The most important statement in the chapter: (pp. 120) Effective teachers . . . do more writing and reading of whole texts and spend little time on 'stuff' - activities about reading and writing. Good readers read and good writers write. Maybe we do spend too much time on "stuff", which robs us of time we could spend reading, writing or talking about what we're reading and writing. Could it really be that simple? Read more and write more?
This chapter has kept me thinking since I read it several weeks ago. If we should have our students read and write more, then why am I spending so much time trying to create activities that are engaging? Is the author suggesting that the acts of reading and writing will engage students at a level that both satisfies their hunger for interesting learning activities and provides a platform from which I can teach necessary skills? It seems too simple . . . but on face value, the notion has merit. Routman proposes a few great ideas by which to increase time spent on reading and writing. (Summary Writing pp. 127, Book Reviews pp. 132, Note-Taking pp. 133, and Writing in Guided Reading Groups pp. 134) Spend more time on reading and writing - this is something I'm going to try.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Chapter 5 - Do More Shared Writing
The light bulb turned on for me when Routman described shared writing. Of course we should have shared writing! We have shared reading, so why not shared writing? I'm embarrassed to admit that after all these years in education, I hadn't connected shared writing. And yet, I've done a lot of shared writing - - - but not to the extent Routman describes.
I read this chapter, and I did a shared writing activity with my students the next day. I was pleased with what my students produced. Their writing was more precise and meaningful, students were able to begin writing more quickly (less pre-write, writer's block time, etc.), and I saw students referring to the shared writing sample for clarification rather than asking me. Overall, this shared writing activity was well worth the effort and time, and I anticipate shared writing will become a mainstay in our classroom.
I especially liked the section titled, Keep the Major Focus on Content (pp. 91), specifically her statement that "You can't work on everything at once, so save your energy - and the students' as well - and focus on writing a meaningful, interesting message." (pp. 91) If we can help students focus on a meaningful topic, one that's engaging to them as writers, we've won half the battle! Think about how difficult it is for us as adults to write about something that doesn't really interest us! Our "detachment" from the topic becomes evident in our writing, just as it does in our students' writing.
To me, the essence of shared writing is supporting the writer, and this chapter has ideas galore!
I read this chapter, and I did a shared writing activity with my students the next day. I was pleased with what my students produced. Their writing was more precise and meaningful, students were able to begin writing more quickly (less pre-write, writer's block time, etc.), and I saw students referring to the shared writing sample for clarification rather than asking me. Overall, this shared writing activity was well worth the effort and time, and I anticipate shared writing will become a mainstay in our classroom.
I especially liked the section titled, Keep the Major Focus on Content (pp. 91), specifically her statement that "You can't work on everything at once, so save your energy - and the students' as well - and focus on writing a meaningful, interesting message." (pp. 91) If we can help students focus on a meaningful topic, one that's engaging to them as writers, we've won half the battle! Think about how difficult it is for us as adults to write about something that doesn't really interest us! Our "detachment" from the topic becomes evident in our writing, just as it does in our students' writing.
To me, the essence of shared writing is supporting the writer, and this chapter has ideas galore!
Chapter 4 - Raise Your Expectations
This chapter could be a "study" itself. Wow! It was packed with great ideas . . . It's a chapter I'll review over and over.
I loved Routman's idea that we should expect good, legible handwriting and refuse to accept poor, sloppy handwriting. (And yet that seems so archaic when we're looking at the content of writing. But, if I can't read the handwriting, I can't evaluate the content.)
I also loved her suggestion to raise our expectations for editing. I've noticed that students in my room expect me to edit for them. Of course I should edit for them. I'm the teacher. Wrong! But changing students' ideas that editing is the teacher's role is difficult. Plus, when students do spend time editing their papers, they don't do as thorough a job as I expect. It seemed like I spend more time asking students to "look carefully at the paper and re-edit" than I do evaluating the content of the paper. Routman states that students should "understand that readers expect text to be error-free." (pp.69) I need to develop a stronger understanding of error-free text in my classroom. We might declare our classroom an "E.F.T. Zone" (error-free text zone).
I also agree with Routman's suggestion to rely on scaffolded conversations (pp. 77). I tried this in our classroom and was pleased with the results. First, I held the conversation with one student and recorded ideas on chart paper. I asked questions that I hoped would lead to more detailed descriptions and I saw the student make a better attempt at fully describing the event than in previous pieces. Then, I had students talk with one another before they started writing. I didn't ask students to do a formal "pre-write", relying only on the conversations before writing. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the content. It seemed as if students "wrote what they said", rather than trying to write sentences and paragraphs from a story web. The pre-write definitely captured voice more than traditional story webs, and the stories seemed to have a more natural flow.
I loved Routman's idea that we should expect good, legible handwriting and refuse to accept poor, sloppy handwriting. (And yet that seems so archaic when we're looking at the content of writing. But, if I can't read the handwriting, I can't evaluate the content.)
I also loved her suggestion to raise our expectations for editing. I've noticed that students in my room expect me to edit for them. Of course I should edit for them. I'm the teacher. Wrong! But changing students' ideas that editing is the teacher's role is difficult. Plus, when students do spend time editing their papers, they don't do as thorough a job as I expect. It seemed like I spend more time asking students to "look carefully at the paper and re-edit" than I do evaluating the content of the paper. Routman states that students should "understand that readers expect text to be error-free." (pp.69) I need to develop a stronger understanding of error-free text in my classroom. We might declare our classroom an "E.F.T. Zone" (error-free text zone).
I also agree with Routman's suggestion to rely on scaffolded conversations (pp. 77). I tried this in our classroom and was pleased with the results. First, I held the conversation with one student and recorded ideas on chart paper. I asked questions that I hoped would lead to more detailed descriptions and I saw the student make a better attempt at fully describing the event than in previous pieces. Then, I had students talk with one another before they started writing. I didn't ask students to do a formal "pre-write", relying only on the conversations before writing. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the content. It seemed as if students "wrote what they said", rather than trying to write sentences and paragraphs from a story web. The pre-write definitely captured voice more than traditional story webs, and the stories seemed to have a more natural flow.
Chapter 3 - Share Your Writing Life
You are a writer. Allow the possibility to sink in. (pp. 35) Routman's notion that we are writers is absolutely true, and I believe it completely. However, the challenging part is getting ourselves and our students to believe such notion.
I especially liked Routman's idea to talk before writing, but I disagree with her idea that we need to write together as a faculty before we make a concerted effort to lead our students down the path of becoming great writers. Yes, it might be helpful for teachers who don't view themselves as writers, but I'm not a fan of doing something with my peers before doing it myself. The best way to become a writer is to write, with or without our peers . . . just write!
Everyone has a message, a story, something to say! And it's our job as teachers to help writers overcome their hesitations. We need to enable our students to put "pen to paper" and capture their stories. Writing comes very naturally for some. For others, it's a struggle! How can we get everyone to write, to capture their thoughts? Again, Routman's suggestion to talk before asking students to write is relevant.
I especially liked Routman's idea to talk before writing, but I disagree with her idea that we need to write together as a faculty before we make a concerted effort to lead our students down the path of becoming great writers. Yes, it might be helpful for teachers who don't view themselves as writers, but I'm not a fan of doing something with my peers before doing it myself. The best way to become a writer is to write, with or without our peers . . . just write!
Everyone has a message, a story, something to say! And it's our job as teachers to help writers overcome their hesitations. We need to enable our students to put "pen to paper" and capture their stories. Writing comes very naturally for some. For others, it's a struggle! How can we get everyone to write, to capture their thoughts? Again, Routman's suggestion to talk before asking students to write is relevant.
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