I know there are no perfect teachers out there, but it seems like any time I take a professional development class or meet with other content teachers, I feel as though I am doing everything wrong. I don't know if it is because I was originally a social studies teacher and all the units built upon the next in chronological order, but I struggle with the details of planning units. With social studies, I knew specifically what I was to cover for each unit. Now as a reading and language arts teacher I have a hard time "seeing" units; they don't build from one to the next, and I feel there is an enormous amount to cover, and I cannot seem to figure out what items/skills fit with which unit.
These struggles all go back to the new writing requirement. I struggle with what I should teach first. Is it introductions, since majority of writing has some form of introduction? Or should I teach prewriting strategies and detailing through the writing process? Or should I just show my students how I start my writing? I know there is no "right" answer, which is probably why I struggle with this so much; there really are no guidelines to follow when teaching writing at the middle school level.
Not only is teaching writing a struggle for me, but writing in general is a struggle for many of my students. On a daily basis I have students ask, "Why do we have to do this?" It is usually asked when we are doing some sort of writing activity. It has become a goal of mine to start showing my students more real life examples of writing to give them a better understanding of the purpose of why we write so much. I will admit that I have told the students that it is important to learn how to write, especially if they are planning on going to college; it does not matter if you plan to be a doctor or an engineer, you will be required to do some form of writing. However, I have to remind myself that not every student will go to college, and therefore, I need to find more examples in which students can relate.
With this in mind, I have been trying to find more real life examples for my students to see. When we were discussing letter writing, I showed my students my cover letter that I had written when I applied for my teaching position. It was an opportunity for me to teach the format of a business letter, and also reflect with my students on parts that I should revise. I told my students how it was a struggle for me to get started on this letter because I did not know where to start, and had never written a cover letter before. We discussed why it is easier to write something after you have written it a few times, and I pointed out that that is the reason why I ask them to write more than one draft; it gets easier and you think of new ideas.
I know that I may never make writing a breeze for every student, but I do know that I can never help a student too much by trying new strategies and providing every day examples. Like with writing, teaching gets easier after a few years of reflecting and making adjustments
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteYou are not the only one that doesn't feel comfortable teaching writing. It seems like every class I have been it, every teacher does it different. I know that I have to find out what works best for me but have struggled the last couple years. I have always been reluctant in teaching writing until I got Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop program this last year. This program gave me step by step lesson plans and how to create the best writers! It was amazing to see the progress my children made last year.
Oh good, figured out how to get a comment on here. I love hearing about your writing experiences with your students, and wonder what grade you teach. It sounds like you have really grown with them, and i find that very encouraging since this fall is going to be a whole new ballgame for me. I am going from 3rd grade to 7th grade language arts, and Writing Workshop is something I definitely want to implement with my students. I think modeling and thinking aloud as you write is essential. It's just something many of your students have never witnessed before, so of course they don't know where to start. I loved hearing how you are using the Elmo to model your own writing and share samples of college work and that of previous students. This is terrific for your students to see, both to grasp your expectations for them and to see that nobody's writing comes out perfect on the first draft. I think we can't explain that enough! I always told my third graders that J.K. Rowling did not sit down and write a Harry Potter book straight through from beginning to end, but would change things, figure out connections and repercussions, and check for consistency and sequencing, etc. I think it takes a lot of examples and discussion for the kids to "get" that writing is a process.
ReplyDeleteAshlay Parker
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. I believe a lot of teachers are confused on where to start on writing. I appreciate that you can talk with us about your struggles as weill as give us some insight on what does actual work with your students. BY the way I love your graphic. If you have time look into the Kathy Robinson writing program. Our 4th grade teachers have had great success using her works.