I was revisiting Esme Raji Codell's website today (author of Educating Esme, the spunky diary of a first-year teacher) and found some gems:
The Best New Children's Books
Esme reviews new children's books on her blog. She provides a wonderful range of fiction and nonfiction, picture books and chapter books, read-alouds and books for independent reading. In addition to the day's featured title, Esme includes books that you might enjoy that relate to it. For instance, in yesterday's post, she highlights Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass, followed by several other "tweenage" books written by Mass and then a listing of realistic fiction appropriate for this age group.
Special Reading Programs (promoting the enjoyment of reading)
Here are several ideas for promoting reading in your school. Ranging from storytime breakfasts to weekly baking sessions to a book parade, they can be used as PTA-sponsored fundraisers, student body-sponsored activities, inspiration for an after-school class, or as the culminating activity for a school-wide literacy week.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Resources: Grammar, Punctuation, and Vocabulary
Books I want to check out:
The Elements of Style by E.B. White and William Strunk
Image Grammar by Harry Noden
Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson
The Giggly Guide to Grammar by Cathy Campbell
Practical Punctuation: Lessons on Rule Making and Rule Breaking in Elementary Writing by Dan Feigelson
The last book, by Feigelson, was reviewed on a new blog I found recently called Two Writing Teachers. You can read their review here. Also on their site I found a great strategy for teaching vocabulary using Sensory Webbing. You can find that post here.
The Elements of Style by E.B. White and William Strunk
Image Grammar by Harry Noden
Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson
The Giggly Guide to Grammar by Cathy Campbell
Practical Punctuation: Lessons on Rule Making and Rule Breaking in Elementary Writing by Dan Feigelson
The last book, by Feigelson, was reviewed on a new blog I found recently called Two Writing Teachers. You can read their review here. Also on their site I found a great strategy for teaching vocabulary using Sensory Webbing. You can find that post here.
First Grade Journal Entries: Incorporating Skills and Creativity
Below are some excerpts from two of my first graders' journals written during our morning journal time, without any prompting. You will see that the students are experimenting with some of the skills they are learning in class: adding details, writing in sequential order, using a closing sentence, and incorporating voice.
12-9-05
On the 22nd I'm gonna go to Montana.
12-13-05
I'm excited to go to Montana! At Montana my grandma and my grandpa is living there!
12-15-05
On the 22nd I'm gonna go to Montana. My grandma and my grandpa live there. Last year my grandpa helped me build a birdhouse.
1-3-06
I'm happy when I go to Montana to see my grandma and my grandpa.
1-12-06
On the weekend I'm gonna finish my basketball hoop. My dad and I got two more things. The thing is putting the sand in and digging a place for my basketball hoop.
1-17-06
This weekend I had a basketball game. I didn't know the score.
1-19-06
Last night my dad put up a basketball [hoop]. My friends was outside. My friends is Josh and Kyle. My friend Josh played basketball.
3-6-06
This weekend I slept over at my grandma's. My grandma got a sports car. The roof goes off. I was the first kid to be in the sports car. Then I slept over at my friend's. He got a game cube. We played basketball. My friend won the first, then I won the second.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow I am going to get a new game for my PSP. It's going to be fun! You should try it. I like to play with my PSP. Why? Because it's really, really fun. Who does not like to play with a PSP? 2 people.
We are learning about Tell Me More. Tell Me More is about writing more, like this tip. Why do bears eat us? We do not taste good.
Hey everyone, how are you? Great. Fine. Give me your money or else. You have to give me your 1,000 or 100. Reese, can you buy me some money? Ok. Why don't you want my money? You want my money? Stop asking that question. You cannot do this to me. Oh great. Oh yes I can. Now do this: aaahhh.
Dominique Rhodes is number 33. He is the best on the Colts. He has a girly name. Who in the world will want a girly name like that?
The pacer test is today. I don't like it. Makes me sick. I might barf. I don't like to run and run.
It's the best day ever. I woke up and the sun smiled at me. I went outside and skipped to the crusty crab. Then he was gone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Though their writing isn't refined, and sometimes doesn't make sense, it reveals what is important to them and, I'm happy to say, sounds like them. Voice is the hardest thing to teach, but when you help students get into the habit of writing every day (thus developing greater facility with words and with the physical act of writing), teach them the elements of good writing, model good writing, and then give them the opportunity to write about what they care about, their voice will be very apparent!
Journal writing is not the only way for students to have choice during writing, and it doesn't work all the time with every student. Its success really depends on what your purpose in journal writing is. My main purpose was for students to write every day, at the same time, for a specific amount of time. I wanted them to develop ease with writing, so that when they had to write for an assignment, it was not such a challenge for them. I wasn't as concerned about the content, although we did talk about what was appropriate (They couldn't write about video games for days on end; no violence; no unkind words about others.) and where they could get inspiration. Because the students had much control over the content, and since they could choose to start with a drawing or text, I rarely had trouble getting anyone to write.
The most exciting thing I saw in journal writing was the application of skills I was trying to teach. Often I would encourage students to share their writing aloud and then praise the way they were using a certain skill. (And inevitably, the next day someone else would use the skill and want to share!) It was a fun way to give the students choice within writing and accomplish my goals as well!
12-9-05
On the 22nd I'm gonna go to Montana.
12-13-05
I'm excited to go to Montana! At Montana my grandma and my grandpa is living there!
12-15-05
On the 22nd I'm gonna go to Montana. My grandma and my grandpa live there. Last year my grandpa helped me build a birdhouse.
1-3-06
I'm happy when I go to Montana to see my grandma and my grandpa.
1-12-06
On the weekend I'm gonna finish my basketball hoop. My dad and I got two more things. The thing is putting the sand in and digging a place for my basketball hoop.
1-17-06
This weekend I had a basketball game. I didn't know the score.
1-19-06
Last night my dad put up a basketball [hoop]. My friends was outside. My friends is Josh and Kyle. My friend Josh played basketball.
3-6-06
This weekend I slept over at my grandma's. My grandma got a sports car. The roof goes off. I was the first kid to be in the sports car. Then I slept over at my friend's. He got a game cube. We played basketball. My friend won the first, then I won the second.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow I am going to get a new game for my PSP. It's going to be fun! You should try it. I like to play with my PSP. Why? Because it's really, really fun. Who does not like to play with a PSP? 2 people.
We are learning about Tell Me More. Tell Me More is about writing more, like this tip. Why do bears eat us? We do not taste good.
Hey everyone, how are you? Great. Fine. Give me your money or else. You have to give me your 1,000 or 100. Reese, can you buy me some money? Ok. Why don't you want my money? You want my money? Stop asking that question. You cannot do this to me. Oh great. Oh yes I can. Now do this: aaahhh.
Dominique Rhodes is number 33. He is the best on the Colts. He has a girly name. Who in the world will want a girly name like that?
The pacer test is today. I don't like it. Makes me sick. I might barf. I don't like to run and run.
It's the best day ever. I woke up and the sun smiled at me. I went outside and skipped to the crusty crab. Then he was gone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Though their writing isn't refined, and sometimes doesn't make sense, it reveals what is important to them and, I'm happy to say, sounds like them. Voice is the hardest thing to teach, but when you help students get into the habit of writing every day (thus developing greater facility with words and with the physical act of writing), teach them the elements of good writing, model good writing, and then give them the opportunity to write about what they care about, their voice will be very apparent!
Journal writing is not the only way for students to have choice during writing, and it doesn't work all the time with every student. Its success really depends on what your purpose in journal writing is. My main purpose was for students to write every day, at the same time, for a specific amount of time. I wanted them to develop ease with writing, so that when they had to write for an assignment, it was not such a challenge for them. I wasn't as concerned about the content, although we did talk about what was appropriate (They couldn't write about video games for days on end; no violence; no unkind words about others.) and where they could get inspiration. Because the students had much control over the content, and since they could choose to start with a drawing or text, I rarely had trouble getting anyone to write.
The most exciting thing I saw in journal writing was the application of skills I was trying to teach. Often I would encourage students to share their writing aloud and then praise the way they were using a certain skill. (And inevitably, the next day someone else would use the skill and want to share!) It was a fun way to give the students choice within writing and accomplish my goals as well!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Should My Writing Program be Skills-Based or Student-Led?
Writing is an art. As such, it requires both a learned set of skills and opportunities for creative expression.
In teaching writing, then, can you successfully isolate these elements or do they need to be taught concurrently? Can you teach a set of skills without giving students an opportunity to express themselves? Can you encourage students to write creatively without equipping them with the necessary tools? Certainly we have tried to teach in one fashion or the other, but what is best?
I took piano lessons for a good part of my life and ended up majoring in piano performance in college. Practicing scales was part of my daily routine, as was practicing great literature. As I practiced, I found that my success with the literature was directly related to how diligently I practiced my scales. When the scales came easily, I no longer had to think specifically about which finger to put on which note, and was freed up to play expressively. Later, when I was required to improvise in a jazz setting, I was able to draw on my knowledge of scales to create a new musical experience. In this case, the skills (scale fingering) were taught in isolation, but in view of finding application in a larger work (great literature).
A few summers ago I took an art class for teachers, the first art class ever in which I was pleased with my art. The method of teaching was direct instruction (draw this, step-by-step) but we had the opportunity to make choices within the structure. Interestingly, every drawing was unique, even though we were taught the same method. In this case, skills and creative expression were taught and encouraged simultaneously.
Skills Practice
In my first-grade classroom, we did daily journal writing as part of our skills practice. I wanted my students to get used to the discipline of daily writing, whether they had something interesting to say or not. Every morning they would come in, pull out their journals, and write. Those who didn't know what to write about could check our brainstorming lists, look at a book for ideas, or start by drawing a picture. I also had my students copy sentences so they could get used to the look and feel of a sentence (capital at the beginning, noun, verb, period at the end). We studied parts of speech in isolation and then applied them in our writing. Our writing assignments frequently mimicked the writing of other authors as we retold stories read in class (fairytales or stories from the basal reader), copied the structure of a mentor text (Go To Bed, Biscuit! by Alyssa Capucilli or The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown), or played off the theme of a book (our worries, from Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes).
Creative Expression
I would also give students choice within assignments. When they learned how to write a thank-you letter, they got to choose their audience (someone in the school - several wrote to the principal!). When they learned about persuasive writing, from I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orloff, they wrote letters to their parents asking for pets they really wanted. When they learned about different forms of poetry, I gave the students free rein in choosing their topics. They could also choose which form to use. In their daily journals, students had complete control over both topic and genre and would often apply skills they had learned in formal writing lessons to their writing.
My suspicion is that sometimes you need to teach skills in isolation. Not everything can be taught successfully using a mini-lesson. However, a skills lesson should always be followed by the opportunity to apply the skills, be it that day or later in the year. Likewise, giving students choices in their writing should be part of your writing program - but not the whole of it. They will be better and more confident writers if they are taught the skills they need to be successful and given the opportunity to express themselves in writing.
In teaching writing, then, can you successfully isolate these elements or do they need to be taught concurrently? Can you teach a set of skills without giving students an opportunity to express themselves? Can you encourage students to write creatively without equipping them with the necessary tools? Certainly we have tried to teach in one fashion or the other, but what is best?
I took piano lessons for a good part of my life and ended up majoring in piano performance in college. Practicing scales was part of my daily routine, as was practicing great literature. As I practiced, I found that my success with the literature was directly related to how diligently I practiced my scales. When the scales came easily, I no longer had to think specifically about which finger to put on which note, and was freed up to play expressively. Later, when I was required to improvise in a jazz setting, I was able to draw on my knowledge of scales to create a new musical experience. In this case, the skills (scale fingering) were taught in isolation, but in view of finding application in a larger work (great literature).
A few summers ago I took an art class for teachers, the first art class ever in which I was pleased with my art. The method of teaching was direct instruction (draw this, step-by-step) but we had the opportunity to make choices within the structure. Interestingly, every drawing was unique, even though we were taught the same method. In this case, skills and creative expression were taught and encouraged simultaneously.
Skills Practice
In my first-grade classroom, we did daily journal writing as part of our skills practice. I wanted my students to get used to the discipline of daily writing, whether they had something interesting to say or not. Every morning they would come in, pull out their journals, and write. Those who didn't know what to write about could check our brainstorming lists, look at a book for ideas, or start by drawing a picture. I also had my students copy sentences so they could get used to the look and feel of a sentence (capital at the beginning, noun, verb, period at the end). We studied parts of speech in isolation and then applied them in our writing. Our writing assignments frequently mimicked the writing of other authors as we retold stories read in class (fairytales or stories from the basal reader), copied the structure of a mentor text (Go To Bed, Biscuit! by Alyssa Capucilli or The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown), or played off the theme of a book (our worries, from Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes).
Creative Expression
I would also give students choice within assignments. When they learned how to write a thank-you letter, they got to choose their audience (someone in the school - several wrote to the principal!). When they learned about persuasive writing, from I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orloff, they wrote letters to their parents asking for pets they really wanted. When they learned about different forms of poetry, I gave the students free rein in choosing their topics. They could also choose which form to use. In their daily journals, students had complete control over both topic and genre and would often apply skills they had learned in formal writing lessons to their writing.
My suspicion is that sometimes you need to teach skills in isolation. Not everything can be taught successfully using a mini-lesson. However, a skills lesson should always be followed by the opportunity to apply the skills, be it that day or later in the year. Likewise, giving students choices in their writing should be part of your writing program - but not the whole of it. They will be better and more confident writers if they are taught the skills they need to be successful and given the opportunity to express themselves in writing.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Curriculum Mapping in Writing - Another Resource
Meridian School District has provided monthly and yearly curriculum maps by grade level as well as links to the Washington State EALRs here. These give a nice overview of the types of writing that happen at each grade level.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Units of Study for Teaching Writing
I am intrigued by Lucy Calkins' work in helping teachers improve their writing instruction. She has created two writing programs with her colleagues from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in an effort to model good teaching. One is called Units of Study for Primary Writing, and the other is Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5. In each of these programs, Calkins lays out how to establish a Writers Workshop and then provides step-by-step instructions for teaching the many different skills involved in writing.
If you click on one of the above links, you will be taken to a page that lists the units of study. From there, you can click on a specific unit of study to view its annotated table of contents and a summary of the unit. You may also view sample lessons by following the links.
When I was teaching, I proposed buying the Units of Study for Primary Writing to my principal. I thought that one of my colleagues and I could pilot it as a potential writing program for our grade level. He didn't see that there was money in the budget for it (It costs $159), and I didn't have the time to write a grant to obtain funding.
In reviewing the tables of contents again today, I saw some similarities between the progession of my writing program and what Calkins has put together. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised - organizing a Writers Workshop certainly follows some standard "steps," as many books can attest. I wonder, then, if her progression of the units of study might also be a standard progression, and if one might consider her tables of contents as mini-lesson topics and a guideline for developing one's own writing program. After all, as teachers we all borrow each other's ideas and adapt them to fit our teaching style and preferences! Just a thought...
If you click on one of the above links, you will be taken to a page that lists the units of study. From there, you can click on a specific unit of study to view its annotated table of contents and a summary of the unit. You may also view sample lessons by following the links.
When I was teaching, I proposed buying the Units of Study for Primary Writing to my principal. I thought that one of my colleagues and I could pilot it as a potential writing program for our grade level. He didn't see that there was money in the budget for it (It costs $159), and I didn't have the time to write a grant to obtain funding.
In reviewing the tables of contents again today, I saw some similarities between the progession of my writing program and what Calkins has put together. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised - organizing a Writers Workshop certainly follows some standard "steps," as many books can attest. I wonder, then, if her progression of the units of study might also be a standard progression, and if one might consider her tables of contents as mini-lesson topics and a guideline for developing one's own writing program. After all, as teachers we all borrow each other's ideas and adapt them to fit our teaching style and preferences! Just a thought...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Organizing by Genre, Part 2
The following is a way to organize your writing instruction by genre, based on suggestions from Ken Hyland's article in the Journal of Second Language Writing 16 (2007) 148-164.
The possible stages involved in designing a genre-based course from a text-focus perspective have been outlined by Burns and Joyce (1997) as follows:
1. Identify the overall contexts in which the language will be used.
2. Develop course goals based on this context of use.
3. Note the sequence of language events within the context.
4. List the genres used in this sequence.
5. Outline the sociocognitive knowledge students need to participate in this context.
6. Gather and analyse samples of texts.
7. Develop units of work related to these genres and develop learning objectives to be achieved.
My First Grade Writing Program, using the above framework
- Contexts: Classroom (Reading, Science), Home (Letters), Future Schooling (Reports, Essays), Personal Expression (Poems, Journals)
- Goals: Students will write in appropriate forms to communicate to their intended audience. Their writing will be legible and will make sense.
- Sequence of language events?
- Genres: a. Book Recommendations
b. Lab Reports
c. Friendly Letters
d. Thank You Notes
e. Report
f. Recounts (personal narratives)
g. Poetry
h. Journals - Sociocognitive knowledge (as related to above genres):
a. We can recommend books to our friends that we enjoy, and learn of interesting books from them as well
b. Scientists keep track of their learning by writing about their experiments (This also enables them to recreate their experiment later.)
c. We can communicate with others by writing letters
d. We can show our appreciation through thank-you notes
e. We can summarize what we have learned and give information to others through a report
f. We can explain how an event happened through a recount/narrative
g. We can express ourselves creatively through poetry
h. We can express ourselves creatively and explore our thoughts and feelings through journals - Samples of texts (use previous students’ work, my own personal writing and correspondence, and published work)
- Units of work & Learning objectives
a. Book Recommendations – Students recommend books to their friends using a “white board” chart during independent reading centers
b. Lab Reports – Taught during Science, written together after every Science lesson (In first grade, we copied the day’s learning objective in question form, then the students had to answer it in their own words and illustrate their answer with a picture of the experiment, labeled of course!)
c. Friendly Letters – Taught initially in the Fall: students write letters to their parents telling them what they are learning in school (parents read during Curriculum Night). Review in Spring: students exchange letters with students in another class
d. Thank You Notes – Written periodically through the year as we appreciate the volunteers in our classroom
e. Report – Taught in Winter along with unit on penguins: shared writing, students offer facts they’ve learned and class puts them together into a logical sequence, then students illustrate facts in pairs. All students receive a photocopy of the penguin “report” book.
f. Recounts – Taught Fall, Winter, and Spring (this skill is assessed in first grade and is an important reading and oral language skill as well): students retell stories as well as personal experiences (Field Day, family traditions, losing and finding an object, what they ate for breakfast, Kite Day)
g. Poetry – Taught in Spring: students are introduced to many forms using mentor texts and keep a working poetry portfolio. At end of unit, teacher and student collaborate to choose best pieces to put into a student poetry anthology
h. Journals – Taught in Fall, Winter, and Spring: students write in journals as entry task after learning spelling strategies, where to find ideas, different forms of writing, etc.
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