Chapter 1
One of the most influential writing experiences I have experienced was in ninth grade when asked to write about an unstoppable force. I waited until the night before it was due and ended up writing about my family's blue minivan that would not die even after the electrical locks went out, the sliding door jammed, the brakes squealed, the oil leaked, and eventually the only gear the van would operate in was reverse. I filled the essay with stories of embarrassing moments my family had experienced due to the minivan and explained that my mom refused to get a new car until the old one died. I was pretty sure that was stretching the topic out of the box, but I was desperate and did not want a zero. My teacher did not give me a "good" grade, but her comments were valuable. She wrote a note at the top of my paper that explained that my paper had a voice and that it sounded like me. She wrote that I had a good sense of humor in writing and that I depicted great images. However, with the slightly off topic subject choice and the excessive (her words) grammatical errors, no one would pay attention to my voice. My teacher encouraged me to start earlier and put forth my best effort to see what I could really do. Her words of wisdom stayed with me, not just in writing, but in life experiences. No one would be able to hear my voice if I was clouding it with ignorance. I try to listen as I read my students' papers and not get caught up in the technicalities. I want to identify their strengths and help them understand the value in the editing process so they can be heard.
Chapter 2
The phrase, "focus on patterns that connect rather than rules that correct," resonated with me as I started thinking about the way I teach editing. I want to focus on not only using model sentences and evaluating the purpose of punctuation, but also finding the places where they have tried to implement the use of punctuation or mechanics in their own papers. I do a few exercises on titled "The Power of Punctuation" that gives the students a story with no punctuation or capitals and we explore all of the ways to give the story meaning by adding in those elements. I need to pull more good writing for them to evaluate and question.
Chapter 3
The invitation to celebrate is one I hope to implement more. I like the idea of celebrating the little things. I definitely think keeping an overall positive connotation with writing and editing is beneficial to the progress of the students. The invitation to notice is also a key step that I want to spend time on this year. Helping the students ask important questions of the text I think will carry over to asking questions of their own writing.
One of the most influential writing experiences I have experienced was in ninth grade when asked to write about an unstoppable force. I waited until the night before it was due and ended up writing about my family's blue minivan that would not die even after the electrical locks went out, the sliding door jammed, the brakes squealed, the oil leaked, and eventually the only gear the van would operate in was reverse. I filled the essay with stories of embarrassing moments my family had experienced due to the minivan and explained that my mom refused to get a new car until the old one died. I was pretty sure that was stretching the topic out of the box, but I was desperate and did not want a zero. My teacher did not give me a "good" grade, but her comments were valuable. She wrote a note at the top of my paper that explained that my paper had a voice and that it sounded like me. She wrote that I had a good sense of humor in writing and that I depicted great images. However, with the slightly off topic subject choice and the excessive (her words) grammatical errors, no one would pay attention to my voice. My teacher encouraged me to start earlier and put forth my best effort to see what I could really do. Her words of wisdom stayed with me, not just in writing, but in life experiences. No one would be able to hear my voice if I was clouding it with ignorance. I try to listen as I read my students' papers and not get caught up in the technicalities. I want to identify their strengths and help them understand the value in the editing process so they can be heard.
Chapter 2
The phrase, "focus on patterns that connect rather than rules that correct," resonated with me as I started thinking about the way I teach editing. I want to focus on not only using model sentences and evaluating the purpose of punctuation, but also finding the places where they have tried to implement the use of punctuation or mechanics in their own papers. I do a few exercises on titled "The Power of Punctuation" that gives the students a story with no punctuation or capitals and we explore all of the ways to give the story meaning by adding in those elements. I need to pull more good writing for them to evaluate and question.
Chapter 3
The invitation to celebrate is one I hope to implement more. I like the idea of celebrating the little things. I definitely think keeping an overall positive connotation with writing and editing is beneficial to the progress of the students. The invitation to notice is also a key step that I want to spend time on this year. Helping the students ask important questions of the text I think will carry over to asking questions of their own writing.
Celebrating students' success is something that I need to focus on more, too. I think this will help them feel more confident with their writing, and, in turn, enjoy it more.
ReplyDeleteYes, changing my focus to positive reinforcement will help me stop my compulsion to mark up their papers. Ha!
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