Roman, I also watched some of that 2nd grade teacher "Becky" and enjoyed the WHY question. Asking why brings up so many more questions and really helps students understand the purpose or reason behind what they are doing.
I like your idea of never going a day without writing. This is so true. I would, however, say that it has to be real writing for real purposes. We don't want students to write in ways that don't have meaning and engagement for them--especially in elementary school! There are many reasons for having them write everyday, but one reason is that writing supports reading. As students write, they are learning to read and when they read, they are learning to write. The more they write for real purposes, the better chance that they will be using authentic language, which will help them when they encounter language.
Hi Roman, I also agree with Beth in the importance of asking "Why," and now aim to ask students this questions more myself! It really asks them to dig deeper.
The idea of the reader and the writer meeting on the page does seem rather beautiful and poetic, doesn't it? How much of what the writer feels in creating a piece does the reader experience in reading it?
I always loved it when we had to write every day in English classes. At first, some students seemed reluctant but then they grew used to the routine and came to enjoy it. In a creative writing class, our teacher always gave us a prompt, but we could choose to either use it or not. If something was completely monopolizing out thoughts it was also acceptable to write about it. We could then return to these few-minute writings to use them as a springboard for longer, more complex pieces. The act of writing in class was comforting and fun, but their important role in brainstorming made them feel purposeful and valuable. I am not sure that it would have been as enjoyable or felt as productive without this feeling of purpose and the thought that we could use it later. So, I agree with Jill that writing every needs to be "real writing for real purposes."
Roman, I also watched some of that 2nd grade teacher "Becky" and enjoyed the WHY question. Asking why brings up so many more questions and really helps students understand the purpose or reason behind what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of never going a day without writing. This is so true. I would, however, say that it has to be real writing for real purposes. We don't want students to write in ways that don't have meaning and engagement for them--especially in elementary school! There are many reasons for having them write everyday, but one reason is that writing supports reading. As students write, they are learning to read and when they read, they are learning to write. The more they write for real purposes, the better chance that they will be using authentic language, which will help them when they encounter language.
ReplyDeleteps...i'm glad you felt the videos were/are useful!
ReplyDeleteHi Roman,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Beth in the importance of asking "Why," and now aim to ask students this questions more myself! It really asks them to dig deeper.
The idea of the reader and the writer meeting on the page does seem rather beautiful and poetic, doesn't it? How much of what the writer feels in creating a piece does the reader experience in reading it?
I always loved it when we had to write every day in English classes. At first, some students seemed reluctant but then they grew used to the routine and came to enjoy it. In a creative writing class, our teacher always gave us a prompt, but we could choose to either use it or not. If something was completely monopolizing out thoughts it was also acceptable to write about it. We could then return to these few-minute writings to use them as a springboard for longer, more complex pieces. The act of writing in class was comforting and fun, but their important role in brainstorming made them feel purposeful and valuable. I am not sure that it would have been as enjoyable or felt as productive without this feeling of purpose and the thought that we could use it later. So, I agree with Jill that writing every needs to be "real writing for real purposes."