving you an opportunity to try to work within that style. It also exposes students to different structure and grammar that they may not regularly use on their own. These activities are great because on the surface they are fun writing exercises but on a second level they are modeling techniques of their peers (and we all know the value of peer teaching).
I really enjoyed the sharing of our own favourite books from our childhood. Not only did it provide me with tons of ideas and books that I would love to read, but also I think it also provided a bit of a window into the thinking of children. The fact that there were so many different books chosen and barely any repeats really speaks to the power of literature and also to the differences in children and taste. For literature, it just reminded me of how many wonderful books there are out there to choose from and how powerful literature can be. The fact that we can go back 20 plus years and remember a book and the feelings a book gave us reminds me of why reading and literature is so important. It secondly reminded me of how different every child is. The fact that in our class there were so many different books chosen for different reasons, so many genres and so many different inspiring books , it really shows how every child is different and that’s why there needs to be a variety of literature in the classroom. Us adults all had different taste in literature as children for different reasons, and the student of today is the same way. As teachers we need to remember that everyone has their favourite books for a reason and variety is the best way for a student to be able to make these choices and explore their interests. I’m not going to bother posting the name and author of my book because as I mentioned in class, my book was terrible.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I would like to touch on was the writing activity where we finished each other’s stories. I found this activity really fun and it reminded me of how much I loved creative writing when I was in elementary and high school. It was dun to be able to be silly if I chose to, but also take the writing assignment seriously and stretch my creativity. It’s been a long time since I just sat down and wrote something for pleasure or entertainment. Which I think is really sad. Creative writing is so good for the imagination and also hones writing and grammatical skills and I am upset with myself that I stopped writing for fun. I also liked this activity because I think it could be really successful in a classroom. Students would get a chance to be creative and write, but because they are finishing each other’s stories they would also find it fun and wouldn’t even realize it was a writing assignment.
Sonja wrote:
ReplyDeleteAs much as I feel as though I am simply going through the motions this week, waiting for the outcome of this Finals Series, it's actually nice to have school to provide a distraction from the stats and predictions that are running through my head 24/7. For class last week, I brought a book called "Pippi Goes Onboard" written by Astrid Lindgren. I remember reading this book with my mom when I was young, and as I grew up I began to read it myself. I was so attracted to the description and word usage in her stories. I remember always feeling sad that Pippi did not have any parents to take care of her. My best friend was also into Pippi and I’ll never forget the Halloween that she dressed up like Pippi (wire in the braids and all) and we made freckles on her face with a black sharpie. Obviously we realized what a terrible idea that was.
In the readings this week, chapter 6 talks about information books. When I was doing my practicum, one of my units was dealing with teaching the students to write a research paper on an aspect of West Coast Aboriginal culture. I began the unit by asking them what they figured they read more of in a week, fiction or non-fiction. 21 out of 23 students answered “fiction”. I then had them take note of what they read over the next week to see what they would find. Most of them came back excited to tell me that they did indeed read more non-fiction than fiction. For the next lesson I had brought in several reading materials and made 2 signs “non-fiction” and “fiction”. I put these signs on the ground, along with a pile of the reading materials (I did this twice-once with the grade 3s and once with the grade 4s). I told them that they had to categorize each reading material under a sign. They were mostly correct, and quite fascinated by the materials that I had brought in (one student begged me to let her keep my Italian-English dictionary for her to read over the next week). I found that the students in my class, although they loved fiction, really loved the information books. We had books on sound and light for science, and books on Haida art and they would read these books cover to cover, while being fascinated by the photos. Often I would have a student teach ME something about sound and light that I hadn’t yet learned, simply because they were reading these information books.
Simulated Journals
ReplyDeleteI think that introducing simulated journals in the classroom is a great way to allow students to have a better understanding of the character’s life or into the historical events. Having students assume the role of a character from a novel they are reading could improve students’ writing skills (journal writing or letter writing) but also enable them to understand and have more empathy to those around them. This could be done in conjunction with using multicultural literature to increase cultural awareness in the classroom- differences and similarities between students’ culture and that of other groups. Simulated journals could also be used as part of a social studies theme unit (i.e. Irish immigrants to Canada) or themes such as Pink shirt day (Anti bullying) as well. As an extension, I think students (as a group project) could also make a script, using the journals/letters that they have written and present it to the class (Readers’ Theatre).
Developing Students’ Concept of Poetry
As I did most of my education abroad, I am not too familiar with the Canadian education system and teaching poetry. As far as I can remember, other than nursery rhymes, the only poet I was exposed to throughout my education career (sad to say) was Robert Frost. Honestly, the thought of having to teach poetry scares me as I am not too familiar with it. Thankfully, after reading the text on the various forms of poetry, I have a better understanding on the various types of poems that elementary school students are exposed to as well as taught in class. I found this to be very useful as now; I know what concrete poems, Haiku, Tanka, Cinquain and Diamante poems. I find that exposing students to a wide range of various poems in the primary grades (i.e. classroom library) will allow students to have more opportunities to write in different styles in which students are able to communicate ideas and experiences. I feel that this is a good opportunity for ELL learners who have a limited vocabulary of the English Language or students who struggle with writing. Poetry writing (such as concrete poems) would enable ELLs to express themselves creatively without feeling overwhelmed at the same time. It could also make poetry writing a fun and enjoyable experience.
Favorite children’s book: There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar
Writer's Workshop Shared Writing Experience
ReplyDeleteThe shared writing assignment that we did in class was actually pretty fun, and the only down side for me was the limited time frame that we had to complete the assignment. The most powerful part of that exercise for me was that it was a shared experience. If that assignment had been simply one person writing the three parts of the story, I believe that the creativity and the effort would have been dialed down by most of the writers. When I was adding on to someone else’s story, I felt a responsibility to the other writers, and knowing that they would be curious as to how “their” story unfolded I really wanted to give my best effort. I also felt inspired by the creativity of the other writers, which encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone a lit bit more than I normally would have. I could see how this could work well in an elementary classroom, in particular with students who aren’t always inclined to give their best effort. By being part of a team, it puts the onus on each individual writer to do their part. I think this strategy would be a strong motivator for students to get creative and have fun with writing.
Writing Retelling of Stories/Possible Class Book
One part of this week’s reading that really popped out at me as having so many great possibilities was “writing retellings of stories”. From the simple retelling of a classic story (being as faithful to the story as possible) to writing a sequel or telling the story from a different perspective (the text gives the example of a student telling the story of Goldilocks and the three Bears from the point of view of the Baby bear), the possibilities seem almost endless. To take this further, I thought it would be fun to take a classic tale, and then ask the students to change certain elements of the tale. Using Goldilocks and the three bears as an example, tell the students that they were going to retell the story but the following elements must be changed:
• No bears in the story
• The setting is not in a forest
• There is no porridge, chair or bed in the story
• There is no one with blond hair in the story
• There are five characters in the story
This retelling could be done as a large group, in small groups, or as individuals. Also, I think the fact that there is already a framework in place will make it much easier for students to start these stories in much the same way most of us found it easier to write the second and third part of the class writer's workshop activity, as opposed to starting from scratch.
Another fun thing fun thing that could be done as a finishing touch on this project would be for the students to make their own properly bound book for the classroom. This book could represent work done by the whole group, small groups or individual students, but might work best as one story retold by the entire class. Student illustrations would of course be included (a little something from each student, or from students working in teams) , and this would be added to the class library. For about $25.00 you can send off your story and scanned illustrations to Apple, for a soft cover book of up to 20 pages (I believe). I think that the students would really be inspired to know that their work was going into a “real book”.
Lastly, my favourite book was: "The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business", by Werner Holzwarth/Wolf Erlbruch
I really enjoyed the writing exercises that we did this week. It was fun to hear about everyone’s childhood favourties and I saw a lot of books that I had forgotten about. I thought it was a great experience that required us to not only think on the spot, but it also put us in the position that our students are sometimes put in and reminded us that it can be a difficult task to write on the spot even with the rewards that come out of it. It’s always good to activities that help us remember what it feels like to be on the receiving end of instruction.
ReplyDeleteI too really enjoy the idea of simulated journals. I find this to be an excellent activity for any age level. I find that whenever a student makes a personal contribution or extension to a piece of writing their interest and understanding increase. It really helps them to see how their reading is a form of active participation, not a passive activity. I think it also really fosters that idea that children are writers themselves, as well as the relationship between reading and writing.
I like how the text focused on the fact that reading and writing processes that are not independent of each other. I find that many younger grades appear to focus more on the reading and less on the writing, which I do understand as the ability to read precedes and nurtures the ability to write words and form sentences, but sharing ideas does not require the ability to read. The text, and the class, has offered many ideas on how we can begin to nurture writing skills in the early years through dictation and having children experiment with writing and sharing their ideas verbally. These tactics are helpful in developing reading skills and exposes children to the idea that their ideas are valuable, worth sharing, and that they are little authors thereby helping self-esteem. When children feel good about what they are doing they are more likely to engage in it and put in more effort so a focus on writing early on is definitely worthwhile. I think one thing that has really changed for me throughout this class is the idea that literacy is not just about reading; it is about engaging with language in various forms. I always knew the writing required literacy and was an aspect of it, but the work we have been doing has really helped me to articulate my understanding of the way reading and writing interact with one another in developing literacy and has made the concept of developing students’ literacy a much more cohesive one!
My Book:
ReplyDeleteThe title of the book that I brought in to share with the class was Tickety-Tock, What Time is it? And the author was Julie Durrell. I think that it would be a good book for teaching a grade one or two class because it is about daily routines. A teacher could read this book to the class as an introductory to a lesson on telling time. It could also be used to introduce a lesson on daily routines. After reading the story children could design their own daily routines and put them on a chart. They could then use the chart to write a story about their typical day. Originally I chose to bring this book in because it was one of the first books I had learned to read with. However, I now see the value that it has for teaching in a primary setting as well.
Writer’s Workshop:
I found that the beginning section of “story prompts for struggling writers” was very helpful because I have always struggled with the introduction portion of stories. In general, for many students “getting started” is the hardest part of writing stories. I have always found creative writing to be very difficult because it lacked structure; however, when I used the writing prompts I was surprised how quickly ideas came to me when we wrote stories in our last class. This handout would help to give students specific things to focus on in their introductory paragraph, and therefore provide them with the structure that they need to begin the writing process. Once they have this initial structure they will be able to elaborate on it with their own imaginative ideas, and their creativity will flourish.
Writing workshop
ReplyDeleteIt was great to do the story writing workshop in class and I would definitely try it in my classroom, although I would modify the process with some changes.
For one thing, the ‘on the spot’ nature of the task I found stressful even knowing that it was meant as an exercise to get a feel for the activity. I likely wasted cognitive energy with concerns for how well I was setting up the story’s beginning for my neighbouring classmate to carry on with, as well as for how valuable a contribution I would be able to make to the middle and end of the stories coming my way.
When using this activity in the classroom, I may try to do it in an anonymous way. For example, each student could be given a number (that only they would know) and attach it to a story that they have begun. This would be done on the computer and submitted to me. I would then shift the numbers so each student gets a numbered story ‘beginning’ to which they would add a middle section. The same goes for the conclusion. ie. No author would know who’s story they were working on.
What I would keep in the workshop would be the quick write feature or some sort of pre-writing brainstorming. These features may help students during their attempts to get ideas flowing and avoid being stifled by self editing or self censoring. It is easy for anyone to ‘intend’ to write a creative and expressive passage but the words and thoughts may not flow out at one’s bidding. In other words, the above tactics should enable students to get story ideas out by stealth.
Finally, it seems essential for students to have a bank of musings to draw on when setting out to write any type of narrative. Keeping a reading response journal would be a great resource for this. In it, students could write about genres that they like and why; characters they identified with, noting any commonalities with themselves; and story themes or messages which resonated with meaning for them.
I really like the activity of everyone showing their favourite children’s book. What was so interesting to me was how many books people had in common. Either they wanted to pick them too and couldn’t find it or simply just remembered fondly reading the same book. Of all the hundreds of thousands of children’s books that have been written, there are definitely the popular ones that are either still around or a generation all read. The ‘My Little Pony’ book that was talked about was so popular around 20 years ago. It is interesting just how TV/Media and publishing companies influence the popularity and distribution of certain books. I wonder how many amazing books just don’t become mainstream because they do not have the financial backing to flood the market.
ReplyDeleteThe creative writing activity that we participated in was surprising stressful! It was good to put ourselves in the shoes of the students though, I would have thought that the exercise would have been so entertaining and engaging for students. After doing it myself I see how giving students more time to digest the activity before writing would be necessary. Also I would not have the students pass their stories to the person next to them, I would collect them and then redistribute them so that students didn’t feel judged or self conscious about their writing/imagination. I thought the activity could be used as a fun community building activity if at the end everyone read their story in pairs and rotated to meet up with a few different partners (grade/age level permitting).
I loved all the writing prompts that we were given! The ‘success’ writing activity I think would be great for an activity as an icebreaker at the beginning of the year.
Writing stories give students a voice that for some students may otherwise be silent. I think it is important to allow students to chose if they share their work with the class. If pushed too hard this may cause students to not only have anxiety but also stifle creativity.
My book was Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein :)
ReplyDeleteI found the discussion we had on grouping children per their academic needs to be very insightful. My mother attended school in the United Kingdom and has told me many times about the system used over there. She view the system as being beneficial, not only to the students as they receive instruction tailored to their academic needs, but also to the teachers as there was much less differentiation in their teaching and they could teach to the students needs. I have reflected on how this might look, though, for a student that was not in the 'upper' academic classes, as my mother was. Would a system such as the one used in the United Kingdom allow for movement within the academic 'hierarchy'? Or would a lack of success in one area, such as math, hold a student back from reaching their full academic potential in other subject areas? After some thought, I believe a multileveled system, that allowed growth in 'strong' academic areas, and extra tutelage in 'lower' academic areas would be advantageous for students, could be adapted form one of the European based education systems.
ReplyDeleteWriting
The activity we did in class today, the shared story writing piece, was intriguing. I can see how students may find it interesting to see how their classmates would continue their plot or storyline. However, I think that some students may find it difficult to be put on the spot or rushed to come up with an idea, write about it, and have one of their peers read it. I even found it difficult to come up with a topic to write about, I then worried over whether it made sense, was there any spelling or grammar mistakes, etc... Some students may not be able to fully develop an idea, nor be able to effectively articulate their idea in a short amount of time. Having them start a writing piece in a set time without editing or reviewing is hard enough; therefore, with the added stress of giving the undeveloped piece to your classmate, I think many children may become disengaged in the activity.
My Book: “The B Book” By: Stan and Jan Berenstain (I loved all of the Berenstain Bears books!!)
Stimulated Journals:
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of stimulated journals offered in the textbook. What are stimulated journals? They are journal entries made by a writer from a historical personality or a book character’s view point. Through stimulated journals, I believe that students will gain a better understanding of the character’s life and specific events associated with the character. Also, students will learn about antagonist and protagonist in a story and/or novel. Moreover, it is a great way to help students learn about historical periods and events related to that period. I feel that stimulated journals could also help in developing and understanding emotions, feelings and thoughts. I think that these stimulated journals would be very effective in intermediate and higher grades as students at an intermediate level and up would be able to understand the characters and relate to them plus they will have more access to historical studies.
My favourite book:
My favourite book was Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin Jr / Eric Carle. I liked this book and still adore it not because it has a repetitive pattern and rhyming in it but this is the book through which I learned the spelling of a bear. I think it is a great book for emergent readers, English as a second language learners and English Language Learners because of the repetitions and rhyming words in it. Also, a teacher could use this book when he/she is doing a lesson on different animals with students.
Courtney wrote:
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book as a child is titled:
Millicent and the Wind Written by Robert Munsch
While listening to the class share their favorite book I heard many people associate their book to a significant memory of a time they shared with their parents. When it came to me to share my book I panicked because I couldn't come up with a way to incorporate the story into a classroom. By hearing other people share their reasons I realized most of us could introduce our books to students as a way to encourage an interest in reading. I realized reading to children does not always have to be turned into a lesson.
I enjoyed the writer's workshop very much, however I felt the guidelines kept me from writing continuously. As a result, my contributions to other student's stories were not very developed. I also found it difficult to know where the previous writer had left off so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where I wanted the story to go. I am sure I will use this type of writer's workshop in a class of mine one day. I like workshops because they can be modified in a variety of ways. I think it would be interesting to see the stories students create if everyone started with the same theme, quote or scenario. I believe writing prompts are useful because they eliminate the worry of coming up with a topic and prevent valuable writing time from being wasted. However, it is important students are provided with equal opportunity to develop their own creative minds without the use of prompts from the teacher.
Apparently the text discouraged the use of writing prompts. I think I’m ambivalent towards them. Many of my memories of being “stuck” in creative writing relate to a writing prompt or focus that didn’t work for me. However, sometimes the struggle with an assigned topic brought a better product out. When using writing prompts, it’s important to anticipate that even the most emotionally positive, inclusive, generally appealing topic, such as “Something that Fascinates Me”, “A Trip to Disneyland”, or “A time I felt Successful”, will be difficult for some student, perhaps because they can’t relate or the topic brings negative associations for some reason. Providing an alternate topic or checking that students have the background knowledge to write on the topic (eg. Disneyland), can save you from venting your frustration on the student when there is still nothing written at the end of class.
ReplyDeleteThe in-class creative writing activities were useful to help us understand how our students might feel when we give similar assignments: the feeling of being put “on the spot”, the relief when a challenging assignment is broken down into small steps, the stark contrast in difficulty trying to write an experience compared to the ease of telling it to a partner, the vulnerability of writing something that others in the class will read, the doubled vulnerability and risk of having to understand and continue someone else’s work in a way that another student can continue on from it. The aspects I found difficult may not have been so difficult for others, but now I have a “current” experience to look back on when imagining how my students will respond to a creative writing activity.
Book: Laura Ingall's Wilder's "Little House.." series; other Fav. authors as a child incl. Richard Scarry, Beverly Cleary, L.M.Montgomery.
I am excited about the use of creative writing in teaching students to be readers and writers. I remember when I was in school that my favourite assignments were always the ones in which I could use my imagination and creativity to think about and describe an event, situation or feeling from either a story character’s or my own perspective. When students are allowed to express themselves in an interesting and unique way I believe that learning will appeal to them on a more personal level.
ReplyDeleteSimulated Journaling:
Simulated journaling appeals to me as a teacher because not only is it useful in formative assessment but it allows students to empathize and perhaps identify with a character in a story. Students will have to think about themselves in the role of a character and what they would be thinking and/or doing in a particular situation. It allows them to engage with the information they have gleaned from reading a story or from what is learned about a historical event because they are using this information to build a journal entry that takes into consideration all of the things that are happening during the event as well as all of the feelings that are associated with it. Students can also be creative and elaborate on the events in the story by adding in pieces of information they think may go with the character’s life/personality.
The Five-Senses Poem (page 224 of Language Arts: Content and Teaching Strategies):
The Five-Senses Poem is a really interesting idea for teaching the art of poetry writing. I think this style of poetry writing would appeal to students because they can relate emotions or events in their lives to the concreteness of the five senses. Being able to relate emotions to the senses may be helpful for students because emotions are an abstract concept to grapple with and therefore may be hard to put into words. As such, expressing them as they relate to the five senses may seem more natural for students because the senses are concrete rather than abstract and may be easier to describe as they can be felt/observed in a tangible way. The Five-Senses Poem appeals to me as an educator and as someone who is interested in school counselling because in teaching students to think about life situations and emotions in terms of the five senses they will have a better understanding of the way that they feel emotions. This may lead to greater metacognition and self-understanding.
Picture Book: "Grandfather Twilight" by Barbara Berger
My Shared Book: A Light in the Attic (Shel Silverstein)
ReplyDeleteWriting Prompts
The use of writing prompts in the classroom has potential benefits and consequences for students. One of the most commonly discussed benefits is that they provide individuals with a starting point to establish the direction of their writing. This can be constructive for days when students have a limited time to write. Teachers justify the prompt because it takes the pressure off of students to come up with an idea to write about and; ideally, they can obtain a larger sample of the student’s writing. With regards to consequences, some argue that prompts limit the potential creativity of writing exercises. According to this argument, topic development is an important component of promoting creativity among young writers. By providing students with a topic and taking away the option to choose, writing prompts disrupt imagination and originality. In my opinion creativity is an essential component of writing; however, I do not believe that writing prompts (provided in moderation) interrupt creativity. In fact, through providing an open-ended prompt this strategy can stimulate young imaginations. What is important is to provide students with a variety of writing opportunities that involve different approaches.
Pass-A-Story Activity
During class we participated in a story writing activity that involved a story being started by one person, developed by another, and concluded by one more individual. After discussing the potential benefits and consequences of writing prompts, I thought about how this activity is very effective in incorporating both original topic development and prompt writing. Having participated in this writing activity I believe that it is important to provide students with the opportunity to experience both “types” of writing. Creating an idea and continuing someone else’s idea presents two different challenges. As the originator of a story you have the challenge of envisioning subject matter and characters. However, having the responsibility to continue someone else’s story is also a great challenge because you have to “connect” with that person’s characters and theme, and provide direction for their ideas. I do not think that it is appropriate to say that one role requires more creativity than the other. Overall, I found this activity to be very valuable for promoting writing skills, as well as, very engaging for students. After having contributed to other students’ stories I was eager to find out how the stories ended.