Blog #6 Reading/Writing

Dear Dr. Jones,

For this blog, I was asked to focus on Tompkins text as well as Hicks to gain insight of the different habits of mind that I should consider while reading multiple texts. Also, for this blog I was asked to think about what instructional strategies and learning activities would I incorporate for my students in my own classroom as a future teacher. While being enrolled in this writing extensive class with Dr. Jones, I believe that this writing class has been going well for me. When I first saw that I was going to be attending a writing college class for graduate school every Monday, I expected this class to have a lot of writing assignments. However, I was surprised that we were going to be writing blogs each week relating to the readings we have discussed in class. I enjoy writing blogs each week relating to the readings we read for that week because it helps me focus deeply on the content that the author includes as well as paying attention closely to many of the quotes that are explained in the articles or text.  In addition, it gives us a chance to work with technology. Also, it gives Dr. Jones to write feedback to us on Moodle, as well as looking at our peer’s blogs for enjoyment.

 One thing I did not realize is that our and I are completing a genre piece project where we will be focusing on a topic that we are interested in. For this assignment, I did not know that we were going to be creating three pieces representing different genres while using a voice, audience, and purpose for writing. I thought initially we were going to create one long piece of writing instead of multiple to engage our audience. Another thing that I did not expect was creating a presentation that I would consider using in the classroom when I become a future teacher. I found this assignment to be interesting because I was able to search for a mentor presentation where I could use in my third grade classroom. Furthermore, I did expect that we would continuously speak about the instructional strategies or learning activities that we can incorporate in our classroom someday.

     Some habits of mind that I have used to develop through my writing and reading experiences would include being open-minded and curious of what more information I wanted to learn, while asking questions about the text. Also, I tend to be creative while investigating and representing ideas while I read multiple texts. In addition, when I engage in my learning and sustain interest in the text, I usually can understand the text better. If I continuously to use these strategies and habits of mind while writing, it will support my comprehension and assist me to achieve success. Throughout my literacy graduate program, I have certainly been asked to compose in multiple environments. For instance, I have wrote many writing assignments and essays by hand and on the computer using technology both at school and at home. I find when I type on the computer; it is easier and faster for me. However when I have to edit or revise my essays, I usually print out the paper and complete the revisions by hand, therefore I do not miss my careless mistakes. Within this class, I feel like I have developed new rhetorical knowledge while learning about the different important genres and what each genre consists of in greater detail.

The instructional strategies that I learned that would benefit my work as a future teacher of literacy would be introducing my students to create their own presentations; therefore they become familiar with utilizing technology in the classroom. Some students in my classroom will have limited experience with using technology at home. Therefore, I will teach my students to concentrate on the author's craft that each presentation requires such as using different fonts, words, images, backgrounds and many others that authors show to readers. Many teachers use learning activities during instruction as well. For instance, many teachers use reading logs and personal journals in their classroom. I will consider using reading logs and journals in my teaching, therefore students can write about their personal experiences or events that have happened to them to practice reflecting. Then afterwards, I will provide them with supportive feedback on their journals or reading logs to enhance their writing.

    At this moment, I do not think I am struggling with writing these blogs, however I am having difficulty creating a poem for my first genre piece project. I am challenging myself to write a poem, because I enjoy writing poetry. I remember in elementary school I loved using poetry for many writing assignments because I was able to become creative and write about a topic I desired. Lastly, I am able to use my own figurative language while writing this descriptive poem. Therefore, I am hopeful to write this swimming poem and have the opportunity to engage my audiences and hold interest in them.

Sincerely, 

Anna 

References

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Blog #5 Feedback

While reading the article, Giving Feedback: Preparing Students for Peer Review and Self-Evaluation” by Philippakos, and reading Tompkins, they both speak about the importance of providing feedback and self-evaluation. I gained insight in knowing how to give constructive feedback to students in a timely manner. Also, I believe teachers should implement students on how to give feedback to their classmates. For example, I think teachers should model on how to give constructive feedback to their students in a positive way. I believe feedback should be specific and well-detailed, therefore the student understands what she needs to adjust or work on to become an effective writer. If students do not write positive feedback or does not know how to give specific feedback to their peers, there could be many conflicts between other classmates in the classroom. Furthermore, if a teacher decides to write a negative comment on a student’s paper, it could hurt them emotionally and they will be distraught. This might cause them to not want to continue writing if they are not supported by the teacher. When I create a rubric I believe that my criteria will not include numbers for the grading, I feel like I would use descriptive words like proficient, somewhat accurate and not proficient some terms like this. I do not think numbers support students writing, especially if they receive a zero or one on their rubric. I believe that the writing needs to be detailed by the teacher of what the students have performed well and which areas need to be developed still.

Giving feedback helps students achieve success and helps students notice their own strengths and weaknesses. It is important to model and use a students sample as a demonstration, therefore students can get a sense of what they are expected to complete for peer review during writing workshop. I believe that teachers should “think aloud” while they show students on how to give feedback towards their peers. Giving feedback to other students also foster’s students’ critical thinking as well as to support teachers to reflect on their own learning. Also, it gives students a great opportunity to collaborate with each other in the classroom. In addition, when students are peer reviewing with others during writing workshop, students may find that they could add to their writing or determine which sentences need to be fixed to capture the audience’s attention.

The benefits of giving feedback in preparation to peer review is supporting students in developing a sense of audience. Also, I believe feedback should be done in a systematic way and help students comprehend what the writer is implying (Philippakos, 15). I do agree that when students are paired up randomly, the students are more honest and are willing to help students become better writers. When they are editing their friends papers, they usually say “Nice work!” but in reality their writing might not be consistent and does not make sense for the readers. However, if they criticize their work, it could affect their friendship in the classroom. 

As a teacher, I will consider to use a rubric when evaluating my student’s writing pieces. I will implement my students to focus on organization, word choice, sentence fluency, and other conventions that the article explains in great depth. I believe that the writing process is significant when teaching many students on how to write effectively. When students write different pieces, they should attempt to focus on story grammar identifying main characters, setting, problem, solution, and goal attempt. Story grammar assists students to understand the meaning of the text or a writing piece. This is why teaching students on how to give feedback to their peers is important in the classroom. 

                                               References

Philippakos, Z.A. (2017).  Giving feedback:  Preparing students for peer review and self-evaluation.  The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 13-22.  DOI: 10.1102/trtr.1568

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

                                      Blog #4 Instructional Strategies

Donald Graves (2004) states "Writing is after all, a medium for learning to think"(p. 90). According to both Hick's and Tompkins instructional strategies, writers should consider using writing to question, clarify what you read or write, as well as to synthesize information. When I read or write, the element that I focus most includes writing to question. When I read or write a text, I tend to use the headings, subtitles or explanations that author use to prove a point to the audience. When I look at a heading in the text, I usually form it into a question, therefore later I can reflect back and answer the question in the margins if I can locate it in the text. I usually give myself at least 10-15 minutes per page to write down any questions that I am curious about. This allows me to notice if I am capable of answering them in greater detail. Usually when I write questions based on the headings or the title, I am able to understand the passage in more depth and is able to make connections with my own personal experiences. Sometimes, I begin to set goals as well as monitor my writing pieces to get more involved in my learning (Tompkins 2019).

       Another element I concentrate on would be clarifying. I give myself plenty of time to make sure my sentences make sense and I am grabbing the reader's attention. I believe that clarfiying is a huge component because it helps me know if I have retained any of the information given and allows myself to notice if I comprehended what the author is conveying.  In addition, it encourages you to deeply think about the passage or any thoughts and ideas you may write. Re-reading your writing piece can give you motivation to generate more ideas that you might think are important to write about. I believe that writers who re-read are highly more effective than students who do not re-read their work. Sometimes when I clarify, I try to keep the ideas I already have, but attempt to write it differently to determine if it makes sense.

      Another component would be making connections. When I write or read, I tend to use this strategy the most because I can relate some of the author's ideas to my personal experiences. For example, if the passage is speaking about the teaching process, I can relate to this because I have been placed in many classrooms who have utilized a variety of instructional strategies in different grade levels in which Tompkins explains in his text. I spend the majority of my time making connections with the passages while using text to self, text to text and text to world.

   Another component I focus most on is reflecting on my work. In my field observations and student teaching placements, I was asked to reflect on my teaching as well as reflecting on what I learned from my cooperating teachers that I worked with. I choose to reflect each day on what was challenging and what I enjoyed while working with many students in the classroom. As a future teacher, I will consider reflecting on my own teaching each day in order to become a better teacher. Lastly, I will encourage myself to use different strategies as well in order for my students to reach success.

     I choose to engage in this thinking because it assists me to become more aware of what I am reading or writing. Also, I have the opportunity to notice my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to writing pieces representing different genres. The habits of mind that I would change in order to fully engage while writing would include to be more open and willing to consider new ways of thinking in the world (NCT 2011). Meanwhile, I will try to become more sensitive to the texts I am reading as well as acting upon new knowledge that I have already discovered. I attempt these strategies in order to understand the content I am learning. In addition, I will take risks by exploring questions that are unfamiliar to me. Furthermore, I try to use some deep thinking in order to fully develop my ideas when I write to gain more knowledge. Lastly, I will encourage myself to conquer challenging texts that I have not read before to determine if I sustain interest in them. This is why I believe that the writing to learn process is essential when teaching students in the classroom.

References

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019). Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of  Teachers of English, & National Writing Project. (2011).  Framework for success in postsecondary writing.  Retrieved from http://wpacouncil.org/framework/

Entry 3: Journal Writing

                                          

The quote that stood out to me the most while reading (Tompkins 2019) chapter on Journal Writing was "Writing to learn integrates writing into all content areas" (Tompkins p. 119). I believe that this quote is significant to teaching because writing does not only occur during literacy or reading, but writing is incorporated in math, science and social studies as well. The main topic that I will focus on for this blog will be Journal Writing.

Many teachers decide to teach students on how to write personal journals in many different ways. I believe teaching journal writing is effective for all grade levels. However, there are many journal writing types including personal journals, learning blogs, double entry journals, reading logs and many more. Students use journal writing as a way to keep track of what they have learned throughout the day, or week. Sometimes, students will write about events that are happening in their lives. Other students may consider writing about a person that they are interested in, about a place they visited, or something they learned that grabbed their full attention.

 Reflecting back on my personal elementary experiences, I remember in third grade my teacher encouraged me to keep a personal journal or diary to write down any interesting or inspiring things we learned throughout the different lessons she taught us. Even for math and science, I remember using our journals everyday during instruction to write down any thoughts or ideas we were curious about. Also, we had the opportunity to share our ideas or thoughts with our peers, which helped us to know which lessons in the content areas they favored more than others. However, some students might prefer to keep their journal writing to themselves, because sometimes they write about personal events that have happened to them that is not worth sharing to others, especially if it makes them depressed. I believe personal journals are effective for students to utilize in the classroom.

Last semester, I took a literacy class named content areas, which I absolutely enjoyed every minute of. Our teacher gave us the opportunity to look at and read different kinds of texts including trade books. During class, we created questions to write in our journals as a writing prompt to see if we retained any information we learned for that one lesson. In this class, we experienced many reading and writing strategies that we can implement in our future classroom including GIST, Pyramid, Teacup, QAR, Quick-Write, and many others. I believe that the recurring process of writing to learn is essential. The writing process will assist students to understand on how to write correctly, including the multiple traits of writing which is organization, presentation, word choice, audience, and some others that Hicks refers to (Hicks 2013). However, Tompkin states, "when students write about what they have learned", they become more engaged with their writing piece (Tompkins, p. 119).

One journal writing type that I would consider teaching students in my classroom would be Double Entry Journals. I believe that this type of journaling is interactive for students because they are able to predict what is going to occur in the text they are reading. Then, after they read, they have the chance to reflect back and determine if their first assumption was correct. Double Entry Journals support students reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. Therefore, I think Double Entry Journals are effective for students to use in the classroom daily.

Another journal writing form I would incorporate in my future classroom includes Dialogue journals. This gives students an opportunity to write to me everyday with any questions or concerns that they would have relating to the topics that are being taught. Also, I noticed that these dialogue journals can be used as an exit ticket or an end of the day discussion. Therefore, I believe Dialogue journals are an effective resource for students to use in the classroom.

The last form of journal writing that I would use in my future classroom would be Reading logs. I believe reading logs supports students understanding of what they have learned while reading different texts. It also helps them realize which genres they have experienced. It is important for students to write down what they have learned, therefore they can activate their background knowledge. Furthermore, reading logs assists students to know which books they have attempted before and which ones are unfamiliar to them. Students have to understand that there is always a purpose for reading a text. Furthermore, reading logs allows students to dig deeper in their learning while focusing on the story grammar itself (main characters, setting, problem, solution, and goal attempted). Therefore, I believe reading logs are effective for students to use in the classroom.

All journal writing forms are effective for students to utilize in the classroom as a helpful resource guide. I believe students need to be taught different forms of writing throughout learning content in all subject areas including reading, math, social studies, and science. When students use journals in a classroom, it helps them explore and develop ideas while gaining knowledge from reading different texts or writing personal stories. For my classroom, I would want to meet all students needs in the classroom including visual learners, kinethstic learners as well as auditory learners. For my gifted students, I want to challenge them and have them work on an assignment that allows them think deeper with the text we are studying. From writing this blog and reading Tompkins chapter on journal writing, I believe that journaling is a great genre for students to experience and be exposed to in the classroom in order to interact with their classmates and teachers.

References

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019). Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.