I agree! However, both SS and Eng. compositions require higher level thinking, as students draw conclusions about characters in a book or people involved in historical events, or as students infer character motivations in literature, as well as Richard Nixon's motivations in history.
I get the impression that as we ask students to write, no matter the content, when we create environments that encourage risk-taking and when students know we genuinely want to know what they think, we will continue to be delighted and surprised with the sophisticated thoughts, opinions, and reasonings shared on paper. Often when I have my 5th grade kiddos write in SS, my goal is actually to help kids make sense of text and the world around them, using writing as the mode of learning. E. M. Forester (sp?) quoted..."How do I know what I think until I see what I've said?" Janet Emig's work, "The Composing Process of Twelfth Graders", revealed that all writing is to express, and this desire to express bifurcates into reflexive (What do I think of this experience?) or extensive (In light of my experience, how will I interact with the world?) writing. Perhaps in prewriting, as well as in the post-publishing self-evaluation process we should emphasize metacognition--Ever on the quest to get kids to internalize the "so-whatness" of information....Just random thoughts... "My heart is singing for joy this morning. A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil's mind, and behold, all things have changed." --Anne Sullivan Melinda Hawkins 5th Grade LA/SS McCulloch Intermediate School Highland Park ISD (214) 780-2325 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
