All of us talk about demands on our time. The focus of this chapter is just what the title says - don't waste time on activities with little or no payoff for students and learning. I loved the suggestion to practice with sentences the students suggest rather than using canned programs like DOL. Practice with sentences that have meaning for students and are relevant to their lives is more likely to stick with the students and transfer to their own writing.
I had started a chart called "Good Writers ..." to build on with my students, and I smiled when I came across the author's list of Secrets of Good Writers in this chapter. Her items on the list are on the money, and I plan to post such a list with my classes and revise or add to over the course of the year. I am wondering, do I use the same one for each class section (probably 4 different language arts classes each day), or take down and put up different lists in progress for each hour? That doesn't seem practical.
I loved Routman's admonition to look into students' eyes and connect with them. I think this is more important than any words we can say. As that old adage goes, they won't care what you know until they know you care. Judicious sharing about your own life encourages students to share about their own and to feel you, their teacher, care about them and believe in them. This will lead to greater effort and enthusiasm on their part!
Specific timesavers I liked: write every day, teach skills in context, integrate test prep, revise and edit as we go (and model how to do that,), and expect legible handwriting. Besides saving time, teaching this way is more interesting, engaging, and meaningful to both students and teachers.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Ch. 11 - Build on Best Practice and Research
Several things in this chapter excited me. First, I was so glad to read Routman's admonition to not waste scarce funds on kits and programs. They tend to push teaching skills in isolation rather than develop rich learning experiences and excellence in teaching writing. Teachers will get much more out of reading journals, collaborating with colleagues, and thinking about their own writing procedures and practices.
I am thrilled to have the comprehensive list of research-backed aspects of writing. This will be invaluable in discussing and justifying my classroom practices, particularly if I am expected to focus on isolated skills rather than embedding test prep in the curriculum. I have so many ideas swirling in my head, and our text book is now full of post-it flags, notes, underlining, and stars and arrows in the margins. I have not held on to all of my textbooks, but this one is a resource I know I will turn to again and again.
I am more and more excited about the upcoming year. It will be a fresh start in a new building, where I will create my own program. The teacher I am replacing is moving to Maryland, but we plan to get together one day in August. She's leaving me all of her materials, and I'll be relatively free to pick and choose and shape my own approach. I really will be able to build on best practices in writing, and I will be equipped to defend my plans to connect reading and writing in meaningful, worthwhile ways. Grade level common plan time is built into the schedule, so I hope to work together to incorporate writing activities into social studies since we'll each have a section, and also into science. Wish me luck!
I am thrilled to have the comprehensive list of research-backed aspects of writing. This will be invaluable in discussing and justifying my classroom practices, particularly if I am expected to focus on isolated skills rather than embedding test prep in the curriculum. I have so many ideas swirling in my head, and our text book is now full of post-it flags, notes, underlining, and stars and arrows in the margins. I have not held on to all of my textbooks, but this one is a resource I know I will turn to again and again.
I am more and more excited about the upcoming year. It will be a fresh start in a new building, where I will create my own program. The teacher I am replacing is moving to Maryland, but we plan to get together one day in August. She's leaving me all of her materials, and I'll be relatively free to pick and choose and shape my own approach. I really will be able to build on best practices in writing, and I will be equipped to defend my plans to connect reading and writing in meaningful, worthwhile ways. Grade level common plan time is built into the schedule, so I hope to work together to incorporate writing activities into social studies since we'll each have a section, and also into science. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Ch. 10 - Make Assessment Count
Perhaps the single most important sentence in this chapter is found on p. 244: "Remember, the whole is more than the sum of its parts." I love how this speaks to over-reliance on rubrics or state assessments or focus on six-trait writing or other skills in isolation. Rubrics are not a bad thing, and I liked the simple, grade appropriate ones featured in the text, and I think I can use the one at Appendix I this year in my room this fall. The problem arises when we distract ourselves and our students with so much focus on rubrics and the individual aspects of writing that they measure that we lose sight of the big picture: the communication between the writer and the reader. Was the writer's message conveyed in a clear, imaginative, interesting way? Did the writer's words create a vivid picture in the reader's mind?
Another important point in this chapter was that standardized tests are about accountability, and do not provide useful information for teaching. Their focus on what is wrong or lacking is discouraging for students, and teachers need assessment to help them help students grow and progress.
On page 242, Routman clarifies the difference between reliability, or consistency, in application of a rubric or other assessment, and validity, or whether the rubric scores are measuring what matters. I think this is an important distinction to keep in mind. To paraphrase Routman, writing is a complex process, and no rubric captures the full range of what writers actually do!
Routman also states that most of what students write does not need to be graded. She says teachers spend way too much time grading and doing things just to take a grade. Students need freedom to write without fear as they get experience and become comfortable with the process, learning to "flow" and gaining the skills to evaluate their own work as they write.
Finally, I agree with Routman's assertion that excellent teaching is far better test preparation than focusing on separate skills and browbeating our kids with practice tests.
Another important point in this chapter was that standardized tests are about accountability, and do not provide useful information for teaching. Their focus on what is wrong or lacking is discouraging for students, and teachers need assessment to help them help students grow and progress.
On page 242, Routman clarifies the difference between reliability, or consistency, in application of a rubric or other assessment, and validity, or whether the rubric scores are measuring what matters. I think this is an important distinction to keep in mind. To paraphrase Routman, writing is a complex process, and no rubric captures the full range of what writers actually do!
Routman also states that most of what students write does not need to be graded. She says teachers spend way too much time grading and doing things just to take a grade. Students need freedom to write without fear as they get experience and become comfortable with the process, learning to "flow" and gaining the skills to evaluate their own work as they write.
Finally, I agree with Routman's assertion that excellent teaching is far better test preparation than focusing on separate skills and browbeating our kids with practice tests.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Daily Five
I found this on YouTube while searching for things for my language arts project. I don't know if this is the same program that Ashlay mentioned, but I wanted to share. Ashlay, does this sound like what you're doing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdU-8ge4Hr8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdU-8ge4Hr8&feature=related
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Ch. 9 - Conference with Students
This chapter was very reassuring for me in the emphasis on keeping conferences brief and simple. The admonitions to "front load" so the students are well-prepared going into conferences is valuable. If we have modeled and shared adequately, they and we as teachers will know what to expect in the give and take of questions to help them progress. Also, as Routman pointed out, conferences with the first few brave souls are models for everyone, and polite listeners pick up a lot of ideas and pointers as they as listen in and share the experience.
I also really appreciate the many reminders to focus on the content first. What is the writer trying to say? I thought it was a particularly good idea to have the student read to the teacher without the teacher seeing the paper, so as not to be distracted by spelling, punctuation, or other editing concerns. As Routman states, there's no point in getting all those things perfect in a piece not worth reading. Toward that goal, find something to praise first so the student feels competent and confident to keep going and polishing the piece, and then get to the editing. I also liked Routman's insistence that students can edit for themselves pretty well when we make it clear that's what we expect.
I was glad to see the sample chart for anecdotal notes for roving conferences. I have been wondering about tracking progress and grading, and that looks like a good tool. I'm also looking forward to the next chapter, and I'm hoping for lots of good insights into assessment.
I also really appreciate the many reminders to focus on the content first. What is the writer trying to say? I thought it was a particularly good idea to have the student read to the teacher without the teacher seeing the paper, so as not to be distracted by spelling, punctuation, or other editing concerns. As Routman states, there's no point in getting all those things perfect in a piece not worth reading. Toward that goal, find something to praise first so the student feels competent and confident to keep going and polishing the piece, and then get to the editing. I also liked Routman's insistence that students can edit for themselves pretty well when we make it clear that's what we expect.
I was glad to see the sample chart for anecdotal notes for roving conferences. I have been wondering about tracking progress and grading, and that looks like a good tool. I'm also looking forward to the next chapter, and I'm hoping for lots of good insights into assessment.
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