How I plan to use information from this class.

I plan to use many of the ideas and activities I learned in this class. I want to start the year by journaling with the students. I also really liked the "revising the kernel paragraph" activity. I see the benefits of using many low stakes writing activities and want to incorporate them into my teaching. I plan to use the self-regulated instruction stategy we read about on Tuesday. I think many of the activities we learned in this class will be very useful instructional tools.

What I've learned?

The one activity that sticks out to me is the kernel paragraph. After Christmas,I could do one sentence at firstand then keep adding a sentence until I get to three (or four). I believe K student could benefit by adding adj. It would make their sentence more interesting. then add other noun. just keep progressing.
It seems most of the writing in K is low stakes, but didnt have a term to call it.

Friday's Thoughts

I think the ideas we discussed were good. I think the microthemes will be good to0 use in my with my class. They love getting post-it notes. The fact that they don't have to write very much will be appreciated by many of them. Others will ask why they can't writes on the back. I also like the idea of the write arounds. This will get them more involved. They will get to see others thoughts and add to them. The write a question will be a good one to use, too. I also like the question and comment idea. There are so many different things to use to get the children moving along with their writing. This week has been interesting.

Overview of Class/Friday

I have really enjoyed taking this class. I have learned to not base grades so much on high stakes assignments, but let students enjoy the low stakes writing. Especially when teaching IEP students, low stakes writing, I feel, is so much more important. I am definitely going to implement the hamburger method in my class. There were also several microthemes that I am going to try. I feel this class helped me relax and be able to enjoy teaching writing w/o the stress. I have also enjoyed hearing everyone else's ideas and responses. It was nice to hear how another school implements programs...it is also nice to hear that other teachers struggle with the same things.

Friday's discussion

From the readings on Monday there were a few points that I thought were interesting. In Society’s Child: Social Context and Writing Development I realized that social and economical background affects a student's writing and is shaped by the social interaction around them. It was also pointed out that one may backslide when writing a new genre. I totally agree with this point!!

In looking at my own son's papers, he may have had a wonderful letter to a friend with date, greeting, body and closing and no grammatical and mechanical errors. Then when he was told to write a fiction story with a beginning, middle, and ending. He had totally left out capital letters, periods, etc. I wanted to say--what happened here?!!!

On Wed our discussions of state standards led into high and low stakes testing. I fully agree that all writing on the K-2 side should be low stakes writing. In reviewing my son's work(and I only talk about him because as a librarian he is my connection to the regular classroom) he will come home and say, "I hate writing. I takes to long for me to hand in my paper. You have to make sure all the capital letters are there with periods at the end." However, on the week-end, he may totally have written a "book" (keep in mind this is a second grade level book) on Star Wars, but with quite a few misspellings and have left out periods and capital letters in places. He was totally focused on the content and it was his work.

There are several ideas I would like to carry over into the library instruction class and with the access of Moodle and the wireless lab that we will be using in the fall, I feel that it is actually attainable. I like for the students to respond to higher level, critical thinking questions that will be posted on Moodle from the classroom set of books that the AR program has. I would like to do the post-it note and museum activity and the write-arounds. Overall, I have enjoyed the class and have found it very useful for my library instruction.

Friday

I am definitely going to use the activities of demonstrating engagement. I think the students will really like these. The low stakes and high stakes discussion was really helpful. I feel better knowing that I don't have to consider all writing as high stakes. Hopefully the ideas we have talked about this week will help make writing a little more fun for the students next year.

Friday, thoughts for the week

I have gained new insight to the of writing in my classroom. Many suggestions of how to use writing, especially "low stakes" writing, have been very helpful. I know I will use the activities for "low stakes" writing frequently to help my students get to the goal of being a "high stakes" writer so they may communicate well, as Mr. Dudding said. The activities that we learned of gives me a variety of ways to teach writing to learn. I don't just have to use journaling or my own "post-it note" activities. I now have more tools to work with.
The writing of my paper has been stressful but reflective. It is more of a private writing (another term I have learned this week) than an informational type of writing. I have learned much from all the research I have read, also. The research has given me new insights to my teaching format but has also validated some of my beliefs of how to teach across the curriculum. I hope to make the students' experience in learning more exciting from what I have learned this week.
I have also, learned from my fellow students in this class, just as our own students do. I have enjoyed the discussions, listening to opinions and new ideas. We all learn from each other, don't we?

Happy Friday everyone! This class has been very insightful. I have really learned alot that I feel thatI can use in my classroom. I really think that I will be much more comfortable in justifying more low stakes writing. I guess that I didn't realize just how important this part of the writing process actually was.
It is hard to translate all of this information to be used on a first grade level. With the comments asked and answered throughout the week I think that it will be quite doable.
I feel a little more confident about approaching the writing part of our curriculum much earlier this year and I hope that it will be successful.

Friday

This week, I must say, has been very thought provoking! I have gained so much confidence in my ability to teach writing to my younger students. However, my computer skills are still lacking and I'm not sure they'll ever get better. I did learn a great deal this week and intend on incorporating many of the ideas into my daily routine.

Friday's Post

I said on the first day that I am a geek and would probably really enjoy this class. I have enjoyed all of the discussions and research we have done this week. A lot of what we have discussed does not really apply to my class, except for the low stakes writing. My students could really benefit from knowing that their writing is important just because it's their own personal writing.

Ideas that I liked from class are the hamburger theory and the kernal paragraph.

Thoughts on writing in the classroom

I have really enjoyed this workshop/class this week. I have learned many useful things that I think will help me in increasing writing in my classroom. I have always been afraid or unsure of what exactly I needed to be doing with my students as far as writing went. Also I hated the part about having to grade all the writing that I assigned. I do feel now that I can handle this and know that I need to relax in my expectations of my students on the low stakes writing. I can't expect them for be perfect all the time. :-) Lorri has been the one to teach writing in our classroom and I gladly let her choose to do that, but now I can see where I can also include writing in the other subject areas to correlate to what she has been doing. This class has helped me to relax as a writer myself to work on papers that I need to do in the near future for various purposes.

I have finally finished my first draft of my paper. I am not completely happy with it, but hope through the peer editing, I can make the improvements it needs to make it better. Even though I hate it when someone reads my work and makes comments about it, I do feel better afterwards and make changes to make it sound better. Now I know how my students feel about writing.

The usefulness of this class

One of the most valuable understandings I've realized this week is the importance of making writing a comfortable activity. When students think that everything they write is for a grade, it makes them dread doing it. Writing can really be an enjoyable thing to do. I have to admit that I don't do much writing myself. This class has "forced" me to do this again, and I really have enjoyed it. It's almost like my brain has had to "wake up". I know that sounds corny, but it's exactly how it feels.
I liked several of the activities we were shown to make writing a low-stakes activity. I plan to try several of these with my fourth graders. I think I will do the micro-themes with some of my subjects to get the students more engaged in the lessons.
I'm still having trouble in my own writing with not focusing on the mechanics so much. I keep going back and fixing misplaced prepositions and things like that. I know that's not a bad thing, but it does get in the way of putting my thoughts down as they come to me.

Friday - June 20th

This class has really introduced me to a lot of great writing ideas. Next year, I definitely plan to begin class every day with journaling. I really liked the idea of presenting a theme and they can either use that theme or write about what is on their mind for that day. I am hoping that writing in journals will help with the students' writing.

I also hope to incorporate microthemes into class next year. I think that this would be an activity that the students would enjoy.

June 20th-Friday

Next year I think that my writing strategies will change. I plan to do much more low stakes writing to take away some of the stress and fear of writing. My students will be doing journal entries every day. This should help with their comfort level in the area of writing. My hope is that this will also help build their confidence.

I also liked many of the other suggestions of writing. I will be incorporating microthemes, some reading response activities, and the kernel paragraph activity. I think that my students will really enjoy doing the "museum" activity and write arounds.

Friday morning

Throughuot this week we have had the chance to talk alot about the different types of writing activities that we can incorporate into the classroom. If I were going to be in the classroom next year I would definately use some of the activities that we talked about yesterday. I really liked the reading response activities. I think that these activities get all studnets engaged in learning.

High stakes, low stakes is good idea. It could even be useful in K classrooms.
Paper is coming along. Still need to cite something though

Low stakes

The ideas for low stakes writing will be useful in my class. It has been interesting. My paper is finally done except for the corrections.

Thurs. Discussion

I think the idea of high stakes and low stakes writing is a good idea. It like the idea of microthemes and using a post-it note, posting them on the wall, then having students repsond to three of the post-it notes. I hope to do this in library.

Thursday

During class today we had a discussion about high and low stakes writing. I really like the idea of doing a lot of low stakes writing within the classroom. I tried to do this with my students on a daily basis. I hope that by doing this I helped to make some gains when it came to their high stakes writing. I am also really glad that I have my paper almost finished. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thursday's discussion

I think the things we have talked about this week will be very helpful. I havesaid that next year I wanted to do some things differently. I think the suggestions from this week are definatly in the right direction.
I think that writing is very important, it is just hard sometimes to accomplish at a first grade level. I know that Missy has been using a kind of system that does seem to be working. Hopefully with her vast superior knowledge and the advice from this class, I can produce some great little writers in years to come.

Thursday's Class

Today we discussed high stakes and low stakes writing. I love this idea, and I agree with the first grade teachers that all writing in the primary grades should be low stakes. I really think the reason I am so obsessive about writing and grammar mistakes is that I have had so many high stakes assignments. I love the journal ideas Paula shared that she found for her research. I think those sound like things kids would really enjoy.

Thursday's class

The discussion on high-stakes and low stakes grades was very helpful to me and how to adapt them to my first grade class. I only wish all grades could be low-stake in grades k-2.

Thursday, Low Stakes Writing

I found this discussion to be very helpful. I like the microthemes and find a sentence. (I like all of them but think those two would be a starting point for entering third graders.) You could use these ideas across subject areas. I think I can include more Low Stakes Writing in my classroom now. This are quick activities to assess, also.

Low Stakes Writing, Thursday

I loved the suggestions on how to incorporate low stakes writing into the daily schedule and across the curriculum. I am excited at the prospect of using these strategies in the classroom.

reflecting on "low-stakes" writing

I found the info. on low-stakes writing this morning to be very informative. It is very clear to me just how important it is to include this type of writing into the curriculum. The activities we were shown in order to do this with our students were interesting. I like the microthemes.

Low and High Stakes Writing/Thursday

The discussion about low and high stakes writing was very helpful to me. I felt that I had to grade every paper for it to be a meaningful and learning assignment. Now maybe I can lighten up a little and the students can enjoy it more. I liked the examples of demonstrating engagement. I want to try these next year. With the time constraints within our school day, sometimes I find myself taking the quick route instead of the route that may be more beneficial to the students. Does anyone else feel this way?

Thursday's class

I thougth today's conversation on low stakes writing was very interesting. I got some really great ideas that I could try in my class. Students love being able to try new, fun activities. I also think that it was interesting to hear what everyone was writing about.

Thursday's Discussion

I now know more about the difference between high stakes writing and low stakes writing. I also realized that I don't have to grade everything I assign in class. It does make a lot more sense to do more of the low stakes writing with the students and getting them to feel more comfortable with writing. I liked some of the ideas Don presented for doing more low stakes writing. I liked the microthemes because you can do them in a short period of time and also assess whether or not they were paying attention. I liked the mention of daily writes also. That could be used as morning work for those who stagger in at various times after breakfast. I can see a lot of potential for more low stakes writing in my classroom next school year- which is 2 months from tomorrow by the way :-(

June 19-Thursday

I enjoyed today's class discussions. I liked hearing about everyone else's paper ideas. I think that it sparked a lot of neat class talks. I think that this helps to get everyone involved.

Speaking of that, I also liked the ideas that were offered for low stakes writing...the microthemes and reading responses. I think that those were great ideas for getting people pulled into the class when they are more comfortable to set back and watch. I am planning on using those in my classroom next year. My students would really benefit from them. I am hoping to use a lot more writing in my classroom next year and I think that these ideas would be really helpful for me.

Thursday, June 19th

I enjoyed today's discussion on high stakes and low stakes writing. I especially liked the ideas that we were given on how to incorporate low stakes writing into our classes. All of the ideas seemed like things that I would lke to try, but the one that stuck out the most to me was the microthemes. I like the idea of giving out post it notes to the students to record their thoughts and then posting them around the room and responding to them. This seems like an activity that would not seem like work to the students, but would seem like something fun.

Wednesday's Class

I really found the discussion about testing interesting. It's nice to see everyone else's views. I feel like I got a lot accomplished on my paper. It is always good for me to get a rough draft, because I am a big "hamburger" method type of person. I am very tired!!:) I was surprised at how easy my paper started to flow.

Reflections on Wednesday's Discussion

I was glad to hear that most teachers feel the same way I do about standardized testing. I wonder what would happen if teachers unite and march on the State Department of Education and invite them to come into the classrooms and live with their mandates for about a month, because I believe that would be all the time they would need to see that what they are sending down is not conducive to real learning and that our kids have a lot of knowledge that their silly test does not find.

Wednesday

During class yesterday we had the opportunity to vent our issues about standardized teting. I have to say that I feel a little better after the therapy session, but I still know that in the long run it is not going to change anything. I also liked that we had plenty of time to work on our papers. I am hopeful that I will have it finished by tomorrow afternoon.

Thursday's Thoughts

Today I'm thinking about some of the things we have discussed this week. The standardized tests are still on my mind. I know they are not fair to all.
I think there are many things we can do to spark the interests of children. Different methods work for some children than others. Whwn our classes are so large it makes it more difficult to accomplish everything that you would like to do in a particular time period.
I feel a little better about the paper. I'm still not sure if it will be good enough or not.

Wednesday Post

I enjoyed the discussion on the standard testing. I think it is necessary for all school districts in the state to have common benchmarks. However, I think that we need to rethink the the curriculum and not expect everyone to be a college bound student. If they do not meet the expectations of the state, then they are thrown in the special education unit. What an awful label to have been put upon a student---one that will be carried with them throughout their lives.

Thoughts from Wednesday

Well, I am starting to finally relax. The explanation of MLA format was so helpful. Of course, Mr. Dudding helps deliver explanations in a calming way. Thank goodness! I have started my paper and feel better about my topic. I still need to work on it, of course.

I was impressed with the ten problematic epistemological assumptions (falsehoods) of the standardized tests. My feelings and thoughts about testing seem more validated, even if the validation is just among us(those in this class). I don't feel so alone. Many of the assumptions from yesterday had been discussed previously when we wrote of our own feelings. We are all thinking the same way as our students' teachers. We care about our students and are dedicated to teaching them to learn and cope with life, not teaching to take a test.

wednesday's class

I really enjoyed the morning discussion we had on standardized testing. All of us tend to have the same feelings on this issue. I think we all agree the wrong people are deciding what the test should cover, how it's set up, etc... ! I feel sure our class could do a better job!

Wednesday, June 18th

Yesterday's discussion on the standardized testing was interesting. I think that it was nice to be able to vent our feelings and to be reassured that everyone else feels the same frustrations that we do. It is nice to know that we are all in the same boat.

I also enjoyed the time that we were given to work on our papers during class. It was nice to have people around while I was working on my paper, so that I could receive help and advice from others.

Wednesday's Class

Yesterday we discussed 10 problematic assumptions about standardized tests. I love the sarcasm behind them and how true they are. I think my favorite is #7, which talks about the quality of local instruction having the greatest impact upon achievement. Even within our school building, our classes are compared. If I have a student with CD whose biggest accomplishment in the school year is writing her name, who cares if she can't pass the state's test?? I know she made great improvements.
I also spent time yesterday finishing up my research. It's kind of frustrating to find a piece of information you think will work and then realize it's not even close to what you need. I do, however, appreciate having time in class to work on this paper.

My thoughts on yesterday

Man, are my eyes tired! I'm not used to looking at a computer screen all day.
I guess I accomplished a quite a bit yesterday- just hope it's what Don wants.
I was so fried when I went home yesterday, I didn't give any more thought to what we did, so I hope I remember where I was.
Sounds like everyone basically feels the same way about standardized testing. Surprise!
I like the idea of making the "big guys" take the OGT and report their results.

Wednesday's Thoughts

I really enjoyed the discussion we had about testing. I think we could go on all day about how much we really, really, really, really don't like it. I'm also glad we had time to work on our papers. It doesn't seem so scary now. Nicole taught me how to spell Tuesssday! Ha! Ha!

wednesday's stuff

I think that it was refreshing to hear that most everyone has the same YUCK view of the way
we test our kids. Not that I really thought that everyone just loved it or anything.

I am much more at ease with my paper now. It is the technical obstacles that I,m dealing with now,and I don't mean my grammar.

I feel that this course has been very insightful. It sometimes takes alittle modification of ideas to bring them to my teaching level, but many things seem quite doable.

Good Luck to everyone!!!

June 18th-Wednesday

I really enjoyed the discussion we all had about standardized testing. I always knew that everyone else felt a little frustration about the testing, but it was nice to hear it. I thought that it really sparked a lot of good discussion throughout the class. The list of assumptions put on the boards were so very true.

I also enjoyed the time we had to work on our papers; I felt that it was very productive. The tip about citing works in MLA was very helpful and something that I hope to remember in the future.

Wednesday's Discussion

I enjoyed the conversation about standardized testing. Everyone has the same feelings about testing as I do. We all HATE it!! I started my paper here yesterday and then had one of those headaches where I can't focus and ended up with a crappy paper. Got home, read it, and then trashed it. Totally restarted my paper before bed and am still working on it today. I would really like to have it done before tomorrow so I don't have to worry any longer. I know we aren't to worry, but I do.

Weds. thoughts

It took a loooong time to find research yesterday for this paper. Finally I was able to find two items online. Most of the research was before 1990 and not on the web. So after finding the research and reading some of it. I then felt I could start my paper.
The standardized test discussion, wow, not good memories from my childhood. Sorry about the emotions. It's so unfair to put soooo much pressure on these little guys to do well.
The assumptions in testing: number 9 (Fear and anxiety provide good motivation for learning) stuck out to me. I was so fearful of not doing well I thought I might not pass that particular grade level and then be in the same class as my sister! Boy, then I would be a "dummy".

Tues. response

There were several interesting things(hamburger theory, teacher confidence) from the discussions today. The one that will stick in my mind will probably be the editing of the paragraph. I think I will try to use that in the information text after doing a mini-research activity that I do with students. ( I usually give one table an encyclopedia, one an atlas, the others an almanac or non-fiction book).

I would like to try to create my paper on report writing, information literacy (evaluating websites) and critical thinking. If anyone has suggestions I am definitely open to them!

Tuesday

The opening activity was interesting and fun. It showed how a mechanically correct paragraph can be made interesting while touching on some standards. I cant see how this activity could be gear toward K students! Well, maybe it could with using one sentence to start and have the K students add an adjective. or change the noun. and then progressive move to more sentences until you have a story. (three sentence story for K kids) OK, so it might be doable.
Hey, I MIGHT have a topic for my paper - finally.

Today's insights-Tues.

I felt overwhelmed again, as far as my paper. I thought I had some idea of what to do. I still have thoughts in my mind of what I want to discuss, but now I find out that I need to use an MLA format. Of course, I haven't used or heard of it before. Why are the formats always changing? Why am I so obsessed about wanting to write my paper instead of gaining interesting, useful knowledge from this class that is being presented to me? I need to settle down and focus on learning.

I learned of how to find research material through my computer. I still am not comfortable with finding the research I want and/or need to read. I need to practice using the right tools, key words, etc. I will!

I also, learned what it means to be a self-regulated learner. I think it has to do somewhat with a self-motivated learner but not entirely.

I am so thankful I am not the only teacher who questions within the classroom and about the classrooms that we read about. Sometimes I feel as if I am the only one with questions, even after all these years.

Tuesday's comment on lessons

Today we discussed many things. One thing that I stands out the most is the way the teacher in the reading had time to do all this. It sounds great and would be good to try. The concern is that there isn't enough time in the day to do everything else that we are required to teach if we spend that much time on the SRL. The time would have to be adjusted for the children we have. The class the teacher had got along quite well. This would be easier to do in a shrter period of time.
There were several ideas we discussed today that were helpful.

Tuesday's writing class - what do I remember most?

Well, let's see. We started off thinking about what we consider to be good writing. As the things people thought of were listed on the board, I found myself thinking, "Oh,yea. That is important."
I guess it made it even more clear to me that I focus mainly on the mechanics of writing.
I thought the "revising the kernel paragraph" activity was something that my students might enjoy and would serve as a fun activity to practice the parts of speech and figures of speech. I think they would get a kick out of reading their new paragraphs out loud. I'm glad we had the class time to go to Ebsco Host to start looking for articles for our papers. While I'm still not exactly sure what direction I am going to take with the information, I feel much better than I did when I left yesterday.

Tuesday's comment.

I really liked the discussion on self-regulated learning. I am looking forward to learning more on this topic and how it relates to teaching special needs students. When we talked about teacher efficacy, I thought that "Who decides?"was a good question. It seems that it depends on the decision makers and has nothing to do with the progress students have made. I really liked the Hamburger Theory.

JUNE 17, 2008

In today's class I gained some great ideas to use in my own class! The only problem for me that keeps popping up, is how to utilize the ideas in "first grade". I really enjoyed the article on self-regulated learning. My own teaching strategies tend to mimic these ideas. The paper I plan on writing for this class deals a lot with this topic.

Tuesday 6-17-08

I found today's article to be muchmore interesting than yesterday's. I found many of her ideas to be really great,I'm just not sure how to use them effectivly in my classroom. I think she must have a very high comfort level for craziness. I agree that this type of learning activity can be quite benificial to our students. However, this relaxed way of thinking has a hard time finding a place when we seem to be constantly assessing...
I think the students would feel more pride and responsibility for their accompishments if they had this kind of supportive enviornment,I'm just not sure how to compromise in the middle. I'm willing to give it a little bit of a try. Who knowswhat might happen?

Sorry for any spacing issues. I'm not sure that this little keyboard's spacebar is working quite the way it should:)

Tuesday's Class

Today I learned that Lynn from Canada is a fabulous teacher. I wondered how I could incorporate a type of research like this with my kindergarteners. The solution I came up with is to create a K-W-L chart about a topic students are interested in learning about. My students could only handle about twenty minutes a day, but after a couple of weeks, they would probably have a good understanding of what they are learning.

As far as teacher efficacy, I believe that I personally am better at teaching the content areas that I like. I think I need to try harder to teach math concepts, since I am not that comfortable with it.

Also, I really enjoyed the writing activity we did this morning. Pam's was awesome!!

Tuesday's Class Discussion

Well, what an interesting day! ! I actually feel like I learned quite a bit today. I really enjoyed the article I was assigned to read (Helping Young Students). Much better than yesterday's (Redefining Literacy)!! I would love to be able to have a classroom in which the students had more freedom/choice in their learning, but I don't feel comfortable or really know how to go about setting that up to work successfully.

I still have issues with trying to fit in all that we are required to teach according to the state standards. Also, since we are required to teach grammar and spelling and it goes along with writing, when and how is the best way to do this without really doing it in isolation since the students don't retain it like they would when used in context? I have students who learn math facts in isolation and seem to know all of them, but when we start 2 digit multiplication and such, all of the sudden, they don't seem to know them anymore. I know they didn't lose that knowledge. The same goes for spelling words and parts of speech. What would be a good way to get in what we are required to teach, still be able to take grades on, and still have time to let the students write and get in all the other stuff that goes along with writing?

I did enjoy the revision activity we did early this morning. I feel that would be a good way to learn a little more about our students also by what they put in when they are to add things. I think that activity could tell us more about their personalities and interests.

I am feeling a little more comfortable about the paper we need to write. I have a few ideas floating around in my head and just need to pinpoint which one I can get the most out of. I have found a few good articles to consider, just need to choose which ones will work better.

Tuesday

I really enjoyed the writing activity this morning. I thought it was fun & very receptive. It was cool how Mr. D taught skills within the writing instruction. I am working on writing my paper on the new course I have been teaching at Southern, RY (Reconnecting Youth). I am not too worried about the personal experience, but I am worried about the research aspect of the paper. I am relived to know that we will have plenty of time to work on it this week.

June 17th-Tuesday

I enjoyed several of the activities that we did in class today. I am planning on taking them back to my classroom. I will be doing the kernel paragraph activity with my students. I thought that it was fun and I think that they will too. It was a great way to discuss parts of speech and figurative language. I think that the "good writer" list is a neat idea that my students could benefit from also.

I am not quite as worried about my paper as I was. I feel a little more confident. I think that it really helped to have time to work on it and do research in class.

Tuesday

Tuedsay's class started out with what makes good writing. When I began thinking about this concept this morning I was not sure exactly how to explain it. However, after we took the time to make the list I think that I now understand that there is not just one or two things that make good writing but a combination of several things. I also liked the paragraph writing activity. It ia amazing that everyone can start with exactly the same few sentences and take it somewhere completey different when they are finished. I am feeling a lot better about this paper on Friday after taking the time to work on it in class today.

Tuesday, June 17th

I thought that the discussion that we had this morning about what makes good writing was really interesting. I was really surpised to see that I did not have good mechanics at the top of my list, but when I grade writing that is always what I am focused on.

I also really enjoyed the activity that we did with the paragraph. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed making my own paragraph. It was also really neat to see how other people's paragraphs turned out when we all started out the same.

I feel a little bit better about the paper that we have to do at the end of class. I will definitely need help citing though. It has been a long time!

Tuessay's comments

Today we talked about what makes writing good. Everyone had good ideas about what makes writng good. I think what it all boils down to is whether you are interested in the topic or not. Of course, as teachers we need to look at our students' writing for different reasons than if we were just reading for our own pleasure. What is interesting to them may very well not be intersting to us and it usually is not but we try and try and try.......
I think we all probably agree that we teach better if we are comfortable with what we teach.

Monday's response

I enjoyed today's discussions on writing. I believe that an individual's writing is based on his or her social or economic background. One of the interesting points from the Society's Child is that when a student attempt a more difficult task such as a new genre, the student may appear to backslide. I know from reading my son's writing papers that it may appear as if he was backsliding. One day he will bring a paper home in which the story will have nice beginning, middle and ending with few mistakes in capitals and periods. Then when a new task is added to the assignment, he totally left out all punctuation. I also liked the term of high stakes and low stakes writing. I think daily journal writing for low stakes is an excellent way for a student to make writing progess.

One of the concerns I have is finding the articles for the assignment,especially through InfOhio. I think there may be some limited access on ERIC.

Monday's ideas

Today we talked about different writing practices. Students become frustrated when they worry about mechanics. They do need these but they need to just write first. They need to let their ideas flow. They will then realize the other things will fall into place later.
I am concerned about the paper we need to do. I hope we have enough time to finish it here.
I don't have a computer to work on at home.

Monday's thoughts

Today's readings and discussions really caused me to think about allowing my students to do more writing about the things with which they are familiar. Most of the time I am asking them to write about a preselected prompt provided by me. While this is what they will have to do on the dreaded OAT in the spring, maybe I am "killing" their desires to write about something in which they are interested. I realize I can't do this every day, because they don't get to choose what to write about on "the test". Maybe I can incorporate this more this year as some of our "low stakes" writing.

Monday's Class Discussions

I thought what was discussed in class today was very informative. I liked how Don put things about writing in a different perspective (ex. dirty plate bottom, high/low stakes, etc.) on how writing can be taught. This allowed me to think about my teaching of writing, grammar, and spelling and how I need to rethink what I have always done. I don't like the way I teach these areas and now know that I need to rethink what to do. I believe that I teach the way that I have been taught and know that I do not like this, especially with the students today and how things are so much different from when I was their age. I need to break out of this mold and change things up a little. I liked how we talked about low stakes assignments and giving the students a chance to write without the fear and pressure. They can just get their thoughts down and not have to worry about being "wrong". The articles were informative in that they got me to thinking about how writing is being taught and what needs to be changed. As per the "Redefining Literacy" article, I feel like I could have been the one who wrote the quote, "I really do not know who I am as a writer, but I know I am a bad writer."

Monday's insights

Both articles that were discussed today just verified what I have always had embedded in my mind:that writing has to do with social, economic, cultural,etc. backgrounds. Our dialect in this area is different. (Some individuals throughout the state might even call our dialect "diminished" or incorrect or whatever.) I ran into this negative context of our speaking when first in college at O.S.U. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Now I must make sure that my students don't feel as uncomfortable as I have been. I want them to be proud of themselves, as well as their work and their lives.
I do present journals to my students in the third grade. These are used for informal writings. Sometimes we use them for writing first/rough drafts. I do not give these a letter grade. It is used for them to convey their feelings, learn how to write from a prompt, etc. I guess I am doing something correct, after all.
However, I have a problem (or should I say obsession) with grammar. My mom always instilled this in her children. It is still with me. I must choose the situation best suited for concentration of grammar.

Today's discussion

I learned today to be more flexible when grading writing assignments. I also learned that writing comes from many different areas in a person's life, such as social interactions, history,culture, experiences, interests, etc.
I'm already starting to worry about this 6-10 page paper!!!!!!!!

My thoughts for class today.

I believe the idea of migrating more toward concentrating on writing fluency rather than mechanics is what stands out most in my mind. I think that this is going to increase the amount of critical thinking our students do, because they are able to write about topics of interest and things they know without the stress of criticism. I believe this will build confidence in students and we will get to the mechanics after the students become fluent writers.

Monday's class

Wow! How relieved I am to know that their is "no perfect writer". Even though I know I have a long way to go in my writing abilities, after today's class my confidence is much greater. As, I mentioned earlier in class, teaching first grade has helped me relax and become a better writer. Hopefully, I can carry this over to my own classroom and eliminate unnecessary fear of writing for my students so that they may become better writers.

today's discussion - Monday

today, i was anxious about coming to this writing class! and still am. Didnt know what to expect or how much writing we would do. or will do.
Sitting here I feel I havent learned anything new. And feel I am typing to fill in space.
Although I am more worried about the MUGS of writing then the actual writing process. Hopefully this changes after this week.
Pam

Monday, June 16th

During the first day of class I have learned not to fear writing. In the past I have always been concerned with making sure that my writing is grammatically correct as I was writing it. I now know that it is better to just simply to write and worry about the mechanics later. I wish that I would have understood this in the midst of my academic career. But I guess it is better to learn it later than never.
If I I was still teaching in the classroom I would definitely have to remember to explain this concept to my students. Many of the kids that I have dealt with seemed to have the same fears that I do. It has to be perfect. I know now that writing is never perfect. Thank God, now I know that there is nothing wrong with me (well not with writing anyway).

monday's class

It has been interesting looking at many of these different ideas. Much of whatwe have discussed has made perfect sense. It still is hard to determine the best and mosteffective way to assess our first graders and to helpmake them better writers. We do many assignments that are not graded(we would go crazy if we graded them all) However, we do have to give a number grade at some point and parents at this point need a black and white answer. I'm not all about the grade but that's what it seems I have been instructed to do. Open to new and better ideas!

Monday's Discussions

Today I learned that there are several factors in learning to write. For me, learning to write was fairly easy. I have always liked writing, but I have always been aware of those who do not like to write. Learning about the social aspects and "communities of practice" have helped me to understand a little better about how to get my kindergarteners to write. They love to talk about things they do outside of school, and I think that applying things I learned today will help me to get those reluctant writers to be more confident.

Today's Topics

I really enjoyed today's discussions on relating writing to various social processes. I agree with teaching grammar within writing. I also enjoy the idea of using hands-on strategies to teach writing. I struggle with trying to get my students to perform well on the achievement testing and I feel confused on what teaching strategies to use. I want my students to pass the test, but I also want them to actually learn. I definitly feel that writing is shaped by outdoor factors. I also feel that there needs to be more in depth studies on standard testing. There are some major faults with these tests. It seems that everyone realizes this, except the people who are making them a requirement. Amy

June 16, 2008

I have learned that writing comes from many different places...your experiences, history, culture, etc. We don't just experience writing in the classroom, it is everwhere and there is no one "right" way to experience it. I have also seen that I am not the only person that feels a little overwhelmed when it comes to teaching writing in my classroom. It is comforting to know that there are others out there.

I am a little concerned about the writing assignment. Are we going to have time to visit INFOhio and the other sites here in class or should we try to do that at home? This may have been mentioned in class already.

Monday, June 16th

Today in class I learned that writing and language are very similar. Writing is much more interesting when the topics are open and writers are allowed to be individuals. I know that my own personal writing sounds very much like how I talk. Students do not always talk with the best grammar (and neither do I). That is probably why their writing is not wrote with the best grammar. I am going to try to focus on not worrying about the grammar as much and just hope that the grammar gets picked up along the way with the creativity.

I am a little worried about the assignment that is due at the end of the week. I am hoping that it will become more clear as the class progresses.

This is not a test!

I'm actually posting

This is just a test

This is a test to see if Linda S can add to the blog.

I am here

I am here and able to post

it works

it is good

it is working for me don.

ta-da! It works.

Im here!

yeah!!!! It's working for me!

I'm Here!!

Hope it is working okay!!!

I'm here

I think I'm here

blog

I was able to blog, here today. I think it is working!

I'm Here

I am in and able to post.

Bonnie

I'm Here

Hello! Finally, I am on here!!!

I am here

I am here and it is working for me. Thanks.
Stacie

I'm in

I am in. I can post.

Alyson

I am here!

I am here! Thanks, Nicole

Im in

hELLO
Im in and poting!
Pam

I am here

It is working

I'm Here!

I can view the blog!! Amy R

Links to the Readings

Here are the links to this week's readings:

Monday

Society's Child
Redefining Literacy

Tuesday

Reframing Critical Reading
Academic Literacies Model

Wednesday

Teacher Efficacy in Writing
Helping Young Students

Writing Class -- June 16 - 20

This is the blog space we are going to be using for class this week.

Respond to this post with a short comment -- just to let us know that you can post.