Ready to Start with Writing Workshops

As I finish reading Hale's, Crafting Writers, I feel excited to try it. My impression of the classroom I'll be in, one day per week, is that it is a flexible environment and I anticipate the chance to do some conferencing with the students. I have not yet experienced the language arts part of the student's day, but I am hoping they are writing regularly and I will have some materiel to work with. I am planning to ask for the opportunity to teach a craft lesson to a group of students. This is something I certainly feel like I need to practice. When we did it in class I thought it would be easy. We have so many resources that are specific and explicit about how to teach writing, that I was surprised when I stumbled in our class practice. I am excited to try it with young children to get an idea of what they respond to, and how I can affect their writing. I am also hoping to do a few writing conferences. There seem to be many detail to remember when conferencing, and i would like to remember them all. As far as I can remember the main points are:


Read the piece of work and find what is good.
Then find something that will help to improve the writing immediately
Have the student repeat both back to you
Have the student try it
Record what was done
Check what the student has done with the mini lesson.
Let me know if I am missing something!

Another point of instruction that I really appreciate in this section, is the recommendation about teaching the first day of writing workshop. This is a topic that has often come up with classmates and teachers; the importance of the first day of instruction. Hale mentions exactly what she does on the first day which might not be obvious. She practices, and explains carefully, her expectations for transitions. When we walk into a classroom to observe, and see children moving quietly and efficiently from one activity to another, we know that did not happen by accident. I appreciate the instructions on how to set this up, and the assurance that it is a worthwhile use of class time to teach the students how to follow instructions.

Providing hope

   Elizabeth Hale, provides such excellent scaffolding for the process of teaching writing. Her explanations and instructions are so clear and detailed that I immediately can see myself teaching.
    What I was most struck by in this section of the book, was the explanation of why we start with teaching a strength. Her description is of how it feels to be in that situation is poignant, knowing you are not doing something well, and feeling horrible about it. When the time comes for feedback you feel fear. Everyone has been in this situation and it is important to remember, that for many students, this is their experience in the classroom. One of our very important jobs as teachers, is to help students cultivate hope. Hope that they are not a failure, that they can improve, and that they are smart, successful students. I love that she is committed to the practice of ALWAYS, first finding and talking about strengths.  In the book, she also mentions different lenses for reading student writing. I think over time this is a skill that will develop, but when you read student writing, always with the intention of finding the good first rather than the mistakes, you are looking through a lens of positivity. I don't believe there can be an excess of positivity in a classroom.
     Another technique that seems useful is the choosing of one or two things to look at a time. In a conference you do not mention all of the things that are wrong in a piece of work, you focus on a couple. This is another way of cultivation hope in the student, but also, realistically, that is all they are likely to remember.

To craft writers...

Crafting Writers was an exciting book for me to read. As I read each chapter I could almost smell the dry erase board markers as I saw myself in front of my future classroom of eagerly smiling students, teaching them about variations of words and zooming in on details (I also noted many techniques I could use in my own writing). I already know that I can teach, but I came back to school to acquire tools so I could do it very well. I appreciate specific, clear, and detailed instruction, as this book provides. I love the way this book lays out exactly how to teach these writing techniques to your students. Before I was half way done with the readings, I had the opportunity to use the teaching tactics described. My boyfriend is afraid of commas. I, on the other hand, LOVE them. They regulate the flow of my writing. They help my writing to have voice, by giving my readers a way of hearing my words the way I hear them. I have tried to encourage my boyfriend to use commas, by saying "Use commas, make friends with commas, commas are good". And though my instructions were clear and straight to the point, they had no effect. I am convinced that at some point in his youth, when he was most vulnerable and impressionable, a glowering, and looming teacher with a severe hairdo, told him "Do not use so may commas!" Using the the advice in the book I was able to explain to him, the next time it came up, all of the reasons I use commas in my writing. By explaining "why it is good" I imagine that it will make more sense to him. Then, after reading the section on commas, my understanding of commas improved, giving me more way to explain "why it is good".

Perhaps it is just the kind of person I am, but what I really wanted more of in the book was results. All of these ideas for teaching writing are excellent, and my logic tells me that they will be helpful to students. But the most important part of teaching writing is the improvement of the student's writing. I assume that this woman is writing this book, not only because she had all of these great ideas, but because she has seen them work with students. I am looking forward to teaching writing, because it is such a valuable skill. The information from this book gives me confidence and excitement about going into a language arts lesson, of any age group.

A Community - in action

   Sections of the street were closed off to traffic and many small tents were set up along the edge of the road. The art fair is a small town event that draws metropolitan talent. People come from all over to present their art work to the people of the city and the people respond. People of all ages and backgrounds crowded 4th street to see what the artists had to offer. People who were young and old smiling and relaxed walked and danced through the street, pushing their strollers and leading their dogs. A beautiful day and pleasant music provided a backdrop for the enjoyment of many downtown. 

   As I tried to observe and record this event, I was overwhelmed by the crowd and flury of activity. As I focused in, I noticed people reaching out their hands to appreciate hand-made furniture, leaning forward to smell the savory Thai food dishes, and crouching down to get a closer look at jewelry that shone in the sunlight. I realized that this was not an experience to quantify, but rather to appreciate with all of the senses.  I focused on what I heard and noticed words of encouragement, pride and praise. The gentle and patient tones were that of adults working with children in the crafts tent. Around the corner just steps away I heard words that I imagined those children would not understand, such as glaze and dream-scape. Only an artist or someone familiar with art would understand these terms. This was an unusual environment where artistic language is common in casual conversations. I also heard many people say "this is nice", and "I really like that".  When I looked for people using literacy, I noticed people handing out fliers and pamphlets that resented a cause or promoted an event, but very little literature that was necessary to the experience. The signs were not very informative, and maps and guides were not readily available.The atmosphere there was one of relaxed enjoyment, where people are not in a hurry, and don't have an agenda. People seem to appreciate that warm beautiful days are numbered. And that standing in the middle of the street laughing and talking is the most important thing to be done in the moment. And rather than relying on literary markers, in this environment you can get all of the information you need by opening yourself up to a sensory experience.

The Delicacy of Teaching Literacy

   I have always believed that the quality of life for someone who does not know how to read is significantly reduced. My heart goes out to the people who do not enjoy reading and I can only imagine what it would be like to struggle with reading and writing on a daily basis. It is widely agreed that reading and writing are two of the most important skills a person can learn. I believe that there is a natural inclination towards reading and writing in children. At a very young age they quickly absorb information about letters. When you see a three year old pick up a memorized book and pretend to read you know that the desire to read is strong. There are many factors that influence early reading levels, such as exposure to reading materials, and parents reading to their children.  Because children all experience different levels of reading exposure and they have different learning dispositions, within one classroom there are generally many different reading levels. As a teacher with a classroom full of children at varied reading and writing levels, it can be a challenge to give every student the best lessons for them. According to Lyon and Moore in Sound Systems, "knowing the concepts in the curriculum to teach, knowing whom to teach them to, having a plan to methodically teach concepts, and keeping records of learning and teaching in phonics" is what is involved in systematically teaching phonics. 
   I am feeling optimistic about phonics education in our classrooms. On Wednesday we, as a class visited a school for the morning and saw them implementing a program designed to systematically identify and teach individualized phonics lessons to each student in the school. I see this focus more and more in schools, identifying and targeting the needs of the students. I believe that any situation, where teachers are getting extra support, is more likely to be a successful learning environment.