Saturday, January 24, 2009
Writer's Notebook ch.3&4 group b 650pm
View the first sample chapters (available on line) Using the Writer's Notebook in Grades 3-8: A Teacher's Guide at (http://www1.ncte.org/library/files/Store/Books/Sample/35006chap1-2_x.pdf) and begin your writers notebook then post entries on Class Blog. Engage in an online discussion group on our class blog. Please read designated chapters and 1)propose “meaty” fat questions to discuss, 2) make connections to your teaching and work with students, and 3) make connections to your work as a writer (ie Keep your own notebook and share your response to it), 4)Please respond to two of your classmates’s entries in your study group, 4) Consider how what you have learned from this book might support the work of your integrated language arts unit.
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10 comments:
Meaty fat questions:
In chapter 3 Elliott mentions many topics to give to students to have them write about in their notebooks. I really liked a lot of her ideas and plan to use them in my own notebook. However, I saw the notebook as a gift to students as a free place, no rules. I thought I was giving students a notebook where they were free to write their hearts content and I told them it was their personal place to write. If that is true, how can you tell them to all write about a topic in their notebooks? Even an open ended topic, still is I feel invading their right and an intrusion on their notebook. I have seen my students grow a sense of ownership to their notebooks. They are proud of them and they like that they are in control of their writing in them. I am afraid that if I start to say, “take out your notebooks and write about…” it will just seem like more of the same to them.
Connections to teaching and students:
In my classroom, I have a writing program in use “Empowering Writers”. I have found the use of the writer’s notebooks as a nice way to really empower my students. During those in between moments in the day every now and then I will tell my students you may take out your writer’s notebook and they get really excited about it. I was really in doubt in the beginning, especially with my reluctant writers but now I am convinced. It really does build fluency and change attitudes towards writing. A quote in chapter 3 really hit home for me. “When writing becomes personal and meaningful, half the battle is won with reluctant writers.”
Another connection I have seen is that I have two students in my class who have gone thorough a lot lately. One has lost his mother; the other has lost his father. The two are angry and have a lot of other emotions that they can’t work out at times. I was surprised to see how much they love writing in their notebooks. I have respected their privacy and have not looked in them. One student even talked to the school social worker about his notebook and she agrees it is a great intervention for him to deal with his emotions. What a powerful thing the notebook has become for them.
Connections to my writer’s notebook:
I liked a lot of the ideas presented in the chapters that I could write about; especially the map of past jobs…that brings back a lot of memories. However, I didn’t write about those things yet. I have used my journal to help me work through my emotions. Especially twice this week when I was feeling overwhelmed and angry with life, I sat down on my bed and found myself writing in my notebook. I wrote about goals for myself and positive things I wanted to have in my life; like God and laughter every day. I try to always think positively because I am a firm believer that you attract positive things when you are thinking in that light.
My integrated unit connection:
While looking at the ideas for lists I had a few ideas of my own pop into my head that can tie into my unit. As I am doing an integrated plants/la unit I could have students make a list of plant foods they eat, plants they have at home, plant names they know, uses for plants and so on to get them thinking about all the different ways plants tie into their own lives. This will invest them into the unit and get their schema activated.
Response To Diane-
I agree that giving them a topic to write about does take away a little of the ownership and control, however some students are looking for this. It takes my students a long time to move towards writing about whatever they like. Often times in the beginning of the year I will write a couple of topics on the board for students to write about if they have nothing else. That way they don't sit forever doing nothing. I also think that this shows the importance of planting many different types of "seeds" in the beginning of the year. If they have a variety of seeds to work from, they are more frequently able to write for an extended period of time. I also think that if a teacher has students brainstorm seeds at the beginning of a writing experience then the teacher is more able to model and share useful strategies to improve writing around that topic, if that makes sense.
Meaty question-
I enjoyed chapter 4 on Enjoying our World. I often take my kids outside on some of the first warm days of spring to write. I especially like this during our poetry unit. Often times, however, there are always several students who are easily distracted... constantly moving, etc. What are some ways to help these students harness what they see and actually get it down on paper?
Connections to working with students-
In my work with students, I think one of the most valuable things to do at the beginning of the year especially is to write a variety of seeds in the writer's notebook so that the third graders have something to go to when they think they have nothing to write about. I have also realized the importance of revisiting and creating seeds throughout the year to help encourage the process. It also helps third graders with little experience in the writer's workshop model to realize that there is more to write about than what they see as big events in their lives. Sure Disney World might be a good story, but the day they spilled the gallon of milk in the car might also make a great story. I think modeling these "small moment" type stories helps students to feel more free to write about anything in their notebooks.
Connections to my work as a writer-
I am still having trouble thinking of things to write about in my notebook. I find myself writing a page about one topic and then wanting to move to another. I realized that although I have a little written about observations of the world, I did not create any seeds for writing. I need to create lists and maps, collect mementos and artifacts. I need to have more seeds for writing that I can go to in order to keep me more focused in my writing.
Integrated Unit-
I liked the list of questions that students were able to create in their writer's notebooks. Students often write questions in their science notebooks that they investigate. Recently we asked questions about matter and students researched through various print and media sources to find the answers. They wrote articles in their writer's notebooks for a class science journal: Ask the Third Grade Scientist. I should be able to have students brainstorm about rocks and minerals and investigate another question to answer for the second publishing of the journal.
I also think having the students observe both rocks and minerals and write about their observations would be a powerful tool. This would be especially powerful if the students went from far away observations to ones closer and more focused... eventually using tools to extend the senses, a scientific inquiry skill... to make their observations and comparisons.
Meaty Questions:
As Elliot mentioned in these chapters it is a good idea to have students spend time recording seed ideas at the start of the year and then again mid year. The past two years I have had students make seed lists in the beginning of the year. I found that it helps them a lot with their thoughts at that time. Where I run into a little difficulty though is when students revisit these seeds a few months later and maybe can't remember all of the details that go along with that topic. Or maybe now it is a topic that does not interest them. Also I noticed that students tend to forget about these topics when they are brainstorming and don't revisit them on their own. How can I make these seeds in the start of the year still meaningful a few months later? I think seed writing is a great tool; I am just looking to make it more useful and meaningful to all of the students.
Connection to Teaching and Students:
I really enjoyed reading about the variety of seed writing suggestions. I usually start the year off by make a heart map. Students draw a heart and they jot down anything that is important to them and that they care about. I have found this is a great way to get to know students as well as for them to start developing seed topics. I have recently been working with my students on quick writes. Elliot mentioned having students do a 3-5 minute write and then they just share their topic. I thought this was a great way for students to be exposed to more writing topics. This is something I am going to try with my class during share.
Response To Allison:
Allison I think that is a common problem to run into when having students work in a different environment. I also try to do the same thing in spring. We have a Nature’s Classroom area outside that is just perfect to go sit in. I have found that it helps if the first time we go out there we observe as a group and discuss what we hear, see, smell, and feel. I find that this gives students a chance to explore and they can jot down things if they like. Then the next time we go out, it is a little more structured and students aren’t as distracted by the change in environment. For those students that can have a very difficult time focusing, I have also made graphic organizers that have large blank spaces labeled for each sense.
My Writer’s Notebook:
After reading chapter 3 I was inspired to write in my notebook. I wanted to try a lot of these new seed idea. I found myself creating lists and trying to work out some frustrations I am trying to buy house so I started to make lists about things I need and things I want to accomplish with it. In Chapter 4 Elliot discussed writing inspirational quotes down and this made me think back to when I did this a lot in high school and college. I went and dug up that notebook and jotted a couple down in my new one.
My Integrated Unit:
My unit is focuses on the water cycle and properties of water. During this unit there are a lot of experiments and chances for students to observe. I think it would be great for students to use their power of observations discussed in chapter 4. I also am going to have students write about changes they see in water outside during their everyday lives.
Response to Tracey-
I agree that seeds can be troubling towards the end of the year. Using lessons that remind students of how and why they use seeds might help. I also think that it is important to encourage students to continue writing seeds throughout the year so that they are familiar with them. I am going to try to work with students to write a new type of seed at least once a month to encourage the use of seeds in writing, especially when the process is so new to my students. Perhaps having a conversation with a teacher or peer might also help students activate their ideas.
Meaty fat question:
This book gave so many great ideas as to how a writers notebook can give us seed ideas for other pieces of writing. In my own classroom, most of my students absolutely love writing in their writers notebooks but I have had more difficulty getting my students to flip through their writers notebooks as a way to give them ideas for writing. About three fouths of my class has been able to use their writers notebook for a character, setting, or dialogue ideas but I'm not sure how to help the students who are still struggling. These students that are struggling to make the transition from the writers notebook to other writing pieces have great ideas in their notebooks. I can easily tell them, "How about this idea. This carnival picture you labeled would be a great place to have a story take place!" I have actually tried this and for this particular student, they seemed turned off that I was feeding them ideas. In actuality, I wasn't feeding them ideas; they came up with them, but the freedom of the writers notebook seemed to be sucked away from them when I recommended something. Just like Diana mentioned, for some students, the writers notebook becomes such a place of freedom when they are in control. That's the appeal for students who enjoy this. Any suggestions for what I can do to make these students use their writers notebooks as seeds, without it seeming like I am the one telling them what to choose. I don't really want to be the one in control, but I don't know what else to do when they say they don't want to use any of their notebook ideas as seeds.
Connections to teaching:
I am really enjoying using the writers notebook in my classroom for other areas. I have used some writers notebook ideas for other areas in teaching so that I can assess their work. We had done some list writing in class in their notebooks, which I let them keep private. Then, upon finishing our unit on nutrition, I had them list foods they know in each food group and had each student pick a food group and give that food group a persona and dialogue. They absolutely loved it! I love the idea of making lists. I've also done this to activate schema before reading different books!
Connections to teaching: Tell the kids to tell the truth. Similar to Diana's student, I have a student in my class who is going through a lot at home. This student has had a lot of anger and had some difficulty controlling his anger. He has taken to the idea of writing in his notebook as a release. There is a certain section of his notebook that I told him he can write in and will be totally private. He wouldn't talk about his feelings before with me or the school counselor but now he is writing in his notebook and says it makes him feel better. I called his mom to let her know and she said he asked to have a writers notebook at home. I explained to her that it needs to be a place where he can tell the truth and know that it's safe-no one will judge him. It's become kind of a diary for him at home, I think!
Connection to teaching: I have enjoyed making lists in my own writers notebook. It really helps me to sort out things that I'm worried about, wedding plans, places I'd like to go, volunteer work I'd like to do. These are all things that I've thought about before but had always been fleeting thoughts that I never had time to write about. I am really enjoying being able to take the time to think about these things that I never let my busy mind think about. They are all ideas that are important to me; at least I'm realizing that now.
Connection to unit: The idea of lists as seeds really worked well with my unit. I thought it would be a great idea to activate my students' schema by having them make lists of famous African Americans they know, lists of qualities that a hero or great person has, lists of dreams that they have. These types of lists will deepen their understanding of the many famous African Americans in civil rights history and how their own dreams came true with hard work. I'd like to include the "give me five" activity with questions before reading, so that my students can have a purpose before reading some of the books I've included in my unit. I think it's a great visual!
Respond to classmates:
Rhiannon I also have found that some of my students have become really attached to their notebooks. It can be such a powerful tool. I liked how you separated your student’s notebook into two parts. The one part that he can write in judgment free and private and the other part that is for writing seeds. I think that this is a useful idea that I will try with my students in the future. It may alleviate some tension that the writer’s notebook was their place with no intrusion. This way they still have their space and I will have a place to help them grow and try new writing ideas.
Response to classmate:
Allison I also take my students out in the spring to write. I often have them focus on using their senses to write. It is a nice way to engage students who have “Spring Fever”. I found that sitting my students down and having a discussion of my expectations really helps. I have had to sit one student during the exploration and this helped students to understand that we were out side as writers and then I worked with a few students in a group on the grass. It is always a challenge to manage the dynamics of the students, going outside just adds to that.
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