Only when we find our purpose for writing can we tap the well of our brilliance. This workshop will share strategies to develop involved and confident writers.
If we teach writing holistically, i.e. from the inside out, then all that painstaking work on editing and getting conventions correct makes sense. Students become willing to work hard to learn instead of needing to be force fed.
If we teach writing from the outside in -- if our students' only purpose is to pass the test -- then they will write only to meet expectations. They will be writing out of fear, so they will choose simpler words and less complicated sentence patterns in order to play it safe. Their test scores will not reflect their true ability.
Teach Wild About Writing and our students will beg us for opportunities to write. They will ask if they can work on their writing at home and whether they can stay in from recess so they can play more grammar games. (Really!) Their writing will improve dramatically. They will score better on all six traits because they will be hooked on their own "juice." Writing will have meaning for them. Teachers will have more fun teaching writing than they ever imagined (and their own writing will improve).
Want to teach your students what a sentence is, in a way that makes them ask if they can stay in from recess?
Check out what this teacher of first graders has to say!
More feedback...
From Susan McCool, 6th Grade Scio Middle School
I am so excited about the guided writing! After your workshop I shared with my kids how hard writing is for me and that I forgot that it scared me until I had your class. I told them that even though you said I couldn't do it wrong I felt that I was missing it. The majority of my class agreed that they have felt this way too. We started doing the guided writing and it took several times before they believed that I was not grading their writing and that they could not do it wrong.
They beg to do the writing now. We take all class period on Fridays to read our writing out loud and give only positive, specific feedback. This week they are going to choose one of their works to re-write. As a surprise I am typing all of their guided writing work for them! I also tried teaching one of the classes to use "ouch". They used it that day but have not tried it again. I will remind them about it this week and encourage the use of it whenever they feel someone may have been hurt.
Thank you for your class. I am just thrilled with the results! In fact my students have not stopped talking about the guided writing and have invited the principal to participate with them. They are taking charge of their environment and asking for the lights to be turned off and the music to be played. I am still in shock about how much they ALL love this writing.
From Vicki Vargas, 6th Grade Teacher
I just got the best papers in my reading classes. I have the book Once upon a fairy tale read by actors with different points of views and I had my class become either a newly created or character from the play and tell a different point of view. Then yesterday we put the meat on the bones and they loved it. I told them I was grading on content, not grammar and spelling. They were so excited. And I was too. I read papers that were so creative and spontaneous that I was laughing and getting goose bumps. Thanks again for the great workshop - I feel I am a better writing teacher because of it.