DWP #31: CERTAIN {10.13.17}

These are the things that I am certain about when it comes to teaching writing:

1.  Students need to write -- a lot. Yes, this takes time. No, you should not hover.

2.  Telling students what to write about does not necessarily make them better writers. They need choice.

3.  While writing can be assessed, grading it makes me cringe.

4.  Writing gives us authority. It makes our thinking concrete. It is our way of sharing our ideas with the world. It demonstrates our uniqueness.

5.  The writing process is not circular and orderly. Expecting students to go from prewriting to drafting to editing to revising to publishing in that order is NOT how real writers write. We jump all over the place before we get to the end. Take down the charts and clips.

6. Revision is where the magic happens. Drafting should be quick -- simply getting our ideas down on paper before we lose them.

7.  Students need time to talk to other writers to share their writing and get feedback. Don't skip share time or undervalue writing partners.

8.  Students write best when their teacher is a writer too. You don't have to write a book, a blog, or anything more than simply putting a few words down on the page or computer document regularly.

9. Opportunities for teaching writing can happen in every subject throughout the day. You can teach writing during your read aloud (see my tips here), in math journals, or in science logs. Specials teachers -- there are ways you can have students write too.

10.  Writing for an authentic audience makes all the difference.

DWP #29: RULE {10.11.17}

I cringe when I think about the kind of teacher I used to be, when I first began teaching. Not knowing any better, I taught the way I was taught:

I had a red-yellow-green behavior clip chart for my 4th graders.
I kept kids in from recess for not finishing their homework.
I assigned a reading log.
I killed a lot of trees from copying worksheets.
I gave rewards for passing an AR quiz.
I didn't "have time" for teaching writing and allowing my students 30 minutes of independent reading time every day was out of the question.
Classroom rules were posted before the students even walked in the room on the first day.

Whew....I cringe again just reading that list.

Maya Angelou got it right when she said: "When you know better, you do better." I think this quote sums up my growth as a teacher. Thank goodness!

Take the classroom rules, for example.

When I first started teaching, my list of rules was probably quite long: Raise your hand to talk; No talking when the teacher talks; Use the bathroom on your own time; Do your best work; No cheating.

Blah, blah, blah.

Thankfully, I began to know better and do better.

Rules became expectations and there became fewer of them. We came up with these expectations as a class, not just me telling the students what they were.

Eventually, we thought it best to just live by the Golden Rule: Treat others as we want to be treated. This led to many rich conversations and "family meetings" when things were not going well and the classroom community was affected.

In reality, no one really likes rules because they take away our choice of self-direction.

Maybe the world would be a better place if we all just treated each other the way we want to be treated.

Focus on the Good {SOL 4.18.17}

I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about how I approach conferring with my student writers.

As a teacher, I think I am sometimes unconsciously hardwired to want to fix things, to make them better.

I see something that is "wrong" and instantly try to make it right by breaking out my red pen.

The result is often a piece of student writing that is full of red ink, circled words, and comments that are not as helpful as I would hope. The ownership of the writing has left the hands of the student writer.

       Does this ever happen to you too?

Sometimes, we get so focused on fixing that we overlook what is already going well.

Sometimes, our continued helpfulness even makes the student lose their enthusiasm for writing altogether. Because....who wants to be told what they are doing wrong all the time? (I don't!)

So as I sit with my student writers, I try to keep this in mind. I try to be more aware of the words I use to talk with them about what I see in their writing. I try to always, always, always lead our conferences out with what I see them doing well.

       "I noticed you used the Power of Three...."

       "This part is very easy to visualize..."

       "Your paragraphing makes your article easy to follow....."

       "The FANBOY you used gives you nice sentence variety...."

Sometimes, I will leave it at that -- a few minutes together, talking about all the goodness I see in their writing. I offer no unwarranted suggestions before I send them back to work. The result always leaves the student writer feeling good.

Some days, when I am feeling the desire to push them a little further or that "fixer mindset" washes over me,  I will I ask them..."How can I help you with this piece of writing today?"

I don't tell them what I want them to fix. I leave it up to them.

And the funny thing is, about eight times out of ten, they ask for help on the exact thing that I noticed needed help.

But then it was THEIR idea, not mine.

THEY remain in control.

THEY retain complete ownership of their writing.

     And best yet --

THEY still walk away from the conference feeling empowered to make their own writing choices.


So while we do spend time in class talking about the importance of correct spelling and conventions (those things that bring on the wrath of red ink), I try not to focus on it in our writing conferences.

I want my students to know that there is more to good writing than just proper comma placement and capital letters.

Compliment conferences focus on the good in writing and can help turn a disengaged writer into one that takes ownership and interest in writing again.

So as you go about your conferring with your student writers, I challenge you to spend a day just giving compliments (and only compliments!) on the goodness in their writing and see what happens. You might be surprised how this simple act changes the students -- and changes you!

Looking for more ideas for teaching writing? Visit my Teach Write site for lots of other ideas and to sign up for our newsletter.

Seeing the Growth {Celebrate this Week 5-21-16}

The school year is quickly coming to a close and like many teachers, I find myself reflecting on how much my students have grown this year.

Sure, there are the physical changes.  A few weeks ago we received our class picture, the one with everyone's photo from the beginning of the year. It was incredible to see how much everyone had changed. It was like they came in as little kids and are going out as almost teenagers.

Because I will be looping with this class and will see them back in September, I am especially interested in seeing how far they've come in their learning over the course of this year because it will help us set our goals for next year.

I found myself thinking about this during our writing class yesterday.  It was Friday, the weather was beautiful, and the looming full moon was making everyone a little wiggly, so we took our writing class outside.  We settled into the grassy side of the school and began our notebooking.

Being a bit sneaky, I set the timer on my phone for 20 minutes instead of our usual 10 minutes, just to see what would happen.

There wasn't much to see, other than writers hard at work the entire time.

When my timer went off, I called the group back together. About half of my students continued writing, carefully finishing their last words.

We gathered in a circle to share. As we went around the circle, I smiled at the variety of writing that took place -- the risks that some of my writers were now taking that seemed impossible just nine months ago. Yesterday, we had joke writers, poets, listers, memoirists, mystery writers and storytellers all offer up their words to our group.

Nine months ago, there would have been many blank pages.

Nine months ago, there would have been writers afraid to share their words.

Nine months ago, there would have been groans and moans and pained expressions as we set to our work of writing.

Yesterday, it was clear that much has changed over the past nine months.

For that, I celebrate.

Unexpected Growth Mindset Moment {SOL 5.17.16}

I stood at the entrance gate to the rink and watched them walk toward me, their ankles wobbling and the expressions on their faces revealing their uncertainty.

Most of my 4th graders had never ice skated before. Sure, it sounded fun, but now that the skates were laced up and the rink was before them, many began to doubt themselves.

"You've got this," I told them as I helped them move forward toward the rink.

They walked through the gate, stepped onto the ice, and began to shuffle their feet.  The rink's wall provided the support many of them needed to get going.

After our last student had stepped onto the ice, I stood back and watched.

Some students began to let go of the wall and tried to skate unsupported. Many fell, but all got back up, often with the help of friends.

Some students began to skate in partnerships, linking elbows or holding hands to help each other move around the rink.

Some students held tight to the wall, moving at a snail's pace...but moving nonetheless.

Before long, many (if not most) of the students had left the wall and had picked up speed. Some tried doing something fancy -- skating backwards, taking little jumps, mini-spins.  

You could literally feel the excitement in the air as these kiddos realized they could skate and that it was actually fun!

As I stood on the safety of the hard concrete and took it all in, I realized that what I was seeing before me was true growth mindset at work. It was the microcosm of our classroom applied to a new experience.

I stood as the encourager, choosing words that supported and reminded the kids of their ability to succeed. 

Everyone began using the wall as a support, but each let go at their own time.  Some took off right away, getting the hang of it and challenging themselves with fancier moves.  Others needed to hold on to the wall for a bit longer as they found their own groove that led to their success. Many needed the help of a friend to get going.

Words of "I can't do this" changed to "Look at me!"

I couldn't have planned this lesson if I tried.

Another Year {Celebrate this Week 4.30.16}

After teaching 4th grade for eight years, I felt a change coming. When the opportunity to move to 5th grade next year popped up, I took it. A new grade level meant new challenges and opportunities to both learn and teach new things.  Moving to the next grade level meant that I could also bring my class along with me.

I love my class.  There's just something about them.

Several times they have asked me if I would be their 5th grade teacher.  I always joked back that I've had enough of them or that I didn't want to torture myself for another year. They always "got" it.  They know that I care deeply about each and every one of them.  They are "my kids."

On Wednesday, I could finally share the big news. I was expecting the kids to be happy. I was not expecting them to be as elated as they were.

But this was not just about me.

It was about keeping our "family" together.

It was about the relief some of them felt at having consistency in their otherwise chaotic lives.

It was about putting to rest the fears they had about next year, about the anxiety some of them were already feeling about having to mesh with a new teacher with new expectations.

It was a wonderful celebration of how far we've come this past year and where we can go.

Every Student an Author {Celebrate This Week 4.16.16}

This past week we celebrated every student as an author with our Cartonera Celebration.  It is one of my favorite weeks at school.

What is a cartonera?

It is, quite literally, a cardboard book.

To make their cartonera, each student went into their writing "treasure chest" (folder) and decided upon one of their favorite pieces of writing from this year.

We rewrote them on lined paper and illustrated them.

Our amazing art teacher worked with the students to create their covers.  Last year, we used actual cardboard.  This year, we used cardboard card stock because we were short on manpower to cut 800 pieces of cardboard. (Next year, our plan is to go back to cardboard, but to start cutting it much earlier in the year.)

We put the writing together with the covers, hole punched them, and tied them with yarn.

Each day, a different grade level had their books on display in the hallway during the PTO Book Fair and Special Person Lunch for families and the community to read.  

At the very back of each book was a "Raves from Readers" page.  Classes would visit the cartoneras each day, read them, and leave kind comments.

The students were all so proud of their cartonera books and were excited to read the raves that other students had left.  (One student came up and hugged me during recess to thank me for reading her cartonera and leaving a comment.)

As a school, I celebrate seeing us all unite to celebrate writing. We have been working hard to build our level of writing and celebrating is an important part of that. Sharing our writing with others gives us an authentic audience and builds a sense of pride in our writing. 

As a teacher, I celebrate being to read the work of students in other grade levels. It gave me a good feeling for what students were able to do at each grade level. 

For my students, it was good for them to read what other students wrote.  Many of them commented to me that they had learned something from another student's cartonera (many students' writing was non-fiction) or they saw how important good spelling (or neat handwriting) was in delivering your written message. Many students were impressed with the level of writing from students who were much younger than them. As they read, I would often hear giggles as they encountered something funny or see them recommend a just-read cartonera for another student to read.

Writing was alive and breathing at my school this week!

Celebrating every student as an author -- what could be better than that?

Writing Warm Ups {#SOL16 Day 25}

I needed to switch things up a bit in my writing workshop.  With the year stretching into the spring, our routine was becoming a little stale.  Add to that, it was the week before spring break so energy levels for doing any kind of school work were at an all-time low.

At the beginning of writing time, I asked everyone to get out their notebooks.  I announced that we were going to do a 10 minute writing warm up.  I would write a prompt on the board and we all (me included) would write for 10 minutes.  

No talking.  No stopping.  No getting up.  No sharpening pencils. No trips to the water fountain.  No searching our desk for something we must have right now.

Just writing.

Monday's topic was a line of dialogue:  "I told you this wasn't a good idea."

Tuesday's was dialogue again:  "I think I broke it."

Wednesday's was a word:  Imagine

Thursday's was a bit trickier:  Write a paragraph about spring break.  Every sentence must begin with a word that starts with the letter "S" and you can't repeat words.

When we did this on Monday, writing for 10 straight minutes was a bit rough for some kids.  There were trips to the water fountain, staring off into space, and the rummaging through desks.  However, by Thursday, everyone had found their groove.  We all wrote for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, we gathered into a circle and shared our writing (with the option to pass).  There were some truly fun writing pieces that could be the spark for a longer pieces.  

Here's what I learned from this activity:

1.  As the week went on, many of my writers tried writing in genres they were reluctant to write in before -- poetry, plays, etc.

2.  Even my most reluctant writers could handle 10 minutes.

3.  We haven't been doing enough sharing of our writing this year.  The circle time was incredibly valuable.

4.  Because I wrote and shared too, the students saw me as a writer, not just as a writing teacher.

5.  I could interject the "Stop and reread" lesson which reinforced the importance of stopping and rereading what you've written on a regular basis.

6.  It was fun!

7.  It is a quick way to plump up our writing notebooks with new ideas.

8.  The prompt needed to be very open ended, with lots of room for interpretation.  Canned prompts such as "Write about your plans for spring break" are boring, boring, boring.

When we return from break, I plan to continue writing warm-ups.  It will give me lots of new writing material to work on over the summer.

Writing Treasures {#SOL16 Day 15}

We are getting ready for our schoolwide writing celebration in April.  Every student in our school will pick a favorite piece of their writing, revise it, and publish it as a cartonera, or cardboard book.  The books will be on display in our main hallway during Special Person Lunch/Scholastic Book Fair Week the week of April 10th.

These are the cartoneras my class published last year

On Monday, we pulled out our writing treasure chests and I gave the students time to read through their past writing pieces to choose the one they wanted to revise, publish and share.

There were lots of "Oh, I remember this!" and "My mystery!"  But there were also some "Wow, this is really terrible.  I didn't use any punctuation" and "Did I even proofread this?  It doesn't make any sense."

As a writing teacher, I was happy to see my students' excitement at revisiting some of their earlier writing pieces.  It was a buzz I wish I could have captured in a bottle. It shows that writing has taken a priority in our classroom and my students see themselves as writers.

But I also couldn't help but smile and the "Wow, this is terrible!" comments too. They showed me how much my students have grown as writers since September.  

At the time that they completed those pieces of writing over the past six months, they thought they were pretty terrific.  They did the best they could with where they were at.  Now, with six more months of writing under their belts, they can look on past writing and recognize what they couldn't see before.

This is growth.  This is progress.

After selecting their cartonera piece, my kids got busy revising.  Post-its were splashed across pages.  Peer conferences were happening in corners around they room as the students helped each other revise their original piece.  My writers talked about adding plot twists, replacing their "tells" with "shows", and developing characters with dialogue. Some of those who chose an informational piece began revising with text structure and topic sentences in mind.

I can hardly wait for April so our writers can share their books with their loved ones and our school community!  It makes this writing teacher's heart happy.

"Is There a Sequel?" {#SOL Day 5/Celebrate This Week}

Read aloud time is a non-negotiable in my classroom.

It is a favorite time of day, every day.  I pull up the rocking chair, my students gather on the reading rug around me and we settle in to find out what happens next in whatever book we are reading.

This past week, we finished reading Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.  (If you haven't read it yet, where have you been?  Stop reading this post right now and go get it!  You won't be sorry.)

As I closed out the last page and shared the final words, turning the impossible into possible, my students burst into applause.  They loved Ally's story and the person she became in the end.

"Is there a sequel?"  one student asked.

To me, this is the sign of a much loved book -- when students don't want it to end, they want the characters to continue living in our hearts. (They did the same thing when we finished Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, another "must read".)

Not knowing the answer, I did the next best thing -- I tweeted the author and asked their question.  Much to our joy, Lynda tweeted us back and my students loved her reply:

So we will wait for Lynda's next book for a chance to reconnect with some of our favorite characters.  In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy our read alouds and celebrate the authors who create characters who become our friends.

Writing Advice from the Experts {Celebrate This Week 2-27-16}

This past Wednesday was World Read Aloud Day.  Classrooms across the  country celebrated the importance and joy of reading aloud.  My school celebrated #WRAD16 all week by visiting with authors via Skype.  During their virtual classroom visit, 14 authors read their favorite picture book (of their own pen or another's) and answered questions (which ranged from "What's your favorite color?" to "Where did you get the idea for your book?") from our young audience.

Josh Funk

 Jess Keating

 Julie Falatako

 Derek Taylor Kent 

Kara LaReau

When I scheduled these authors back in January, whom I found thanks to the amazing list on Kate Messner's website,  I was truly expecting these Skype sessions to only be about reading.

Silly me.

After sitting in on our Skype visit with Michael Shoulders on Monday morning, it quickly became clear that these Skype visits were going to be a celebration of writing, not just reading.  Throughout the week, our authors offered some wonderful tips and ideas, along with words of encouragement, to our students.

Here's a taste of some of the lessons our students learned about writing this week, straight from the mouths of the experts:

* Writing doesn't have to be perfect the first time, it just needs to be done.
* Ideas for stories can come from anywhere, but especially what you see going on around you.
* Revision makes writing much, much better
* We are all writers
* It's never to late -- or too early -- to start your 'career' in writing
* Never give up
* Why all picture books are 32 pages
* What a "slush pile" is
* Practice, practice, practice makes your writing better.  No one is born a writer.
* Authors do not choose their illustrators.  Some never meet or even talk before the illustrations are drawn. (I didn't know this one!)

Many of these words my students have heard come right out of my own mouth, some many times.  But when they come from an author himself, students start to listen.

There was a definite buzz around school this week as a result of our author Skypes.  Kids (and some teachers!) have a renewed excitement for writing.  They want to try out some of the tips the authors shared.

So this week, I celebrate the authors who share their time and talents with classrooms and teachers.  They did more good than they know.

Like Christmas! {SOL 2-9-16}

It was like Christmas morning.

I called my fourth graders over to our reading rug.  Beside my rocking chair were three overstuffed bags.  I began telling my kids about my two days away last week at the Wisconsin State Reading Association's conference.  Some of them were listening, nodding politely to my story.

But most of them were looking at the bags.

Finally, I came to the part in my story about the vendor at WSRA who was selling all of their books for $2 each.  I went in to their booth and looked around.  I hadn't planned on spending money at WSRA, but for $2, I could pick out a few books.

I bought 19 books.

The next day as I was waiting for lunch, I went back into the vendor hall.  I found myself over by the $2 vendor and thought, "What the heck, he doesn't have many books left.  I won't buy any.  I'm just looking today" and I went in.

While I was standing there perusing the shelves (feeling very proud of myself for not putting any books in a shopping basket), the vendor announced that he didn't want to have to pack up the books so all books were now $1 for the next 20 minutes.

$1????  There went my plan of not spending more money.

I spent $58.

The students who were still listening to my story gasped.  $58 was a lot of money, they said.

It IS a lot of money except look what I got, I told them, and I began to empty the bags.

I showed them Big Nate.

I showed them Goosebumps.

I showed them Humphrey the Hamster.

I showed them Magic School Bus.

I showed them stories of pirates, gladiators, D-Day, skateboarding, and volcanoes.

Then I sat back and watched.

The conversation and energy was electric.  The oohs and aahhhhs as they examined the contents of the books were music to my ears.  Some students took a book and went off to get started reading.  Others made plans to read  books together.  Some couldn't decide.

It WAS like Christmas morning, only better.

Pure book love.