Raising Readers and Writers

We finished our Digital multimodal class on Friday with show and tell. Everyone shared their multimodal digital projects which were a digital response to a poem or song and a personal memoir piece. As what always happens when students are given choice, we had a wide variety of projects. The final projects ranged from humorous, to serious, to sentimental, to political statements. Everyone’s individuality was able to emerge, even though we all had the same assignment. That is one of the reasons I think student choice is so important when we are asking students to complete an assignment. We all learned how to use Photo Story and Audacity, to import pictures, scan images, create transitions, add music and voice overs just to name a few things. Probably more important, was the conversation that we had each morning before we began to work. Creating a metadiscourse, explaining the choices we made and why we made them was very important to the process. This project showed us that we were, in fact, creating another text to show our understanding of the original text. The social context was critical to the success of the project. Not only did we have conversations at the beginning of class about the process, but also conversation abounded during our work time. It was not uncommon to see participants at each other’s work stations trying to help. The tech support was very important too. John, our tech support person, was very patient with all of us and Dr. Newell was there to answer questions as well. I so appreciated Dr. Newell’s approach to this class. It was a true writing workshop atmosphere where we learned together and supported each other along the way.

So here are my projects. First, “I’m Learning to Speak English” by J. Patrick Lewis spoke to me because of my own student population. J. Patrick Lewis is coming to visit at the Young Author’s Writing Camp this week, so I thought I’d look for one of his poems. I was so pleased when I found it here. I chose photos of my kids that I took throughout the year and chose a song with Latino influence.

My second piece, “Summer Gifts” is about a week I spent with my grandma 6 years ago, about 3 months before she died. My grandma was something else! There were many times my grandfather would yell, “Turn that damn radio down” as she cleaned to Meatloaf or Prince blaring from her stereo. All 10 of her grandchildren thought they were her favorite because she made each of us feel that way. I chose “Heaven Can Wait” by Meatloaf as one of the background music pieces. She loved Meatloaf (my cousin took her to their concerts at Blossom Music Center until she was well into her 80s). I decided to show photos of her with only the music playing in the background at the end of my narration because I wanted my audience to focus on her and see the influence she had on my life.

I am already thinking of ways to use this on my classroom next year. I hope you enjoy!!

I’m Learning to Speak English by J. Patrick Lewis

Summer Gifts

A colleague stopped in tonight as I was finishing up with my after school writing club (4th and 5th graders writing scripts for the drama club). She had read my article in Choice Literacy about the teacher writing group and shared that she had an “aha” moment. She explained that she hadn’t come to our January meeting because she was feeling poorly about her writing that we did in December. After reading the article and realizing that she wants and needs that writing community, she realized that many of her students must feel the same way. You know the ones…they have to go to the bathroom 2 minutes after writing workshop begins or they wander around the classroom library for way too many minutes looking for a “just right” book when they should be reading (or writing, or doing math…it doesn’t matter. If it’s hard, they want/need a break). It gave her a whole new perspective on many of her students.

That’s one of the best parts of the teacher writing group. We are learning, without realizing it, the frustration as well as the joys our students go through each and every day in our classrooms. I believe it is this knowledge that makes us better teachers. We are also there to support each other through the ups and downs in this crazy, yet wonderful profession. Learning together and leaning on each other is what it’s all about. My friend said that the article gave her just what she needed today. She’ll be back for the next meeting, ready to go!

So, the next time one of your little (or not so little) guys has to leave the room when the work gets to be a bit much, it might just be that he needs a little break to regroup. And that’s OK! We all need that sometimes!

Tomorrow is our next teacher writing group meeting. After reading Franki’s article at Choice Literacy(if you’re not a member, consider looking into it) about books for President’s Day, I decided to use the book Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barak and the Pioneers of Changefor our writing prompt. I checked it out of the library, but it’s one that I must own (which is true of my relationship with most books!) The book’s simple text and snippets of biographical information paired with the rich illustrations give the reader a deeper understanding of those individuals who paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement. After reading the prompt, please feel free to share your own stories in the comments section.

Rosa sat so Martin could march. Martin marched so Barak could run. Barak ran so our children could fly.

This quote, sent via text message, became well-known last year right before the election. As a result, the idea for this book was born.

Our Children Can Soar focuses on 10 different individuals who led the way for the Civil Rights Movement including an unknown Civil War soldier, George Washington Carver, and Jesse Owens. Each of these people is highlighted on a 2-page spread illustrated by a different children’s book illustrator. The illustrations are spectacular and even though they differ in style, they weave the story together in seamless fashion. There are short biographies of each person in the back of the book as well as a brief message from each illustrator.

After reading the book:

This story weaves a message of hope. We are who we are because others have led the way. Our families, teachers, coaches, friends, hobbies, and maybe even books have affected us in some way. Spend some time now writing about those people and things that have given you hope and paved the way for you.

This book could be used in a variety of ways…poetry, biography, famous African-Americans, the use of endnotes, repetition of a phrase to tie a story together, or to launch a piece of writing about heroes, hope, or ways to change the world yourself.

I love when our teacher writing group meets!  Teachers from all grade levels (and even other schools) come together to write, share, think, collaborate, and have fun.  We’ve been focusing on writing about our classrooms, so the writing prompt continued along that theme.  I shared Jim Burke’s post about his belief on how all children can learn.  This is one of my core beliefs; one that is a non-negotiable.  Next, I shared this short clip called The Heart of a Teacher, a poem written by Paula Fox.  Be sure to check it out.  It’s very inspirational and a great way to rejuvenate yourself during this hectic time.  (I found this on Two Writing Teachers).

So the prompt…What do you believe no matter what?  What are the non-negotiables?  Write about these beliefs in your personal or professional lives.

We always do a read around after we write.  Here are just a few snippets that I jotted down as people read aloud.

…keep learning, no matter your age.

…all children feel and feel deeply.

…every child is a growing, loving, living being.

…each face you meet is a box overflowing with gifts.

…I believe in God.

The read around gives us the opportunity to share our writing as well as listen to what others have written.  As we all know, sometimes reading  our work aloud is difficult.  It comes from our hearts and it’s very personal.   Dr. Bloome then asked us to circle something we really liked in our writing.  It could be something sentimental, you liked the words, etc.  Then we shared with someone sitting close by.  This is another way to share our work.  It’s a little less intimidating to read our work in a small group and may be easier for students who don’t feel comfortable sharing with the whole group.

Dr. Bloome then summed it up perfectly…No matter how badly a child (or adult for that matter) writes, there is always some gem.  Having them find that gem gives kids ways to evolve as writers.  It is so important to pick out the brilliance.

I love that last statement.  It is so important to pick out the brilliance. We all know what it is like to sit down with a paper that is full of misspelled words, run-on sentences, little organization, etc. (it doesn’t matter how old the writer is) and feel overwhelmed with what is wrong with the piece.  But if our goal is to help writers grow, we need to look at what is right with the piece, find that bit of brilliance, and use it as a foundation to build our students up.  Here’s to building strong, resilient, writers, one gem at a time!

It’s finally done and ready to be presented to our staff!  I’ve fretted, gone back over notes,  researched, looked for other writing vision statements (because that’s what Katie Wood Ray would do), and then just sat myself down and started to type.  What has caused all of this angst?  Our school’s writing vision statment.  Our small teacher writing group worked on defining our beliefs last year, got input from the staff, and ended the school year with this project still looming.  It nagged at me all summer, but never loud enough for me to do something about it.  Of course, I waited until I was in full swing of the new school year before I decided to pull all of our information together into an official vision statement (when will I learn to balance things a little better?).  I’ve given it to other members of our committee for suggestions on revisions and it is finally ready to be given to my principal and the rest of the staff.  It feels so good to have that done.  In fact, I had such a feeling of elation, that I finally (I’m using that word a lot tonight!) got the information ready to send out to fourth and fifth grade students for our after school writing club.  I can’t wait to get started with them, but more about that later! So, below you will find our Model Writing School Vision Statement.  We want everyone to know that if you come to our school, you will be a writer.  What do you think?

Writing Vision Statement for Avery Elementary School

Our school vision has three dimensions, learning to write, learning about writing, and writing to learn. We believe that Avery is a community of writers that includes both teachers and students. We have a trusting environment where students and teachers feel safe to take risks. Writing is meaningful and important in all areas of the curriculum. Our teachers are a community of writers themselves, which helps them better understand the process our student writers go through.

Our school fosters an environment where writing is encouraged and honored. Students have access to a variety of writing supplies, charts with student thinking hang in our rooms and hallways, and students are encouraged to publish their writing in a variety of ways including the use of technology. Halls and classrooms are filled with authentic writing in a variety of genres that includes a many types of informational writing.

The teachers at Avery recognize that in order for students to become better writers, they themselves need to write a lot. As a result, our teachers are committed to providing many opportunities for students to write not only in school, but also outside of school. It is here that our students develop the habits of life long writers. They learn to write by using writer’s notebooks, observation journals, and completing inquiry projects where they research, analyze, and interpret information. Students use writing to explore new ideas. They learn about writing by being immersed in quality literature where they read like writers and have conversations with other writers. Our students collaborate throughout the pre-writing, drafting, revision, and editing stages to make decisions about their writing, get a sense of audience, and develop voice.

Our students are given the unique opportunities to write in an after school writing club, publish books in our parent-run publishing shop, and celebrate writing on a regular basis with other classes, parents and community members. Avery teachers collaborate across grade levels to push for excellence for all of our students. As a result, students at Avery Elementary enjoy writing, see it as purposeful, and gain confidence in themselves as writers.

Writer’s notebooks and pens in hand,  14 teachers and our principal met for our first teacher writing group last week.  As the teachers gathered, an  overwhelming feeling of excitement  came over me.  It was like a family reunion where you get to see all of your favorite people that you haven’t been able to see in awhile.  Seven of the teachers had participated last year, and I was so glad that our community was growing to include more teachers.  I just kind of stepped back and enjoyed the atmosphere, feeling like a proud mom.

Our group is unique in that we are a group of teachers who meet regularly to write together, share our writing, and collaborate in order to better understand the process writers go through.  This understanding helps us better understand how our students feel in our writing classrooms, which in turn, helps us be better teachers of writing.

Dr. Bloome, the director of the Columbus Area Writing Project, led us in our first writing prompt which  was created by Robin Holland, “prompt creator extraordinaire,” from CAWP.   He read from Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man, citing the chapter titles and excerpts from a couple of chapters.  Then he asked us to reflect on our teaching lives and imagine we were writing our memoirs.  Our task:  create a list of chapters to form a table of contents, decide on what words would be in the index, and finally, write a chapter to go with one of our chapter titles.

While teachers shared their writing (called a “Read Around”), laughter filled the room when certain titles were read (my first chapter was called, “What to Do…Playboy Bunny or Teacher”), as well as moments of silence as people shared some poignant memories (“Where Creativity is Not to Be Honored”).  Herein lies the magic of our group.   Sharing our writing takes a level of trust.  We put ourselves out there for others to judge our work…Will it be good enough?  What will others think if I share this?  Will someone else’s be better?  I can’t even begin to explain the feeling that enveloped the media center during the read around.  You could feel the bonds begin to grow.  We learned things we didn’t know about the people we work with every day.

Then teachers began to talk about how they felt when they were writing.  They were excited!   They didn’t want to stop!  They were having fun!  This converstion led us to how important it is to develop that envirnoment in our classrooms.  We want our students to know that their voices matter and that writing is one way to be heard.   We want them to develop the life-long habits of writers.

I know this year is going to give us many more opportunities to experience the joys and frustrations of being writers and teachers of writers.    I also know that we will grow in ways we could never imagine.  I am looking forward to every step!

This whole school year has opened many doors for me. One of the most exciting is being able to work with fellow staff members and Dr. David Bloome from OSU in beginning to devlop a model writing school. We work together twice a month after school to write, discuss research, and learn from each other.  I first met Dave 2 summers ago when I participated in the Columbus Area Writing Project, part of the National Writing Project. The National Writing Project believes that the best writing teachers are writers themselves.  I wanted to participate in the writing project because I felt very inadequate as a writing teacher. It was there that I found my voice and realized that I could make a difference with my kids.

Our after school teacher group has become its own community of writers. At the beginning, it was very risky to share my writing with my colleagues.   I felt vulnerable and in conversation with other teachers, they said that they felt the same way.  When we put ourselves out there,  we worry that it’s not good enough or someone else has the same idea. Our students must feel the same apprehensions. It is so important for our students to feel safe to write and share in our classrooms.

Our small teacher group has evolved over the school year. Because we have written together and shared, we have a stronger bond, we have more meaningful conversations about writing, and we truly trust each other. We are getting ready to share our work with the rest of the staff. I hope that others will want to join us next year. It has been gratifying work and has given me much to think about in my own classroom.

This work has helped me solidify my own beliefs about the teaching of writing.  First, I need to be a writer and share my writing with my kids.  I need to create a safe environment where students can take risks and grow.  I need to challenge my students and guide them to become better writers.  My lessons should not focus on fixing the writing, but helping the writer.  All of my writers can do something well.  It is my job to find that “something” and use it as a springboard to move them forward.  Finally, (although I’m sure I could think of more if I took the time), everyone’s voice is valuable and it is my job to help my kids realize that what they have to say is important.