Saturday, January 24, 2009
Writer's Notebook Ch. 9&10 group b 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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Hi Tiffany and Heather,
ReplyDeleteHope you are enjoying your vacations! I really liked reading chapter 9 by Elliott because I am always trying to stress to my studnets how important vocabulary is, and I am always looking for creative ways to incorporate vocabulary lessons with my students. I want to try to encourage them to play with vocabulary so that they will be comfortable with it, and use their new vocabulary words in their every day writing. One thing I learned about last year at a workshop was an interactive word wall. We each made one using a trifold and wall paper. Then we stick velcro to the board. Students write words on index cards that also have velcro on them, and then we stick them to the word wall. That way, we can move words around and change them whenever we want. I always begin the year by reading Charlotte's Web because it is filled with amazing vocabulary, and by the end of the read aloud we have filled the interactive word wall with words. Then I try to get them to use the words as much as possible in their daily writing.
One of the things we are doing right now is using the interactive word wall for the wagon train unit. We have just finished reading If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon and we have filled the word wall with words about the Oregon Trail. I keep refering back to it to help build their background vocabulary for this unit. I am also going to have the students use the words they have written on the word wall in their journal entries to me which will force them to take ownership of the words. Do you guys use word walls? What works for you?
I thought chapter 10 was interesting was pretty interesting, and I am trying to be more open to poetry even though I really don't like it. I always disliked poetry even when I was in elementary school. I obviously don't let my students know this, and I teach them what I am supposed to, but I am just not passionate about it. I guess I am too literal. I have been writing in my own writer's notebook about my thoughts on poetry, and I am trying to not have such a negative attitude towards it. How do you guys approach teaching poetry? Do you have an recommendations? The only poem I remember from elementary school is the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein. I wrote about it in my writer's notebook yesterday because that is the only poem that really stands out to me! I always read it to my students every year, but I want to show them that poetry means a lot of different things. Do you guys have any good resources you use?
Hi Allison and Heather,
ReplyDeleteAllison, I love the idea of your interactive word wall. It sounds like a great idea, and I like how they can play with it and change some things around. For my vocabulary teaching, it is obviously very different from yours. I have picture/word labels on EVERYTHING in the classroom, so that the kids will build up their basic everyday life vocabulary. It is extremely functional, but really seems to work for us.
One of the things that I loved about chapter 9 was the quote, "if you hear good words that belong to someone else, write it down somewhere so it belongs to you too." I think that is so important because too many times the students are so focused on doing all of their own writing, that I think teaching them to use others ideas with citation is extremely appropriate and can help inspire them.
I found that read alouds for my students are really good and useful everyday to teach language and help them understand the relationship of print and speaking. Everyday I do a read aloud and although the kids are not really looking for amazing language or words, they are learning a little of the basic language and how to speak some sentences.
In Chapter 10, I wrote in my journal a 2 voice poem about the teacher, and the parent side of having an autistic child. It really did come out nicely for a first draft and it was good to see the differences, and the similarities between what I think each voice would be saying.
One of my favorite things about poetry is song lyrics. To me, that is poetry and my most inspiring. Have you guys ever used lyrics to help interpret poems, or get kids started on ideas of poetry? Would you consider lyrics good poems yourself, or do you view poetry differently?
Hi ladies!
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't responded till now, I'm not on vacation till this coming week, and was in a wedding last night, so needless to say my week was a little hectic.
Allison, I really liked your idea of the interactive word wall. This week we actually had a P.D. on objective writing and one suggestion that came from that was to create one for oral language that would cover our morning meeting times and other times of the day. Our students have really limited vocabularies and someone referred to a study that showed that students who come from lower income situations are exposed to thousands of fewer words per day than other students. This is something that I really need to remember with my students, and I do some things with vocabulary but not nearly as much as I should. I actually do more with math vocabulary than anything else. Last year we started a new math program that uses really high vocabulary words, some teachers chose to substitute lower level words. I decided to not do that, and I give my students a sheet at the beginning of each unit with the words for that unit and their definitions so they can put them in their notebooks and refer to them.
One thing I do with words for writing is we talk about "boring" words and try to replace those with better words in our writing. Right now we're working on elaboration, so for some of my students I'm really going to start focusing on word choice and making their writing more vivid now.
Although I do teach poetry in my class, I tend to have some frustrations with it. Like you Allison, it's not my favorite thing. I remember being in elementary school and we would learn how to write one kind of poetry then move on to another after writing one or two poems in each style. I do remember one teacher making a book of all our poetry. I was just never a big fan of it, and I find myself teaching it the same way because I can't figure out any other way to teach it. I love the idea of using song lyrics as poetry and I'm going to consider that for next year. In my notebook I did write a poem about something that happened a few years ago, normally I don't write poetry but I just started listing how I felt about what happened and it turned into a decent poem. Personally I don't feel creative enough to write poetry, I feel like that's kind of an excuse but I really don't feel like I'm that creative.
I'm curious, knowing that all three of us aren't that comfortable writing poetry ourselves, how would you respond to a student who tells you that they're not creative enough to write the type of poetry you're teaching at the time?
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteWhat is your e-mail address so I can send you the cyberlesson? I sent it to what I had written down and I got it back, I think I may have it written down wrong.
Thanks,
Heather
Hi Girls!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear that it isn't just me that does not enjoy writing poetry! I enjoy reading it, but I don't feel that I am creative enough to write it. When I see my own students struggle with writing poetry, I can completely empathize with them. I do admit to my students that writing poetry is hard for me, but I always tell them there is no such thing as "bad" poetry so they can't make any mistakes. They really seem to buy into the idea that poems can take many forms, and all poetry should be thought provoking and meaningful.
Lately, I have been writing down interesting words and phrases in my writer's notebook. I have been encouraging my students to do the same thing, so that they can refer back to it in the future.
Tiffany - I agree with your idea of doing a read aloud every day because I think it is so important to show students models of good writing. I do a read aloud every day and then I use the read aloud book to model for my students how to do a reading strategy. I try to pick high interest books that I know they will enjoy. I have been writing a list in my notebook of books that I have used that have been successful such as Charlotte's Web and Among the Hidden, and I write down books I think might be good. Of course, I have read some that flopped, but the majority have been interesting! What read aloud do you guys find have been successful?
Hello!
ReplyDeleteAllison, I tend to read the Nutmeg nominated books with my students. We just finished M.V.P., and they all loved it, it was really interesting to them and had a lot of reality TV/very modern references in it, so I think many of them could easily connect to it, which is something many of my students have a hard time doing to other books. I like to do shorter pictures books for read alouds too to teach certain things or to start conversations about certain topics. Many times by 5th grade my students forget that they can still enjoy picture books, and there are so many high quality books out there for older students now I like to expose them to those. My students achieved a goal they had set for themselves so they were able to watch Holes the other day, and we'll then read aloud the companion book Small Steps next.
I think poetry could come in useful for some of my students with the unit when they are trying to express in their own ways how the pioneers would feel moving west. I was also thinking of having them keep track of new words they find while reading about the westward movement. I want them to keep track of all the words they find not just content area ones, I'm curious to see what kinds of words they are unfamiliar with.
Hey girls,
ReplyDeleteHeather, I agree with you and love HOLES! In my old teaching position I did a read aloud, and then had them watch HOLES. They absolutely loved it and were so interested in it. Most of my students were boys though so of course I think that made a difference as well. They all also loved the Superfudge series. I can't remember the exact names of the books, but they always thought they were very funny.
Heather, good question about poetry and your students who dislike it. I think the key would be trying things with the student, so whatever advice you were giving, you could do as well. That way you saw what you were both learning "together". Then, it actually may help you see better things for yourself, as well as the student.
I think that any poetry use in my unit on sequencing skills would really have to be writing descriptive words for an object that they have experienced through a process. This one may be difficult to incorporate into my unit.
Heather- my email is tgancarz@hotmail.com or tgancarz@cheshire.k12.ct.us
I'll send you my cyberlesson too!