Writing Blogs

The first blog that I read is called, "How do I help my child with writing?" by Patricia A. Dunn.  Initially the main focus of the blog was outlining three main questions that parents should be asking their children about his/her writing.  The three questions are: Is your child excited about writing, does your child write outside of school, and does your child read outside of school.  The one question that stuck out to me the most was the one about whether or not parents know if their children are reading outside of school.  The most important part that I really liked, that was highlighted by Dunn, is that b by reading, students are not only learning new vocabulary words and information but they are also strengthening their literacy.  This immediately correlates to students and their writing and how they will improve with writing skills both in and out of the classroom.  Parents are a huge part of influencing their children to read by asking them if they are reading and by also setting the example.  This is huge for parents because it will strengthen their child's performance not only in writing but also in school overall.  The important part is to make sure the children are reading at home because the more information and vocabulary and knowledge they are absorbing, the better.  Students will be more motivated in the classroom if they are finding that reading is not so bad and can help them in the long run. 

The second blog that I read is called, "More than Just Laughs: Building Stronger Writers Through Improv Comedy" by Lauren Esposito.  The blog was initially about how to teach our students to have creativity and confidence when it comes to their writing (Esposito).  The main idea expressed was that teachers become improv coaches and help students to get ideas and prepare for what they are about to write.  One part that stood out to me was the "Yes And" activity which helps students to say yes to new ideas that they could be writing about.  It is formatted like a script and students have to say yes and then come up with a new idea.  I like how this echoes how the improv writers work and how they have to say yes often to come up with a scene.  Students can learn that there are many ways to approach writing and not be confined to one idea.  This definitely helps with creativity and to be open to new ideas on the spot or ones that they discuss with their peers.

 I chose the first blog because I think it's really important for parents to know if their kids are reading and writing and to access their process.  Teachers are supposed to do this but a child will have a higher chance of succeeding if a parent is motivating the child and monitoring their progress with reading and writing.  I chose the second blog because I was immediately drawn to the words improv writing and how that could connect to student writing.  I was really happy to see this connection and a different approach to teaching students how to write. 


https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/more-than-just-laughs-building-stronger-writers-through-improv-comedy/


https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/how-do-i-help-my-child-with-writing/

6+1 Traits

The 6+1 trait writing seems like a very effective way to approach student writing and analyze the growth of students in writing as they move up in grade level.  I remember being exposed with this 6+1 trait writing when I was younger and using it as a helpful guide in my writing.  In class, I was able to learn each of the traits and how they applied to my writing.  They all are very important when it comes to writing.  The important part is that the traits are not new ideas in terms of the criteria for good writing and this comes as a relief to teachers.  Teachers are able to work with these traits in the way they see fit based on students' needs.  The traits are straightforward and they help students focus on the various aspects of their writing.  I liked how it said that the traits provided language that was shared amongst many teachers so that several teachers elsewhere were also using this same language for their students.  This is a great opportunity for students to be on the same path of writing in every school as they are learning these traits.

As much as I personally do not like the Common Core Standards, these traits also help the students with their writing and staying along the the lines of the requirements needed to meet these standards.  However, I like the wiggle room teachers have in terms of how they teach these traits because there isn't a specific way of going about it and that's important.  These traits are there as a guide for teachers and how they intend to use them is completely up to them.  Hopefully these traits will be continually taught in the future and provide exemplary language for the students to use in order to become good writers.  

Writing Asessment

After reading through Gallagher's chapter on assessment of student writing, it came to my attention how important proper assessment of student writing truly is.  Gallagher highlights in the beginning about how the main goal for us as teachers is to make sure that everyone improves.  There is always room for improvement in writing and our first drafts will not be exactly what we envision for the final product.  Gallagher's point here is that the focus should be made upon how to help our students as writers rather than place them in the categories of winners and losers.  Gallagher gives many helpful tips for assessment for us as teachers and to be readers of our students' writing and not so much as graders.  We need to reflect positivity and praise for our students' writing but also finding room for critique and looking to help our students grow in areas that they have not yet mastered.

An important section from the chapter that I really appreciated was when Gallagher talks about the "I like" conversations.  This is a great opportunity for students to see the good parts of writing and see where the strengths are in a paper.  Often times students have a lot of pressure and anxiety to turn in writing that will be graded and this might cause them to hold back their creativity.  In figure 7.4 from the chapter, Gallagher gives an example of what an I like conversation might look like.  This involves an entire class conversation but the writer of the paper is kept anonymous.  In the example, you can see comment like, "vivid description" or "nice detail."  For the anonymous writer, they can see the good things in their writing and feel confident in the fact that his or her peers can see this too.  There is so much vulnerability in writing and the positive approach through these whole class discussions gives students a chance to not only see some examples of good writing, but give the writer of the piece some feedback to go forward with.   I see it as a good opportunity to give perspective to the teacher and motivation to the student writer.