Ch. 4 - Raise Your Expectations

While reading this chapter, I sometimes found myself cringing with the memory of work that I accepted from kids in the past. Yes, many have appaling home lives and no money and a host of other issues, but having high expectations for them every day positions students to learn what good work looks like and what it takes to produce it, and that awareness is a step toward making their very best futures. I feel fortified to positively expect great things, and to gently nudge ALL students in the direction of work they can be proud of. I completely agree with the concept of measuring quality in depth, rather than in length. Is the work insightful? Is it contemplative, descriptive, instropective, colorful? Does it demonstrate the student's willingness to ponder, revise, polish, and generally work to show their best?
I underlined several phrases in this chapter, such as "competence leads to confidence." This tells me that the more kids write the more they internalize the process and see themselves as writers and not just "task-completers." I think as the students write and bounce ideas or phrases off each other, perhaps suggesting vocabulary or other improvements, they will grow into a community of  writers who are proud to present their best, and expect it of themselves and each other.
I was of two minds on the sample on page 55, with the discussion of whether it was polished enough to mail to a grandparent. On the one hand, often older family members think those early efforts are adorable, mistakes and all. On the other hand, how impressed they'd be to receive startlingly polished work from a child, that clearly shows care instead of looking like a first draft.
Another phrase I underlined was "feel safe to take a risk." We all know that if you embarrass a child, they will be deaf to you for the rest of the year. Don't hurt them. Don't laugh at them. For heaven's sake don't ever use their work as an example of what not to do! A budding writer must feel guided and encouraged by a teacher they trust for them to be willing to share their stories and take those first tentative steps to writing.
Spelling, punctuation, and handwriting are importance evidence that the writer respects the reader and also takes pride in the work. I have always told my students we'll worry about those after we get the ideas down. Then read it aloud, either to a partner or just to yourself. Some kids get really distracted when they notice a misspelling or other error, and I tell them by all means go ahead and fix it if it's bugging you, whatever helps you get on with the writing, just don't spend too much time erasing. Mark it through, jot your correction above it, re-read what you've got so far, and go!
Third graders often skip things they know, without thinking about the reader not already knowing those details or background information. Many times when reading their work to me they'll say, "oh! I meant to include ..." I smile and tell them that's why we read over it, and they've done a great job finding a way to make it more interesting. Now, is the story in sequence? Does it "flow?" How about the continuity? Are there more interesting words that could grab the reader's attention? Hearing a story read aloud also helps children realize where they need commas or other punctuation. Ask a friend to help look for spelling errors at this point. Finally, copy it over in your best handwriting! And of course, model, model, model! I had an elmo in 3rd grade and will in 7th grade this fall, and it will be ideal for writing with my class and demonstrating what I'm talking about.
I underlined two more phrases in this chapter: focus more on what the child is trying to do and less on what you are trying to teach, and leave the writer intact. Believing in themselves is essential, and I think that might be the most important part of a teacher's job, empowering students to find and reveal the best they can do.