Burke Ch. 7

Modeling!! This one is huge! In middle school this is absolutely essential in teaching writing.
Process is a product. This is one thing that I do consistently and emphasize to the students, but at the end of the unit I always feel like I took too much time on the process and included too many steps. I suppose there is a way to become skilled and efficient at this, but I haven't mastered it yet.
Starting with paragraph instruction seems great and an be used with writer's workshop.
Editing is one thing that I do not spend enough time teaching. Students think that this is a check for spelling and punctuation errors. Perhaps some of the suggestions for sharper writing could be used for editing too.
6 traits seem great. And the rubric is also very useful.
For journals: the liability is something very very real. I had a student share some extremely personal information with me in an assignment. This was something I was unprepared for and is really important to consider.
Using news events for writing is an excellent idea. It gets students involved in their communities and the world and gets them reading a different genre. It also does a great job of prompting students to think about deep and relevant ideas.

A Mode of Writing I Want to Teach

I'm a big fan of non-fiction texts. Expository writing is one mode that I would like to teach. It is what I have been teaching during the past 12 weeks at Sullivan. One specific type of writing I would like to teach students to do well is email writing. Emails are one of the greatest forms of communication currently. I have read so many emails from people that are full of broken ideas or inappropriate language for the situation. By having this skill, students will be able to function in society by knowing how to phrase their ideas to fit a situation. For students to acquire this skill they will need to know the situations that email could be used for, what type of tone is appropriate for those situations, the role of word choice in writing and the basics of email.

Thing 39: Digital Storytelling

This digital scrapbooking seems like a great way for students to collect multi-genre texts on a theme. Students always love looking for pictures on a topic. I recently assigned a project for students to find a range of sources and this would have been the perfect way to put it together. Plus, the digital thing helps with interest. I love that this idea validates photographs as a form of study. Coupled with some media literacy and instruction in reading this could give students really powerful skills.

Things 27 and 31: Twitter and More Twitter

YIKES! That's a lot of communication! And it goes wherever you are. I'm still unclear on how this could be used with students in an equitable way, but I am hoping the discussion tomorrow will help.

Thing 29: Google Tools

I have an iGoogle page and most of these tools are usable on that page. There is some fascinating stuff out there. On my home page I have a tool that generates quotes from famous authors. This could be a useful opening activity for students or something that could be used in a homeroom. The date and time ones are especially useful and timer is great for teaching. Having a dictionary handy is great for language arts and easily accessible on here.

Thing 34: Web Answer Sites

Web answer sites are a clear example of why students need to be critical of author credibility on websites. These sites seem to be a great and easy way to show students of the need for critical analysis of information acquired online. I think that in these sites you can find clear mistruths and clear truths. The good thing about these sites is that students can use their prior knowledge to challenge the information being put forth online. For example, A student can look up "frogs" because they have a frog as a pet and find an answer to "What environment should my frog live in?" They might find and answer that says, "Put a heat rock in your frog cage. Frogs need to be warm." And this student might recall that their frog died when they did that a few years ago. This student then can deduce that not all of the information is true on the internet. This is essential because I have found that many students believe that adults make up these ideas of falsehoods online. While it is true that many things on the internet are true, this quick way of using student interest to make a point could be effective in teaching the importance of analysis of information online.

Writing Structures

I don't recall much of my middle or high school career so it is very difficult for me to reflect on this for use in my teaching. I remember 3 teachers in high school that I can speak about. One woman was very nice and taught us from the curriculum set out for her. She seemed to have the attitude that we all "just needed to get thought this" in her class and created a great camaraderie with us students. The only writing that I remember doing for her was for a big standards test. She did some test prep with us and reinforced how it was important that we pass it. Another teacher ran a very rigid classroom. I remember that she was a very difficult grader. I don't recall any specific writing assignments in her class, but I know that I didn't get the grades in her class that I expected to get in English class. A third teacher that I had in high school did a variety of things with us in her classroom. I recall many activities that we did in her class but I can not remember learning about writing or any writing assignments that we completed for her. I know I enjoyed her class very much because of how eclectic it was.

Preferred Method of Composition

My most practical method of composing a piece of writing is to just sit and do it. I usually do my prewriting in my head. I carefully consider what I will be writing about in my thoughts and reference any text that it deals with and then just write.

When I write a piece that requires a piece of textual evidence, I usually go through the text and find quotes that answer the topic for the writing. I usually then use the quotes to guide my writing.

Often, I use a pretty typical structure when writing which helps me stay focused and be sure that I am responding to the prompt. I will write the introduction and conclusion when I am finished with the body, but may make some notes to keep me focused. I try to include textual quotes in each paragraph and use the paragraph to set up the quote, name the quote and then explain it's relevance.

I am not a very linear writer. I usually will just write from my head or sometimes I need to dance around parts of the piece of writing to complete it. Often, I write so fast that when I go back and read the text I can't recall writing it. I rarely go back and proofread a piece of my writing.

My Autobiography as a Writer

"How have I learned to write?"
I have always been a good writer. It was something that I excelled at in elementary and secondary school. I don't recall any specific techniques that were ever taught to me that helped me learn to write. Writing always came easy to me and I just did what worked. In 4th grade we had a creative writing assignment where I wrote about a raft full of immigrants who were trying to travel on the ocean. One of the women was pregnant and began going into labor at the end. I came up with the ideas on my own. My parents can still tell you about this story. It was one my most significant writing memories because I got so much positive feedback about it. After that, I don't recall struggling with writing, although the only writing I ever did was in school. In 10th grade I was one of 2 student in my school to score a 5 on the basic standard test, which was a very high score. I always felt confident in my writing abilities. In college, I struggled as the years progressed. It was my father's suggestion that I become an English major and he cited my strong writing ability as a reason for this. I took his advice but found writing much more difficult in college for the simple reason that I did not enjoy doing it. I don't ever recall having this feeling toward writing until the last couple years of college. Even today, it is difficult for me to get motivated to write. I really dislike doing it. I can't explain why that is. It is something that I still value for my students and sharing the strategies for writing are essential in my teaching.