一本道

Takeaways:

1. Each student writes differently and has different needs as they write. It is important that students talk through their writing and each student has a different timeline for when they need to talk. It is crucial that we allow students to discuss their writing when it is meaningful to them. 

2. We can give students choice when it comes to their writing topic, but we should support them in determining how to select a topic that is meaningful tot hem. 

3. As teachers it is important for us to conintue to educate or re-educate ourselves in the best writing practices so that we are continuously giving our students the most impactful writing experiences.

Goals:

1. I have a goal to continue to always educate myself and grow as a writer and teacher so that I am able to convey a passion for writing to my students.

2. I would like to give my students more choice within their writing, but in a way that they feel confident in how to select an important topic for themselves as writers. 

Aspect: 

1. I hope to convey to my students that all writers need experience and that each piece of writing they complete is a part of their experience as writers.

Takeaways

• Let students decide their writing topics because that will allow them to write with passion and experience that they encountered for that writing.
• Allow students to write, write, write. Give them time to write and that will help them develop those ideas that are deep in their thoughts.
• Create high expectations and safety during writing workshop to send a message to students that they must do it, but that whatever they write is great if they put in the effort and make it their own.

Goals

• Help struggling writers create that confidence that will allow them to become comfortable and confident with their work.
• Produce a writing workshop that has high expectations and effort. I want to make writing workshop be a time where students feel confident that they are producing great work. They strive to work hard and create writing that they are proud of and want to share to get better.

Aspect:  I want the students to understand that they have freedom and trust when they write. The underlying expectation that I will let them write about whatever they want, and they will give effort and accept that freedom to help them grow as writers.

3 Take A Ways

1. There is a big difference between writing workshop and writing process
2. With writing workshop teachers know that the quality of work will not be present if students can not find things to write about in which they will fully engaged.
3. Nonfiction writing is not necessarily about the topic but rather things like voice, structure, and the research that takes places

2 Goals

1. I want my students to thoroughly enjoy writing time and know that the writing they do is their choice and not mine. I am there to give them strategies and help guide them but when it comes down to it they are the decision makers when it comes to their writing pieces.
2. As a writing teacher, I want to give my students more purposes in their writing and provide them a chance to share their writing with a larger audience. For example, I had a student who wrote a letter to the school board about getting lights at the high school stadium.

1  Aspect

1. I want my students to know that writing is great but very good writing can be used as a powerful tool.

3 takeaways

Writer’s Workshop allows for students to enjoy writing and therefore develop their craft at age appropriate levels.

Writer’s workshop looks very different from what we grew up with. Students are invited to do all different kinds of things in order to encourage their writing.

Even though there is talking in the classroom there is a lot of structure and a writer’s workshop is highly managed.

2 goals

I want to invite students to do the items listed in this article- talking, nodding, chatting, drawing, day dreaming and more. I just need to figure out how to structure it in order to ensure that students are completing their work and feeling safe.

Have students feel confident in writing by the end of the year. I want them to feel like they have learned the skills needed to do any type of writing because they feel empowered by their foundational writing skills.

1 aspect I hope my students can understand

Writing is empowering, exciting and a skill we take with us always

3 TAKEAWAYS:

1: Students need to understand that "writing is this amazing, powerful tool you can use to rock the world!"

2: There is a difference between writer's workshop where students "use" the writing process and "doing" the writing process.

3: We can teach our students how to write without telling them what to write about.

2 GOALS:

1: As a music teacher, there is limited time where students are writing in my classroom. Occasionally, students will create their own lyrics to a song or compose something new, in which case this is all relevant. One goal that I have is related to topic choice. The article talks about allowing students to choose their own topics as well as providing prompts for students. A goal that I have for myself is to provide a balance of student choice and providing prompts when they are asked to create their own songs or need to write.

2: Another goal that I have is to compare the "writing process" to the "composing process" as I think there are many similarities. Even though we don't have a structured "writer's workshop" time, these these ideas are still relevant as composers use a process to find topics to write about and work throught the composing process.

1 ASPECT: In the music classroom, I hope that my students know that just as they can have a voice when they write it "writer's workshop", they can do the same when they write a song (or a new verse to a song, etc.). They can use music to express themselves too!

3 take aways:

1-In writer’s workshop students don’t do the writing process, they use the writing process to get other things done

2-Teachers don’t have the right to make decisions for students when it comes to their writing. “Writing is about having something to say, and it’s the writers right to decide what this will be.”

3-characteristics: choice, time, teaching, talking, focused study, publication rituals, high expectations and safety, and structured management

2 Goals:

1. Provide student with opportunities to write about topics that are personal and meaningful to them
2. Model “how to” so that students can come up with their own “what-they’ll-write-abouts”

1 Aspect that I hope my students will understand:

Writing is a powerful tool that will allow them to “rock the world!”

Takeaways:

1. I love how the article addressed the structure of the writing workshop. It can, at times, feel so overwhelming and rather unstructured when students are in such different spots in the writing process and writing about different topics, but once you have a system for managing that, it is the most structured workshop ever. No student can say “I’m done”, when they are simply moving to the next step in the writing process.
2. The article discussed the importance of students choosing their own topics to write about… this is so imperative! Students are much more likely to take ownership of their writing and put forth their best effort if they are interested in their writing.
3. The writing workshop still utilized the writing process, but shifts from the “write about this” mindset and moves towards a personalized learning approach where students are able to choose their topics and teacher instruction is based on whole-class and individual needs.

Goals:

1. Productive talk – I don’t think I utilize this enough in the classroom. Most notably, I use it for generating ideas and sharing published pieces (sometimes for peer conferences, but that’s still taking a lot of work and modeling in first grade..). I would love to have productive talk be a regular part of the writing workshop without me having to direct students to talk. Thus, they could turn and share or ask another’s opinion when they want. Perhaps, I could create a “talk table” where students could go to confer with a peer.
2. I would love to visit a colleague’s room during writing to gain some more ideas of how to structure and manage my writing workshop.

Aspect: This article discusses the importance of students sharing with one another and learning from one another. I often have students share their writing piece either with the whole class, with a partner, or I airserve it onto the smartboard. My goal for my students is that they appreciate the value of learning from one another. They can learn SO much be listening to the writing of a peer!

Takeaways:

1. I love how this article said that "it is the writer's right to decide what this will be, to decide what he or she wants to say." I strongly believe in writer's choice, and these words helped increase my belief in just how important this is. I always thought that writer's choice was a good thing, but I love how this article talked about it not only being good but actually being a student's right. The teacher does not have the right to decide what they write about.

2. This article also discussed the idea of productive talk. We don't think of talking when we think of writing, but this article talked about how writers need different forms of talk in order to help them become better writers. Our students need someone to listen to them read their writing, listen to their ideas, give feedback and encouragement, and more. I love that this article stressed the fact that not every student needs the same kind of talk.

3. My last takeaway from this article is that not every student's "best work" looks exactly the same. The author talked about how it is important to value every student's "best work" in order to create a safe environment for writing. Every student needs to be challenged to do their best work, but a struggling student's best work will look different than a gifted writers best work. I want to make sure I always recognize and value the best work of each of my students.

Goals:

1. One goal I have as a writing teacher is to develop ways for my kindergarten students to use their writing for a variety of real-world outcomes. I want to create real, meaningful ways for my students to use their writing in order to motivate them and show them that they can use writing for many real purposes. 

2. Another goal I have for myself as a writing teacher is to grow my knowledge base related to writing. I want to read books or articles and visit other classrooms in order to find ways to make my writing workshop even better for my students. I did not grow up learning to write using this model, so my experience is limited to what I saw teachers do during my student teaching and other placements I had. Growing my knowledge base will help me better meet the writing needs of my students.

Aspect: I want my students to understand that writing is a tool that they can use to do powerful and amazing things in the world! It is not simply a topic we cover in school but something they can use to make a difference. I think this concept will be inspiring and help motivate them to continually improve as writers.