Entry #9: How can teachers promote biographical writing in the classroom setting?

After reading chapter nine and chapter ten of Tompkins (2019), I have gained new insights into how teachers can help students when thinking about biographical writing and informational writing. For this week's post, I'd like to take some time reflecting on biographical writing and its importance when learning and growing as a writer.

While reading this chapter I began to think a lot about autobiographies and how important it is to introduce autobiographical writing at a young age. I thought about how young children tend to be very egocentric in nature as they develop and learn about the world around them. Why not use that as an advantage and have children spend lots of time writing about themselves? I have seen many teachers do just that in various classroom settings. When young readers and writers first begin to write they often start by writing about their own personal experiences: what they did over the weekend, what they ate for dinner, what happened on the bus ride home. I believe early writers should spend most of their time writing about themselves because of their developmental level and because the writing is authentic.

One example that Tompkins (2019) provides in this chapter is the idea of life boxes. This is a fantastic strategy to use with early writers because it allows them to write about themselves in an authentic way. Students have the opportunity to share personal belongings with the classroom which makes them feel special and connects home and school together. When I was young, I loved participating in Show and Tell because I was excited to share a piece of my life with my teacher and classmates. I felt so special and motivated to write about things that meant a lot to me. Another example from Tompkins (2019) that allows early writers to practice autobiographies is the "Me" Quilts. I thought this was a great way to not only introduce autobiographical writing but to help writers with the prewriting stage. Having a "quilt" to look at with various pictures that symbolize a writer's life could be beneficial when deciding how to craft a piece of writing.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREEBIE-All-About-Me-Quilts-783930 

When considering biographical writing in the classroom, there were many other examples that Tompkins (2019) provided that I really enjoyed learning about and would love to try myself as well as with students. The Biography Posters was one idea that really stuck out to me because I think it's a great way to get students motivated to write biographies. I think it would be great to allow students to create these posters and present them to the class. Presentation and organization are two aspects of author's craft that would go well with this project. When I was in school, I always loved opportunities to be crafty and incorporate drawings, pictures, and designs into my pieces. This could be a great option for students who are artistically gifted and need more opportunities to show their strengths. 

I have gained a lot of new insights into biographical writing, and have found a new interest in this type of writing. As I continue to learn about biographical writing in class, I'd like to try to find ways to incorporate it into my own classroom. 

References

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  UpperSaddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Entry #8: How can writer's provide feedback to the work of their peers?

Hicks (2009) talks about the importance of peer review and mentions three ways to respond to the works of others: to bless, to address, and to press. When an individual blesses someone's piece of work they are offering praise. When an individual addresses someone's piece they are asking specific questions about the main ideas of the work. Finally, when an individual presses someone's piece they are asking critical questions and challenging the writer to explain their reasoning and clearly elaborate on their work.

https://minersp2019.blogspot.com 

After spending some time to reflect on the work of my peers, I have decided to focus on a peer's piece titled "Writing to learn integrates writing into all content areas." by Katy Miner. This blog post stuck out to me because of my own personal experiences with journal writing and the importance of incorporating journal writing into the classroom setting. I will use the ideas of Hicks (2009) to bless, address, and press this piece of work, and I will refer to chapter six of Tompkins (2019) when considering the various ways to incorporate writing in the classroom.

Bless
I'd like to begin by blessing my peer's work for the exceptional presentation of her blog post along with the content she chose to write about. Tompkins (2019) stresses the importance of author's craft when composing pieces, and this came to mind as I was reading this piece of work. When opening up to her blog page, I was very impressed with how each blog was presented and organized. When looking specifically at her post, "Writing to learn integrates writing into all content areas", I thought each idea written was presented in a way that was easy to follow and very engaging. I could hear Katy's voice as she wrote, so I believe her word choice was well thought out. Lastly, I enjoyed simply reading about journal writing because of my own personal interest in this genre. I was able to connect to many ideas that Katy discussed in her piece.

Address
One question that I have for my peer and her blog entry is, "What personal experiences have you had with journal writing when you were growing up in the classroom setting?" I ask this question because  I noticed that the author, Katy, focused more on the benefits of journal writing in the perspective of a teacher. Although Katy mentioned a particular experience at the end of her post, I would like to know more about her viewpoints when considering the benefits of journal writing. One reason that this post intrigued me is because I've had some wonderful opportunities as a student to work on fun and engaging pieces of journal writing that have had an impact on the way I view writing. I wonder if Katy has similar experiences or if she has not had similar opportunities when she was a student.

Press
I find that it's difficult to press my peer's piece because I am also still learning and growing as a writer and am looking for ways to improve and grow. However, one aspect that I would consider "pressing" this piece on is thinking about Hicks (2009) and creating a more digitally enhanced piece of work. One idea is to include some hyperlinks for each type of journal writing that truly gives the reader an example of what these pieces would look like in a classroom setting. Even incorporating pictures to show the different examples might be beneficial when crafting this blog.

Peer review is an extremely important aspect of the writing process, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to practice the skill of blessing, addressing, and pressing.

References

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Entry 7: How can students use Google Sites to create more digitally enhanced pieces?

I decided to spend some time reflecting on the aspect of digital writing and how there are an abundance of resources available for students to use when publishing their work in a digital format. In particular, I would like to consider Google as a way for students to be creative when learning about the writing process. I will also refer to stage five of Tompkins key features of the writing process which is publishing.

After watching the Introduction video to Google Sites, I had the opportunity to reflect on Google as a whole and how it's an amazing tool to use for writing. In the district I currently work in, students have access to their own computer, and the teachers use Google as a way to connect the classroom in a digital format. Students use Google Classroom to create pieces of writing, and then share their work with teachers who can then provide feedback through Google Classroom as well. For example, a third grade class is learning about the country of China. Students use graphic organizers, handouts, etc. to help them draft a paragraph for each aspect of the country: geography, economy, and government. The students type up a paragraph for each area and send it to their teacher via Google Classroom. I loved being able to observe how students were creating digitally convenient pieces of writing where they incorporated technology to demonstrate their knowledge of writing.

Now that I've learned a little bit about Google Sites, I wonder if this is something students could also use in the classroom to really focus on digitally enhanced pieces of writing. Along with crafting paragraphs about the geography of China, students could create a site where they include hyperlinks, videos, pictures, etc. to showcase their knowledge. I believe Google Sites would be a great way to push students further on projects such as the China project. Personally, I find assignments to be more fun when they are authentic and relate to real-life experiences. I think it would be great if students could publish their own Google Sites with the purpose of showing it to for the public to see. Knowing that their is a real audience that could be looking at your work adds excitement and engagement to activities like these! https://sites.google.com/a/mail.naz.edu?pli=1

After re-reading pages 15-16 of Tompkins, I have also reflected on the idea of publishing, and how this is a crucial step in the writing process. I think this ties well into the idea of Google Sites and how it can create an authentic experience for students when they are finally finished. This is something that I was not able to do when I was in school because the resource was not available. I wish that I had had more authentic experiences with writing and working on the stage of publishing because I don't believe that I really had enough practice with this stage when I was young. As a result, whenever I think of writing and the audiences involved, the only person who comes to mind is my teacher. Writers need to understand that there is a bigger audience out there, and they need to have experiences writing to these larger groups of people. Writing shouldn't simply be about getting a grade, but it should be a fun and engaging experience for all involved. I truly believe that writing allows people to open their minds and be more creative!

 

References

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Entry #6

Dear Dr. Jones,

I have really enjoyed having the opportunity to work with you again this semester in LTED 618! This class has been very exciting, fun, and enlightening as far as learning about ways that I can support my students with their writing in creative ways. Not only have I learned about helping future students, but I have learned about myself as well and how to see writing in a different way compared to my previous beliefs of the writing process. When I found out that I was taking a creative writing class, I was very excited because I love to be creative and find ways to make things engaging and fun; a reason why I decided to go into teaching. However, I wasn't exactly sure about what to expect as far as course work, assignments, and readings. Luckily, I was pleased to find out that many of our assignments are fun and engaging, especially our genre pieces project. I'm so excited to focus on a topic that isn't related to education and something that means a lot to me personally. One thing that has surprised me about this course is the focus on digital writing and the role it plays in our society today! Whenever I thought about writing in the past, my mind went directly to pen and paper. It's very beneficial to learn about all of the other ways students can be engaged in their writing.

When considering my habits of mind, I instantly think about curiosity and creativity. These are two habits of mind that I have developed throughout this semester, and these are two elements that I always try to push myself to work on! I want to be curious when thinking about engaging and motivating students, so I always want to be open to new ideas and new ways of learning. This has become possible through all of the digital devices that exist for me to look up, try out, and apply myself. Second, I believe it's very easy for creativity to be taken away from students in the classroom environment, so I always want to allow for creativity, especially because this is something that I love doing on my own. I believe this course has allowed me to compose in multiple environments and in many different ways.

One specific instructional strategy that I have really enjoyed is the index card activity for prewriting. This activity was very eye opening for me because I have always been against the prewriting stage. Personally, I have always skipped this stage because I just wanted to get right to writing my piece. I didn't see how this stage was beneficial because if I just began writing, then my ideas would take shape. However, the index card activity allowed me to organize all of the thoughts in my head and incorporate them in a way that helped me to reflect their importance. It was also extremely beneficial to receive another's perspective on my piece because I was able to look at it in a different way and notice areas where I needed to think more critically about. This activity is something that I will use as a future teacher to emphasize the importance of pre-writing.

Although I really enjoy this class, it has been difficult to differentiate between all of the required assignments and projects I've been assigned to complete. I believe there is a lot of information to be aware of for each project, and I want to make sure that I'm on the right track for each assignment. However, it's very easy for me to become overwhelmed with work, and sometimes I need lots of reminders, clarifications, and structured instructions to help me truly understand what I'm being asked to do. I'm certain that as I continue the course and begin to see the presentations of others, I will have a better understanding of everything. I have already gained more clarity about the Collaborative Exploration and Analysis of Digital Writing Tools assignment just based on seeing what it looks like on Moodle. I know I'll get there, it just takes time!

I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester and learning all of the different ways I can promote writing. I already have a more positive outlook on writing! :)

Entry #5

For this week's assignment, I was asked to read Chapter 4 of Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product by Tompkins along with the article Giving Feedback: Preparing Students for Peer Review and Self-Evaluation by Philippakos. Both readings helped me to gain a better understanding of how to help students improve their writing skills, however, the activities that I completed in class pushed me further to reflect on the importance of peer review and self-evaluation.

During class, I was asked to look at three pieces of writing and determine what qualities of each piece were strong along with qualities that could have been elaborated on more deeply. After reading these pieces written by fifth-graders, I was surprised to discover how well I was able to critique their work and look at what elements were either included or not included in their writing. This activity was very eye opening for me because I have never been a huge fan of peer review or self-evaluation. In the past, whenever I have been asked to peer review someone's work I became very anxious and nervous because I didn't want to give them misleading information or not provide sufficient feedback that my partner could take away from our time spent together. I've always felt that I needed to be an "expert" at writing in order to give appropriate feedback. However, I'm finally realizing that peer review is simply a means for someone to gain another's perspective on how their piece is coming together. I understand now that I don't have to fix someone's writing to make it perfect, but I must be open to giving my personal view of the piece and a new perspective. The activity that I completed in class really helped me to see peer review in a different way.

Along with the activities I completed in class, Philippakos also helped me to gain insight on peer review and self-evaluation in the article. I believe that my negative views of peer-review have formed because of the experiences I've had in classrooms where I was asked to peer review someone's piece of writing. I don't think my teachers ever explicitly taught me what peer review looks like, but instead simply told us to take a look at another's paper. This was the biggest take away that I took from this article because I think it's crucial for teachers to spend time talking about what peer review looks like so that students aren't confused with what is expected of them when they begin to peer review. I also believe it's important for teachers to not assume that students have learned these skills in previous classrooms. I think it's beneficial for students to review these skills each year because it's such an important part of the writing process. Even small things such as knowing how to peer review is essential for students to apply to not only what they are writing in class, but to their overall education and personal growth.

Another part of the Philippakos article that I really enjoyed learning about was the sample rubric for self-evaluation and peer review of story writing. I think the sample they provided is a great framework for teachers to use in their classrooms in order to help students include key elements when writing stories. I think creating goals for current and future papers is another great piece of the rubric because then students have something concrete and specific to work towards rather than becoming overwhelmed when asked to revise or edit a piece of writing. When I think about ways I will incorporate peer review and self-evaluation in my future classroom, I want to include a rubric similar to the one Philippakos provided.

References

Philippakos, Z.A. (2017).  Giving feedback:  Preparing students for peer review and self-evaluation.  The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 13-22.  DOI: 10.1102/trtr.1568

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  UpperSaddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Entry #4

For this week's post, I was asked to read Chapter 2 of Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product by Gail E. Tompkins along with two other articles.  The first article was Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing by the Council of Writing Program Administrators, and the second article was Counterpart Strategies: Fine Tuning Language with Language by Stephen B. Kucer and Lynn K. Rhodes.  Each reading helped me to gain new insight about the Writing process and how reading and writing are interconnected.

After reflecting on these articles, I realize that I do not spend enough time using writing as a means to question, re-consider, imagine, and discover in order to gain more knowledge about a particular topic or concept.  Rather, I usually spend more time reflecting through thinking and simply changing a technique or idea through action.  For example, whenever I finish teaching I usually spend most of my time reflecting on the day when I drive home in my car.  Then if I have an idea about how to improve my teaching or incorporate a different strategy into my lesson, I simply look online for new ideas and new sources of inspiration.  It is rare that I take the time to sit down and write out my thoughts for how I could better support students because I usually don't have enough time, or I'm too anxious about coming up with new ideas that I skip this step.

However, when it comes to writing for school work such as my undergraduate work or my graduate work, I feel as though I do spend time on writing as a means to reflect, question, and re-consider because it is something that I was asked to do.  Thinking about when I student taught and completed my field observations, I spent a lot of time reflecting through writing about these experiences.  I believe that it was helpful to let my mind focus on whatever aspect of that day was either very beneficial or challenging and to consider how to move forward from there.  I believe that writing was also helpful when I needed to go back to see how a particular day went or what I did for a specific activity.  As I reflect now, I think that being asked to write down my ideas and thoughts during these important experiences were crucial for my learning.

One major reason that I choose not to engage in this kind of thinking is lack of motivation to do so.  It's difficult for me to have the motivation to sit down and write after working all day and going to class.  However, I feel that this is something that needs to change as I continue my career as a teacher because I believe that it's so important to document thoughts, ideas, and information in order to better support students.  I also think it's important to for me to engage in this kind of writing, not only for work, but for my personal life as well.

In order to engage in writing that allows me to consider, clarify, refine, and synthesize, I believe that I must make it more motivating and engaging for myself.  One thing that motivates me to complete any kind of assignment is when I'm allowed to be creative.  Creativity is something that I admire, and I love having the opportunity to be creative.  Creativity is one of the categories from "habits of mind", and this is an area I would like to focus on as I continue writing my blogs.  Along with creativity, I would also like to spend time focusing on curiosity as well because I believe this will also help me to stay engaged with this writing process.  There are so many ideas and strategies that I want to learn about as I continue this course, and I believe through creativity and curiosity I will make many new discoveries.

References

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project. (2011). Framework for success in postsecondary writing.  Retrieved from http://wpacouncil.org/framework/

Kucer, S. B. & Rhodes, L. K. (1986).  Counterpart strategies:  Fine tuning language with language.  The Reading Teacher, 40(2), 186-193.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.