I agree with Andrea that students need to learn how to write essays
first. My 4th grade students don't want to write, so when I asked them
to write a personal narrative, most of the students really enjoyed the
writing assignment. It was something they could relate to and they
couldn't wait to tell me their stories.
Just another idea....
Ann
On Jan 19, 2009, at 11:04 AM, Andrea Jenkins wrote:
I remind myself all the time that writing instruction is not about
content
as much as it is about craft. It seems silly to give a 10 year old a
brand
new topic to research, grapple with the new information, then write
a formal
essay, of which they've never been taught HOW to write an essay.
Instead, teach essay writing apart from research (in the beginning).
This
way, the focus is on the craft of essay writing, not on the
weightiness of
the new content. Teachers College RWP suggests using Personal Essays
as the
essay unit, and this makes so much sense to me as a 4th grade
teacher. I can
teach students how to craft a thesis, structure their writing, make it
meaning, etc without them scouring the internet for facts to plug in.
Once students understand essays, then weave in the content piece by
having
them write a research essay.
For what it's worth...
Andrea
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
[email protected]
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 7:21 PM
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies EmailGroup
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] workshop
Thank you, Renee, for your ideas.
I noticed that in writers workshop in all the classes I visited
students
were writing about themselves, which is all they seem to do in all
three
years at the middle school I visited.
I'd like my students to be able to write a research paper. I guess
that if
there are not any hard and fast rules, then I can use the workshop
format to
teach a research paper. That's good news for me.
Jan
------------- Original message from Renee <[email protected]>:
-------------
Hello Jan,
I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about readers' and
writers' workshops, especially regarding when they should start or
which should go first. There are so many ways to run these workshops,
and so many ways to implement them, that these answers really
depend on
the students involved.
Speaking only for myself, I can say that readers' and writers'
workshops have looked differently in my classroom in different years
and with different grade levels. What I think works is for a
teacher to
decide on the goals and then just give it a try.
Having said all that, I can also say that what has worked for me in
the
past is to try to keep it as simple as possible, to make sure that I
build independent work skills into the students, and be willing to
change the structure if it isn't working in some way.
:-)
Renee
On Jan 17, 2009, at 5:53 PM, [email protected] wrote:
I am some more questions about workshop. They are all related. I
should probably add that I teach middle school.
Is it necessary to start writing workshop years before a school
starts
reading workshop? Does it matter which goes first? Can teachers
start both in the same year?
Is it necessary to have workshop during the majority of class time?
Thanks for letting me know what has worked for you.
Jan
"When you learn, teach. When you get, give."
~ Maya Angelou
_______________________________________________
Mosaic mailing list
[email protected]
To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org
.
Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
_______________________________________________
Mosaic mailing list
[email protected]
To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org
.
Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
_______________________________________________
Mosaic mailing list
[email protected]
To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
