Although we don't usually see writing instruction often in our field placement (it's usually reading or math), I have noticed that our CT does use the writing workshop structure and we observed one lesson in which students were working independently and at different stages in the writing process. He took informal polls to see who was at the publishing stage and would conference with students once they thought they were ready to publish. This fits my CT's more laid back style of teaching, but I'm sure that if I were to use writing workshop, I would use some of the strategies mentioned in the Tompkins to create visual charts or at least a master list to keep track of students' progress. This information would help me to hold students accountable and make sure that students are progressing...one thing I noticed about the day we observed writing was that a couple students were continually off-task. Our CT does incorporate writing into his reading lessons by having students reflect on books that they read aloud and to themselves while focusing on specific skills that have been discussed in class. We don't usually get a chance to see their work completed, but the students have grown accustomed to this format and likely are beginning to see reading and writing as connected processes. (Although, I know that as a student, I would have still wanted to have some reading just for enjoyment and not "have" to do associated writing...I think this type of reading should still have a place in the classroom.)
In my own classroom, I would like to try to incorporate a somewhat structured writing workshop and know that direct instruction in the writing process will be necessary. I really like the idea of using "editing checklists" (like the example in Tompkins, pg. 67) for students so that BOTH the author and the editor know what exactly they are looking for AND they sign it and feel accountable for their work. In my high school expository writing class, we used a peer editing structure similar to the "stars and wishes" that Erin mentioned in class, where we were required to give at least three pieces of positive feedback and constructive criticism to improve the paper. I would definitely love to use that same structure with my students, I know it really helped me to learn to read papers more critically because you knew that you'd have to form both positive and negative opinions of the work. I also like the idea of structuring writing assignments by focusing on one or two skills, such as those outlined in the six traits. In my own elementary classrooms, we usually participated in writing assignments that either had a fixed topic or were "hot pencil time" and I don't recall ever focusing on specific skills as units. Because this is unfamiliar to me, it will probably require even more planning than usual, but I am excited to be able to integrate reading and writing units together, as Erin modeled in class. I was an avid reader starting in kindergarten and I know that I often mimicked the structures and tone that I had read in books in my own writing. So, from my own experience, as well as being exposed to the research supporting it, I look forward to being able to use reading and writing to reinforce each other.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Ashleigh,
ReplyDeleteYou make some good points about your placement classroom, and since your placement classroom is also mine, I can definitely see where you are coming from. You mentioned our CT's laid back style and how the writing workshop format comfortably suits this style. I would have to agree with you here. The way it is run in our classroom almost reminds me of a Montessori setup. The students work very independently, or as you also mentioned, some students find it difficult to work at all. I think that this could be fixed by adding an accountability piece to their writing. Erin is always stressing accountability within center work in our class discussions, and I think this could easily be adapted to the writing workshop format as well. Even if the students are just writing three sentences, at the end of the workshop period describing what they did that day, and turn it into the teacher, it would be useful. Also, he could have the students date their work each day. This would allow him to see the amount of writing they produce day by day. I, like you, do think that off-taskedness is a problem, however, and it is something that needs to be remedied.
I liked some of your ideas about your own writing instruction as well. I liked how you wanted to integrate Erin's system of stars and wishes into the peer editing process. This would give the students a lesson in contructive criticism without completely breaking down another student's paper. I also liked how you mentioned the importance of reading and writing being linked together and how reading can directly contribute to writing vocabulary. I know that this was mentioned multiple times in the Tompkins book that better readers know more vocabulary, and those that know more vocabulary are better readers. Thus, if a student knows more vocabulary they are also better writers. Additionally, there is another aspect to reading to discover more vocabulary for ELLs. In some of my TESOL classes, we studied how students learning another language actually improve through all aspects of their language, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, by reading. Reading new vocabulary makes students more receptive to and to be able to use more varied vocabulary in their speaking and writing. If this is important to students speaking another language, it is obvious that it would also be important for our monolingual students as well. Therefore, reading and writing are important units within language arts to constantly integrate, because just like iron sharpens iron, so too does reading sharpen writing and vice versa.