My question for the week isn't specifically about one of the chapters, but was discussed at the beginning of Chapter 5 (Balance).
In this chapter Ron Clark discussed how he wanted to "turn his students into excellent writers".
"I didn't care if they had to write down to the bone, they were going to become great writers. I would stay up late every night, making corrections to their work. I would sit with the students individually, showing them their mistakes. We wrote, we wrote, we wrote, and in the end their handwriting got much, much, much better. For the most part, however, the content did not, and at the end of the year the class scored dead last in the country in writing. I didn't understand what I was doing wrong."
Several years ago, I can remember Bruce Hoover calling me into the conference room and asking me "How are you going to improve your reading scores?" I also remember thinking... "If I knew what needed fixed, I would have already done it." I spent a lot of time asking other teachers for ideas on what they did to first keep students interested in writing and second make them better writers. The following school year, I completely changed everything I did in writing. I knew that after teaching students the components of writing I mainly needed to focus on student interest and motivation. I knew that the students could do better but getting them to take the time to do it was another story. That following year my writing scores were significantly different but I could have never made the changes in instruction without the help of others.
It doesn't matter if you are talking about one student who doesn't perform as well as they should, or a whole class it is discouraging to know they can do it, but that they choose not to.
This week I would like you to answer the following questions...
1. Tell about a writing lesson and/or activity that really motivates or motivated students.
2. Tell about a lesson that integrated writing with another subject area and tell if that helped create more excitement for the lesson.
3. When January/February hits and students moan when they hear you say "you are going to write a story" what do you do to get them excited and motivated to do their best?
I hope this spring colored background is helping you get through this cold, snowy winter.
Have a GREAT WEEK!
Vickie
The military writing campaign was exciting for the kids because they have hope of getting a response! Addressing envelopes was interesting, to say the least, but they did get through it! We allowed them to ask what they wanted, including their questions about weapons and what they use/carry. That is not my favorite topic for their letters, but they were really interested in it. Several of the soldiers wrote back about it and I was surprised as I read their letters to the whole class, how many of the kids actually knew what the letters and numbers of the weapons meant! I didn't have a clue!! The kids took ownership of their own letters, what they put into it, and what they were hoping to hear back. Incidentally, they were pretty neatly written and they edited better than any previous writings done in class! More later on good ideas for motivation in spring...have to think on that one more!
ReplyDeleteMy students get motivated to write letters to each other or to the teachers in our school. Each year we write Valentines to the staff in the building. If they do a good job with their writing and all, they get to deliver the card personally to the person they chose. They get very excited and proud of themselves when they tell me about what that person said to them or that they liked the card, etc. They want to write as many cards as they can. I find that the writing has to be for a real purpose and to a real person to help my students try to figure out what words and parts are needed in a letter.
ReplyDeleteI also find when we do any writing with other subjects the kids don't realize they are writing and they don't stress the writing so much. Most of the time, my kids are excited to write because they just get better and better at understanding it and they are so proud when they get it figured out.
I find with my students that if I break it down and just have them write a little each day (3-5 sentences)they are more motivated. It is overwhelming for them to think about writing 1 or more pages.
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ReplyDeleteI believe there is actually one answer to all 3 of Vickie's questions and that is have the kids write for a real purpose- give the kids a meaningful reason to write. I try to find ways to teach my writing content by tying it something that is meaningful and real to the students. I am not the biggest fan of writing prompts because you can't always interest all the kids and if a kid is not intereseted or does not find purpose then comes the moaning about writing. That is why they love to write letters as Belinda and Patti mentioned. Writing a letter is something meaningful. In Language Arts, we have tied writing to what the students are doing in Social Studies and Science. It makes it more real to them when they are already learning the content in another class. I am not saying that I I can find a purpose for all my writing but if you can think of a way to teach writing and tie it to something meaningful to kids then they will want to write.
ReplyDeleteI of course am not a teacher but as a parent I see the same thing at home. It is hard for me to get my child to do homework that means nothing to them. Last week my 5th grader had a 1 page report to do on a topic he got to choice. He said the teacher told them it had to do with science but could be anything that interested them. Not only did he have fun writing the paper but he enjoyed looking up the information. All he talked about for weeks was "human combustion". What a topic but hey if he got that excited about it and he wrote without me fighting him who cares. Isn't that what its about? After all he did learn something.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I don't actually give a writing assignment in science, though I do give them opportunities to write. I have students do bell ringers daily, and occasionally I extend that from a simple statement to a more extend response expected from them. I find if I ask their OPINION about something, they are more motivated to write.
ReplyDeleteInstead of integrating science (or something) into writing, I am integrated writing into science. I have them practice for the OGT with short answer questions on the tests. We have discussed some of these ahead of time, and some we have not.
Once I tried having them "write a story" about subatomic particles for first graders. It was not motivating nor very productive. I wasn't sure if the idea was a fault, or my planning/presentation, but I didn't feel a retry was worth the time the original took.
In response to Dave's request about potentially more engaging lessons/activities, my answer about student opinion is appropriate for this also. However, opinion is not highly regarded in science unless backed with lots of facts, and that makes it more challenging. The closest I have come in this regard is with an extra credit option. They have to research and write in their own words, citing the sources, about a topic related to but not covered in our text. I had an outstanding report about dynamite, related to combustion, a year ago. I try as often as I can to remind them, when certain questions are asked, that they could do an exploration on that topic for extra credit.
Finally, about compassion. I am sure that one thing is to demonstrate compassion myself. I am working on ways to help them not be so rude to each other. Their response is, "I was just kidding," or "S(He)knows I didn't mean it." For me to just tell them to be nice or to do some other behavior simply doesn't work. It has to come from them, somehow, themselves. I am sure much comes from homes where respect is in short supply. I just keep trying to show them as much respect, without being a Wimp! as I possibly can. When I taught English, this area was a little easier to work in.
Oh, Dave, I don't know about middle school, but some of us at the high school work long hours, too. My children are grown, so I don't know what I would do if they were young. My husband is very understanding when I leave at 5:30 and get home at 4:30 - or later. I do know some high school teachers that have much shorter hours, but then, we don't all teach the same number of preps or students, etc. Those things do make a difference. Also, there are lots of extracurriculars that some teachers are very involved with, such as drama and In The Know, etc. However, I do agree that elementary school teachers work long hours and have plenty to do.
Teaching writing is one of the hardest parts of my job. Most of the time, my kids don't enjoy writing because they have difficulty spelling, many of them have writing that is hard to read, and they can't quite figure out how to get what they have in their minds onto the paper. If they know they will be able to use the computer to use for their final draft, they are usually more willing to write. I love what Danae said about giving them a real purpose for writing. Letter writing is something real, or maybe we could practice composing emails on the computer. I am enjoying all of the great ideas for writing activities. I know Kristy and I have struggled with ideas for teaching writing with our kids for a long time. Please let us know of other things you know of that would be helpful for our kids.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about owls, having an "Owl Day", and listening to Susan Buck's owl presentation, we decided to write reports on what we had learned about owls. The students were so excited because I had considered themselves owl experts. I think the more they know about a topic, the more excited they are to share what and how much they know.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of our writing is integrated with our science or social studies curriculum. The second grade is really excited about doing a writing project with Jess B. The students are creating a book based on a 90's hit. My class is creating a watercolor to match the lyrics of the song, "Hero." After listening to the song and discussing the lyrics, they were really excited to start the project. It is still a work in progress, but I know it will turn out fabulous in the end!
To re-energize students about writing, I read books watch movies, and write about my personal experiences to give them good examples or knowledge about the topic I want them to write about. I truly believe the more students feel like experts, the more willing they are to write about what they know.
having my students write stories is one of my favorite things to do. I love motivating my students to write. I had a similar experience as you Vickie ans I knew I had to come up with a solution to get my students not only to write but to want to write. i also revamped my whole writing program and found out what works. The real key to get students to write is to have know enough about the subject on which they are to write. Without that knowledge kids cannot do a good job of writing and if you think about it neither can you. I then had to brainstorm topics on what the kids knew about. i realized that a lot of of our kids here in Richwood have not been exposed to very many experiences outside of Richwood. So I decided to focus on topics they knew such as holidays. We write a pumpkin story, a Pilgrim story ( that connects to Social Studies perfectly well, a story about a Christmas tree, an Easter egg story, and if time permits a baseball story. I must admit that I get very excited abouted writing and my kids know it. I take a story and divide it into many chunks. We do a class web with students giving their ideas on what to say in their stories. I put this web on the board. We always have to include the "6 senses" on our web. These are see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and feelings. I tell the kids they need all these senses to make their stories come alive like a motion picture in their head when their story is read by someone else. Since I began using this method my kids writing ability has really increased. I have had some fantasic stories through the years. I often have students ask if we are going to work on our stories today. This is music to my ears. Breaking the story into small chunks or main ideas helps the students not feel so overwhelmed. They know that they are just to write about that part of the story and then they can stop. When we star our easter story I would like to invite you to come down and see how we do it. I believe dave has seen me do one part of my stories.
ReplyDeleteRight now my students are beginning to write their own versions of the book: Snowmen at Night. They are excited about it for many reasons: they can relate to this story with all the snow we have outside, they get to choose what their snowmen get to do at night, they get to create their snowman first before the writing has begun (which is allowing them time to think their story through as they create), and they get to write with a partner! Another way I get students excited about writing is by featuring different materials in my writing station. I have just incorporated choice into my stations. They get to choose which station they get to visit each day and guess which one is the most popular: WRITING! I have plain paper with a stapler and so many are creating books. Next I will add paper towel rolls to create roll stories. Then, after we begin letter writing, I will add the envelopes parents have been collecting for me from their junk mail at home so students can write letters to one another. This is motivating to the students because they get to create what they want as long as they are reading and writing! Next week we will begin scheduling appointments to share our products which I am excited about. The students who are truly becoming readers and writers will motivate the ones that are not doing as well and will give them all good examples to work from.
ReplyDeleteI am glad the question this week is about writing. My students used to learn so much through interactive and shared writing, but it seems I just can’t squeeze that in with my Title groups. For the last 2 weeks I have been really thinking about what I am missing with my groups this year that I need to do to improve their reading. This weekend I realized I had not been incorporating writing enough and I added some more writing content to my lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the classroom I was able to motivate my students to write for the most part. I think how you approach the writing assignment is really important in motivating them, and what will happen with their final product is also a motivator. More than anything I think the book you read to encourage this particular writing and the conversation that takes place before the writing is very instrumental in getting them motivated. It seemed like the enthusiasm I used to get them going was directly tied to the final product. My kids were always motivated to write letters. We would write interactive letters to the principal, custodians, and cafeteria ladies. Then a few of them would take the letter down to be hung up for them to see. Another weekly writing activity was our Monday Journal. Every Monday they wrote about something(s) they did over the weekend. Many of them would come in the door Monday morning saying “I know what I am going to write about.” Allowing time for them to read their stories aloud was also a good motivator.
1. Tell about a writing lesson and/or activity that really motivates or motivated students.
ReplyDeleteI think that any writing piece can be exciting and motivating to the students if you as the teacher show motivation and excitement. The students love to write about things that motivate them as well as what motivates you. In reading last year we were discussion myths and the students were really enjoying this, so I decided to do a lesson where they wrote their own myths. I went ahead and wrote my own myth modeling that we have a Beginning Middle and End to our myth. The students loved this; I was so excited when showing the students my own myth that the students were excited to share theirs with me. The students really took pride in their work, editing their papers and making sure that they meet all the requirements. We ended up sharing our stories out in the hall for the parents, teachers and other students to read.
2. Tell about a lesson that integrated writing with another subject area and tell if that helped create more excitement for the lesson.
I always try to integrate writing into other subject areas, I feel that writing can never be too much for the students and when given the opportunity we should jump on it. I one year had the students write about their experience as Christopher Columbus, and they had to write journal entries like he did tell about his journey. The students enjoyed it, every day they were excited to come in a write about their day. After our journey was ended the students got to share their stories with the rest of the class. During our center time they could read each other’s journals, during the read to self center, the students loved this.
I agree with Linda about breaking writing assignments down. Many intervention students are much more successful if they work on writing in "chuncks" rather that all at once. They usually get less discouraged this way.
ReplyDeleteI think any time students have a chance to show off their creativity without feeling they will be harshly judged or graded is motivating. I’ve noticed creative writing prompts with a broad topic motivate students most. I think sometimes they like the chance to be silly with their writing.
ReplyDeleteOne time I had students write a story about their lives as worms for science. We read Diary of a Worm and they followed the sequence. They created pictures to go with each page and were able to write some silly sentences but also had to include facts about worms and soil. Some of their jokes were pretty funny and clever!
With intervention students, seeing the whole piece can be very overwhelming. To keep groans at bay, I introduce small pieces at a time and then let them know how they all fit together later on. Making things look easily attainable really keeps them going.
We seem to do a lot of report writing and I have found that once students really understand how to write an informational report, they can concentrate on the information. I don't hear as many groans when they get to choose the topic.
ReplyDeleteJust last week we did a writing activity in Social Studies by pretending to be an Ohio settler writing a postcard to someone back home. Once they could pretend to be someone else, the writing went smoothely and many told me how much they liked doing the postcards.
This is also a challenging subject for me to teach. Although I love to write and express ideas it is not for everyone. I foolishy think I can teach the boys the same way I can teach the girls. Boys seem to have more of a struggle this year to be creative with a pencil. So I divide my class into levels of imaginations. I give groups of writers cool names they can relate too. I figure out how to turn writing into a game. Teacher model, model, model is good but doesn't always motivate all the students in my class. Differentiating my instruction with mini - lessons for the groups allows me to focus on what the students need and improve attentiveness as each lesson is personally important to the students skills and backgrounds. Good writers also need to have confidence and believe in themselves. I always try to tie in a skill that will help them in the future. All children can relate to fast food menus, movie schedules, song lyrics. I feel students will be more motivated to learn writing skills if they see how it will relate to their everyday lives. Using modern day heros and role models have been a successful motivator to students in my room this year. I agree with Lindsey the more excited you seem the more excited they may get about a topic. One lesson that always works for differentiating writing instruction is the use of wordless picture books. The students love to be the authors and create a story for the illustrations. Another lesson I use for story elements is roll a story and what ever number they roll that is where the setting is, character, problem, events, and soultion. Great way to teach plot. I have even had students create a roll a story theme for others to use.
ReplyDeleteOther ideas peer evaluation of their narrative pieces. I have seen their interest peak to read what a peer has written. Idea jar, I would like to do an online blog for kids, I think that would be a great motivator for kids to know others will be reading what they are writing about. This is my first time to blog and I find myself drafting before I type my thoughts.
Writing in fourth grade is essential. I feel they do so much writing in every subject taught. Lots of Journals. The past few weeks have been spent intergrating Science and Writing. The students researched an ecosystem of their choice using index cards to take notes. They learned how to write an informational report,( we call a five paragraph essay)and then they made a diorama of that ecosystem which must represent facts in their reports. They were so motivated to hear what other students in the class where sharing and also getting ideas from one another for their ecosystems. They were so involved they worked right through recess, their choice.
By the time Jan/Feb role around they should already be use to writing their best pieces. This is also a time we spend perfecting extended response questions for Math and Reading OAT tests. All year we have been using Better Answers and continue to write million dollar sentences as well as extended responses.
The students earn million dollars for restating and writing million dollar sentences. The money they earn will be used at the end of the school year during our auction. They bid on an item with their millions. They can't wait to see their Friday Folders to see if the have earned millions for their writing or extended response questions in all subjects. I have used this for years and it still motivates.
Journaling is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of writing- just getting thoughts out and down on paper is so refreshing! It gives students the freedom to be as expressive and creative as they wish. It is also a chance for the students to "tell you" something that they may be too nervous to tell you face-to-face.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a class every day, I would definitely have them keep journals.
I may give them a certain topic about which to write- a current issue as it relates to them (social studies), a free write, if you could invent anything, what would it be (science). Or I would play a piece of music or show them a piece of art and ask them to describe it using synonyms/antonyms/poetry (language arts AND analyzing music/art). I LOVE having students write pen pal letters (or collaborating with teachers to create time to do this). My first year here during our patriotic music unit, I had the 5th grade write letters to soldiers at a base in Iraq on which my friend was stationed; several of them received letters in response- it was awesome! I also had 4th grade write letters to students from around the world during our multicultural music program- it is so important to break down boundaries of Richwood and expose students to the world beyond.
I also couldn't agree more with Danae: "I believe there is actually one answer to all 3 of Vickie's questions and that is have the kids write for a real purpose- give the kids a meaningful reason to write."
Vicki’s questions- Week #3
ReplyDeleteWriting lesson- I loved Dr. Seuss week last year in my student teaching. This was definitely a week that was easy to motivate writers. We read so many books that week and then I had the students to write their own silly Dr. Seuss book. They enjoyed writing silly words and silly topics, but I also had the typically requirements of writing that they still had to meet. I was also able to use these to show parents during conference time what the class had been working on. If the student was there, I had them read the story to their parents. The pride that was on their face was amazing.
Writing lesson #2- The class was studying weather and we talked about storms and other natural disasters. We “made” a tornado and discussed hurricanes. Then the class wrote a story and true facts of their natural disaster along with a fiction story. They were excited to write about something they may or may not have experienced, but they also had to keep some of the details to the true facts. Some of their stories turned out wild with some crazy twists, but they had so much fun writing after we had talked and “experienced” and turned the facts we learned into writing.
Motivated writing- I would try to find a topic that interests the most of the group. If it is a snowy day and the kids want to be outside more than inside, having the students write about the best snowball fight ever or the best snow castle ever. I remember bringing in a snowball and throwing it against the wall. This got their attention and we started talking about the best snowball fight we had ever been in. We would then make a web of ideas and then they would begin to write. We had so much fun.
Even though I teach Math I still find it meaningful to the students when I choose topics that interest them. Students still need to be able to write about Math situations and explain how something is done. If they can relate to the word problem they seem to be more interested in writing about it. It's also great when the students make up their own word problem, solve it and explain what steps they took into getting the correct answer. January and February are hard months for students to be motivated to do any subject! Luckily, our geometry unit begins the first part of February which the students always seem to enjoy. Again, I try to integrated as many hands on lessons as I can to keep them motivated to learn. Of course they love to use all of the geometry tools(compass, protractor, ruler) so I try to have something in my lesson that they can use at least one of these tools everyday even if it's a review question.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Debbie about writing being one of the most difficult things to teach our intervention students. I try to take an approach of "breaking down" the writing into smaller pieces. This helps my students not to be so complete overwhelmed by the task. I also try to have them write about topics in which they can make a connection. Making connections is important in both reading and writing because it helps capture the students interest. When students make a connection to their writing, I find that they usually put much more effort into the assignment. The 4th grade teachers must promote very positive attitudes about writing, because most of my students have a lot of confidence in their writing skills. It is so nice to see! Writing is very difficult to teach, and I am enjoying reading about everyone's creative ideas!
ReplyDeleteWe never seem to have enough time to write and share our writing. I know my students are more motivated if I read and respond to their writing. I've had several motivating projects; it varies by the class I'm teaching. Last year we wrote letters to the President; the students were quite pleased when we received a response. This year we've entered a couple writing contests - one as a whole class, and one with individual entries. The second contest was tied to a set of agricultural lessons, so it integrated nicely with science and social studies. I agree with Belinda that content area writing doesn't seem like a writing assignment to the students, and I can get more production by integrating writing with other subjects.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the writing has to be meaningful to the students. If it has a purpose, the students are much more likely to enjoy it. We’ve written letters to family, people in government and state tourism departments, thank you notes to relatives, the military and NU staff. We do a lot of brainstorming before we write because I think that getting started is sometimes the hardest part for students. We’ll brainstorm on the Smart Board, then we’ll print out copies for everyone to use. We’ll also talk about what our first sentence could sound like. Once again, if they know how to start, they will usually take off from there. If they have some ideas and clear directions, they’re more likely to put forth their best effort. We write a lot in Social Studies. We are working on the postcard activity that Kathy mentioned. The kids always enjoy that. We also wrote letters as colonists to King George expressing our concerns. The students enjoyed the different points of view. My students honestly don’t moan when I mention writing assignments. They always want to know what the next assignment will be. They love to share their writing with the class so we make a big production out of it. If they have followed their writing rubric and have done well, they get to share their writing with the class. We use the microphones and I try to tie some type of activity in with their sharing. In October, we listened as students read their fictional narratives in the dark with only a flashlight illuminating their face. We ate pumpkin pie while reading stories in November, wrote directions for how to make dirt pudding while actually making dirt pudding step by step in December and shared our personal narratives about a fun day in the snow while drinking hot chocolate. In the past, I have also broken assignments into smaller pieces like Linda and Kristy mentioned. It does keep some students from feeling overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteIn teaching, “Social Studies,” there is a lot of Reading and Writing skills that are necessary. In Language Arts and Social Studies at 5th grade, there is a lot of integration on both parts. One lesson that seems to go over well with students is after they have learned about the differences between the colonies, they write a letter as if they have settled in the new world. They write to their family “back home” explaining why they have gone to America and what it is like in their new home. I have done this on faded paper and burnt the edges to make the letter look really old. My students have also written persuasive letters trying to convince colonists to remain loyal to King George or to become a patriot, fighting for freedom. They really feel passionate and write that way too.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the writing lesson on dirt pudding directions was very clever, Kelli. The students seemed to be engaged, especially when they knew they were going to get to eat the dirt pudding! I can't lie, I didn't mind reaping the benefits of that lesson at all! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen Eric listens to what I have to say, I feel appreciated. Anytime anyone, especially administrators, compliments me, I feel appreciated. Sometimes, a smile or a greeting or a friendly comment is enough to make me feel I am appreciated as a person.
ReplyDeleteIn a meeting about testing out, Mr. Smith asked for the input of teachers present, and indicated that the rush of participating had minimized the time spent in consultation. I thought that showed appreciation. The pictures on the web site show appreciation.
When parents show up at Parent-Teacher conferences, I try to let them know how much I value their showing up. Since I have taught second grade as well as 9th, I know there is a huge difference in attendance at these conferences. I send out a Newsletter at the beginning of the year, and when a parent responds by email, I always begin with a thank you. A very small number of parents SHOW an interest in what their fresman does in school. So, it is not hard to be very grateful and to show appreciation for those who do!
Dave's comments are not, unfortunately, a surprise as I, too, have read/seen what others think of us as teachers. Fortunately, not everyone sees us in that light. However, we can improve. I think we need to be positive about ourselves, our professions, and our colleagues. We must, I believe, admit we have some changes that could be made. We could have a peer review. I met a Columbus teacher in a school with peer review, and she found it very helpful. Like other professions (two that come to mind are physicians and ministers), we don't do a good job of monitoring ourselves. It would be hard to do, but we could work it out. I do have some reservations about change. For example, profanity is profuse - in many venues. I am not willing to accept that as "right" or okay or anything except something that can and should be avoided, even though it is widely experienced. Maybe it would be "common sense" to ignore it, but I am not willing at this time to acquiesce to that mentality.
Like Ashley, I only teach Science, but we do alot of writing after doing the hands on Science labs. The students are very motivating in telling me exactly how they did the experiment and their findings.They are getting better at chunking different parts of the lab together, and not writing everything in one or two paragraphs. Then we share in class their results. This definately helps with the scientific method and also will get them ready for their informational report for Science Fair.
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