Emily Dickenson Poem

It was given to me by the Gods --
When I was a little Girl --
They given us Presents most -- you know --
When we are new -- and small.
I kept it in my Hand --
I never put it down --
I did not dare to eat -- or sleep --
For fear it would be gone --
I heard such words as "Rich" --
When hurrying to school --
From lips at Corners of the Streets --
And wrestled with a smile.
Rich! 'Twas Myself -- was rich --
To take the name of Gold --
And Gold to own -- in solid Bars --
The Difference -- made me bold --

What I See

The Art of Writing-Lucy Calkins

There is certainly a reason that Lucy Calkins is considered an authority on writing in the classroom. I was pulled in quickly to this article (chapters). The examples and explanations of mini-lessons were practical and could be used right away.

What I am most excited about is that over the summer, as I slaved away at NIWP, another teacher at my school, informed me that she was reading Lucy Calkins' work over the summer as a way to enhance her students' writing in the classroom. The practices and skills I learned in this workshop and reading this article can be brought in to my school and I get to know that there are compatriots to discuss these great thoughts!!

Grading

First grade grading is certainly different from high level grading. I do not give out letter grades and we do not operate on a 4.0 system. Everything is based on pass or fail---essentially does the student have the skill, is he/she growing in that skill, or is there little to no evidence of that skill yet.

I think it is helpful for me as an educator to have that broad view but it certainly does not give the detailed picture.

As I read through these articles, related to the topic of grading, I made some connections. I value the concept of expecting that a student is always working towards a best product. I like thinking that a child is never given the option to do C work. However, I also feel that it is an intimidating way to manage a classroom (for the teacher). You really have to have a firm understanding of the purpose in the work you ask students to do. You also need some very specific organizational pieces in place to make this program effective.

There are a few projects I would like to present to my students with this expectation of "best work". I will have to revisit these articles and see what matches up and what I need to rethink.

Dix

The first thing I noticed about this article was on page 1 when Stephanie Dix states, "it helps the writer reflect and clarify his or her thinking with the goal of improving the writing."

The idea of looking at writing as a piece that will gradually be improved was very freeing for me. I tend to look at writing a very black and white manner and often don't write because I'm not sure how to make the final product RIGHT.

Of course this new perspective will translate into my classroom teaching practices as well. I should have responded to this article quite some time ago but I am glad that I didn't only because revisiting it helped me to see what changes have occurred in my thinking since that first day in July.

"Take Joy" by Jane Yolen

This summer I had the privilege of reading Jane Yolen's book on writing, "Take Joy". In this short text she outlines the many reasons to write, the heartache that needs to be embraced and the reasons why writing only to publish will likely destroy your life (she uses softer words).

I walked away from this book recognizing the value of writing, revising and editing for my own sake; seeing myself as the primary audience. Too many drafts have been dispensed to the round garbage by my desk because "no one will really like it". There is a time for abandoning a work but it needs to be because my heart is no longer in it.

I recommend this book to anyone rethinking the writing process in their own life. If you are remembering stories you wrote in elementary school and thinking you might enjoy trying that again then please pick up a copy of "Take Joy". You will be encouraged and inspired to make writing a regular piece of who you are.

5 Ways to View Stairs

He races those stairs
Though all the world stares
He trains passed the pain
It's a championship he can't share

The moving stairs disappear--
Where do they go?

We went to see "People Under the Stairs" and
"like it totally rocked my world, dude!"

As the little boy, in red socks, stumbled then tumbled
and crashed down the stairs after the puppy.

You can either go up
Into the sweltering heat of the sun
Or go down
Into the cool damp air of the ground

Portfolios

I am looking forward to using portfolios this next year in my classroom. I recently read a book in which a woman started portfolios off by introducing the concept to the entire class and then letting only five students pilot the process. I have decided this is what I would like to try out. I want to be effective and this method is less intimidating, allows me to preteach to the larger group and gives me a chance to evaluate what works without putting my whole class through the ringer.

Listening to my peers at NIWP has helped me evaluate quite a few processes for portfolios. There are a lot of effective practices that I can add into the mix as I become more comfortable.

Workshop Reflection

The workshop experience was rich for me in two ways. First, I learned a variety of new teaching techniques and gained useful techniques. Secondly, I had the opportunity to experience being a teacher as a professional. Watching my peers present information they had expertise in was powerful for me. I am looking forward to taking this concept back with me. I have previously cornered all of staff I work with, at least once, to pick their brains. This approach gives them the opportunity to share what they know in a broader spectrum. I also think this experience helped me consider the idea of going beyond what I know (or think I know) and to begin pursuing inquiry. I am dedicated to pursuing inquiry on the line of publishing that I presented. I believe all the ideas but now I feel empowered to begin pursuing concrete information so that what "feels" right can be demonstrated.

Top Ten

Top Ten

10. Revision is a lot more than editing

9. A line or word can be great and still need to be cut from a piece.

8. Form follows content.

7. Brainstorming can look a lot like a rough draft.

6. A rough draft can look a lot different than the final product.

5. A rough draft is a sketch. A final product is a sculpture.

4. Strong nouns are more powerful than descriptive adjectives.

3. Revision is recursive in the real world and not just in my brain.

2. Poetry is not shackled by conventional grammar.

1. Conferencing is not about giving the right answers. It’s about the answers from the writer.

Portfolios

Portfolios seem like a very nice way to "SEE" student growth. However I am still mulling over how to make it a powerful tool for my students as well as myself. I am interested in finding a dual purpose and then leaving all other parts of the portfolio to the side until I have some skill level built up. I would like to begin by teaching my students to evaluate their work in an effort to choose pieces they like and then I would like to create a checklist for myself in an effort to use these pieces to determine my report card.

My inquiry question is: What will it take to help students (young) to thoughtfully evaluate their own work?

Warne

Writing Steps:
A Recursive and Individual Experience
By: Bonnie Mary Warne

This article summarized what we have read in quite a few other articles. What I found especially useful was that she did not outlaw deadlines. In an effort to create flow and a feeling of creativity, we too often dismiss the important administrative details. Some students will work diligently on a writing project with enthusiasm and pride but there will be some who have struggle without a deadline and of course a few others who have a well-fed habit of doing only as much as is directly required of them. Naturally our goal is to get all of our students to a place where they are responsible for their own work but until they get there…

Everyday Editing
By: Jeff Anderson

This article used the example of using commas for list sentences and I immediately said to myself (no one else was around), “ah ha!” I covered that topic very well last year. I will say my students really took to that rule of the comma and I found lists all through out their writing and it was wonderful. But, even though it showed up in their writing, I only had one student who noticed it (or at least verbalized his observation) that it was found in what he was reading as well. I will say that when he called me over to show me the lists he found in his books, I was ecstatic. It is such a treat for a teacher to see that something her kiddos learned traveled into the brain, through the arm and then back into the brain to make further connections. To help more of my students make this connection, I will be gleaning Jeff Anderson’s idea to discuss these writing mechanics in popular children’s books. I see this as the We Do for what my one student did on his own.

Anderson

Educational Leadership
Helping Writers Find Power
By: Jeff Anderson

I am very interested in adding mini-lessons into the writing portion of my classroom but on my own I would never have thought to have my students teach these lessons on occasion. This article discusses having students write the good examples they have created onto transparency and sharing this with the entire class. I am in love with this idea. What a fantastic way to give ownership to students in their writing as well as develop leadership skills. Writing also becomes something Joe does or Sally does instead of just something the teacher tells us to do. And of course we all know that teaching something is a powerful way to learn something and commit it to memory. I am looking forward to bringing this to my classroom practice “attaché”.

Homework

Fiber-filled oatmeal
sprinkled with the
brown sugar promise
of a good salary.

CHOCOLATE LOVE AFFAIR

Mars bars,
Nestle,
French Silk Pie

Wonton-wrapped
Then deep fried

Brownies,
Ice cream,
Syrup drizzled

In my pancakes
Hear it sizzle

Strawberry-covered,
Banana-dipped,
Swiss Miss cocoa,
Cream that's whipped

Nutella,
Lindt,
Tollhouse chips

Tootsie-popped
Fondue-dipped

Ghiradelli,
Toblerone,
Cocoa bean,
Equator grown

Oil based,
Milk infused,
Polar contrast
Science used

White or dark,
Semi-sweet,
Breakfast,
Lunch

Or

Late

Night

Treat

Sommers

Revision Strategies of
Student Writers and
Experienced Adult Writers
By: Nancy Sommers


I found this to be the most interesting article we have read. The idea of contrasting student writers with professional writers gave me a new perspective.

• “students understand the revision process as a rewording activity” vs “experienced writers…finding the form or shape of their argument”

As a student I can attest to the fact that I was given a set of formats, searched out data and then tried to mash what I had learned into the constraints of that format. Sometimes I would try and use more specific words or colorful verbs but those were considered flowers and not foundations.

Professional writers create a form to match the information they have. It is likely more time consuming, but when a product is written with purpose then time is a reasonable investment.

After the End:
Teaching and Learning
Creative Revision
Barry Lane
Chapter 9


One of the most freeing chapters I have read yet! I was finally given permission to not brainstorm, free write, web, and scatter ideas on a sheet of paper. I have been plagued with these techniques for years and I find them so inhibiting. I cannot find my passion until I start writing. Every time I go back and manipulate, change, delete and chop up my original draft but I need that space to write in full sentences. I need the feeling of crafting something in order to feel the value of what I am crafting.

Unfortunately this leaves me in a predicament with my teaching methods. As much as I hate brainstorm in a traditional sense, I love teaching it! I have young students who struggle getting ideas out and who have developed the skill of the blank stare even before I get them to my class. Brainstorming allows them a chance to spit out and share ideas as a whole group and it allows me a chance to see into their brains and know where to pull, pry and question.

I will be reflecting on ways to continue using webs and charts but to not corner my students into that as an ONLY way to begin writing.

After the End:
Teaching and Learning
Creative Revision
Barry Lane
Chapter 8


Yes! Why should a paper be graded as a C just so the student can abandon the work (that he or she probably never fully invested in) and learn that its fine to give up on something as long as you pass?

The standards for first grade are typically pass or fail concepts. Not very many of the things I grade are incremental in nature. Students can count syllables or they can’t. Students can read CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words or they can’t. If I decide to measure these on a scale then my grading becomes very subjective. I can’t say, “Johhny reads the word CAT correctly most of the time”. He either has the skills or he does not.

And when I evaluate these skills I am not permitted to simply state that the student has a grade of C on reading CVC words. If I discover that Johnny is not able to read CAT then I immediately do some testing to find out what phonemic elements he is weak on. I am held accountable for reaching him at his learning need the best I can.

It’s a little frightening to have this responsibility but comforting too. I know that Johnny will get whatever assistance he needs and that my administration is required to back me up as best they can.

Writing should be a similar process. If Johnny does not write descriptive sentences well in fourth grade then we need to make that our new objective for him. Most of these skills can be learned even more easily (with practice and use of examples) than phonemic awareness.

A system that requires growth requires students to take action. A system that is built around only grades allows a student to determine what level below quality they would like to achieve.

In struggling to find my "voice" or poetic rhythm I have discovered that the words which come so readily to my peers, elude me. Words do not rush like a waterfall from my brain to my pencil. In fact, I suspect they run around playing hide and seek when I need them most. I can even hear those impish thoughts giggling as I trip past the trunk or curtain they hide behind. Unfortunately, these are not my words to govern and so I hope that a few will tiptoe out and have pity on my misfortune and obvious lack of aptitude.

All these tangled thought are really to describe not what I can't do, but to clarify what I found out I can do. I see my compatriots flush with excitement as they enjoy the roller-coaster of words flowing from our lessons. I however, am delighted by images that portray the same or different meanings. I am delighted by colors and lights and lack of those things. I am pleased by images that make me think of more than what I see. I have discovered the poet in me. She just doesn't know how to use words yet.

Sheryl Lain

Reaffirming the
Writing Workshop
For Young Adolescents
By: Sheryl Lain

One of the things that struck me the most was the time she took to write to each of her students.

Instead of grading papers or reviewing emails, Sheryl Lain wrote poems for her students. As I read articles about teachers who write during workshop time I am plagued by the thoughts of I would not be sure what to write and that I hate writing in a constrained time. Coming up with creative work, knowing that interruptions will be happening would be very stressful for me. But I can take that time to work on continued letters, poems and the like for my kiddos.

I realize this was only a short piece of the article but after reviewing the text as a class, this is the piece that I want to chew on and explore personally.

Calkins

The Art of
Teaching Writing
By: Lucy McCormick Calkins

Trash, so much trash. I really relate to the analogy of taking out the extras to make room for a strong writing program. This implies administrator support however.

I am curious to find out why one set of research is chosen over another set of research. Often, I believe, it’s simply a matter of two same philosophies, packaged differently and one advertised more effectively. At my school we have a comprehensive writing curriculum that advertises all of the concepts we have covered this week and yet there is still no choice, minimal time and an assumption that the teacher is not qualified to make adjustments.

What a fantastic opportunity for me to continue researching and then putting my voice out into the educational discourse.

Britton

Now That You
Go To School
By: James N. Britton

Using the visuals given to us by the facilitators at the NIWP I have put a metaphor in my mind of the concept that Britton addresses in this article. I consider the idea of moving from expressive to transitional or poetic much like a balance or scale. All thought and expression originates from expressive (which is of course neutral on the scale). Then according the weights I put in as a teacher or the weights put in by the demands of a particular need for writing, the scales tip in a given direction. This helped me feel like I could focus my instruction more clearly.

Emig

Non-Magical Thinking:
Presenting Writing Developmentally
In Schools
By: Janet Emig

We expect a NASA space shuttle to be fine-tuned in every aspect. It should be the ideal example of current technology, safety and efficiency. We expect that the engineers, designers and other experts involved are at the top of the field and have given as this as much attention as humanly possible. We are stunned and disappointed when anything goes wrong with a space shuttle because the standards are so high for such a machine.

In comparison, we look at a child’s derby racer and have quite a bit more grace for the product. In fact, we expect that is was created primarily but the child racing it and therefore we look forward to mismatched parts, clashing paint jobs, un-sanded wood and likely a few uneven edges. We still expect it to be safely made and to perform the function of rolling down a hill but we put all the rest into the category of growing pains.

When Janet Emig pointed out the difference between developmental errors and mistakes I felt the profoundness of the statement. First graders will not being double-checking verb tense consistencies but they will capitalize their sentences. Freshman in high school students are learning how to cite sources correctly but might still be very weak at paraphrasing citations accurately. We need to be fair on what we hold our students accountable for and what are still new ideas or not yet presented ideas for our students. We need to be more aware of what is known for mastery and what is measured for growth.

What’s Right with Writing
By: Linda Rief

I look forward to the writing being built up in me. But more than a writer, I am a teacher and so this class is primarily a way for me to infuse writing into the work I do everyday. I want to create an infectious environment for writing in my classroom. These articles have been very helpful and informative but there is a piece missing that is essential in the community I work. Relationship.

My kiddos are not fighting to make their mark on the world. They don’t necessarily want to achieve wealth, fame or even enormous success in a career field. They want relationships. They value relationships and the community they live in holds tight to relationships. Many of my students would willingly give up their right arm to make sure they never lose that relationship and too often education is that arm. (This is not to suggest the community desires low aspirations for the kiddos--quite the opposite is true.)

This understanding has spurred on the idea that when I provide writing for my students, the end result needs to be relational.

“learning how to be memoirists, poets, essayists, journalists, playwrights, activists, speechwriters, novelists, critics, scientists, historians…” Linda Rief

This quote inspires me to want to achieve great things. To move mountains and land on the moon but these ideas will likely not be much to my kiddos. But that does not mean I want it lost for them.

The process of this reflection has brought me to the idea that most of the publishing that happens in my class needs to have a local connect. Letters to the editor on important topics, pen-pals, newspaper articles related to school or perhaps tribal events, poems that reflect change students want to see or change they hope never happens, stories that bring the outside world in connection to the small community my kids live in. These ideas and more are near enough for my students to embrace.

I want to take the concepts that Linda Rief offers and make them local and tangible to my students. If they can connect to these writing pursuits on a nearby level then they can always take a step further and eventually be a global writer.

Weave

My fabric is woven from threads
Cut, spun and dyed
With the colors of a multi-national upbringing

My memory craves the tastes of
Croqueta, eel and sometimes olleyballe,
Saved for the days that mark great transitions and small celebrations

December brings thrills of excitement as I wait
For the packages signed From Santa in my dad’s scrawl
And gifts from Sinter Klaus penned just like mother’s

Long plane rides and short visits
Words not recognizable and still so familiar
Dutch and American differences that make me neither the norm here or there

Loud days fighting, quite nights brooding
Arguments, often and over nothing
Expectations, silent, for me to be something

Ravines widen and deepen
Emotions become scarred---hidden
Fractures, many, many fractures

Loss of control, need for control, self-control, found control
Less food, less sleep, less self
Less and less controlled achieved

Finally, the smell of smoke
A warning of a fire of self
An awareness of the future cost to be extracted

Bandaids, ointment, friendships
Praying, crying
Hurting out-loud and learning to heal out-loud

New sprouts, green life
Remembering Sinter Klaus
Talking, sharing, baking foreign treats

My life rests on the loom
Pulled taut—made strong
New patterns merging with the old

James Moffett--Using Ice to Explain Vapor

"These four stages of discourse--inner verbalization, outer vocalization, correspondence and formal writing..." James Moffett


Four mile markers on the highway of where written work and focused thoughts merge. Four towers to climb and gain a varied vantage point from the same subject matter. Four recipes using the same ingredients, although perhaps with different measurements.

As a teacher who not only teaches writing as a creative outlet but also as a fundamental academic skill, I am very careful to only take in new knowledge that will help me become a better facilitator of the writing process to my students. I reviewed this particular article and this particular expert with a touch of criticism and skepticism as his words flowed past me much like an untouchable wind. Practical is vital for me and tangible is invaluable.

It took reading most of the article until I bought into some key concepts that I felt could translate into a new academic knowledge. I started to cling to the pieces of an idea that writing follows a logical mental process. That this process from concrete to abstract is fluid but not native to learning. That allowing students to manipulate their thoughts first in the brain and then play "catch" with those thoughts, I could help them make the abstractness of idea a little more tangible. That with continued focus, well crafted lessons and practice, my students could begin to see the morning breakfast (or any event) from varied perspectives and that eventually they could even use the morning breakfast as an abstract to portray other ideas.

There was so much to masticate in this article but for a season I want to focus on the idea that concrete can develop to abstract and that there are ways to help students become fluent in this skill.