Writing can be difficult and teaching writing can be even more difficult. If you ask teachers whether they like to teach writing, most of them will say "not really". If you would have asked me if I liked to teach writing my first year, I would have said the same thing. I remember feeling so inadequate that year and having a hard time just getting my third graders to write one "good" paragraph. They would moan and groan when I asked them to write and I would moan and groan when I graded their writing. I would wonder why all of their writing sounded the same and why they still couldn't use correct capitalization and grammar even though I had gone over it again and again. I was frustrated and didn't know what to do, but the biggest problem I had was that they hated writing. My feelings of inadequacy prompted a personal quest to find solutions to my writing problems. I started my research and quickly discovered that I was approaching writing the wrong way. I realized that it is not just about writing words on a page correctly. I found out that I needed to create a classroom community of writers that saw writing as a meaningful process. Students should see writing as much more than just an assignment they have to complete or something that will be graded and scrutinized. They need to see that writing is hard, but totally worth it. They need to understand how writing can empower them, give them a voice, allow them to share that voice with others, and even help them learn. It took me a long time to realize that the key to teaching writing successfully is to teach it as a collaborative process. It might be a long or hard process, but it's one that allows you to express ideas, make mistakes, improve your ideas and be creative!
During my quest for becoming a better writing teacher, I stumbled upon the website "Teaching that Makes Sense", by Steve Peha. His website and FREE resources were my own personal PD. I learned so much about the writing process from his website and have implemented many of his ideas in my own classroom. It is worth checking out: www.ttms.org. I created a Prezi that I have used in teacher PD that shows how the writing process has evolved and how we can be more successful if we use a collaborative and criteria-based approach to writing. (from "The Writing Process Notebook", by Steve Peha.)
Here is the document that taught me everything I needed to know about effectively teaching the writing process: The Writing Process Notebook. Page 35 is a helpful chart that explains each of the steps. I hope you find this resource helpful and it positively impacts your teaching like it did mine.
There is so much more to say about writing, but I will dig deeper in later posts. However, since the beginning of the school year is quickly approaching, I have a few (maybe more than a few) suggestions for setting your students up for success and building a positive climate for writing in your classroom at the beginning of the year:
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I remember being so nervous my first year of teaching and literally asking myself, What am I going to do with these kids? The veteran teachers reassured me that I would be fine and not to worry about the first few days because all I needed to do was go over rules and routines and get to know the students. I took their advice to heart. I ensured that my 3rd graders knew the routines, rules, and the consequences for not following the rules from day one. I think I even had a handy dandy Power Point. They also participated in several icebreaker activities, played "get to know you" games and carefully filled out a packet with "all about me" pages as well as a reading/writing survey. I think I did ok for a first year teacher, but I have come so much further in my understanding of what it truly means to "get to know" your students and how to make them feel like they are an important part of the classroom community. It all began with the survey that I gave my students that first year. I learned more from the survey than I did from any of the icebreakers or "all about me" pages. The surveys were more valuable because the questions I asked were intentional and the answers the students gave me helped me to know them academically as well as personally, and even gave me insight to what might inspire them. Now, I still play those games and have students complete different kinds of activities that tell me all about them because those are fun and do help "break the ice". However, I started using surveys and other meaningful ways to dig deeper to get to know students better both personally and academically. I tried to give the students a "voice" in the classroom and show them that they were a valuable part of our classroom community. One way I did this was to take a leap of faith, and instead of giving students the rules on day one, we started writing the rules together. This made all of the difference. I started to see a shift in student behavior because they owned the rules, so they followed them. They all had input. We wrote them together, signed our names, and hung them on the wall. It was very powerful. They even helped me write "rules" for myself when I started to ask them what a good teacher should do. We called it my "teacher contract" and I signed that, too! (My general procedure for this activity is below.)
Writing Classroom Rules with Students Over the next couple of years, I began to incorporate more activities that helped me know and understand my students as well as build a mutual respect within the classroom. Below, I have listed a few ways that I truly get to know my students- "not casually, but intentionally" and how I give them a voice to ensure that my classroom is a successful learning community where students feel valued. I hope you find them useful tools to build your classroom community.
Yes/No Charts (for younger students) Math About Me (for older students) Math About Me (for younger students) Please feel free to comment and add your favorite ways to get to know your students. It's the beginning of July and school begins in less than one month for me. However, I am already feeling a little burned. I am not talking about a sunburn from laying out in the sun too long. Unfortunately, I am talking about my own summer "burn out" because I have done nothing but think about school since the beginning of June, when school let out. I have been consumed by assisting with summer reading curriculum, scrutinizing over all of the changes mandated by our school system, and trying to single-handedly gather all of the technology and ELA resources that every teacher in our K-5 classrooms might need, especially at the beginning of the year. So, as you can imagine, I am already tired. I thought that summer was supposed to be a refreshing and renewing time for teachers. However, during all of my 16 years of teaching, I have rarely felt that my whole summer was spent relaxing and gathering my energy for the next school year. Now, don't get me wrong. I think summer is the perfect time to reflect, plan, and prepare. But, this summer seems to be different. I am not just tired; I am frustrated.
I have been way too worried about all of the challenges coming up, the mandates, and the due dates! However, there has been one light in this dark tunnel of summer work and worries- a workshop that I attended at another elementary school. The presenter was Julie D. Ramsay and she is an expert in what I love: ELA and technology. Her workshop gave me the pick me up that I needed and reminded me of what is important- the STUDENTS and what they need! It is not what I need, what other teachers need, or what paperwork the district needs me to turn in. Yes, I will still follow the mandates and make the deadlines, but I will first and foremost meet the needs of the students. And, you know what they need the most? They need to have fun, stay engaged, and really feel like they are part of a learning community. I realized that this is what I should be doing, too! Julie's workshop was inspirational. I fully intend to buy her book, "Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing?". You should check out her blog post on "5 Strategies for Creating Self-Motivated Learners". I know she has motivated me to shift my thinking, stop worrying, and start planning with the students in mind. After all, aren't they the reason I started teaching in the first place? Stay tuned for more posts with activities that I will use and share with teachers to help transform every classroom into a community of self-motivated learners! |