Winter Break

 As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself thinking back to my classroom days. It seems like the days of December flew by with choir performances, band concerts and general excitement over celebrations during the month. How quiet it must be in schoolrooms and hallways today.

There was also the anticipation of a winter break, a time to relax with a good book, time to spend with family. Like quite a few other teachers, I also took time to begin preparation for January. I always felt renewed walking back into the classroom with some fresh ideas.

Is it the same this year? I hope so. I hope teachers can take this time away from zoom and classroom responsibilities to re-energize - to investigate ways to make their online classrooms more accessible and desirable for students. In that vein, I'm going to mention The Teaching Channel, which is connected with The Learning Channel, that I've mentioned before. The following is a clip of upcoming free webinars with video clips of actual online classrooms. Take time to go to the Teaching Channel website and find out more.

"School closures around the world have launched us into the largest unplanned experiment in the history of education. Doug Lemov and the Teach Like a Champion team have analyzed hundreds of hours of online teaching footage to identify best practices and provide a clear guide for educators and school leaders to effectively teach online. 

Each 45-minute webinar will feature clips of real educators teaching students remotely as we explore the most effective ways to engage and educate students in an online classroom."

Teacher Webinars

• Thursday, November 19th: Boosting Engagement, Rigor, and Connection Online, Part 1 (watch recording)

Again, this is just a clip...there are many more options to help you with effective online teaching.

This will be our last post until January. We hope your Thanksgiving and winter holidays as well as the time off are energizing and will give you a chance to rest and prepare for the important months ahead.

TEACHER FEEDBACK

 “You have to love what they do; try to understand what they do; and not be promiscuous with what they do.” – Quincy Jones

 

Teacher – student writing conferences play an extremely important role in the writing classroom; however, I have not found a template that insures a successful one.  Having attended numerous workshops and read many texts on the subject, however, I do believe certain criteria exist.  

 

My ultimate goal in my writing classes was to help students toward becoming independent writers.  In my advanced writing classes I reminded my students that I was only one reader – that I might be able to offer some helpful insights, but that they needed to realize that as they continued on, they would encounter many other readers.  I encouraged them to seek out other readers (parents, other students, other teachers) of their work. 

 

Here are some suggestions I gained from Ralph Fletcher (one of my go-to mentors):

 

1.    Think of yourself as a reader and respond as such.  

2.    Make the conference a conversation – involve the student.  (How’s it going? What do you need help with?)

3.    Find things to praise.  (I had a graduate assistant who shared that he discovered pointing out good aspects worked more effectively than identifying the weaknesses.)

4.    Limit the time – maybe focus on just one aspect.

5.    Share places in the writing where you encountered problems or were confused.

 

Remember to teach the writer, not the writing!  In a previous post I shared that using a class novel as a mentor text is a great resource. In addition to classmates’ writing and published authors’ writing, become comfortable sharing your own writing (through all the various stages of creation).  If possible participate in a writing group with other teachers so that you can share your experiences with your students. A standard component of our Minnesota Writing Project summer institutes was participating in writing group. I found it was invaluable in my own classroom to share examples of feedback (both written and oral) that I had received and to show the revisions I made in my writing.  

 

A final thought: “Many ideas grow better when they are transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes 

 

 

 

Writing Workshop during a Pandemic

Micki and I are extremely pleased to offer this post by a colleague who was extremely active in the Minnesota Writing Project until she moved to the state of Washington.  Our loss was certainly their gain!

 

Throughout my 40 year career as an elementary and middle school teacher, professional developer, teaching principal and instructional coach, I have used the “Writing Workshop” approach to teach writing to all levels of students, primary through adult.  I was lucky enough early in my teaching career to work with someone who was trained at Teachers College.  I loved the enthusiasm in her classroom around writing, the ownership her students had and the pride they showed when their writing was “published”.  I watched and tried her workshop techniques and strategies and was hooked.   The formula was simple... start with a demonstration mini lesson (often using a mentor text) to teach a skill or strategy, do a shared writing with students as a group (I write as they give suggestions), watch as they individually try the strategy themselves and then allow them class time to own the strategy and use it independently going forward.  This has never failed to produce far better writing than any structured writing program I have ever seen.  Students often take the strategy and come up with original writing that was better than anything I would have imagined ahead of time.  As a part of this model, I try to “publish” student writing in as many ways as i can ... sometimes I publish the shared writing as a group project or publish the individual writing in anthologies or individual “books” of all kinds.  This writing is made available to real audiences, in the classroom, at home or beyond.  The process creates independent writers who use different strategies to create their own kinds of writing.

 

That worked for 40 years.  Then came the pandemic.  The school where I worked was shut down completely last March.  Teachers had very little time to prepare and generally fell back on more canned approaches to everything, including writing.  Predictably, the writing they received back from kids was bland, artificial and unsatisfying ... to everyone involved.  While trying to support teachers virtually, in my coaching role, I was also stymied.  How do we recreate the writing workshop model in a virtual way?  Soon after the lockdown, I got a chance to try.  My grandson, who lived five hours away, needed more challenge than he was getting from his online school program.  I agreed to do a weekly writing lesson with him.  Because I wanted him to have an authentic audience, I invited two students his age from my community to join us in the Zoom meeting each week.  For me, it was an opportunity to learn about technology tools that could be effective in this remote learning environment. For the kids, it was a chance to learn and share their learning with a peer group. I started with Google Classroom and Zoom.  I began by doing my short mini lesson with the group.  I would share a picture book with them and we would notice things the author did to make the writing effective.  Then I would write with them, using a screen share.  We would do a piece of writing together, using their ideas while I scribed.  Then I would ask them to try this kind of writing at home and bring it to the next week’s lesson to share with the group.  I would post the link to all the work we had shared on the Zoom call for them to access, plus other examples, videos or other resources.  I would check in with each of them during the week to see if they needed individual help.  They would share their drafts with me through google docs as they completed them, and we all (me included) read our work aloud at the next meeting.  I would ask them to listen to their fellow writers and share what they noticed.  After the sharing I would give them the choice to try this kind of writing for another week, or to go on to a new strategy or genre.  Throughout the spring, we explored all aspects of personal narrative writing, moving from personal narrative to fiction, created all kinds of prewriting formats (timelines, neighborhood maps, webs, scrapbook pages, character posters, etc), wrote newspaper and magazine articles, created poetry, worked on inquiry projects on topics we chose.  We published a poetry and fiction anthology, inquiry PowerPoints and slideshows, and a “Pandemic Newspaper”.  One of the students took an article she wrote for our class, sent it in and was published by a magazine that accepted student submissions.  Another student’s parents published her inquiry work on “Arctic Animals” in hardcover book form through an online publisher.  We wrote together until the end of June.  All of us felt like the experience was highly successful.  The students grew in their confidence and became a real support group for each other.  I have heard from their parents that they think differently about writing now and have continued to write on their own.  I have shared my experience with teachers in my district and see that many have gone back to this workshop model with their remote and hybrid learning classes this fall.  Teachers are much more skilled now at online teaching and are doing a much better job than last spring at engaging students and using the flexibility that remote learning gives to allow kids more independence and choice in their learning.  That fits exactly with the writing workshop model.  Sometimes a challenge like teaching in a pandemic makes us rethink exactly what is important about what we are teaching and what we are not willing to compromise about ... but also what other ways we can accomplish these important learning goals.

 

I retired this summer, so I am not working directly with teachers this fall, but I have been asked by our local Arts Alliance to create video writing lessons for remote learning teachers throughout our county.  I am working now to figure out how to recreate the workshop model in video form.  It is a new challenge, but I am giving it a go and learning along the way.  More about that later… maybe!

                                                                                                             --Anne Andersen

 

CONFERENCE GROUPS

 “No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft.” 

                                                                                                         -- H. G.Wells                                                                                                                                                                         

In our last couple of entries we shared some ways for students to begin to give/receive feedback on their writing.  Pair/share– just listen to my draft and share a reaction, such as what stood out to you or Say Back what you heard work effectively for beginning writers.  However, as writers mature, more complex feedback can be required.  Creating conference groups (usually 4-5 students) definitely increases the opportunities for students to develop stronger writing. 

Take some time to develop expectations for sharing writing because creating these groups can be tricky. Perhaps ask students to identify one/two classmates for their group.  Also, I found that mixing stronger writers with weaker ones benefited both.   

In addition, to create effective conference groups, you need to give the students some guidance. Here are some suggestions for peer response that might be helpful in preparing for conference group meetings (even breakout groups online!).   

CONFERENCE GUIDELINES 

1.  On conference days, members will gather to read, and one by one each writer should read aloud his/her composition to the group.

2.  Before any discussion takes place, the writer should indicate the type of assistance desired most.  (problem spot?  organization? etc.) 

3.  Each listener should then briefly respond to the entire piece.  A good practice is to identify words, phrases, or images that work quite effectively.

4.  Next each listener has an opportunity to ask about something that is unclear or something that needs more explanation.   

5.  Listeners should avoid telling the writer what to do, but they may respond to direct questions from the writer.  (“Do you think I should omit this section?”)

6.  Remember: this is not an editing/proofreading conference.  Members could seek that feedback in the written responses OR preferably, they could seek a partner to read a LATER draft.

Another approach is for each student to provide draft copies to their group members with the following instructions: 

1.    Please give me feedback for the following questions I have about my writing.

                        Question #1     

                        Your feedback:

                        Question #2

                        Your feedback:

2.    Underline those parts of my draft you especially liked, found effective, or found   memorable.  In the left hand margin next to each part underlined, briefly note why you underlined it.

Possible reflection for that process:

1.    The single most helpful comment (written or oral) that I received was:

2.    As a result of the group feedback, I changed my draft in the following ways:

3.    My conference group as a whole worked well in these areas:

4.    My conference group as a whole had difficulty with:

Remember you are the writer of the piece, so decisions about what you will change and what you leave unaltered are up to you.  However, writing is a social activity, so you need to be aware of what you can do to communicate with your readers as clearly as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            

 

 

Picture Prompts

 As I may have mentioned before, I love the New York Times' Learning Network. New ideas appear on a regular basis. Today, I received this one which features 144 picture prompts for writing - Perfect for online classes. Incorporate a picture prompt with a new concept you want students to try and then use RAG groups (see previous post) for feedback and revision. Have fun!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/learning/144-picture-prompts-to-inspire-student-writing.html

Read-Around (RAG) Groups for Feedback

 A favorite method of providing feedback in my classes has been through Read-Around-Groups or RAG. This works particularly well with short rough drafts completed after a writing lesson on a particular skill you want students to try, or on sections of papers where students are looking for the use of various techniques.

For example, if I have been working with my class on effective introductions and thesis statements, I will have my students create rough drafts of their essays, and we will use the Rag process to give feedback. 

Process:

Day 1

1. Students create rough drafts implementing a current writing concept the class has been working on

2.  Students put a codename on their paper instead of their real name, so other students are not influenced in their opinions of a friend's paper.

Day 2

3. Create groups of 3-4 students; remind them of what they will be looking for in the papers they read.

4. Shuffle and divide papers between groups so that everyone has a single paper to read.

5. Have each group assign one person to be a reporter/recorder of the best example in each group of papers that illustrates the concept being worked on.

6. Once all papers have been distributed, remind students what they will be looking for in the papers (Introduction? Transitions? Conclusions? Evidence?) using a stopwatch/timer, give each group 3-5 minutes (depending on length of excerpts) to read and pass around papers within their group.

7. Allow 1 minute for them to decide on the best example in their group and for the recorder to mark the paper's code on a piece of paper.

8. Rotate the papers from one group to another in a clock-wise fashion. (Rotate all at the same time) Continue timing, recording and rotating the papers until all papers have been read and recorded by each group. (This may take an entire class period).

9. The recorders hand in the list of "best" examples decided on by their group. Inevitably, a few papers will be chosen over and over by all groups.)

Day 3

10. Teacher asks the writers of the most frequently selected papers (2 or 3) to read them to the class. A discussion follows with students commenting again on what they thought stood out in those papers.

11. Students revise their own rough drafts.

This is a very engaging process but it only works when all participants have a draft to submit. If someone does not have a draft, I have them sit off to the side and work on their own draft.

For me, this process has always worked best when students were reading short excerpts rather than entire papers. Try it - modify it - enjoy the process.

Is it possible to do this online? If students submit their drafts to you online, is there a way to arrange breakout rooms to look at and discuss papers? I'm not sure. Let us know, if this might be possible in a modified way. I hope you'll try it!

FEEDBACK GUIDELINES

 Our recent blog entries have been focused on helping students develop confidence in their writing.  By now you should know your students well enough to encourage peer feedback.  I would suggest beginning with peer to peer before you move to creating writing groups.  Here is a handout that might be helpful:

PEER FEEDBACK GUIDELINES

AS THE READER –

1.  Be an interested and sensitive reader.  BE TACTFUL.  Think, talk, and write about the writing seriously.

2.  Be willing to take the time to make the effort for good feedback.  REMEMBER – peer feedback is not just for the other person’s benefit.  You will find many ways to improve your own writing from analyzing what works well and what doesn’t work in someone else’s writing.  The more time and effort you put into analyzing and critiquing others’ writing, the more ways you will discover to improve your own writing.

3.  Make specific comments in the margin of the paper.  Be sure to write a paragraph at the end.  Make the effort to be specific about the paper’s strengths and weaknesses.  Tell the writer exactly what you like about a part or what you think could be even better.

AS THE WRITER –

1.  Listen with an open mind.  Be willing to accept others’ input/advice.  Don’t ignore good advice because you’re too stubborn to change.  Try very hard to put aside your fragile ego.  Accept that ALL WRITERS need criticism as well as praise – in order to write even better.

2.  Of course, you have the right to disagree with someone’s advice.  You are the writer.  But even if you disagree with someone’s suggestion, maybe you should look closely at that part, to find your own way of improving it.

3.  Above all, don’t waste good input by being too lazy to revise!  Revision takes a tremendous amount of time and effort, but it’s the KEY to good writing.

SOME WAYS YOU CAN USE PEERS’ RESPONSES

• to help you clarify what you want to say

• to see what works in your writing

• to extend your ideas

• to gain perspective or distance

• to help you organize and clarify your ideas

Micki’s last entry had links to great resources for educators; I hope you took some time to investigate them.  Also since so many of you are working online, NWP had an interesting session about designing breakout rooms; check it out at http://chippewariverwp.org/2020/10/22/

Embedding Writing in Curriculum

 As English teachers, we are not just writing teachers, and for that reason, writing needs to become a part of all we do with language arts. Some of us gravitate more to literature and figuring out how to set aside time for "writing" seems cumbersome. How do I fit it in? Actually, it's very easy to embed writing in everything you do in class. Literature discussion? Pose 3 big questions for the day's discussion, and have students write short answers in their notebooks so they are primed for discussion. Walking around the room will let you know who is ready and who is not, who has an interesting point of view and who needs more time to read. (You may have to push for thoughtful answers that are more than one sentence)

As Muriel and I ponder where to go next with our blog, we would like feedback from you who are in the classroom. What is your struggle with teaching writing? What has been particularly successful?  

In the meantime, I want to share a couple of sites that you may or may not be aware of, but ones that I have found helpful while working with inner-city classrooms.

The Teaching Channel - I've been a member of this site for the past five years and find it to be an unending resource of new and creative ideas for teaching. It is a good resource for distance learning or teaching with a hybrid model. [Creating a user account is free and open to anyone. The Teaching Channel hosts almost 800 professionally produced videos of teachers in action, demonstrating new and effective best practices in their classrooms.]

Writing Fix - Muriel has mentioned this site, "The Home of Interactive Writing Prompts." There are writer's notebook ideas, K-12, if you're ready to incorporate something new or want help with implementing writers notebooks; there are prompts for writing exams, mentor text lessons and so much more.

Universe as Text - This is a new site to me, but from what I've seen, it is inspirational and informational with notes and quotes from teachers using the site's prompts in their classrooms. "Navigating our Textual Universe through Reading, Writing, Thinking, and Teaching."

The National Writing Project - The gold standard for writing support - endless archives and inspirational real-life opportunities to immerse your students in the writing life. My very favorite writing exercise involves a walk with 3 or 4 stops or areas where you have students write about the location or something the location inspires in them. I've taken junior high students on a walk through the neighborhood surrounding school. We made 3 or 4-10 minute stops where students quietly took out their notebooks and wrote. Once back in the classroom, students pair-shared one of their short pieces. From there, it could be developed into a longer piece or perhaps it might be one that inspired research for a larger piece. Could you take students on a virtual stroll during this COVID season?

Check out these sites when you know students need a change or you're stuck on how to go further with writing in your classroom. Above all, allow time for writing 2-3 times a week. Even rough drafts and journal entries inspire new thinking and lead to more thoughtful writing.

Please share some of your successes and struggles.

Write Out 2020 NWP

 Are you ready to take a break from your current writing assignments and have some fun? The National Writing Project is offering fun writing ideas around the theme "Stories Around the Campfire." Simply go to writeout@nwp.org for fun ideas, events and suggestions. Here is just a sample of what you will find...

Let's get started with Write Out 2020! Welcome colleagues and friends! Write Out begins today, October 11th and will run through the 25th. The theme of this year’s event is Stories Around the Campfire which connects to the National Park Service theme for October. Below are ideas and resources that you can use at your own pace and in your own way. We encourage you to share your writing and connect with others via the #writeout hashtag—find each other on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We also have printable postcards if you and your writers need a break from all the digital.   We will host broadcasted events on Wednesday evenings during Write Out. This week, join fellow teachers and rangers in a discussion about "Creating Writing Marathons in Our Classrooms, Parks and Beyond!" livestreamed on Facebook on October 14, 2020 7pm ET/4pm PT. Remember: even if you have just 5 minutes each week, 2 hours one day, or if you can spend a whole week with Write Out, that’s perfect! We look forward to connecting with you.

Some More Thoughts on Notebooks/Journals

While going through a plethora of saved materials from my teaching career, I discovered an excellent article on maintaining a writer’s notebook/journal.  In this article Ralph Fletcher shared, “I always tell kids that the most important book I’ve written is one that will never be published: my writer’s notebook.”  In the same article Don Murray writes, “The writer’s notebook gives students a place to react to their world, to make that all-important personal connection. . . [it] provides a safe place – no grades, no one correcting their grammar.”  JoAnn Portalupi wrote, “One of the best ways to encourage writing and develop fluency is to invite students to write regularly.  Don’t forget to write with your students!”  These three authors helped to shape my writing instruction, and I continue to seek insights from authors that I admire.  

During this pandemic current authors have been offering online opportunities for us to gain some of their wisdom.  In the past month it has been my privilege to watch presentations from Tara Westover, author of Educated; a conversation between writers Leif Enger and Peter Geye where they shared origins of ideas and influences on their writing, and an exchange of experiences between Ann Patchett and Kate DiCamillo.  Just this past Saturday, our local Walker Art Center hosted a virtual reading of author Kao Kalia Yang's forthcoming picture book The Most Beautiful Thing.  During the Q&Q portion Kalia shared these strong reasons for writing: “Memories flavor my life; We become the dreams of our ancestors; I see into the world; I see into myself; Writing is a picture of you in time.”  

The experiences of these authors fuel my ideas for my own writing, and my journal is a fantastic storehouse.  Here I am able to reflect/react to the life around me without any judgment.  I hope you are encouraging your students to do the same!  Whether on paper or online, the journal/notebook is an invaluable archive.

 

Response to Introducing Students to the Writing Life

“Good journal writing is like fishing in the river of your mind.”

                    – Inside Out  (Kirby, Kirby, & Liner)

An integral component of my classes (writing and literature) was the journal. Early in my teaching career, I discovered it to be an excellent place for writers to develop fluency and to become more comfortable with writing.  It provided a place to respond to ideas shared not only in writing, but also in literature.  

Since the journal is primarily ungraded, it becomes an excellent resource for nurturing classroom environment.  Students find it provides the freedom to express their ideas and to have interaction with their instructor.  It becomes a place to sort out ideas, a place to ask questions.   Students should be informed that their writing will NOT be shared without permission.  However, it is also important for students to realize that the journal is NOT a diary, and that teachers have a responsibility to report concerns to the proper authorities. 

Kirby, Kirby and Liner suggest at least four different purposes for students keeping journals/notebooks.  

1. Writer’s notebook – a place for storing ideas and experiments
2. Class response notebook – a place for reacting to assignments and class activities
3. Dialogue notebook – an opportunity to have partners read and respond to ideas/writing
4. Project notebook – a documenting of work as it occurs on an extended assignment, such as a research paper

Before school began in fall, I would head to the school sales and purchase inexpensive notebooks for all of my classes.  Today, with students doing much of their writing on computers/chrome books, you can have them create online journals.

As Micki shared with students using the internet, storing/organizing the notebook/notebooks should be more efficient.  Now, students can create folders for the different purposes.  They can also decide how public to make their writing.

We'd really like to have you share how you are using journals in your instruction today.  I know that gaining ideas from my colleagues was invaluable as I began to use and to evaluate the effectiveness of them.

 

Introducing Students to A Writing Life

Muriel and I were just talking about how we begin our school year and agreed that we usually waited a couple of weeks before introducing students to writer's notebooks and writer's workshop, but you will know what is the right time for you. Perhaps, you'll focus on writer's workshop second semester or a particular time period during the year, or maybe you've already started. Whatever the case, the next few entries to our blog will focus on the particulars of writing in the classroom.

Of course, because of the pandemic, writer's notebooks may be hard to monitor and collect. I loved the idea of students leaving their writer's notebooks in the classroom, available to pick up before class. This was an excellent way for students to record lessons on writing, do rough drafts, and respond to prompts as well as try out different writing techniques. It was a way for me to check for understanding of concepts presented. As far as grading, if the work assigned was completed, everyone received the same score, and I didn't check /grade notebooks more than once every couple of weeks. Generally, I didn't read most of the entries. The grade was basically for completing the work.

There are many ways to store notebooks in the classroom, but I usually had bins at the front of the room for each class, and students picked them up as they entered the room, so it was available to them when needed. Now, of course, that is not feasible. Even without the pandemic, some teachers and students have preferred online notebooks, journals and portfolios. That is where we are at today. As long as students have access to the internet, and a word processing program, they are set. It will be up to you to help them with storage and organization of their writing so that it's easily accessible. Please share ideas with our readers as to how you have accomplished this with your students.

“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it, slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain.” — Jack London

So, what goes in a student's writer's notebook and how is it used? Again, this can vary from classroom to classroom, teacher to teacher. Jack London is speaking to writers - we, as teachers, are creating writers and introducing our students to a writing life. Some will thrive with the notebooks, others struggle to get a thought down. Over the next few weeks, we will be giving you ideas to get students thinking and writing, ways to take pieces from the notebook into finished essays, and ways to continue building classroom community through writing.

We would love to post some of your favorite websites, uses for notebooks, and ways you use to create a writing life in your students, so stay in touch and let us know what is working for you.

Micki

My Neighborhood - Introduction Activity

 Each year, when I was teaching, I would spend endless hours over the summer planning new ways to engage my students in the fall. Most of that time was curriculum-based. One summer, for at least six weeks, I co-developed a Shakespeare unit based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It was fun to develop, and I was sure, would be fun to present to students. Another time, I developed an interdisciplinary unit based on the novel, Shizuko's Daughter, complete with an authentic Japanese tea party on day one. Both units did go over well, but I'm confident that it was not just because of the unit content, but because my students, at the time, had become eager learners, assured that they would be heard and that the class was a place of safety and respect.

So how can we present meaningful content at the beginning of the year and use the same content to promote a respectful and engaging classroom? Try introducing short stories or essays that focus on growing up - situations that students can identify with - situations that resonate with them and will get them talking - and writing. "A Game of Catch," by Richard Wilbur is a favorite and can be used with a wide age range from middle school through high school because of the questions it ultimately raises. Or, take a chapter from a book of vignettes like A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Perhaps it will be a book that you will read later in the year but for now, it will be used in a get-acquainted activity. 

In one chapter titled, "My Name," Cisneros recites everything she knows about her name: "hope," "sadness," "waiting." She talks about who she was named after and how the teachers mispronounced her name at school. Names are always good topics to focus on, but what I also like about the book is her focus on her street, her neighborhood.

A favorite activity of my students was to make a neighborhood map. It became a great way for them to introduce themselves to a partner. It can also be a great first writing activity. To present it, I read a bit from Mango Street and then talked about the neighborhood I lived in when I was growing up. I drew a map while I talked and pointed out:

    • Who lived where

    • The secret places

    • Where my friends lived

    • Where the weird people lived

    • Where my brother's/sister's friends lived

    • Off-limits places

    • etc.

When you present this activity, give your students time to hear the story selection and talk about it; time to listen to the account of your neighborhood and see your map; time to develop their own map and share some of it with a partner; time to put some of their map story into a short piece of writing.

This activity accomplishes so many purposes: introducing something about yourself, engaging students, developing classroom climate; and providing early writing samples, etc.

Enjoy!...Tell us how this works out with your class...

Engaging students, continued!

One learns by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. --Sophocles

In an earlier post, I wrote about how important it is to take the time to develop an environment of trust so that your writers will be willing to share, respond, accept suggestions, and work on revising.  As this new school year begins, we have been posting some ideas for creating a learning community in the classroom.

Here are a couple more that you might like to try.

Names

Our names are important to us.  We have meanings, feelings, and memories associated with them.  Take some time to explore your name.  

• Do you know how you were named?  Were you named for anyone special?  

• Does your name have a family history?  

• Investigate the meaning/origin of your name on the internet. 

• Do you have any interesting stories/memories about your name?  

• Do a quick write/a free write about your name. 

• Introduce yourself and the name you would like to use.

Coat of Arms/Family Crest

Recently I received an inquiry from one of my brothers seeking some information on our family crest.  I remembered that my folks had one on the fireplace, but no one seemed to have that one now.  After contacting several relatives, he was able to locate a picture with some specific information.  Our crest includes the origin of our family name, our motto, a symbol, and colors associated.  

A crest/shield is a group of emblems and figures arranged on and around a shield that serve as a visual representation of interests, achievements unique to a person, family or organization.

Create an individual coat of arms that identifies you.  This coat of arms could include activities, hobbies, favorite food, favorite music, a motto you follow, etc. (I would recommend brainstorming categories with the class.)  Don’t feel you need to be artistic; you can use a template from the internet (such as this one) and simply insert information or pictures. 

Wishing you much joy and success in this new school year.  If you have activities you would like to share, please add a comment to our post.

Response to Engaging Students

 “Writing helps us convey ideas, solve problems, and understand ourselves and our changing world.  

            Writing is a bridge to the future.”– NWP

 One of my favorite activities for getting students to know one another is to pair students for an interview activity.  If possible, have students work with someone they don’t already know. (If you are working online, you can set up the pairs.)  It also works effectively if the instructor first demonstrates the activity by participating with a student.

Brainstorm possible questions – family traditions, favorite subjects, favorite childhood memory, family traditions, etc.  (10 minutes)

1. Take turns interviewing each other. (10 minutes)
2. Write a paragraph about partner highlighting a key trait or something unique. (10 minutes)
3. Introduce partner by reading paragraph.

In an earlier entry, I shared the 3-sheet writing activity.  This activity could certainly be used for students to interview each other. Also, this activity could be a self-interview.

ANOTHER POSSIBILITY 

1. First introduce yourself to your students by demonstrating how to construct a web of favorite activities, hobbies, pets, foods, music, etc.   

      

2. Then students create own webs.
3. Pair students (mix as much as possible with unknown partners).
4. Partners interview each other, noting ways in which they are alike and ways they are different.
5. Incorporate findings into a Venn diagram to illustrate similarities/differences.

 

6. Partners collaborate to write two paragraphs: one student writes about their differences; the other one focuses on their similarities. Then they introduce each other to the class using their paragraphs as guides. 

SUGGESTION:  TAKE PICTURES OF THE STUDENTS AS THEY SHARE TO DISPLAY.

Finally, check out these two excellent resources:

https://www.boredteachers.com/classroom-ideas/21-social-distance-friendly-and-virtual-icebreakers-students-will-actually-have-fun-with

https://writenow.nwp.org/designing-for-teaching-writers-online-aeec68be7b0

 

Engaging Students

Engaging Students. Isn't that what our goal is? When my students have been engaged, I knew they were thinking and processing the work at hand. If students can pursue their own interests, engagement isn't usually a problem, but that isn't always possible, and we don't know them well enough at the beginning of the year to introduce something of interest to them. We don't know what our student's interests are, and they don't have enough information about the class and us as their teachers to know whether they will be interested or not.

Again, the answer to all of this is community building. We need to find out our students' likes and dislikes, their past experiences in and out of school. One of my favorites and that of past MWP participants, is a class quilt. I have used this numerous times with great success. If you are teaching online/Zoom, this will work best the second or third day of class, because students will have to gather materials. (If you are in school, classroom teachers can furnish materials.)

At the bare minimum, students will need a pencil and two 8x10 sheets of blank paper. A variety of materials is even better. Giving them a list, similar to the following will help them gather items related to who they are as a person and student.

Quilt Materials:
2 sheets of paper (white or colors)
pencil, pen, markers, crayons, colored pencils or sharpers - (whatever is available)
glue, stapler or tape
scissors

Steps to Completion: (Demo a day ahead so that students have an idea of possible materials)
1. Take one sheet of paper and draw your Initials on the front, tall and wide enough that they can be cut out. 
2. Decorate the remainder of this sheet with cutouts, drawings, phrases that symbolize who you are.
3. Glue, Tape, or Staple this sheet to your second sheet to complete your quilt square.
4. Take a photo of your picture and send it to your teacher
5. Teachers will connect all photos to make a class quilt.

Students can work on this in class the following day, online, with you checking on them individually as they work. Maybe a few will be willing to talk about their process with the rest of the class. Be sure to check in with each student. 

Once the quilt is complete, it can be used over a period of time to have students introduce themselves to each other through talking about their own quilt square.

 The greatest value of this quilt is in showing students how important they are to the makeup of the class. Show them that when one square is removed, the class is no longer complete...that the beauty of the quilt and their class is that everyone has a place, and that when one piece is missing, the quilt is no longer complete.

Share your thoughts on this activity and others you have had success implementing.

Getting to Know Your Students

RESPONSE: Classroom Environment

Regardless of COVID19, life goes on...teachers prepare lessons and students look forward to school starting, in one form or another. I have six grandchildren and they will be going back to six different schools and five different school systems. Three are private schools and three are public. Two are in gifted classes, one is designated special education and the other three are in regular education classes. Two are juniors in high school; two are freshman and two are in middle school. I am explaining all of this so you know where my heart is as schools reopen. Some will be distance learning, but at least three will go back to "normal" school days. I hope they become engaged and enthusiastic about school this year. Then, I know they will learn as well.

I think that the first month of school is the most crucial in laying the groundwork for engagement and enthusiasm for the remainder of the year. There were years, when I was teaching, that I didn't lay the groundwork because of a variety of reasons. Maybe students were pulled for testing or I was paired with other teachers and content was a priority. Whatever happened, I jumped into curriculum too quickly without adequately getting to know my students or giving them a chance to know me. Inevitably, we just never jelled. When I did take the time to help students know and appreciate each other and become accustomed to why and how I structured the classroom and lessons, by January, the class could manage itself, and by June, we had all developed strong bonds with each other.

I am hoping that, in spite of the pandemic, and in spite of missing much of the last school year, you will take the time to get to know your students and what their hopes and dreams are for the coming year in your class. If you haven't visited the National Writing Project website and/or joined them on Facebook. take some time to look at the beginning-of-the-year ideas they suggest. Many will help you build classroom community.

One of my favorite ideas in getting to know students has been the use of surveys. I start out on day 1 with a 4x6 notecard on which I have students put their name, address, phone #, etc. - whatever I need to know in order to quickly contact them. (If you are doing distance learning, online, have students text/email you this information after they complete it in class.) Then, I ask for the best way for me to contact their parents. I explain that I like to send notes or call parents to tell them about the good work they are doing in class. My next question has to do with their name - What name do you want to go by in class? I ask which they prefer, group work or individual work? Do they prefer a noisy classroom or a quiet one? I also ask them to tell me something they want me to know about themselves.

This usually fills the card. Depending on time, we do some voluntary sharing or pair/share with whatever students are comfortable sharing; I collect the cards and let them know that I will post results of the survey questions the following day. Students love seeing that they are not alone in wanting either group work or individual time...that some people prefer noisy to quiet classrooms. I assure them that we will do both kinds of work during the year.

Other surveys I use in the following days are from Nancy Atwell and Linda Rief. Each of these women have wonderful reading and writing surveys that give you a picture of your student that tests can't. Again, getting to know your students well is the key.

Please share some of your introductory ideas as we start this new school year.  Watch for more posts on this topic!

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

“A learning space must be hospitable – inviting as well as open, safe, and trustworthy, as well as free.  . . .” Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach

Welcome to a new school year.  With this ongoing pandemic it will be an unpredictable one, and creating a classroom community will be quite a challenge.  Whether you are teaching online or in person, whatever you can do to develop an environment of trust so that your writers will be willing to share, respond, accept suggestions, and work on revising is extremely important.  As we mentioned in our last post, we want to offer some suggestions for creating a learning community.  We have decided to focus on three overlapping areas: classroom environment, building community, and procedures.

What can you do to show students that you value writing?  Do you have writing quotations and/or student writing posted?  Do you share your own writing?  What books are visible? Mentor books?  Don’t forget to include children’s books as mentor texts, too. Are these books available for students to use? If you are teaching online, perhaps create a bibliography of these books, maybe download some audio/video of these books.  Encourage your students to post quotations, pictures of their writing space and/or of themselves writing.

I like to post a quotation on the board (easily done online) for the students to respond to in their writing notebooks. (More about notebooks in later post!) It sets the tone for the day’s lesson.  Students can then share their written responses to the quotation or comment orally.  

As you begin to establish this learning space, what works for you?  Whether in the classroom or online, what do you do to make your classroom conducive for students to be willing to share, respond, and accept suggestions for revising?  For whole group work I discovered that I prefer to arrange the desks in a semicircle. Then I can move easily around the room and confer individually with students.  For pair-share work students just move their desks together.  For writing groups the desks are in pods, preferably four or five (we’ll share more about writing groups later).  My students become quite efficient at moving desks!  

Also, I often use music in my classroom.  I found that in addition to setting a mood as class begins, it can be a great stimulus for ideas.  Encourage students to share what music works for them and suggest they create a playlist. 

The first days of class are critical for establishing a learning space that is supportive and nurturing for writing.  It is extremely important to take the time necessary to create that writing environment.  Here are some activities that you might try during the first week or so of class:

·     Do a 10-minute free write on a topic such as How do you feel about writing?  

·     Share a time when you felt proud of your writing or a time when your writing was a disaster. 

·     Invite students to share writing or orally tell about their writing experience.

Good luck to you as you begin your new year.  We welcome your ideas (it’s easy to add a comment to our posts).  Don’t forget to check out these resources:  mwp@umn.eduand nwp.org.  I know how frustrating it can be to teach online, especially when your entry disappears – as my first one did today!!