Chapter Assignments
Please have following chapters read and comments blogged by the listed due dates.
Chapters 1 & 2 - by February 3, 2012
Chapter 3 - by February 10, 2012
Chapter 4 - by February 17, 2012
Chapter 5 - by February 24, 2012
Chapter 6 - by March 2, 2012
Chapter 7 - by March 9, 2012
Chapters 8 & 9 - by March 16, 2012
Chapter 10 - by March 23, 2012
Chapter 11 - by March 30, 2012
Happy Reading!
This chapter reinforced my decision to do more writing when I work with my students and that it is not so much as a choice anymore as a must. Writing has been something I always thought was fun if we had time. Well, I need to remember to make time for writing, especially with my older students when the books get longer and the reading is more intense. I have been learning this through my masters degree, but now I am seeing it demanded by an author who talks about how this lack and fear of writing can eventually lead to output failure.
ReplyDeleteWhat does everyone else feel about writing? How do you fit it into your lessons and make the students responsible and accountable for what they write? Did you get any other fun take aways from this chapter?
Teaching writing is hard! Dr. Levine talked a little about teaching kids strategies to brainstorm, writing in steps, and fostering the affinities of our students. I feel like these are all things I do, but I also feel affirmed that I need to keep doing them and not give up. I know it sounds strange, but sometimes it seems as if what I'm asking of them is too much and I feel as if I should back down and not give them so much time to write. Sometimes I feel like I spend an entire writing period and a good sized handful of my students don't write a single thing down, despite many specific mini lessons geared towards teaching them strategies to brainstorm as well as individual and small group conferences. I feel affirmed that I should keep trying and that I'm not asking too much of them.
ReplyDeleteOn page 192, I noticed that with the new CCSS 5th graders will be asked to do much more of the kind of writing desribed at the "Sophistication" (7th-9th grade) level. Oh my, have we got our work cut out for us.
As a result of reading this chapter I will do more of the following: teach kids to self-monitor and exercise quality control over writing, have kids grade their own writing before turning it in and give students opportunities to practice editing and refining the work of unidentified others(samples I create). The few times I have done this the kids LOVED it, especially many of the strugglers. I think they enjoyed it because most of the leg-work was done and they could look back and offer some insightful and really good suggestions for improving the writing. It gave them an opportunity to give some input on a piece of writing that turned out pretty good in the end and I think it raised their confidence a whole bunch.
The allkindsofminds.org site looked interesting.