This is another chapter that I should have read a long time ago. Before I barely started reading the chapter I found myself being the person they were writing about. I am a teacher that works on "skills" more than on the meaning of writing.
I like the quote, "Voiceless writing is like soup with no seasoning." (147) All writing has voice, but does the voice actually speak to you is the question. I realized that my writing does not always sound like me, but it has voice. I remember writing a paper in high school that had a lot of voice. It was my personal strong feelings about organ donation. Now not everyone agreed with the details from my paper, but they had the facts to see where I was coming from.
The chapter mentions mini lessons and successful ways to use them in the classroom. I think I am going to try and use more mini lessons than actual full lessons. Not everyone needs every one of them. I also think it is important for teachers to assist their students in revising, editing, and rewriting. I like the idea of limiting the use of dictionaries and thesauruses. I know my kids struggle with spelling, but that is something I help them with when I meet with them.
Jacinda,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about this chapter speaking to you. I found myself a bit overwhelmed reading this chapter and trying to digest everything that it was saying.
I like how positive you are about using the techniques and strategies the author offers and wanting to become a better writing teacher. I find it so difficult to teach writing because I know how to write but transferring that knowledge to students is difficult.
I am going to use more mini-lessons in my classroom as well because I think that I can teach more and allow the students more time to write because the lessons are targeted for the needs of the students.