Saturday, January 24, 2009
Writer's Notebook ch.9&10 group a 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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6 comments:
Questions-
Over the years I've noticed that my first graders love poetry, even the struggling writers. We spend a month on poetry and towards the end I have my students try writing a variation of poems. They especially like Flicker Flash poetry, which is writing a poem in the shape of the topic described. My question is- If you teach a poetry unit with your class, what poets do you study? What kinds of poems do your student’s explore?
Connections to teaching-
We just began a poetry unit so I immediately thought…What a perfect time to be reading about ways to integrate poetry into the writer’s notebook! After reading both chapters I felt encouraged at fulfilled with new, fresh ideas I could use this year to enhance my student’s poems. I love the idea of the “Wonderful Words” classroom chart. I use this idea as a collection tool for math words yet what a great way to accumulate the rich language that could be used when writing poems. I also found the idea of using a section of the notebook as an individual place for the student’s to collect vivid words or phrases. Last year, my students had individual poetry notebooks where they completed a similar task. I like using the writer’s notebook for this activity because everything is now in one place, which makes things less confusing.
I begin my poetry unit by teaching my student’s to observe an object such as a shell, candle or even pencil through a poet’s eye. I model for them how I can take an everyday object and look at it in a fresh, new way. We really focus on the five senses to gather ideas about the object and rally vividly describe in detail what they are seeing. Like Elliot described, I use picture books to model how to do this successfully. One of my favorite books to use is Hello Ocean, by Pam Ryan. At times, I noticed it is difficult for my students to come up with a topic to write about. I like the “heart mapping” idea, which allows them to brainstorm ideas that are meaningful to them and choose one to write about. “Heard says, the point of heart mapping is not necessarily to write poems but to access the feelings, memories, and reflections that are the source of poetry: to sharpen our inner vision” (81).
I am excited to use the list poem idea that Elliot described as I think it will be a simple way to focus on a single topic and use sound words and details to describe it.
Connections to Writing-
When I began recording thoughts, feelings and reactions in my journal, I would occasionally put a quote or two. I notice that as I write more frequently I will record phrases that strike me as important or memorable. I too am going to start a section in my journal where I record “Sparkle Words.” I think having a designated section will allow me to comment or use those words more often in other writing.
Application to my Integrated Unit-
As part of my unit, I wanted to incorporate poetry. I thought after my students learn about the life cycle and words that are used to describe the metamorphic change, they could describe it in a poetic sense. This is a different type of writing, which will allow some of my students who enjoy poetry to really excel.
Questions: It seems to me that the real benefit of teaching a unit on poetry is teaching the students about the beauty of language and how writers use words as art. Yet so many teachers teach more formulaic types of poetry, like acrostic poems. I understand why teachers use these, as I have used them myself in the past. Having a formula makes it easier for the students to write a poem, like a graphic organizer or a template. Do these more formulaic types of poetry achieve the goal of teaching students how to use the beauty of language?
Also, can first graders really be expected to write poetry without some sort of template? Do they have the vocabulary and background knowledge to create poems independently?
Connections to teaching: I began a poetry unit a few weeks ago, and I can probably say that this is the first year that I am happy with the way it is progressing. I have always been hesitant to teach poetry because I feel that I don't really appreciate poetry myself. Yet I have been focusing on poetry all year with this class...we have a weekly poem that we read every day to build fluency and one of their work stations deals with these poems. So we have a large collection of poems at this point of the year that the students are familiar with. Chapter 9 discusses the use of language, and this has also been the focus of my poetry unit. We practice seeing things in a new way and using comparisons to paint a picture in the reader's mind. The ideas in chapter 10 about how to find ideas for poetry will be helpful, as I find this as the area that my students are struggling with the most.
The students love poetry, though, and I am finding that they are very motivated for this unit. Our school also celebrates writers often as a whole school, and poems are often the type of writing that is celebrated. Students submit writing and a team of older students (with a teacher) select the pieces that are read aloud to the school. Therefore, they are motivated to write better poetry so their writing will be selected.
Connections to writing: Coming back from a big trip, I found myself using my writer's notebook often to write things that I saw, tasted, smelled, and experienced. I was inspired by the way the Chinese people appreciate nature. I wrote quotes that I read on signs or heard people say. So far I have just written observations and reactions. I think I need some time for my thoughts to "marinate" so I can pick out what was most important or surprising for me. Hopefully I will be able to turn these large experiences into meaningful poems.
Application to my integrated unit: Though my unit is focusing on non-fiction texts and non-fiction writing, I still want to connect my topic to some poetry and fiction texts. I also want to focus on language and word choice, and these were two big ideas that I found in these two chapters.
Response: Like Kim, I like the wonderful words chart. Even at this young age, we can teach our students to appreciate language and the beauty in words.
Also, in response to Kim, I try to use very short, simple poems when teaching my students. Though they love to read Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein, first graders can not create these types of poems. Instead, I find using poets who write about everyday things and use great language are the best models for them right now. I have used poems by Valerie Worth (she writes small poems) and Eloise Greenfield. I have even used a few poems by Langston Hughes. I have used Lucy Calkins Units of Study book as a guide (there is one unit on poetry), and that is where I found these authors.
I loved reading chapter 9 and 10, as I too, love gathering new words and listening to the sound of words. This chapter reminded me of my trip to Italy (several years ago) and how beautiful the words rolled off the person’s tongue. I think it is essential to teach young children powerful words and build on their vocabulary. I also love listening to and reading poetry.
Connections to my classroom and teaching:
In response to chapter 9, I feel it is so important to enrich students’ lives with language. My students have a small word journal/dictionary that has previous written words (written by the author) and spaces for them to write their own words. In addition to our word wall that includes our sight words, I also have a yummy word list that include our weekly vocabulary words and other interesting words students come across in their reading or when I read aloud. I think this is essential in a word-rich environment.
Similar to you both, my students love poetry. Even though we don’t spend a great deal of time writing poetry, my students love reading our weekly poems and listening to poems read aloud. Joy, I agree … poetry (and research has proven) is a great way to build and improve fluency. However, I often find it difficult to teach the true art of poetry to my students. Like Joy mentioned, my students are familiar with acrostic poems and even though they may be similar to a graphic organizer, I enrich the poems by having students use their senses to describe the word. For instance, during the winter months, students may write a poem about snow. Instead of writing, Snow for S, nice for N, and so on, I model my thinking and have students use powerful language to describe the snow. Instead of snow for s, students may write smooth snow under my fingers or smell of brisk winter air, etc. Once students understand the model, students are able to write a detailed acrostic poem full of rich language.
In addition to writing acrostic poems, which my students are very familiar with, I also dabble in limerick poems. They’re great rhyming fun! I know Elliot mentioned the importance of telling students all poems don’t have to rhyme, however, for our grade level, where rhyming is a skill students should master, I think this is an effective way to integrate poetry into our curriculum. Do you agree?
Questions:
Again, I feel these two chapters are more suitable for third grade and up, as we (as first-grade teachers) must teach the building blocks for all that is to come in reading, writing, and math. Even though I don’t have my students write these elaborate pieces of poetry, I fill my classroom with powerful poetry and introduce my students to many genres of poetry, as well as poets. As mentioned in a previous post, I think it is our job to introduce students to a variety of writing styles; however, we also need to make sure they understand how to write a complete thought in a sentence and have a beginning, middle, and an end in a story. Do you agree?
As for reading aloud to students, this is essential and I think we need to do as much of this as possible. Elliot mentioned reading to her grandson and I have two nephews who have a richer and deeper vocabulary than many of the fifth graders in my school. Therefore, I think we need to model good reading and encourage our young readers to want to read a variety of genres, including poetry, even if they are not yet ready to write poems.
Do you find that reading poetry in your room motivates students to write their own?
My connections as a writer:
I have always loved reading and writing poetry. I enjoy the feeling a good poem gives me as the words touch upon a memory or special moment. When I was in high school I used to publish my poems with the school and I also entered several poetry contests. However, I have not written many poems lately. I’m not sure why, but I guess I have sort of lost interest in doing so. After reading this chapter, I decided to go sit outside on this beautiful spring day and write in my writer’s notebook. It took me a few minutes to think about what I was going to write, and then I decided to write a poem about the day. Writing came very easily; however, I am not interested in sharing it with anyone.
Response to questions:
Re: Kim’s questions, I teach poetry all year. Students are introduced to poetry early in the year and I use it in centers to improve students’ fluency and sight word recognition, as well as student vocabulary. As mentioned previously, I use a variety of poetry; acrostic, shape, haiku, limerick, etc. As for poets, Joy mentioned a few that I also use, ex. Jack Prelutsky. I have a few poetry books that I bought through scholastic. They’re perfect for K-2.
When I taught second grade my students created a poetry book and we even had a poetry night for parents to come listen to students’ reading their very own poems … IT WAS AMAZING! However, I have not yet attempted this in first grade.
Re: Joy’s question: YES! I think that even the more formulaic type of poetry, like acrostic poems CAN achieve the goal of teaching students how to use the beauty of language … AS LONG AS WE SHOW THEM. I too have often seen teachers use acrostic poems poorly, however, I love them and my students truly delve deeper into their thinking and use beautiful language when writing acrostic poems.
As for your second question, I think that it is hard to expect this from 6-year olds who have limited background knowledge. I completely agree that we need to first teach them the vocabulary to create poems independently. Honestly, is this truly meaningful to them?
My connections to my unit:
My unit is mostly focusing non-fiction text features, writing non-fiction, and using non-fiction books to research hibernation; however, I would like to incorporate a little poetry within the unit ... maybe an acrostic poem about bears hibernating. This could lend to a lot of colorful words!
In response to Joy-
I began my poetry unit today and just had my students explore different objects from a different view point. We looked at objects in "fresh, new ways" using a "poet's eye." After one day of poetry introduction, my students are already able to formulate poetic language. So Joy to answer your question, I do not feel it is necessary to provide a template during poetry writing, especially in the beginning of the unit. I think if modeled correctly and provided with enought examples, the students have the ability to create their own poems with beautiful language. I want to see what my students can come up with without restrictions. I usually wait until the end of the unit (last week or so) to introduce the different types of poems.
Jess to answer your question-
I share a new poem each week with my students. We use this poem to practice various word work and fluency skills. When we arrive at our poetry unit, my students have already been exposed to a wide variety of poems and poets. They are now able to explore the area of poetry that is meaningful to them. So, yes, I do feel the more students are exposed to poems the more they are encouraged and will want to write poems on their own.(esp. in first grade!)
Kim ... that is too funny! Even though my students read poetry all year (weekly poems) I too, just began my "offical" poetry unit. I want to incorporate more of Elliots' ideas into my unit and have students use their senses to create poems. I think it will be interesting to see where students go with this, as I usually use more poetry organizers in this unit.
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