When the 4th grade writing test was begun, I felt bound and gagged. Everything revolved around narrative, summary, and response to literature. I felt desperate to make sure my students knew what these were, what they looked like, and the process to write one.
In the meantime, all of the good opportunities for writing seemed to fly out the window.
Inspired by our workshops this year, a science grant I took part in (yes, science! writing! it's all connected), and a desperate desire to improve a teaching area I feel weak in, I've been starting to research best practices. Besides all the technology I've mentioned, I'm also looking at the low tech, old school methods of teaching writing.
National Writing Project - 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/922#Nineteen
Love this! Great ideas and suggestions. Next year I'm bringing more of their lives into the classroom, and less of what they are "supposed" to know.
Teaching That Makes Sense
http://www.ttms.org/
I'm curious about this. It was recommended on the ProTeacher boards. Anyone heard of it?
Step Up to Writing
The publisher site is here. Our school just purchased it. Overwhelming (I use that word a lot, don't I?). How does it contrast with authentic writing? I like its strategies: graphic organizers, prompting, visual cues. Good for low students and ELL's.
Six Traits
If there were a Six Traits weeklong workshop nearby, I would be there in a heartbeat. I wish I had had some kind of training in this framework. I see bits and pieces of it, but want to incorporate it more.
The main trend I'm noticing is that writer's workshop should be approximately 60 minutes per day, with 10 -15 minute mini-lesson, 2-3 minute state of the class, 20-40 minutes of writing/conferencing/publishing time, and 10-20 minutes of sharing. With a class set of laptops, and all the writing tips and tricks that I'm seeking, I think this will be my goal for next year. Any thoughts or suggestions (not that I've actively publicized this blog, but if you're still reading, please let me know!)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A Month of Technology
Some thoughts after putting the laptops we received into use (otherwise known as "notes to self"):
In2Books
This is time consuming! I know this is partially due to the learning curve. However, trying to keep track of 26 students is difficult, and trying to keep track of 26 pen pals doesn't make it easier. I am finding that I have to keep a paper checklist of who has completed letters and who has not. If I am to keep In2Books going, then I need more workshop time in my classroom. It is time to let go of some direct instruction and start working in small groups more often. I'm keeping In2Books next year, and hoping the learning curve is behind me. I'm also considering ePals, so it is not conditional on the students receiving and reading books.
Blogging
I'm on the lookout for good classroom uses of blogs. I have used the blog for a few different things, but I'm falling short of true collaborative writing. Still wrapping my head around it.
Twitter
I'm on Twitter! Other than occasionally wondering what celebrities are on Twitter (if Oprah can do it, I can do it), I haven't spent too much time finding its usefulness. Tweet me so I can figure it out.
Voicethread
I've fallen for voicethread, after seeing how excited my students were to use the microphone and hear themselves. But, working out the kinks (why is it cutting off what they say before they are done?) is frustrating. Thank goodness I have the extra time this and next week to deal with the issues as they arise.
Wiki
Or as my colleague calls them, "Wiki wiki wiki" (mime scratching records here). I have taken all of my items off of TeacherWeb (which I pay $35 a year for) and put them on the free Wikispaces. I like free, and I love the customization factor. It's not as pretty, but I'm working on it. Next year I want to put pages for the kids to upload to, so I'm searching out good classroom wikis too.
I'm going to be honest here, I have lots of ideas, but planning all of this collaboration is time consuming...and time is not something I have a whole lot of (with the exception of this week and next week as my student teacher has taken over for that time). My class this year has become my guinea pigs, so next year's class will be the true test of whether these ideas pan out.
In2Books
This is time consuming! I know this is partially due to the learning curve. However, trying to keep track of 26 students is difficult, and trying to keep track of 26 pen pals doesn't make it easier. I am finding that I have to keep a paper checklist of who has completed letters and who has not. If I am to keep In2Books going, then I need more workshop time in my classroom. It is time to let go of some direct instruction and start working in small groups more often. I'm keeping In2Books next year, and hoping the learning curve is behind me. I'm also considering ePals, so it is not conditional on the students receiving and reading books.
Blogging
I'm on the lookout for good classroom uses of blogs. I have used the blog for a few different things, but I'm falling short of true collaborative writing. Still wrapping my head around it.
I'm on Twitter! Other than occasionally wondering what celebrities are on Twitter (if Oprah can do it, I can do it), I haven't spent too much time finding its usefulness. Tweet me so I can figure it out.
Voicethread
I've fallen for voicethread, after seeing how excited my students were to use the microphone and hear themselves. But, working out the kinks (why is it cutting off what they say before they are done?) is frustrating. Thank goodness I have the extra time this and next week to deal with the issues as they arise.
Wiki
Or as my colleague calls them, "Wiki wiki wiki" (mime scratching records here). I have taken all of my items off of TeacherWeb (which I pay $35 a year for) and put them on the free Wikispaces. I like free, and I love the customization factor. It's not as pretty, but I'm working on it. Next year I want to put pages for the kids to upload to, so I'm searching out good classroom wikis too.
I'm going to be honest here, I have lots of ideas, but planning all of this collaboration is time consuming...and time is not something I have a whole lot of (with the exception of this week and next week as my student teacher has taken over for that time). My class this year has become my guinea pigs, so next year's class will be the true test of whether these ideas pan out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
