Week 5A: Reading Logs

A few years ago I was on a family vacation when I asked my brother-in-law (he was in high school at that time) what exactly it was that encouraged him to do his homework.  He explained that he did the reading assignments for the classes that USED or DID SOMETHING with the content vs the classes in which the homework was to simply read in the text.  This conversation informed my future approach to reading assignments and helped me recognize that the"doing something" not only encouraged students to complete their work but also helped them better retain what they had read.  This chapter of Thompkins provided so many different strategies for the "DOING SOMETHING" with literacy. 

This chapter was also very timely as the physics teacher and I recently collaborated on a reading response log rubric (as discussed pg 112-114) that we will both use to help with consistency in encouraging the same attention and focus to non-fiction reading and expository writing. 

What I also valued about this chapter is the majority of these strategies could be easily applied to 9-12.  This chapter felt much less geared toward elementary school compared to earlier chapters from this text.

Week 4B: Interactive Read-Alouds

On page 71 of Thompkins she explains the value and importance of interactive read-alouds.  Many people may picture that elementary school teaching reading aloud to her students something along the lines of The Three Little Pigs or my favorite anything from Roald Dahl.  Believe it or not this strategy is what history teachers, instructors of expository writing must also do.  They should be taking time to read well written journal articles, web resources, textbooks on the content aloud to their students.  Instructing them to listen with a writers eye.  This means considering the 6+1/writers craft that was effectively (or ineffectively) accomplished in the writing process.  Providing direct instruction in how to break texts down and identify and see the 6+1 traits in model texts does I have found directly impact their ability to apply these skills to their own writing.

Week 4A: 6+1=academic writing

Since starting this class my more experienced classmates (reading specialists already with masters) kept referring to the 6 traits +1.  Up until this week I really had little idea of what they were referring to.  I now feel in the know!  Ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentations. I appreciated Thompkins direct and clear explanation of each of these traits.

As I went through each of these I thought specifically how these 6 traits apply to the genre or writing I spend the most time teaching, expository or academic writing.  I went through with each trait and highlighted the sub-point that as a history teacher must be considered when addressing the writers craft.

1. Ideas-Identifying genre: Writers of history rarely get to choose the genre-or the form for that matter.  This sadly can stifle the writers craft to some degree however students do have choice in choosing a topic, focusing their topic, and developing their topic.  Which brings up the importance of TOPIC and certainly supporting the topic in expository writing. 
2. Organization-Crafting the lead:  In expository writing this is referred to as the thesis statement-it is not traditionally a hook as described in Thompkins.  This notion of crafting a creative lead is often actually problematic for developing expository writers.  In an effort to create a hook, or grab the writers attention as students have been instructed to do in journalism type writing, or fiction writing students loose site of clearly crafting a thesis statement or directly addressing a question prompt.  
3. Voice-Adopting a tone: Developing expository writers also struggle with appropriate tone.  Learning that the tone is NOT personal, is not a conversation or a blog, it is not opinion.  Instead the focus of voice is writing with knowledge well.
4. Word Choice-choosing precise words-helping students to writing CONCISELY is critical.  Students often attempt to insert "big" words used incorrectly and write more which is NOT always better.
5. Sentence Fluency-achieving a rhythmic flow:  It is important for students to use transition words so that their writing flows smoothly from one idea to the next to help eliminate some of the stuffiness of academic writing but more importantly clearly communicate their well developed argument.
6. Conventions-THE RULES-academic writing unfortunately demands the writer to more closely follow the rules.  SIDE NOTE: not fun with punctuation is expository writing!!!!!!!!!
7. Presentation-Clear and simple text features that serve a purpose. Illustrations and additional text features can not be inserted for the sake of doing so they must be purposeful and support the thesis if included at all.  

Week 3B: Examples of writing from home

This week we completed our writers identity.  I have to say thinking about my history as a writer certainly informed my understanding of both how I currently see myself in writing and some lessons for both my students but also my own children.  Most notably giving students ample opportunity to practice writing and the value of positive feedback and motivation.

This week it just so happened that Levi my four year old wanted to give me a "letter".  This consisted of a bunch of "letters" written in no particular order on a blank page.  He was so proud of himself and I was quick to acknowledge this milestone of an accomplishment for him and reassure him that he is becoming an actual writer.  See the picture below.

My son Theo (first grade) participated in a fabulous activity in which he had to opportunity to practice at school  the writing process.  Students brainstormed ideas about what they wanted to learn this year.  They then drafted these on a small piece of paper.  This pre-write was actually a sketch.  Students then had the opportunity to head off to the computer lab where they wrote down their ideas.  They then had the opportunity to read what they had typed and consider making changes.  These included adding other ideas or expanding on the ones they had already written.  Changing the sentence structure (adding periods to actually form separate sentences, considering splitting up thoughts into more than one sentence).  They also had a teacher, aide, and the lower school instructional technologist walk around and provide feedback.  They then had the opportunity to make corrections in the lab based off this feedback.  They then published their work on their newly created blogs.  The links were then shared that night with parents.  I just so happen to be picking him up early for a Dr's appointment that day and witnessed this entire amazing lesson plan unfold for about 15 minutes.  It was incredible to see the writing process in action at such a young age.  Below is a screen shot of his first online publication....at 6!  Translation by the way is: I hope I get to learn about the moon, flowers, Topit and other games.