Friday, August 28, 2009
Group C Ch. 3 & 4 Blog
View AND Read the first sample chapters (available on line) (Chapters 3 & 4) Using the Writer's Notebook in Grades 3-8: A Teacher's Guide at (http://www1.ncte.org/library/files/Store/Books/Sample/35006chap1-2_x.pdf) and begin your writers notebook then post entries on Class Blog( Keep your own notebook and share your response to it AND try out an idea in your class)Engage in an online discussion group on our class blog. Please read designated chapters and 1)propose “meaty” fat questions to discuss,2) make connections to your teaching and work with students, and 3) make connections to your work as a writer ). 4)Please respond to two of your classmates’s entries in your study group.4) Consider how what you have learned from this book might support the work of your integrated language arts unit
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Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapters 3 and 4 I noticed that I have used some of these ideas in my writer's workshop. In chapter three the author discussed planting seeds in writing. She identified a seed as the beginning of anyhting. One of the lessons that I teach my students is the difference between a seed story and a watermelon story. I got this lesson idea from Lucy Calkins. It is a great way to help students create a focused story.
Instead of writing about going to the beach, they would create a story about building a sandcastle at the beach.
She also discussed how important it is to give writers the freedom to choose their own topics. I have to agree with her, my students enjoy writing more when it is a topic that they have chosen.
I used the book Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe to model for my students what a seed story looks like. Then we brainstormed a list of possible topics that we could write about to create our own seed stories. Students were then given time to create their own list of topics to write about in their writer's notebooks. Then they were given time to begin their seed story. I will be meeting with them next week on these stories.
There were a lot of other ideas that I read about which I plan on using in later workshops, including the web idea,the graphing idea about things you love and hate, and creating a neighborhood map. These all seem like motivating strategies to inspire my writers. I don't encourage my students to use sketches very often to begin a wrtiting piece, but after reading about how motivating they can I am going to encourage it more.
What strategies did you try, or find interesting?
Mary
After reading chapters 3 and 4, I too, as Mary mentioned, feel as though I have used some of these ideas both in my classroom and independently as a writer, however I think I need to provide my students, and myself, with more opportunities to write freely and with an open mind. One thing I really appreciated was the way the writer's notebook uses the metaphor of planting a seed. This week I began my personal writers notebook (which I will talk about later) and constantly thought to myself that these ideas or notes that I was writing down are the seeds that could lead to a potential story. Mary, I also liked the way you explained the difference between a seed story and a watermelon story. I find that far too often my students do not focus their ideas and do not pay attention to the details which make a story great. When writing on a topic of choice, they usually pick a topic that is too broad. That metaphor of a seed story vs. a watermelon story seems like it might help get the point across to the students.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapters 3 and 4 I realized that there have been many times when I could have used the ideas discussed in writers notebook. Many times I do not give my students an opportunity to choose a topic they want write about. However, after reading chapters 3 & 4 I decided to incorporate a writing assignment which provided the students with more freedom and choice with writing. For example I am currentlty reading Whale Talk with my 10th grade English class. In the book the main character is told he is another boy's hero. After reading that chapter, I asked the students to create a list of people they admire and qualities they think a hero should have. I am hoping that this week we can expand on those ideas and provide the students with an opportunity to write freely about a hero in their life.
With regard to my work as a writer, I have found that I am using my writer's notebook much more than I had anticipated. I am taking many of the ideas discussed in Chapter 4 and implementing them in my writer's notebook. For example Ch. 4 discussed using the writer's notebook as a place to observe our world. This past weekend, my family and I went to a friend's house for a party. On our way there we passed by some beautiful farmland. Upon our arrival, I was greeted with a beautiful view looking over the CT. river. I couldn't help but take the time to write down what I saw and how I felt about the scenery. It was absolutely breathtaking. I hope to use those thoughts and observations as inspiration for future writings.
ReplyDeleteOver the weekend I also spent a great deal of time writing down things my family and friends said. Whether they were comments that inspired me or simply interested me, I wrote it down.
One thing I am noticing about the writer's notebook is that it is helping me slow down and appreciate the world around me. Too many times I am rushing from one thing to another. The writer's notebook allows me to take the time to observe and appreciate my surroundings.
Do you think that the writer's notebook will help our students slow down and take in everything around them?
Also, I think sometimes it is difficult to write with honesty and without second guessing yourself (especially in the older grades)I know that I am far too critical of myself as a writer, and I think many times the older students are far too critical of themselves. How would you help encourage the students to write with honesty and write with confidence?
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI love how you chose to connect what your students are reading to their writer's notebook. I'm sure those stories are going to be very memorable.
In regards to my own writer's notebook, I have not put down many entries. I find that the days pass by so quickly between teaching, classes, my husband and my new baby I don't have much time to myself. After reading your blog about your writer's notebook I am going to work on blocking off a set time for writing in my own writer's notebook. I have plenty to write about especially about my little girl.
I too have to work on not being so critical of my own writing and just write for the sake of writing, which is something I always emphasize to my students.
In response to your question about the writer's notebook slowing down our children to help them take in life, I hope that it does. Maybe if we share more of our entries where we write about our daily experiences, they will become inspired to do the same.
Mary
Ashley and Mary,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapters 3 and 4 it made me think about my relectant writers that I've had in the passed and there statement, "I don't know what to write about." After reading chapter 3 I was excited to use some of the ideas to help all of my students generate writing ideas. After helping my students to generate many ideas using the ones given in this chapter in different mini lessons I know that no student could say they no longer had nothing to write about. In my classroom I've used the timeline idea before where students start at the beginning of their life and map out what has happened in their lives up to the present. I've also had my students create "Heart Maps" from Luci Calkins. My students place people, places, events of importance to them inside a hear and on the outside of the hear they place things that are scary, or upsetting to them from things in their lives. I also liked the idea of sketches and have also tried this idea in my classroom after reading Ralph Fletcher's books on writing.
In response to Ashley and your writer's notebook I liked Mary's idea of sharing entries from your writer's notebook with your class. I started keeping a writer's notebook last year with my class and often shared my writing with my students. I found that my students were more willing to share once I shared my writing with them in class. Good luck with your notebooks and sharing with your class.
Heather
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI liked your idea of using text like your example with Fireflies. First, you read aloud Fireflies to your class to model what a seed story looked like. Then, you had your class brainstorm a list of their own possible seed stories. I actually love using authors in my classroom as well to teach new writing strategies. My grade level team and I worked on a writing unit from a book called Strategies that Work and Luci Calkins Units of Study: Writing. Basically, we wrote lessons using model texts for our writing lessons to use during our mini lesson of a new strategy in our Writer's Workshop. I find that students can better understand a new writing strategy seeing the work of actual authors texts and how they used the strategy in their writing.
OK- you take each other's comments seriously and respond. I like the insight about becoming more observant of the world around you and how a notebook can help slow things down. The data collected on family discussions might prove very valuable for a memoir.
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