When students understand why they are writing (purpose) and whom they are writing for (audience) they become more thoughtful in their practice. Painting pictures with words begins with painting a clear purpose of the project we ask kids to embark upon. When they freely choose a topic of their own design they become vested in the lesson, and intrinsically motivated.
I wish you could have seen the students’ faces when I introduced a recent poetry lesson. They were a combination of comical entertainment, curiosity, bewilderment and confusion. I could see their wheels turning, balancing on the brink of the unknown. "Hold up your pencils, look at them what do you see?
I see ... a little brother and sister in a block of wood trying to get out. I smell ... a turkey in the oven and hot apple pie. I see a paint brush. I see a roomful of poets, who will paint pictures with their words. And that's what we're going to do right now."
Encouraging kids to write stories about their personal lives can be the hook to jump into the drafting process. I shared many stories with a fifth grade class this day and we created new ones together. I enjoyed watching kids write feverishly with their first chance. Stories are how human beings relate to one another in the greater world. I am happy I had this opportunity to share mine with them. I love how Lamott, A., (1994). Bird by Bird, sums up the early drafting stage of the writing process, “You need to trust yourself, especially on a first draft, where amid the anxiety and self-doubt, there should be a real sense of your imagination and your memories walking and woolgathering, tramping the hills, romping all over the place. Trust them. Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” While time is always pressing, I was able to squeeze in a ten-minute demonstration.
Guided writing is one way for teachers to model expectations and to include students in the ebb and flow of our follies. They see our human struggle to get our ideas down on the page, to make decisions on the fly that impact, word choice, voice, how a poem looks, how it sounds and how it feels. Does that make sense? What should I say next? I need to be more specific, adding detail will help. According to Routman, R. (2005) asking questions along the way may prove valuable. “Let’s reread and see if we want to change anything? Is it clear and interesting for the reader? Do we need to move anything around to make it easier to follow?” Including kids in guided writing scaffolds learning and engages them in the process. A the end of a lesson, I celebrate student success and I validate students in the language which I choose to use “Poets, Writers, Scientists, Mathematicians.” Students grow to see themselves as competent and capable writers. Read-a-louds empower kids to believe in themselves, full to the brim with self-confidence.
It's exciting to watch kids write as experts. In my dyad placement the kids are learning how to write five paragraph essays, and my master teacher had everyone bring in three of their favorite things from home (that could all fit inside a small brown paper bag).
ReplyDeleteSeeing students who struggled with writing sit and easily write about their items, how it makes them feel and why it's important was fun to see. No one knew about this item but them. There wasn't a right or wrong and the people in their writing groups wanted to know about the item. This audience made them want to write more. Which is great because they need practice writing for an audience and understand writing with a purpose.