This chapter, in my opinion, summarizes the importance of researching before doing. I feel like it provides a list of activities and options for teachers to use in their classrooms.
The most important point for me was integrate skills and focus on content. These are especially the two important things I will be come more conscience of during the upcoming school year. I plan on providing more opportunities to write and less focus on grammar skills. Please don't misunderstand me, I am going to work with my kids on grammar and spelling and all that goes with writing, but I want my kids to get their wonderful ideas down on paper.
The chapter explains the need for asking questions before adopting any program. Isn't that important in anything and everything in life. Why should writing programs be any different?
Cinda, I hope to do the same thing with my students. I would like to try to focus my grammar and spelling into different writing activities. There are definitely some great ideas that we can use (at any level) in our classroom. I think I will need to make some copies or take some of the templates and make them my own, and use them in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteJacinda, I would like to focus on the same thing for my class. I really liked the idea of having the students read to you what they are writing before you look at their paper. I know I tend to focus on the grammar and the errors then the actual content.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea of integrating the grammar work into the writing lessons, addressing things as they arise naturally in the writing. Kids listen and remember so much better that way, I think. And yes, having the students read the first draft to you is a much better approach than looking at their paper and get distracted by the errors when we need to focus on what the child has to say.
ReplyDeleteI think that you hit the nail on the head about integration. That is the hardest part about incorporating writing, I think. I know that it is definitely something with which I struggle. I am so glad that you see the importance of having kids get down their thoughts and then worry about the grammar and spelling. I really struggle with not trying to correct all of the mistakes in their paper. This book has really opened my eyes to all that writing can be.
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