Saturday, January 24, 2009
Writer's Notebook Ch. 5 & 6 group a 4pm
View the first sample chapters (available on line) Using the Writer's Notebook in Grades 3-8: A Teacher's Guide at (http://www1.ncte.org/library/files/Store/Books/Sample/35006chap1-2_x.pdf) and begin your writers notebook then post entries on Class Blog. Engage in an online discussion group on our class blog. Please read designated chapters and 1)propose “meaty” fat questions to discuss, 2) make connections to your teaching and work with students, and 3) make connections to your work as a writer (ie Keep your own notebook and share your response to it), 4)Please respond to two of your classmates’s entries in your study group, 4) Consider how what you have learned from this book might support the work of your integrated language arts unit.
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Hello ladies, here is my response to chapter 5 and 6. I liked the idea of using children’s literature as way to engage children in writing. As a kindergarten teacher I read a lot to my students and this is another idea I can use with my students. Although this book focuses on grades 3 to 8, I try to find ways in which to apply the ideas to my grade level. Are you able to do that? I can’t recall grade levels, but I believe Katie you teach grade one or grade two and Betty, do you teach a variety of grade levels? I actually had a wonderful experience this week reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The children thoroughly enjoyed the story and as a written response I had the children write about how they connected with Alexander. Their responses were wonderful. As Elliott said, “When we read wonderful books aloud to a classroom of young children, it isn’t long before they are waving their hands in the air, anxious to share their comments and experiences.” (p. 41). This certainly rang true for me this week.
ReplyDeleteElliott mentioned a book You Have to Write, by Wong, as a great book to read to children to explore topics for writing. I jotted down a note to look it up as I have not heard of this book. Do either one of you know this book? If you do, what do you think of it? I was planning on researching it and possibly purchasing it. Elliott also mentioned writing about names to inspire writing and I do this with my class. Albeit the parents do the writing, as this is a beginning of the year writing project, but it is a great project. We read each one of them and it is very heartwarming to hear their stories. What I really liked that I don’t do, but will now use for the next time I do this project were the suggestions for books that inspire writing about names.
As a writer I so enjoyed the ideas and the literature to accompany the ideas. I love to read children’s literature and this would be a wonderful way for me to implement some of the great ideas suggested in this chapter. I was struck when I read the section on Writing about Family. I tend to write mainly about my family in my notebook. Again, great suggestions for literature, but I noted one to investigate, Sunshine Home by Eve Bunting. As a writer I would like to read this as I connected with just the annotation to my mom. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to read about how to cope with difficult situations as this was my life. I never "got it" as a kid and I imagine seeing it and reading and writing about it might have made things more understandable. Did you connect to any particular section? There were so many, and I really thought this chapter offered some wonderful suggestions for our students as well as for us.
This idea of reading literature will fit nicely with my integrated unit. As I read stories about the wind and weather I can have the children write in their notebook. They might write about a time when it was windy and tell about what they did or how they felt. As they listen to stories it might trigger a feeling or memory and they can add that to their notebook.
Chapter 6 affirmed what I do when I use Writing Workshop in my classroom, one of the children’s favorite times of the day! It was interesting to read the part about sharing and the temptation to skip it. I often feel that way, but I have learned, not to do that. The sharing is important and the children really enjoy it. As Elliott said, “…it’s an opportunity for writers to learn from and celebrate with each other.” (p. 54) I liked the idea of having the children read over their notebook entries to choose some they would like to develop. I can use this in kindergarten as a springboard as well. Sometimes the children need ideas and they can choose from their notebook. I especially liked the discovery draft and using different colored papers for discovery drafts and final drafts. I had not heard of the term discovery draft, but I liked that idea, letting the children just write using what they know about the writing process. What did you think of that, had you heard of that term? As a writer I need to remember that as when I use my notebook I tend to worry about the process and spend too much time on that, when I should probably just write and get some ideas down. Who knows what might develop?
In Response to Chapters 5 and 6 in the Writer’s Notebook:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Elliott when she stated that “literature has an important impact on readers in different ways. It connects us to past experiences, stirs our emotions, and causes us to react, wonder, or chuckle” (p. 41). Students love to share comments they have from books. Literature is a key component in my classroom. I use some form of literature to introduce new concepts to my students. In my integrated literacy unit, I have incorporated several books to introduce new measurement terminology to my students. This will allow my students to begin making connections before we begin to measure. Chapter 5 shows us many ways we can use literature to foster a writing activity in our writer’s notebook. As I have students who struggle with what to write about, this chapter really helped by giving me ideas to share with my students. I have been struggling to get my students to write with elaboration. The idea of writing about memories is something I’d like to use with my students. More importantly, I want my students to write it more as a memoir that would include their reactions, thoughts, and emotions to that memory. Do either of you have any suggestions for getting students to write with more elaboration instead of trying to writing just a minimal response. We also do a lot of writing outside of our journal. For instance, later this month the students will be interviewing a family member about one of his/her memories or traditions. The students write it on a separate sheet of paper but after reading this it seems to me that it would be a nice addition to their writer’s notebook. My students also write about school and their friends quite a bit. I usually give the students promptings for their writings. When the students write about the end of the year and how they felt this year I am now considering using a web to help produce their own ideas for their writings. My students also love to write about their pets. To conclude my measurement unit, we will be looking at a story where a little girl has an assignment to measure anything she would like. This girl has the interest to measure her dog. My students will be bringing in stuffed animals to measure. I plan on allowing them to also create a story in their journal about their stuffed animal. This will allow all students the opportunity to write about their stuffed animal and not feel left out if they do not have a pet. Chapter 6 made me realize I do not incorporate enough writing into my day or week. Elliott wrote that we should have writing for 60 minutes a day. Wow! I hardly have time to literacy centers I just started using again a couple of months ago. Do you, also, find that a little difficult to fit into your days? This book is geared toward grades 3 thru 8. Since I teach 2nd grade I wonder just how much I should follow these guidelines. I was glad to see that sharing is a big part of the writing process. My students love to share with each other. My students work on one writing project each week that focuses on the outline, first draft, edit/revision, and the final draft. I liked the term Elliott used in chapter 6 when she referred to the first draft as the “Discovery Draft”. The tip of using different colored paper for the different stages is also very helpful. I wish I had read this chapter before Parent/Teacher conferences last week. Elliott points out that: “The process is more important than the finished product-we are teaching the writer not trying to perfect his or her own piece of writing” (p. 57). I had so many parents discouraged by their student’s writing. They also wanted to know why the final copy was not perfect. A few of the parents wanted me to make sure everything was perfect before the student is able to move on to another activity. It can get very daunting for students to have to keep making corrections because the more we have them look something over again the more careless they get which frustrates them even more. I also love to publish my students work after they have finished, even if it is as simple as making a cover for their writing. They love to personalize their work. Do you create books out of your students’ writings for the classroom library?
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you were able to get some ideas for your students when using their notebooks. I too thought there were many good ideas in chapter 5. The idea of using literature certainly does apply to our grade levels and I like that this is a suggestion for the upper grades as well. You asked about getting your students to write with elaboration and I liked what Elliott said in regards to allowing students adequate time to read over their notebook entries. As they read previous entries they can then choose a couple that they would be interested in developing. As I read that I got the notion that we should just let the children write and then we can have them elaborate. I guess though the key is to be sure they choose an entry or two to develop. She said that the rereading and choosing would afford the student to pick a topic of interest, thus it is something they care about, and so they will be invested in their writing.
You asked about time and finding the time for the suggestion in chapter 6; I certainly don’t have that time with my students, but I have been trying in creative ways to get more writing in the week. It’s not necessarily the notebook exclusively, but within other content areas as well.
I see that you too liked the idea of different colored paper, great idea! In regards to publishing student work, I do indeed create books with students’ writing. The children are really proud of these books and they are often the favorite when choosing a book for reading time. They love to see their writing in the book, it is very rewarding for them and I, of course, am very pleased with their enthusiasm and pride.
Linda
Hi Linda!
ReplyDeleteI, too, try to find ways to apply ideas from the Writer’s Notebook into my grade level. So far, I have found great ideas to use in my classroom. I am lucky in that I teach 2nd grade since it is closer to the target grade level than you are teaching kindergarten. I liked reading how important it is to incorporate literature into writing activities. Since this book is geared for grades 3-8, I feel it is important for upper grade teachers to realize just how much students benefit from literature. I enjoyed reading that you have the same experience, as I do, with your students loving to share their experiences as you read stories. I have not seen or heard about the book that Elliott mentioned in the Writer’s Notebook. From the description Elliott wrote, You Have to Write, by Wong sounds like a book my students would also be interested in. It could give my students many writing ideas. In my writer’s notebook, I have been writing about my family traditions. At the end of the month my students will be studying family traditions and memories and I want to have something to share with them. I have enjoyed taking a look back at my life and thinking of times when I felt different emotions. I want my students to see how I describe a memory so they can work on elaborating on their own. I, too, liked the term discovery drafts. I think students would relate to the term because especially in second grade they are still discovering the writing process.
Here is my response to chapters 5 and 6.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 3 I was impressed with many of Elliott’s suggestions to be used as potential seeds for writing. I found myself thinking, “Wow, that’s a great idea, why didn’t I think of that (over and over again!). It’s amazing how many ideas she comes up with, isn’t it?! It just goes to show that the possibilities are unlimited. I really appreciated Randy Bomer’s opening quote to chapter 3, denoting how teacher’s can help their students to navigate the writing process (p. 41). I believe that this ‘teacher direction’ is such a key element in helping to nurture our students as writers. Wong’s quote also struck me as very pertinent to share with students as she stressed that experiences that happen throughout their daily lives, even …”the holes in your socks, your grandmother cracking her knuckles, your father snoring all night long”(p. 42) are to be viewed as having value, and can be used as ‘seeds’ to be developed into writing.
In working with my k-3rd graders, I often use children’s literature as ‘seeds’, and the results are wonderful. Best of all, my students really enjoy the process. This week my second graders read the tale of “Lin-Lin and the Gulls,” a moving story that depicts the main character faced with a dilemma. She must choose between trapping her beloved seagulls in a basket to go and live with an old lady who can no longer walk to the sea and enjoy the gulls as she does, or allowing the gulls to roam free as nature intended. I asked my students to provide a written response describing Lin-Lin’s feelings about the dilemma she faced. As part of our reading program we explore character’s feelings to help us have a better understanding of the story. Each of my students liked this assignment, were fully invested in it, and came up with some beautiful responses. They used new vocabulary they had learned in the story within their responses, and they all felt like accomplished writers as they shared their responses. As I mentioned in a previous blog, due to the nature of my schedule, my time is limited. However, I believe writing to be such a powerful support to reading in so many ways, that I make sure to devote time to self-expression through writing on a regular basis. Teachers have shared with me that they find they’re challenged in the area of devoting sufficient time to writing, as well. This concerns me. I’ve had the opportunity to score CMT writing prompts, and it’s eminently clear that much more teaching of writing skills is called for. One thing’s for sure, we as teachers must make time for the teaching and practice of this very crucial skill. Don’t you agree?
I think writing about memories is definitely a great ‘seed’ for writing because each of us has a story to tell about our past. One of the books mentioned “The Summer My Father Was Ten” is one that I will be looking up, since I think my students would enjoy a story about a parent sharing stories from their childhood. It made me think about how much I used to love hearing my parent’s stories about things that happened to them when they were children. Another great idea suggested was writing about names. I agree that this is a great way for students to get to know each other in the beginning of the year and I intend to use this ‘seed’ with my students.
I also thought that writing about holiday memories and traditions was a fantastic suggestion. Everybody has stories about holidays or traditions. It made me recall an assignment that my youngest son was given by his kindergarten teacher, when we were going away to Florida to be with our family for Passover. He needed to keep a daily journal with illustrations and captions about his holiday experience. One of the entries had a picture of everyone sitting at the table during the holiday meal. It was a scene that I’m sure is indelibly etched in his memory, and can still be enjoyed as he looks back occasionally at this precious journal. Writing about family goes alongside of the previous suggestion as another wonderful ‘seed’ for writing. In my integrated unit, I will be using ‘family’ as a ‘seed’ for writing in several of my lessons. Since I’ll be using multicultural literature to help enhance self-image, I have chosen several books that will provide fertile ground for using family as great ‘triggers’ for writing.
I actually find that many of the entries in my writer’s notebook involve family. I guess that’s because family is often on my mind. It also appears that I include holidays in a lot of my entries, since each holiday seems to be on the heels of the next, providing ‘seeds’ for my notebook. I don’t think I’m quite used to the process of the writer’s notebook as yet, and as time goes on I think I’ll ‘loosen up’ and my topics will branch out. I’ll try to use some of Elliott’s ideas as ‘seeds’ for my own writer’s notebook, - what a concept!!
Writing about moods and feelings also struck me as a great ‘seed’ for writing since it involves emotion, which always provides great material for writing. Some of the literature that I intend to use in my integrated unit lends itself nicely to using moods and feelings for ‘seeds’ to write about, such as “Coming Home Soon”, a story about a young black girl whose mother leaves to home for an extended period to do work during WWll that would not ordinarily be available to her. I’ll be asking my students to write about how this character felt when she was left behind in the care of her grandmother to await her Mom’s return. To be honest, I thought each and every one of Elliott’s suggestions were terrific as ‘seeds’ for writing, and I appreciated the fact she included the titles of books to go along with each suggested topic, as well as descriptions of these books in many cases. I’m feeling as if Elliott is bringing me to another level regarding a heightened awareness of how to nurture my students as writers. Are you feeling as if this book is genuinely helping you to develop your skill in this area as well?
In chapter 6, I was surprised how concise the author was in going through the steps and found her explanation of the entire process to be very helpful. I was quite relieved to read that it’s appropriate to learn along with your students, since I haven’t had adequate training in this area, and hardly consider myself to be an expert (to put it mildly!). Although I do include writing in my program, we do not as yet use a writer’s notebook due to scheduling limitations, and I’m not even sure it’s meant for a time-limited program such as mine. My students generally respond to literature-related prompts.
Although I sometimes find it a challenge to fit in time for sharing writing, I agree with Elliott about the importance of sharing. Sometimes I have to continue the next session by sharing what was written the day before, but I always try to include this valuable opportunity to extend teaching. Reading that we’re not looking for perfection, and we should be focused on helping our students work through the process of writing was also gratifying to hear. This helped give credence to what I practice in the classroom. Sometimes I find students to be so hard on themselves, wanting everything to be perfect. I reassure them that they don’t have to be, but it’s not always enough. Do you have this problem with your students also? I thought that the suggestions of skipping lines to have room for revision and editing, and using different colored paper to distinguish between discovery and final drafts were helpful and will be using those in the future. Regarding publishing, I’ve found that publishing students’ work is always a good incentive for students to take pride in their work. My students love the idea of having their work published and displayed. For some of my students, particularly the ‘reluctant writers’ who don’t wish to engage in the process, this is the ticket to getting them to do their best work. Do you find this to be the case with your students?
Hi Linda!
ReplyDeleteWithin my k-3 reading program, I use children's literature on a regular basis to engage my students in writing activities. Fortunately, they're usually willing participants in this process! By adjusting accordingly, I find that I'm able to apply Elliott's suggestions to the different grade levels without much trouble at all. Regarding Wong's book, I'd never heard of it before, but I'd like to get my hands on it!- and will be asking my colleagues if they have a copy. I agree with her philosophy that it's imperative to impress upon our students that the things that happen to them have value and importance, and I'd be interested in learning more about how we as teachers can accomplish this.
I also loved the idea suggesting that students write about the backstory for their names. Everybody has a story behind their name, even if it's "My mom's favorite actress was ______, so she decided to name me after her!....
I connected with so many of Elliott's sections. Just as you did, I also appreciated the sections on family. The sections on holiday memories and traditions also rang true for me. I thought that another great 'seed' would be writing about pets. All kids are inspired by their pets, and would have lots to say about them.
I too, had never heard of the terminology Elliott used - 'discovery draft'. I appreciated the simplistic way she described this draft as being an 'act of discovery', as students develop and elaborate upon a 'seed' from their notebook, clarifying for students that this draft involves more than a student copying over his/her 'seed' from the writer's notebook. I would have to agree with her that some students have a tendency to simply copy over, automatically. Perhaps for these students it would be advisable for them to read the entry they've chosen to write about once over, and then set the writer's notebook aside so they'll be free to contemplate new ideas and won't be tempted to copy their 'seed' onto their discovery draft.
Hi,Katie!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that literature has such an important place in the classroom, and accomplishes so much for our students on so many levels in the area of literacy. I liked your idea about introducing math terminology to your students through the use of several books as part of your integrated literacy unit, so that they'll be able to make connections before they need to apply these concepts to the measuring tasks required in the unit. This preparation will no doubt make for 'smoother sailing' when they it comes time to measure.
Regarding suggestions for students to write with more elaboration, I think that Wong was right on target when she wrote about leading our students to believe that their lives and their gamut of experiences have genuine value, and are stories that would want to be heard by others. Once this is established, with the help of suggestions for 'seeds' as Elliott lists in her book, I think that students might 'come around' and begin to feel more comfortable with pouring their thoughts and feelings out on paper.
I believe that finding adequate time for writing is a challenge that all teacher share. I agree with Linda that a helpful way to include more writing in our students' schedule is to incorporate it within the content areas as much as possible.
I could relate to your feelings about how parents expect their children's work to be perfect. That's because they don't comprehend the purpose of writing at this level, and what we're trying to accomplish. They need to understand, as Elliott describes, that we're currently focusing on the process, and that this is an integral part of nurturing their children as writers. Our challenge is to know how to explain these facts so that parents become familiar with the stages of the writing process. By doing so, they can readjust their expectations and assess their childrens' work from a more realistic perspective.
Hi Betty,
ReplyDeleteI too felt that she does have so many wonderful ideas for writing. As you said the possibilities are unlimited. Your experience with your students in reading the tale of “Lin-Lin and the Gulls” sounded heartwarming and productive. Yes, yes, yes, we do need to teach and practice writing. At our school, due to previous CMT scores the focus did turn to writing and the scores reflected that effort. I do find that as I have such a limited time with my kindergarten class that I need to be a little more creative but I do make the effort.
I read that your notebook contains entries about family. I mentioned that I too, am finding I write about my family often as well. The ideas within chapter 5 will certainly give me plenty of seeds to plant, and as you said, just getting used to the notebook is a process unto itself. I feel I need to get more comfortable with the notebook and I’ll be better able to branch out.
I definitely agree with you in regards to all of Elliott’s suggestions. I think they are all very good and are indeed helping me to develop my skills as well. I totally appreciate all the descriptions of the books as I am ever learning more about the writing process. She is indeed making an impact on my teaching of writing for my students and I like how you said to nurture the students as writers. It is my hope to nurture these young students as they begin their journey of becoming a writer.
Yes, it was affirming to read that we too can learn along with our students. I tell my students that I too can learn from them as we share our thinking and learning with each other. Yes, I have had the occasional student that had to have it all “right”. I felt kind of bad for the student as the expectation for perfection caused, I felt, undue stress. None of is perfect, is what I usually tell my students and we all learn from our mistakes.
My students really enjoy their published work. It does seem to motivate the students as they want to see their piece as well as their classmates. They need to do their best work and the realization that others will read this tends to excite my students as well. In fact I will be creating a class book in my integrated unit based on the story “The Wind Blew”. I am pretty sure they will be looking forward to reading this book once it is published.
My response to Betty’s Blog:
ReplyDeleteBetty,
I agree whole-heartedly with your statement that we, as teachers, need to spend more time writing with our students. Elliott has set up this book in such a way to help me form many ideas to use in my classroom with my students. I find that I am rushing through some of my writing lessons due to time issues. Elliott has made me rethink how much time I should be spending with my students fostering their writing. I have a mix of students in my classroom in regard to how they go about completing a writing assignment. I have some who try their best and will not settle for anything less than perfection. These students will also have a hard time sounding out a word and leaving it until conference time. They want to have the word spelled correctly so they won’t be told something was not perfect on their paper. I also have students who take no time to sound out words because they know at conference time I will help them. These students put in little to no effort and that frustrates me to no end. The largest group in my class falls right in the middle. They try their best but they are not bothered if they do not know a word, though they do sound it out to the best of their ability. My students love to see their work published. We usually publish two to three writing projects a month. They love to look back over them throughout the year!