Friday, August 28, 2009
Group C Ch.11,12 & 13 Blog
View AND Read the first sample chapters (available on line) (Chapters 11,12 & 13) 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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Mary and Ashely,
ReplyDeleteOur last three chapters, chapters 11-13 helped to give some last minute thoughts on addressing some problems you may encounter along the way with writer's notebooks in your classroom. The biggest challenge seems to be addressed in chapter 11 with engaging boy writers. Last year I attended the NERA conference and attended Ralph Fletcher's presentation on engaging boy writers. I took his ideas about allowing boys to write about topics such as violence and humor, which might be a bit tabou for some teachers and allow your boy writers to go with it. I introduced the book scary stories to my class. Actually, I shouldn't say I introduced this book because many of my boys had already taken this book out from our school library and had been reading it in and out of class. One day one of my boy asked if I could read from the book in class. I remember this book being one of my favorites when I was in elementary school and being happy that it was of interest to my boys and they were asking me to read it to them, I did! Little did I know that was a mistake. One of my students, I don't know who, they never came to me first was supposedly having nightmares from the story at home. The parent of that child went to the administration and complained. My vice principal pulled me into her office and asked "when did you read this book" I replied, "I've only read from it once and it was in the morning during morning meeting." She said, "Why would you read aloud during morning meeting." I thought to myself "why not" in my head, keeping my thoughts to myself. I wished I had told her how important reading aloud is for students when she questioned me reading aloud. However, I said nothing and was made to feel I was at fault. I tried to do a good thing. I was excited that my boys were excited about a genre and lept at the chance to hook them as readers and writers. I don't know if I will ever take that chance again and it is a shame. Have either of you ever had a problem with something being censored in your school or a genre you were told you could not read? What happened? The stories I was reading were made for elementary students. They were corny scary. One story has a man who is missing his toe and he goes around saying, "where is my toe, where is my toe" then the reader jumps out and says, "I've got it!" They are silly, corny, but the boys love them! The boys were excited to read them and I was told I had to discourage the boys from reading these books and certainly could not read them aloud in my class again, even though they are found in my schools library. So chapter 11 though I agree with it completely would be afraid of allowing in my class again because of the response I received.
What do you girls think about this?
Sincerely,
Heather
Hi Ladies,
ReplyDeleteIn response to chapters 11 through 13, I think the author leaves us with some very important points to assist us in having successful writer's notebooks.
In chapter 11 she made a lot of important points about encouraging boys to write and being a little free with their topic selection. Her point about there being a fine line with the violence stories and drawings is something that I have had a hard time with as an educator. At what point should you become concerned about the child? There was a fourth grader who I had that was obsessed with the Halo video games and that is all he would write about. I had to find a happy medium for us both, without discouraging him with his writing. It was not an easy task.
Heather, I give you credit for at least throwing yourself out there to get the boys engaged and enjoying reading and writng. It is too bad you had a negative response from some parents.
In response to chapters 12 and 13, the author made me realize how easy it is to incoporate the use of the writer's notebook into all aspects of the curriculum, and every day life. I loved the idea of having the students use their writer's notebook to research a person, place or event that relates to the content standard. I've had my students do research on a Native American tribe of their choosing as part of our social studies unit, but never thought about it as a writing topic for them to do in their writer's notebook. This year I will try using the writer's notebook for this research unit.
There were many great ideas throughout this book, the most meaningful to me was the writer's notebook being used as a workbench.
Mary
Mary and Ashley,
ReplyDeleteMary, I agree that the chapters in the Writer's Notebook reading were very useful and can be used across the curriculum. My big question now is how do you know when to use the writer's notebook and when to use subject notebooks. For example, during my unit for class my subjects were social studies (immigration) and literacy. I had my students using their social studies notebooks to complete different writing assignments for the unit. Should I only have a writer's notebook in class and no content subject notebooks for science and social studies. What do you girls think? I'm stuck on this question after the reading. I do think that it would make it easier for students to have one notebook vs. three or four, but will that create a problem and cause the writer's notebooks to be something they are not meant to be such as a place for notetaking, etc. hmmm... not sure??????
Sincerely,
Heather
Good evening ladies,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 11 I was extremely excited to try out some new ideas with the male students in my classes. I usually do find that my female students typically enjoy writing. My male students, however, will write because "they have to" and don't necessarily write because they want to. Some of the topic choices presnented in this chapter are extremely helpful! Furthermore, I look forward to checking out and reading Jeff Kinney's book Diary of a Wimpy Kid and introducing this book to my male students. Unformatunately I find that I do not provide enough time for my male students to write about topics of their chosing. This is definitely something I need to work on in the future.
Do you ladies find that your male students are engaged in the writing process at the younger grades? Heather, I was shocked to hear your story about your expierience. That is too bad that such a potentially great activity turned sour.
With regard to chapters 12 & 13, I agree with you Mary completely! These two chapters clearly illustrate how the writers notebook can incorportate all content areas and can be used across the curriculum. I particularly enjoyed the portion about integrating the arts. Tonight in class, Mary you mentioned the activity with "The Flight of the Bumble Bee"? (I think that was the name) and the way that classical music could be used to inspire writing. I really want to try and incorporate something like this in my classes.
Heather, you had asked a question with regard to using multiple notebooks. I am under the impression that students should have a notebook to keep notes, and class discussions, and should have a completely separate notebook for their "writers notebook" I think students need to understand that the writers notebook is for pleasure writing and giving students the opportunity to write about topics that they want to write about. If the students are putting social studies notes in their writers notebook then I don't think the students will truly be able to appreciate the purpose of writers notebook.
In chapter 13, I liked that there was a focus on ELL students. I think the use of writers notebooks is extremely important when helping ELL students to gain confidence with writing. Have you ladies ever tried using the writer's notebook with ELL students? If so, how did it work. Also I was wondering, how do you ladies plan on assessing the student's writer's notebooks?