This lesson used in a 2nd grade classroom is a perfect example of a
class working together, creating individual ideas, and sharing writing.
I loved how the teacher starts the lesson by reading a book to her
students. They work together to analyze the words used in the
literature and learn how describing words help to make the story more
interesting. The students then break off to write individually while the
teacher passes through the room to help when needed or edit along the
way. At the end the students get to stand in front of the class and
share their piece.
What is so great about the Writing Workshop is the success and
encouragement the children each feel by being excited to write about
their own individual topics. Most of the points in the Workshop support
Routman's ideas of essential writing techniques and the children all
seem genuinely engaged and excited about the lesson and their own
writing. Celebrating and encouraging the children is such an important
aspect of teaching writing. If they only learn that turning in writing
assignments means getting back papers full of read marks and
corrections, they are going to be less likely to enjoy the writing
process. Generating a passion for reading and writing at a young age
will help the students feel confident and proud of their work as
they progress through the years.
For more information on this specific video or program, visit
www.readingrockets.org.
I really enjoyed this video, “Writer’s Workshop,” and to see how engaged and interested the children were in writing. This video made key points that Routman made in her book about the essential writing techniques of planning, drafting, revising, auditing, peer discussion, and sharing. I was really impressed with the childrens’ understanding of writing and their use of “language and sophisticated words.” This video also showed me that writing could be fun and can come in many forms such as the poems the children wrote and shared with the class. I think that it is very helpful and crucial to keep writing fun and the importance of making sure writing is meaningful and not just correct. In class, we talked about celebrating writing by ensuring that all students hear stories and to use the stories as a springboard for teaching and learning like the teacher did in the video. Another interesting point that was made was that reading and writing go hand in hand and that research has shown that students who were better readers, were better writers.
ReplyDeleteThis video was amazing. Having a writer's workshop in a classroom can be so beneficial to not only the students, but the teacher as well. In her classroom, the second grade teacher did not underestimate her students abilities at all. She made sure that she could give every single student a chance to express his or her ideas in their own creative way while still giving them some sort of struture for the assignment. Just like Routman explained. It is best to let the students be able to form and build their own ideas with the teachers GUIDED help. I also agree with Kristen that writing should be celebrated in a classroom. When the teacher in the video let her students read their poems out loud to each other, it gave them confidence as well as helped them to celebrate their writing and the writing of their peers. Expressing writing in the classroom can turn a writing workshop into a fun activity that students will enjoy and want to continue doing over and over again.
ReplyDeleteThis writer’s workshop is beneficial in the classroom. The skills that the students need to gain are embedded into the lesson. The students do not even realize that they are completing the steps and gaining the skills necessary to be a confident writer. Including literature in writing workshops gives the students examples of great stories and topics. Sharing stories help enrich the children's vocabulary and creativity. I liked how the students were able to disperse and write where ever they liked within the classroom while the teacher monitored and walked around to hear what they were writing about. In return, the students were revising their own papers at the same time catching their own errors. Then the teacher pulled the students back together to discuss editing tips instead of telling them up front to make sure to include certain elements into their writing. As a result, there is a lot less stress on the students and they ultimately realize that writing can be fun. This example goes to show that younger students can understand and appreciate writing if given the opportunity to do so.
ReplyDeleteI found this video to be very useful. I was surprised how well brainstorming out loud helped the children write a story easily. I would have expected the students to become distracted and talk about things that were not relevant to what they were going to write about. Instead, they were focused and produced well written poems. It convinced me not to underestimate a child’s ability, no matter how young they may be. Noticing the teacher in the video go up to the pairs of students while they were revising also gave me a great insight. She was not quick to harshly correct their poems but rather gave them positive and useful feedback. This video definitely reiterated the things Routman explained when talking about the "Essential writing life" and "Sharing your writing life." Obviously the teachers techniques were legitimate since the students were confident in their work and were able to share their written work comfortably with their classmates.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else hate it when they spend 15 minutes writing and editing a comment just to hit backspace on accident and erase your work? Anyway, the main thing that stood out to me in the Writing Workshop was how much it modeled the optimal learning model that Routman outlined. When Lynn Reichle taught the workshop, her lesson included demonstration, guided practice, independent practice, and most importantly, celebration. While Lynn only worked with individual students for short periods of time, the partner and individual review seemed to be effective considering the final product that the students presented. I think it is important to emphasize the importance in celebrating writing, seeing as it is the goal of all educators to make writing enjoyable. Needless to say, it is impossible to imitate this feeling of celebration without first going through the required steps outlined by Routman. This doesn't mean that shared demonstration and guided practice can't be just as fun as the celebration itself. As shown in the video, even during the often repetitive routine of editing students can find joy in correcting their work; not only to demonstrate their ability to notice errors and make corrections, but also to improve their final product.
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed with the poems that these students came up with. Most of all I was impressed with the vocabulary these young students have already developed. It is a great idea that the teacher when doing a read aloud asks students to think and share of synonyms. Not only will the student identify a word that is similar, but the pictures in the book and the group participation will reinforce their learning. The teacher also taught the children how to be descriptive in their poems, which is one of the key components of a good and engaging writer. In addition, the peer editing goes very smoothly in her class, and as we discussed in our class, it is never too early to start peer editing. At any age, students will benefit from listening and sharing with others. Furthermore, reading and writing intertwine and students will benefit more from the lesson. Poetry, and creative poetry lessons, are less and less emphasized in many schools, and it is great that the students are so enthusiastic about writing poems and each one is so unique and descriptive. As Routman discusses in chapter two, teachers should show students that writing can be enjoyed based on writing with an objective for a reader or for themselves (Routman, 21). In the writer’s workshop “real writing” is a key component that the 2nd grade teacher captures with her students. I noticed how comfortable the environment was for the students. The students did not have to sit in a hard wooden desk or plastic chair, they were able to curl up in a corner or lay across the floor, therefore the students could be comfortable writing. In addition, the teacher played music in the background (animal music), the music was unique and soothing allowing students to be an atmosphere other than the classroom while writing. Lastly, positive feedback from the teacher during peer editing clearly benefits the students and helps them stay motivated to write and comfortable sharing their poems.
ReplyDeleteThis video was amazing for me to watch. I want to teach second grade but I have not worked that much with students at any level. Watching this video really opened my eyes up to how much my students will actually be capable of. I never really though of myself as a writing teacher, but in these past few classes and this video, I have already started to see how important it is for me to show my students how much fun and how important it is to know how to write and feel comfortable while doing it.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is absolutely imperative that students feel comfortable with writing at a young age in order to succeed in both school and life. Without that feeling, students will struggle in every class they ever take and they will not be as strong individuals because of their lack of self esteem. I can’s wait to get into the classroom and help my students understand that no matter who they are, they are smart, successful students, writers, readers, and contributions to society.
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ReplyDeleteI think this Writing Workshop is a fantastic idea. This system really gets the students engaged. They are able to work on their own writing, while obtaining help from the teacher, if needed, and then when their piece is completed they exchange with a partner. As a result of exchanging with a partner, students are able to receive instant feedback. This feedback probably holds a lot of value for students because it is coming from their peers. This is an excellent way to get the students’ work revised before it is turned into the teacher for a grade. This method provides a way to actually get students to revise their work because some may not do it otherwise. This process will only improve the students’ writing. The fact that the teacher is also walking around during this time is beneficial because she is there for any questions that the students have during the revision process.
ReplyDeleteAllowing the students to read their work aloud and be acknowledged for their hard work and creativity is also important, especially at this age. They can see that their hard work has paid off and they may want to continue writing for their enjoyment, not just because it is an assignment. Through this entire process, the students discover that writing can be fun and will probably feel more comfortable with the writing process as a result.
I am inspired by this video. I remember as a child, I had a teacher who required us to do a project about poetry. She told us to write certain poems based upon models that we had been studying. I created a Haiku, an alphabet poem, and others. When I was finished, I was so proud of those poems but my teacher had many negative things to say about the work I had done. The poems were not grammatically correct, the spelling was wrong, one poem had too many syllables. Instead of giving me positive feedback, my teacher made me feel badly about the hard work I had invested. This video gives me hope for students. I love how the teacher was supportive of the students’ work and allowed them to have creative freedom but gave them ideas of how to write more profoundly. The combination of direction and creative freedom is very important. This way, the students feel a sense of independent accomplishment while also learning through the process of writing.
ReplyDeleteI really like this video a lot! It shows how fun writing can be. It is important that no matter our experience growing up if we grew up liking writing or didn't,as future teachers I think it is important to make writing a fun experience for the students we are bound to have. I really like what this video had to say and I really like what our textbook has to say also. I think having students get into groups is a great idea. But what I like the best is having them generate ideas off each other. Then after they write they go through the editing process together. Editing can be horrible, but it is important to make it fun in the classroom. I am still wondering how to do this. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteThe Writing Workshop Lynn Reichle set up in her classroom is an amazing model for any teacher struggling with implementing the joy of writing into their students. I remember how frustrating it can be to first start expressing yourself on a page. Reichle shows us that writing is a process that must be worked through multiple times with revisions and talking yourself through the process of word choice and syntax, as teachers we need to facilitate this process—concepts that were echoed by Routman’s text. What I loved most about the Writing Workshop was that it created a perfect atmosphere for Constructivist learning. A paradigm that allows students the opportunity, through the encouragement of the teacher, to learn through making mistakes and to take an active role in learning, fostering not on their newly discovered creativity but the ability to think critically for themselves.
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ReplyDeleteI LOVED this video. I do not recall ever doing anything like this in elementary school, but I wish we did. I would have enjoyed this more than the typical boring assigments we were given. I was never a strong writer myself, so it really stood out that Lynn Reichle was very supportive and encouraging. I feel that is one of the most important things a teacher can do for his or her students. Even a little encouragement can go a long way and inpsire a student.
ReplyDeleteThe workshop modeled the Optimal Learning Model that Routman discusses in her book. It was structured, but not boring. Although it was structured, it did allow for some freedom as they were allowed to write on the topic of their choice. The students were engaged with the activity and it seemed like that had fun with it. From what I heard, the poems came out great. The Writing Workshop was an obvious success. The student's work was very impressive!
I think that writing everyday in class is a wonderful idea. If expectations are raised for what students are capable of doing, they should be encouraged to meet this higher and broader goals. Moreover, when expectations are not met, students must not be scolded or told that they have failed, but rather even more encouraged to do better. Whether that means a little more time with individual students after school or notifying parents that students may need a little more practice at home, we, as educators should always believe that our students are capable of doing more.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we should set similar goals and expectations for all of our students. Standards should not be lowered because of socioeconomic backgrounds of students. All students are capable of similar feats if given the encouragement to perform at higher levels of learning performance.
Writing is a great way for students to be able to express their own personal goals as well. Journaling can help students write down what they want to achieve and reference back to that journaling when they need encouragement down the road. It can be used for a variety of goals inside and outside the classroom.
This video absolutely blew my mind. I would have never guessed this was a second grade class. You could tell these students had confidence in their writing and that’s amazing to see at such a young age. The way that this workshop was created provided clear, easy, and basic steps for the kids to follow to improve their writing as well as their editing and revision skills. I agree that writing should be celebrated and this video and workshop showed children doing just that. I felt that while I was growing up, writing wasn’t stressed or felt to be important. I have always struggled because I didn’t see the importance. This class activity has everything that will help students further their growing in writing. This is a great tool that can be used in any classroom at any grade level. I am sure I will be using something very similar in my classroom once I become a teacher.
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