Interesting Article on Formulaic Writing (and why we need to resist)

http://www.csun.edu/~krowlands/Content/Academic_Resources/Composition/Form/wiley%20resisting%20formulaic%20writing.pdf

Interesting article on formulaic writing (and why we need to rest) I thought readers of this blog might enjoy. It's part of my evening's assigned reading for "Reading Writing Connections" class

The Process of Writing

One of weeks 4's assignments is:

Analyzing the process whereby I write.

Writer's Notebook:
Write about... analyzing the process you routinely use when involved in writing activities, noting where you become discouraged or frustrated. To do this, you may identify the process, step-by-step, that you routinely use when involved in writing activities. Analyze your process, noting where you become discouraged or frustrated.

So, here is my analysis:

When I write, I just start writing. I do not use graphic organizers. I know how to teach using them and see their value, but for me personally the are a step I find excruciating in my won reading. I simply dig in and start writing.

As I write I go back and revise and check spelling, changing things around as I go.  I probably got into this habit when I started being a frequent poster on message boards back when I participated in (and later moderated) the WDW AOL message boards in the late-90's.  I then moved into e-groups, yahoogroups  and then into the forums on Sonlight.  Next up was facebook. When I write in those places I simply.... write. So, when I went back to college a few years and needed to write papers I just wrote.

Step by step:

1. Look at assignment
2. Think about it
3. Procrastinate about it
4. Clean some grout, organize a pile of papers which I've been meaning to get to for oh a long time
5. Open up word document and write.
6. Revise as I go
7. Get up and multi-task, go on facebook for a bit, check email, cook dinner, shower, all while pondering.
8. Get back to the writing project, finish it up.
9. Hit Spellchek
10. Submit.

Now, do I *teach* writing that way? No, I don't.  Do I think that some kids write like I do, sure. But more enjoy the graphic organizers or need to learn to do it that way. Just as I was taught to rough draft/double space in handwriting and then copy the entire thing over.

You know what, ever single time I did that my finished copy was significantly shorter than my draft as who wants to copy over something again when it's long.

I distinctly remember being in 4th grade and writing a poem about butterflies. Mrs. Squires, my 4th grade teacher praised it, thought it was wonderful and some of my best writing ever. BUT she wanted me to go copy it over.  I cut about half of it out. And then was even more upset when I found we had to do an art project and put the poem on the art.  Why couldn't I just write and have my pretty poem the way it was. No, I had to do icky art (I don't like doing art and I can't anyway, so any art I do is icky, by it's very definition).

In any case, yes, I teach kids to draft and final copy.  I have been taught that composing on the computer is an entirely different process/type of writing than handwriting the draft and then copy typing  into final.  Writing / composing on the computer is very fluid.  It's a process where things can copy/paste/move/change.

Handwriting a draft and then laboriously copying it word for word be it typing or handwriting is a menial chore.  Giving kids the choice to use the computer to compose is a gift of freedom.

Oh, did I wander? Fancy that.

Ok, so my process is that I start typing and am on topic and then my writing flows from there.  And then I'm done.  Can I explain it, not really.  Can I analyze it. Sure.

1. Get the assignment.
2. Think about it.
3. Open word.
4. Start to write and see where it goes.
5. Graphic organizers aren't my thing.
6. Revising happens as I go, as does editing and rewriting.
7. The End.

I become frustrated when made to use graphic organizers.  I become discouraged when asked to incorporate art into writing. I become discouraged and frustrated when placed in a box with no freedom to move the walls of the box to be more comfortable, to settle in and just write.

Descriptive Writing

Here is an assignment I'm working on:

Mini-Lesson: Description
    a) Read the attached essay, "Where Worlds Collide" by Pico Iyer.

Where Worlds Collide by Pico Iyer.doc

    b) After you have read the essay, read this: Notice that the essay doesn't TELL us how a newcomer may feel. The essay DESCRIBES the environment into which a newcomer arrives (in this case, LAX airport). Go back and re-read the essay. Underline or highlight especially descriptive parts. Write some of them in your writer's notebook.
    c) You are now going to write your own description. You can take something from your Stones in a River assignment -- or anything else. Take at least an hour to just write. You really want to use vivid details to evoke all our senses. Remember to "show, don't tell"!

This is part B "write some especially descriptive parts in your writer's notebook"

they come out, dazed, disoriented, heads still partly in the clouds, bodies still several time zones—or centuries—away, and they step into the Promised Land.

Around them in an unending cacophony of antitheft devices, sirens, beepers, and car-door openers; lights are flashing everywhere, and the man who fines them $16.00 for losing their parking ticket has the tribal scars of Tigre across his forehead.

Just an undifferentiated smoggy haze, billboards advertising Nissan and Panasonic and Canon, and beyond those an endlessly receding mess of gray streets.  

Reading and Writing Thoughts

This past week I spent half days teaching various grades.

Wednesday was 4th in the morning and 2nd in the afternoon.

Thursday was a killer day.  I taught kindergarten in the morning, 1st in the afternoon and then 4-10 pm I taught night-school high school math (with one period who had three students who didn't even attend night school in my class being disruptive. This day was certainly out of the ordinary.

Friday I taught 5th in the morning and 3rd in the afternoon.

The school in which I was subbing Wednesday through Friday was having "data digs" for half days. "Data digs" are where test results (MAPS or Scantron or other) are discussed on a child by child basis by the grade level teams and usually an administrator for at least part of the session and SPED teachers as needed.

In each class there was a literacy component.  Well, not in my night school math class, but in my K-5 classes. It was great fun and good experience to teach all grade levels K-5 in a three day period.  Seeing the low, middle and high performers in each group and using the same curriculum as a base gave me insight to how students learn to use higher level thinking regarding literacy in a way I hadn't been able to see before.

In the next few days, as I have time, I'll post some thoughts about what I learned.

Essay on Authentic Writing v. Formulatic writing

This piece is a draft "argument" piece written for the prompt:


Educators should use authentic writing tasks rather than formulaic ones when teaching students to write.

Have you ever written an assignment in which you had no interest? How about an assignment where you had no idea where to start or what the teacher was looking for? Now, have you ever written an impassioned email or facebook post or block post or letter in which the words fairly flew from your brain on to the page, post or site? Which writing was your better writing? The “what I did on my summer vacation” assignment or the writing on a topic of your choosing? These are the differences between formulaic writing and authentic writing.

Formulaic writing is writing where the teacher says “you will all give me a three or five paragraph essay with five to seven sentences in each paragraph on the life cycle of the tse-tse fly.” Authentic writing is where the teacher assigns the students to open a writing journal and write for an amount of time, but the student determines the style of writing and the topic of the writing. Which assignment would you rather have? Which would your children rather have? Which is more interesting to read?

Authentic writing is what educators should use in the classroom. Authentic writing is what adults use in the real world, it's the writing of grocery lists, lesson plans, office memos, business letters and stories. In the classroom authentic writing grabs the imagination of students and helps them see the reasons “why we write” and to learn writing is enjoyable. Once kids understand “why we write” it is far easier to work with them on conventions of grammar, punctuation and spelling than it is with a marked up paper that they hated writing in the first place.

Small groups of students focused on improving their writing, each working on a similar task on different projects builds a sense of community and a “hey, listen to what I wrote” and a “let me see what you wrote.” All children writing the same (basic) essay on the same topic leads to discussions of “are we done yet” or “only two more sentences and I'm done.”

Students who are at different parts of their writing share different experiences with their classmates. Students learn best when some are finishing a story and getting it read to “publish” which means show the piece to others, be that taking it home, showing it to another teacher, their classmates, or putting it in a class book. Students learn best when writing at their own pace. In a writing workshop format, any given student may be at the beginning, middle and end of the writing process in any given class period. Using this model, some students are revising, others editing, others having a mini-lesson the teacher on “voice” or on adding more exciting adjectives and verbs to their writing.

When students are invested in their writing, writing something they are interested in their writing improves and they take more care in the steps to final product. Is there a place for worksheet writing? Yes, now and again for certain tasks. But, for writing instruction on an ongoing basis, authentic writing is the best way to go.

Prewriting

One of our assignments for week 3 of class is to "keep writing in our writers notebook." We also have reading assignments in three out of four of our texts.

Today I'm reading about prewriting in the Writing Workshop book by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi.

Prewriting often assigned by asking kids to use a circle map, graphic organizer of some sort, jotting down words, key word outline (my favorite of these)  and thinking about what one wants write about. This is to keep the student from just blasting into writing without a plan (my preferred way of writing and what I do 98% of the time).  However, as a teacher I do see the value of prewriting, even if I rarely (to never) use it myself.

We need to keep in mind that every student differs. Yes, I know we know that in theory, everyone does. But in practice teachers (homeschoolers or public/private school teachers) tend to follow a curriculum (or teacher driven) preference in prewriting.  We tend to want to teach kids "the right way." But, there isn't a "one right way to prewrite."  Some kiddos (and adults) thrive on graphic organizers. I see their use in classes, however personally I consider graphic organizers to be one of Dante's circles of hell.  I hate the things (for my personal writing). They interrupt my flow, they are an extra step I find excruciatingly annoying and they do zip, nada, nothing for me in my writing process. Others swear by them.

Here is a quote from the book (page 63).  "There are countless ways of rehearsing for writing. But too often in school the prewriting stage becomes a rigid routine. Instead of kids getting to choose how they want to rehearse for a piece of writing, all students are required to begin by making a cluster web, story map, outline graphic organizer."

The book goes on to say that prewriting should be a help, not a burden.  The book suggests showing students a variety of ways to prewrite and letting them choose. Novel concept that. And Hallelujah and Amen.

I'm all for teaching graphic organizers and see their use (particularly in my field of special ed), but to insist that every child use them because the teacher decrees so inhibits some kids from writing at all.  I find doing a graphic organizer harder than actually writing.

I'm also not a note taker, muddled through high school and college with very little to no note taking. Other than when teachers flat insisted we copy from the board. But that's another post.  Others find note taking hugely important, even essential.  The thing is, not every learner learns the same way. And we, as educators (be it public school, home school or private school) need to remember that and allow kids the ability to complete projects with freedom to get the job done in a way that suits them.

Prewrite - certainly.  But some do that in their head as the type along, others need the graphic organizer, others are inspired by leafing through books or pictures for inspiration.  One way does not fit all.

An Assignment on Argument

4. Now it's your turn! You are going to write an argument piece. Here is your prompt:
Educators should use authentic writing tasks rather than formulaic ones when teaching students to write.
Your task is to write an argument piece addressing this prompt. 

One of the articles we read in advance of reading this assignment:  Education Needs a Digital Age Upgrade. Other articles were about Argument v. Persuasion and an Argument Analysis handout.

I'll be writing my argument piece in a few minutes.

What do you think about term papers and the like? Archaic? Useful?  What about technology in the classroom?

There is a stat quoted in the article that I've heard before, or at least the quote with various numbers.  And it's true.  It's been true since 1965 when I was in kindergarten and likely before that, but perhaps not so quickly.  I started kindergarten in the mid-60's.  We had mimeograph machines, punch card data entry things, computers the size of bedrooms, a black rotary phones wired to the wall and cameras which used film and flashbulbs. No ATMs, no debit cards, no VISA/Mastercard.  We were taught in much the same way as our parents had been and that's still the way many students are taught, albeit with term papers typed up on the computer, or is that keyboarded?

Who would think that we'd grow up where phones, encyclopedias, cameras and friends would all live in our pocket?  Where people "tele-commuted" google docs lets multiple people in different areas work on the same paper, where we'd shop on line.

Just as we couldn't imagine the world after we graduated, what was invented and what wasn't (based on predictions), we can't imagine what is coming along for the generation of our kids and grandkids.

A Lesson on Voice

Yikes, a third post in one day? What's up with that?

Well, this is my writer's notebook and one of the assignments due tonight is to write about "Voice" in a couple of pieces in my Writers Notebook.

Granted, this is thoughts, ramblings, which just happen to be in a blog.

So, The Ashen Man and My Biker Initiation were assigned reading for us.  The assignment is: Think and reflect: What details in this piece give us the voice? Write down words, phrases, or sentences from these essays that really demonstrate voice into your Writer's Notebook.

In The Ashen Man the description of the man and how he walks, looks, talks and how that differs from the normalcy which precedes his apperance in the store gives voice. Words like crisp, unrumpled, looked like a snowman, words of movement which give voice. The author uses many action words such as paused, froze, screamed and uses conversation with others, when the other is an observer to give voice to the piece.

In My Biker Initiation the use of descriptive words also gives voice.  The author sets the dress of herself/companion apart from those of the bikers. she uses words like unholy congregation and describes her hat as something "between skull and tea cozy."  At the end she compares the way the bikers were before the hat -- "stern, stone-faced" with "smiling, laughter like little boys" to show contrast.

The voice in both pieces contains contrast and very descriptive words/action verbs. 

Stones in the River

Remember last week when I was having to do an art project? Well, here it is.  The assignment was to draw a river and then 15  stones in it, each stone being a representation of our lives, either an important life milestone or something which was a part of becoming a reader/writer.

Here is mine:

We then had to pick one of the stones and write a draft paper (taking an hour to do so).  Then we handed the paper in to online groups within our class and discussed the pieces.

This week we were to revise (not edit) our pieces.

I survived doing art.  It was quite something that I didn't faint in the attempt of making the above drawing.  It's amazing what one can do when "forced" to do so.  I won't be turning into an artist anytime soon (thank the Good Lord Above) but I managed the assignment.

Writers Workshops

This week one of my assignments is to write for 20 minutes about something that struck me in my week's reading.

So, ever the rule follower, I just set my timer for 20 minutes and off we go.

We have three books in this class. Because Writing Matters, by Nagin Writing Workshop by Fletcher and Scaffolding Writing Instruction by Fisher/Frey

Fletcher is a big proponent of writing workshops and in teaching children writing by having them write.  In writers workshops students have writing journals, much as I have this blog, which is a form of writing journal and the form I've chosen for my class in Reading and Writing Connections.  In journal writing students write. Some writing is for publication, some writing is list making and brain storming and some is simple rambling.  In the class assignments Fletcher talks about, the students write during workshop and assist each other in writing.  During this time they might be working on a story, a diary-style entry or other writing.  The teacher checks in with the students and "conferences" with them, focusing on a skill or two at a time to improve.  By writing kids become better writers in much the way by reading kids become better readers.  He utilizes mini-lessons during writers workshop and informal assessments.

Nagin on the other hand sees this as useful, and indeed endorses the writers workshop format, but states that  students need more structure in their writing instruction.  Nagin proposes that the approach be structured into segments including different approaches such as:
 Teacher modeling layout of a short written message
Interactive writing - teacher scaffolds conversion of students' oral composition to written message
Power Writing - Teacher prompts and encourages students' sustained writing for a short timed period
Generative Writing
Writing Models
Independent Writing Prompts
Focus lesson (whole class)
Guided Instruction (small groups - up to 6 students)
Collaborative Learning (pairs or small groups)
Independent Writing (individual)

The book goes into each of these formats. What struck me this week, however, is Power Writing.  I find this concept useful and doable at all levels of classrooms.

In Focus Writing the students write in one minute bursts, without stopping and then at the end go back (fairly quickly) and circle/mark words which will need correction later and count the number of words they have written.  The teacher gives a word to be used in the writing. This is done three times in succession, the students graph their total words written (highest of the day) and then move on to another aspect of their writing workshop time.

In Focus writing the teacher might say "I want you to put the word 'puppy' in your writing" one time and other words used in other timed writings might be "purple" or "parakeet" or "raspberries" - any word will do. This gets the kids' creative juices flowing. By practicing this skill the students learn to "just write" and they learn to self-correct after writing. They also have a selection of short pieces they can expand on later when it's time to write an essay, persuasive piece or the basis for any other writing.

I like Focus Writing because it's timed, even the most reluctant student can write for one minute, when the pressure is off to be "perfect" about it.  The students who can write well fly with this concept into deep thought, while those who are just learning the joy of writing are putting pencil to paper and getting thoughts down.

I also like Focus Writing as it gives the teacher an idea of which students to put together for Guided Instruction, which need help with spelling, conventions, voice or any other aspect of writing. Students can be praised for their thoughts and for increasing the number of words.

Also, by graphing the students see the progress based on their own progress over time.  This is very powerful, when students see that by daily writing (even for a minute at a time) that they improve incrementally it removes fear of writing.

While I enjoyed many aspects of this week's reading, Power Writing was the aspect which grabbed my attention. I also enjoyed the way that I can modify it for use as a Special Ed teacher.

Beep beep, 20 minutes over.

Bye for now!

Writing, writing, who is writing?

Um, I wrote this last week, but somehow the post ended up on my cooking blog. Go figure.  So, here, in the right place, is a post on writing I observed/taught last week.

This week one of my assignemnts is to be in classroom where writing is to happen. So far this week I've

half day in vocal music, half day in high school special ed, where I was in a Careers class;
subbed a full day in first grade, where the kids did writing with a tree map;
subbed a half day in middle school SPED where I was working with math all afternoon and
today, Friday, I'm in high school SPED in the morning, we will be doing minimal writing and this afternoon I'm teaching kindergarden. 

I'm not one who is fond (personally) of graphic organizers, though I definately see their use with students. However, they don't do  much for me.  In first grade this week we used "tree maps" which resemble the type of graphic organizer used in geneologies.

The kids were to write things about themselves and then write 3-5 sentences in a paragraph. So, using myself as an example:

________________________________________________________________
/                            /                             /                                   /                                /
Mom              4 cats                        married                        teacher                   cook


And my paragraph *early elementar school style* would be.

I have two children, Anthony and Felicia. They are both grown up. My four cats are a lot of fun.  Their names are Darth Fluff, BA, Shadow and Neville.  My favoirte things about them is watching them play with each other.  My husband's name is Byron, he is a cook. He enjoys playing computer games.  I am a sbustitute teacher. My favorite thing about teaching is meeting many students per week.  Byron and I like to cook, one of our favorite types of food to cook is Indian food.

Writing in Special Ed

Today I'm back in one of my favorite special eduation elementary classes, grades K-1.  We do literacy groups in blocks first thing.

8 minute rotations for the first block which is workshops.  I work with 2-3 kids on letter recognition (this week B, D and R) sounds and what words start with those sounds. Other groups are doing calendar, sorting things that start with R and B and handwriting the letter R.

After the kids go through rotations they have 5 minutes of free play.

Today many of the kids went to adaptive PE after the first two rotations. So we worked with the kids who weren't at adaptive PE in the last rotations.

Next up is ABC Groups/Literacy block. This is done in 12 minute roations and ends with snack.  I worked with kids reading a beginning reading book entitled Animals Can Move.  We read the book together, each student having one or more turns to read a page (The rabbit can hop, the snake can slither, horse can run).  At the end of the book there are picture of animals and the students wrote sentences about how those animals can move.  Other groups worked with sight words, segementing/blending sounds and sorting (based on ability).

At the end of these rotations the students have a snack break.

Some of the students are verbal and some are not.  The students are at differnt levels of ability.

I enjoy the set up of this class.  After blocks the students return to their general education classrooms and other students come into the special education class for breakout groups. I did a handriting group with kindergarten using the Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) program. This program is exceptional for any child, but works very very well with special education children as it's multi-sensory and structured.

What is a Writer's Notebook

From the author of one of our texts

A Writer's Notebook is:


How To Use Your Writer's Notebook
Use your notebook to breathe in the world around you. You can write about:
1) What amazes/surprises/anger you
2) What you wonder about
3) What you notice
4) "Seed Ideas" or "Triggers" to generate stories or poems
5) Small details that intrigue you
6) Snatches of talk you overhear
7) Memories
8) Lists
9) Photos, articles, ticket stubs or other artifacts
10) Your own sketches, drawings or doodles
11) Quotes or inspiring passages from books or poems

This is one of the texts we are using in class. The author is a big proponent of Writers Notebooks. This blog is a Writers Notebook of sorts and I created it as such for my Reading/Writing Connections class I'm taking at Regis University.

http://www.ralphfletcher.com/tips.html

Things to think/write about regarding teaching writing

Brainstorming type list as it's one of the things in the writers notebook instructions to list things a person could write about.  The following list so somethings I've found in talking to people who don't teach and/or some general eduation teachers who don't seem to understand that an "I can't" is often a roadblock that needs some help and not a "stubbor child who is making a choice not to work."

Many students would prefer to look obstinate than to look like they "can't" this increases with age and includes general ed, talented/gifted kids and the special education kids. Often when talking with the student there are work-arounds to the "can't which allows the student to complete the assignment within their ability level.  It takes creativity and "thinking outside the box" and not a "I'm the teacher I win/you, the student will comply or else" - the win/lose menality is not a good practice. Win/win should always be the goal.

Finding a topic that interests the kids works wonders.  I just read an article about stars and how they spend money to a high school class and then they are working on budget line items for expenses. A study about anything can include a student's interest at least on some level. 

Different abilities are in each classroom. Differentation is essential.

Don't assume that becuase a student can speak at grade level that the student can read/write at grade level. Converely  never ever assume that a non verbal student can't understand you or can't read.  Always know the ability of your students, this includes subbing.  See what you can find out about a student's abilities before assuming a student is "being obstaniate" it's very likely there is a stumbling block in processing the assignment or an issue which requires differentiation.

Our first writing assignment includes drawing. AAAAAAAAAACK

Today we got our first writing/homework assignment. To say I dislike doing art is a *strong* understatement. Alas, it is what it is. And an assignment is an assignment.  Drawing anything, let alone a river and journaling about it is nigh unto torture.  Sigh.  But I'll do it of course.  I think I *might* have some colored pencils around here somewhere...... I'd rather clean 10,000 bathrooms that draw ANYTHING.

I'm heading off to teach first grade now (and therein observe/give writing instructions and student writing.  I love first graders.

Here is the assignment I'll be working on for this weekend.

 

1) Stones in the River: Use colored pencils, crayons, markers, or any writing utensil that is a bit "fun." On a large piece of paper, draw a river so that it takes up most o fthe page with just a little space of the shore on the sides. This is the river of your life. At the source: your birthdate; at the end of the paper, where your river continues on: the present moment. I'd like you to draw stones in the river representing moments/times in your life that are in some way meaningful. You should have a minimum of 15 events. I would like at least 5 of those to be moments along your journey to becoming the reader/writer that you are today. These moments can be positive, negative, etc. All of the events should be things that influence the person, reader, and writer that you are today.



2) Now, you need to choose:
You may choose:
    a) one event from your life
    OR
    b) one or two events that have impacted you as a reader/writer today.
You will write a personal narrative piece on your choice.
You should spend at least ONE HOUR writing your narrative. This is a draft; it does not need to be final and perfect.

Introductions

Today is the first official day of Reading and Writing Connections, EDRG 602.  The assignment for today is to post introductions on the forum for the class and to read / respond to the introductions of others.  I posted mine over the weekend.  It's fun to read the introductions of my classmates and find out a bit about them. I have classmates in this class in Dubai, Vermont and all over Colorado.

Magnetic Maps

I pinned this yesterday on Pinterest, I originally saw it on Pioneer Woman's Pinterest site. I think this is a great idea for classrooms (general education and special education at all age levels), homeschool and just plain fun. What do you think?

I would use it as a map on a cookie sheet or magnetic whiteboard for special ed and elementary age up through middle school. Many (if not most) students I meet wouldn't be able to put together a free-form map like this of the US. It's a good skill to have.

Also, it would be fun to have kids pick a state and then have a reading and writing assignment on that state, making this an easy way to assign a state to a student. One could use a variety of teaching styles to having students find out specifics about a state, or the art, culinary traditions, oral traditions of the state or simply the capital and major geographic aspects of the state. This assignment would be very easy to differentiate for all manners of learners in a classroom for both individual and group use.

Welcome to Just Jan: Reading, Writing and Teaching

Welcome to Just Jan: Reading, Writing and Teaching

This blog is begun as an assignment for a class for my Masters Program. The assignment overview is:

The student will select/design, and maintain his/her own writer’s notebook for the duration of the term. It should contain items that could possibly spark the learner’s own imagination, reflect his/her interests, and/or inform current or future pieces of writing. Some possible items include but are not limited to: first drafts, photos, quotes, articles, writing exercises, brainstorming lists, ideas, outlines etc. Besides being a valuable resource for the teacher as a writer, it should also serve as a model of a writer’s notebook for the student’s future classroom.The student will also write a one-page reflection on how keeping a writer’s notebook does/can inform writing and how this translates to the role of a teacher.

Who knows where this blog will go from here.  Follow me as I find out.