Making writing regular, enjoyable and worth it

Through much of my readings in literacy this quarter I seem to continue to come across the same three ideas: regular, enjoyable and worth it. These are in my own words of course. I keep circling back to these ideas for a few different reasons. For one, these would not have been the three words I would come up with when asked about teaching writing. Secondly, I have not seen these modeled in my current placements so these ideas stood out to me as something very different than I am seeing. I love these ideas because I think they are critical to teaching students how to write and I think they tie together much of what we have been learning.

Regular & Enjoyable

In Routman’s book she discusses how writing needs to happen on a regular basis. In addition, writing needs be completed in varying contexts. This can be a writing response, a free write, writing for another subject and so on. Something in this past week’s reading that stuck with me was how Routman explained that students need plenty of time practicing reading without being tested, and the same goes for their writing. Students need to have plenty of practice writing without it being graded. This was a major aha moment for me. I was under the impression that every piece of writing needed to be checked or graded; in the past this frustrated me when teachers did not follow through on this. Now, I understand that students need to practice without the pressure that they are being graded. Granted, students still need to practice good writing skills and the writing process even though the piece may not be completely checked. As for enjoyable, if writing is more regular I believe students will come to love writing. Additionally, if students are given options during their regular writing, they may find an outlet of writing they love. Celebrated student writing is also more likely to help students enjoy writing!

Worth it

In my observations, and my time as an elementary student, student writing is rarely celebrated or published in some way. Writings are usually published at least twice a year. Students need to have a sense that their writing is important and that it is worth it. I believe with worthwhile assignments, many opportunities for publishing and still more opportunities for celebration of writing will help students to feel like writing is worth it. In the end, this too will improve student writing.

The Joy in Writing (Post #3)

Joy in writing. I don't think I would ever use those two words in the same sentence. I do not find much joy in writing. I am learning this may have to do with the poor writing education I had and the lack of reading support at home as a child. Despite the fact that I don't enjoy writing, I found this "joy in writing" idea to be a theme across my readings this week. One major way in which we, as teachers, seem to be draining the joy out of students is boring them with forced and very structured writing assignments. For too long the focus has been on standards and correct writing 100% of the time. Students detest writing! Rarely are students given the chance to write for a real audience, on their own topic, and in a form different than the perfect paragraph or the five paragraph essay. With these things in mind I think that freedom in writing can bring joy. There it is, writing and joy in the same sentence.

I remember my most favorite writing assignment in high school. For this assignment I had to describe a day in the life of my family. This assignment opened up so many opportunities for me. We could write a short poem, a long poem, a full story, etc. There were options. Plus, when writing on a topic such as our family there was so much experience to tap into. I felt as though I could tell my story and someone would listen. It was through this assignment I was able to bring my voice to life in my writing for once and with it came the love and pain that was encased in my family. It was powerful and I was proud of it. 

After my readings this week I had new eyes to bring to some of my classroom observations. I watched two writing lessons and....yawn! Conventions, the proper way to edit papers and the need to bring voice to writing (without it's importance) was pushed into students heads only falling right out the other side. Again, I fear writing and I have even more of fear when it comes to teaching writing. But, after only a few readings this week I was empowered and wanted to stand up and take over a few writing lessons. I wanted to give students a choice in their writing and let their imagination run free. I wanted to hear students share their writing and praise them for exactly where they were at! If only I could get up and teach. I could change the world! At least this is how I felt for a time. Then I remembered I have so much more to learn.

Ohhh....I can't wait to have my own classroom!

Car Commercials and Phonemes (Post #2)

Do you ever watch car commercials? I never seem to notice them, until of course I am in the market for a new car. Have you ever noticed that? We seem to see past things that are not relevant to us at the time, even though these things might be right in front of our faces. As soon as you are in the market for a new car you realize the television is flooded with car commercials. I noticed this same situation happen to me around the topic of phonemes and word recognition. After reading the first three chapters of Word Identification Strategies: Building Phonics into a Classroom Reading Program I am starting to realize that teachers all around me are incorporating an emphasis on phonemic awareness in the classroom. I have also observed younger “readers” using word recognition strategies that I always thought was just memorizing.

During my time in a second grade classroom in September I often observed the teacher give the spelling pre-test. During this pre-test I see now that she was reinforcing phonemic awareness by explaining the types of phones present in the specific pattern of words she was giving. This was the beginning of second grade and there are several students who are on IEPs or are ELL so it makes complete sense that she would still be emphasizing phonemes in spelling even though the students are second graders now.

I also noticed the fourth grade teacher I am working with this quarter also used a spelling pre-test as an opportunity to still reinforce phonemes. After giving students the correct spelling of their words, the teacher wrote the word on the board by dividing it into phonemes. I asked later why and how often he did this with his fourth graders. He responded by telling me his students are more likely to spell the words correctly in the future if they see how the words are broken up into their sounds.

As for word recognition, I realize now that I have also observed students using word recognition techniques in an attempt to read. In my dyad placement we take our fourth graders to read to or with their kindergarten buddies every Monday. While observing this take place I have seen some kindergarteners using both the pictures and the shapes of words while “reading” a book to their big buddy. The best part is seeing their confidence as they “read” to their big buddies.

I hope as I continue to learn more about how to teach students how to read and write I will also become aware of more ways in which current teachers are actively teaching this in their own classrooms.

Emergent Literacy (Post #1)

Before getting into my thoughts on literacy for this week I think it would be worthwhile to share a little about my own literacy background. As I shared before, I have never really enjoyed reading. As relaxing as it may sound to sit down with a good book in a peaceful place there are two problems I often encounter. One, I have trouble finding titles that can keep my attention long enough before I bore and give up on the book altogether. Two, when I actually have time to sit still in a semi-peaceful place I often fall asleep no matter how amazing the book may be. So, with this in mind you can get a sense for my excitement for reading. I am learning already that my lack of enthusiasm for reading may be closely aligned with a deficiency of motivation in my childhood towards any and all reading.

As for writing, well, everyone has that one thing they think they are horrible at and for me that thing is writing. I am not sure when it started exactly but I was always a bright student. Sadly for me, a huge defining moment for this poor view on my writing comes from a history teacher I had in high school. One time she handed back a paper I wrote and in front of the whole class she said, "This is the worst paper I have ever read." Now this was not a paper that I skimped on and hoped she did not notice. This was a paper I tried really hard on. I was scarred from then on. I even feared going to a small university where professors would be able to associate my crappy paper with MY face. This is why I started at a large university. 

With time my fear of writing has subsided. This has probably occurred only because I have had to write so much so often I no longer have time to sit and stress about what someone will think of what I have produced.

Well, after this long-winded story there is a point. Although in my childhood I lacked motivation to read, which may in turn have had an affect on my writing, I believe very strongly in the importance of literacy and in surrounding children with reading and writing at a young age. This transitions into my thoughts on the article by Teale and Sulzby titled Emergent Literacy: New Perspectives. They focused on the development of reading and writing in young children. I admit, before beginning this class on Literacy I come with zero knowledge on how to education children in reading and writing. Since this article focuses on young children, this seemed even more overwhelming to me because, well, they can’t read or write yet.

What I loved about this article is that it pulled together many pieces of everyday classrooms and home routines that are already in place and of which are becoming the building blocks for childrens’ literacy development. Activities mentioned by the authors that I loved were activities such as read alouds, morning messages, and responses to text. These are all activities I knew about before yet I had not fully understood their importance in the classroom.

What I have come to understand through this reading is that much of what we have already been taught to do in the classroom is also inviting students into a literate community. Things such as labeling every item in the primary classroom with names (ie. Clock, stapler, sharpened pencils), writing morning messages, reading aloud to students, and creating art or writing assignments that respond to a text are all engaging students literacy. In fact, I loved how the authors said, “literacy should be an integral part of the overall curriculum” (Teale & Sulzby, 1989, p. 7). This article has provided me with the excitement I needed to open my mind to the opportunity of motivating students in a subject I have long feared.