WoRdLe

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Crunch Time

So as the CRCT is upon us, classroom instruction has become a very eye opening experience. The ordinary day has gone from fun creative activities, to constant practice tests. I can't tell you how many times I have heard a teacher say that "if for nothing else, these practice tests will help them with test taking endurance". Our school system has become such a sad reality, and I truly just don't even know where to turn to place the blame. I know that the blame game really won't do the trick, but someone needs to be held accountable for this type of learning/teaching that we have turned to. We have learned in ALL of our classes that teaching to the tests is not effective; however, there is so much pressure coming from the district, from the administrators, and from the teachers... all the way down to the students. I hope that as a future teacher, I will be able to withstand the pressure coming from my administrators, and I will always choose the path that is in the best interest of my students. However, I do think that is much easier said than done. I sympathize for the teachers and administrators who feel like the CRCT is the end all be all. Our system is in a rut, and we need to find change. And we need to find it quickly for the sake of our students.

Comments4Kids

http://peswakaterec.blogspot.com/2011/02/christchurch-earthquake.html?showComment=1302532865233#c1194323231057663512

http://kelalford.edublogs.org/2011/03/29/frog-frogger-and-froggiest-by-john/comment-page-1/#comment-942

http://kidblog.org/Room82010-2011/zion4/the-women-i-admire-2/#comment-716

I am very excited about the the text project that I am working on. Last semester, I learned how much I love reading creative biographies- I think that they are absolutely wonderful. I used to think that biographies were simply books that listed the important events in a person's life, but I have learned that they can be so much more than that. Last year in our Children's Literature class, I made a list of "Must Have" books for my classroom library, and the vast majority of the books that I wrote down are biographies. I guess you could say that it is one of the elements of literature that I am passionate about. I love the idea that it is a way to address both literature and history in one topic. When Alix and I went to check out books, we found so many different types of biographies that were both informational and engaging. We found biographies  that were told from the perspective of the person, from the perspective of the person's daughter, through the use famous quotes, illustrations, and so many other creative ways to get to the information across. This project has simply further confirmed my passion about this element of literature, and I am extremely confident that I will consistently use these types of texts in my classroom.

     I absolutely loved the article about multigenre writing. Simply reading about the positive experience that these fifth grade student had excites me to try it in my own classroom. I completely concur that choosing a topic is of the utmost importance when starting a piece of writing. As I have said many times before, I have always enjoyed writing; however, if I don't like what I am writing about, I can detest it just as much. Even in this class, I can see the difference in my three writings. I spent more time deliberating my topic for my informational piece than I did for my persuasive piece, and the two pieces cannot even be compared. My informational piece is written with a great deal of thought and emotion, both of which are demonstrated throughout the writing.
     I can say that with beyond a shadow of a doubt, I will have this type of writing process in my classroom. Although I do share the same fear that it may be difficult to incorporate it into the standards, I do think that it can be done. And even if it does not match up perfectly, it is still an incredible learning opportunity, and I would hate to miss it due to the restrictions of standards. Every child is passionate about something, so it is the teacher's job to dig deep and find out what it is. I believe that anyone can love writing when they are writing about something they are passionate about.

In chapter 12, I really took a lot from the section of selecting units of study. I think that it is a great idea to do a unit on my favorite topic as a teacher because it is obviously something that I would be very passionate about. Therefore, I would want to make it as interesting as possible, so they would love the topic as much as I do. I liked the thought that I may be the only teacher they have who is passionate about that topic, so I will be able to put a special spin on it. 

Chapters 7, 8, & 19

I really enjoyed the chapter on managing predictable distractions in the writing workshop because as I have grown to love the idea of having a functioning writing workshop in my class, I have feared the possibility of it not being well managed. When I think of writing workshops, I think of the students in their own world doing their writing and having very little interaction with the teacher except for when they are conferencing; therefore, I assumed that it could turn into a free for all, yet I enjoyed reading about a strong teaching presence. Without threatening the students with penalties or consequences, the teacher can have a strong presence by simply moving about the room as opposed to having the students come to her. There is something very powerful about sharing the same space as the students, and if this becomes a routine behavior during writing workshop, the students will get into the routine of behaving accordingly. I think that utilizing the entire room is one of the most important aspects of writing workshop. With it being the students’ personal time to write, I think that it is extremely important that they not feel confined to their desk that they sit at all day. They should have the freedom to go to the place where they can do their best writing. I have always been the type of person who needs complete silence in order to write out a complete thought, so I think that the quiet zones are very beneficial and quite necessary. They are good for students who prefer to work in a quieter setting, and they are a good place to send students if they need help getting on task. I like the idea of sending students to the quiet zone because it is not a punishment in the least—it is simply a place where the teacher may think that the student is better suited for the time being.

Publishing is absolutely necessary in a writing workshop. Without it, writing workshop can often feel like running a race with no finish line. To have a piece of writing published is so exciting because it gives students the opportunity to show off all of the hard work that they have put into their writing. Although the publishing process may seem daunting at times for teachers, we need to remember how important it is for the students to have something to aspire to when it comes to their writing. I also like incorporating curriculum support into the publishing process. The students can learn a great deal from finding their own mistakes and correcting their errors in their writing. I like the idea of teachers assisting the students with their editing process during conferences and choosing one consistent error to focus on. Even though writing workshop is student-centered, I do think that it is extremely important for the teacher to capitalize on a teaching opportunity, so I like the integration of writing workshop and curriculum support.

Chapter 14, 15, and 17

       I think that conferencing is such a vital aspect to teaching. I really enjoyed Ray's take on the idea that as a teacher, you have no idea what you are going to hear or learn in conferences; however, I think that there is something very special about conferences in this sense. I think not being able to be prepared creates an opportunity for a genuine reaction to students' writing, so it is a great learning experience for both the teacher and the student. As a student, I was always the constant perfectionist, so from what I can remember, I think that I was the student who was always signing up for conferences and needing my teacher's help for my writing. Looking back when I needed help, I was always asking questions concerning proper spellings, new word choices, or correct grammar- never realizing that in reality, these were not pressing problems that needed to be fixed at that very moment. I liked how Ray's idea of conferencing was not about the students relying on the teacher for help or editing, rather it was a time for teaching. I still struggle with my perfectionist complex as a teacher and often want to correct my students spelling errors and grammatical miscues during writing workshop. I am glad that I am able to recognize this folly of mine, so I can learn from my mistakes and hopefully, grow from them in the future when I conference with students. I have learned that when I spend time focusing on these mechanical errors, I am wasting precious time that I could be spending teaching them about writing.

            I also liked learning about the four different kinds of sharing. Before reading Ray’s book, I only though that there was one form of sharing. I thought that students would write during the allotted time and once that time was up, students would read there texts aloud. Often times, that is all the sharing would entail and very little feedback would come of it, yet with simple response share, survey share, focused share, and student-as-teacher-share, there provides so much room for variety and multiple responses. I like the idea of switching the form of sharing up because it does not allow for students to get stuck in a routine and some very influential and positive feedback.

Chapters 9, 10, 13

       I have come to find that I have to be in the perfect environment in order to produce my best writing. I can't sit in a crowded room with a ton of chatter and commotion going on because it will disrupt my stream of thoughts. However, I think that there is a lot more to it than simply background noise. I really liked Ray's thoughts on what types of resources should be included in the writing workshop area. I think it is extremely important to be surrounded by texts of all different genres, lengths, writing styles, and formats. Writers can learn so much about writing and gather their ideas through peering into works of other authors, whether it be J.K Rowling or their classmate who they sit next to everyday. I simply love the idea of being surrounded by pages and pages of writing whilst in the writing workshop area.

     I was very surprised by the fact that she put so much importance on having the teachers lead the focus groups. I feel like every single one of our classes has harped on the importance of making activities and projects student centered. I know that the student-centered aspect of writing workshop is the hour spent writing, but I still would have assumed that the students would play a larger role in the focus group process as well. Although I was surprised, I also understand the rationale behind this thought process. Writing can lead to very extensive and lengthy conversations, and since the main part of the writing workshop is the actual writing, teachers don't want to let the precious writing time slip away. With that being said, I do think that it is very important for students to have their opinions heard, so I think that the teacher should make every effort to meet with each individual student and talk about their writing during conferences. I think the idea of a work-in-progress folder is brilliant, so both the teacher and the students can keep track of their work and what direction it is headed towards.

       I think that one of the most important forms of appreciation and recognition is shown through displaying children's work. I will absolutely have a bulletin board filled with my students' writing, so they have the opportunity to be proud about the work that they have completed. One of the most important aspects about writing is self-confidence, so I think it our job as teachers to instill this confidence within our students. I can't wait to brag about the good work that they have completed and assist them with the school-wide publishing. 

Chapters 1-5

          As a writer, or a person who loves to write, I really appreciated the reading and all of its suggestions for a successful writing workshop. I am in my senior year of college, and the only time in my life where I have ever been told to write with no direction and simply write what I feel was in my eighth grade English class. Each morning, we would come in the classroom and everyone would take out their journals and begin writing. Due to the fact that this was a part of our English class, we only had ten or fifteen minutes to write, but everyone really enjoyed it because it was simply a time for people to write what they were feeling without the fear of receiving a poor grade or having to correct each mechanical and grammar mistake. I like that writing workshop is designed for students to learn who they are as writers and for them to become experienced writers. One of the greatest points that the book made was that within a bunch of really bad writing is the treasure of some really good writing. During forty-five minutes of writing workshop, not every word is going to be eloquent or make sense; however, during this routine, students are bound to create some of their very best work. I have always been a perfectionist, so writing workshop was always difficult for me. Fortunately, however, it forced me to let my guard down, and I learned to write with zero inhibitions. I truly believe that this is the time where I found my identity, as a writer.

            Although I fully understand the importance of an amazing writing workshop in the classroom, I also feel like there is not enough time in the day for all that needs to get done. While I would love to dedicate forty-five minutes of the school day so the students can become experienced writers, I feel like there are other books out there that will tell me that it is equally as important spending that much time reading, participating in science or social studies activities, or creating hands-on projects, and before I know it the day will have flown by. I know that writing workshop is a very important aspect in the classroom because that is the time where students will learn to love writing and learn to feel safe in their own skin when writing, so I want to know how can I put it as a priority without letting it gradually fall to the bottom of the list? I really enjoyed how Chapter 5 said, “The writing workshop is a lot like lunchtime”. As a teacher, it will be my job to create the routine of the day and put the emphasis on what I deem appropriate. I hope that I will be like my eighth grade English teacher—all of my students will walk in the door and immediately begin writing in their journal unprompted without me having to ask a first time.