First I have a question that I'm really curious about- how do teachers spend time writing while their students write if they are supposed to conference with students during the writer's workshop?
A strong teacher presence in the classroom really helps with class management. I see that in my field placement. Also having materials for students to use is important so students feel they can help themselves and be responsible. My mentor teacher teaches the students a lot about using their resources. Students readily get dictionaries and use the word wall. My classroom is low on space because we are in a "learning cottage" but students all stay at their seats. I like Katie's idea about transitions even happening without the teacher but think that might need to be the teacher's responsibility or even use a timer so a student is not distracted by keeping the time. I liked when Katie said "The best way to manage 'distractions' in the writing workshop is to have plenty of 'attractions' for the students as writers." This is true and will help keep students focused during writing workshop. I had never thought about the creativity that various papers will bring, such as shaped paper and stationary or bordered paper.
One aspect of my own classroom that I am excited to create is a reading/writing corner. I have always wanted to create a comfortable area for students will comfortable pillows and chairs for reading and it can be an option for writing too. I have an idea to make it look like a jungle in the amazon. I also plan to have influences from around the world in my classroom, from trips that I have taken and cultures of my students.
I am definitely one of those teachers who like control and will want to be sure everyone is on task. I really like what Katie says about the environment during writer's workshop and forewarning me that it will feel "out of my control." I liked that she reminded me that it is NOT the behavior that is out of control, but the students' different writing decisions. No teacher wants their classroom behavior to be out of control.
I love the idea of getting students to publish regularly. The type of "workshop" I am seeing drives students to "publish" meaning 'turn in your final draft that has been edited by a teacher' by Friday or you finish during recess. I partially think this method is helping because fewer and fewer students have to finish during recess. The problem with this "workshop" is that the students do not get to write about anything. They get some choice, like who to write about for their special person OR during the "how to" week they chose a topic, but they have to use a certain format. We are trying to teach them how to write paragraphs and use details in each paragraph. The students want to write one sentence per paragraph.
I love what Katie thinks about deadlines and giving them to students. I agree that students need to feel a little pressure to get their piece publish. Even as a adult I need a deadline. If a teacher gives me a future assignment with no deadline I am not going to hardly start the assignment until I am given a deadline. And sometimes I wait until close to the deadline on purpose so I feel the pressure to get it done. So I think giving students a calendar with deadlines will be beneficial in the writing workshop.
On another note, I had the opportunity last week to write while my students wrote. The next day I shared my draft with the class and took their comments. I think they liked hearing what I wrote and knowing the value of writing and YES I even write as a teacher. It was good!

Happy Valentine's DAY!!

As a side note, I have LOVED this Valentine's Day. My husband gave me special surprises all day long and we are about to go have dinner at a new restaurant that HE made reservations at. YAY!!

Conferencing, Share Time and Assessment

These chapters interested me the most because I have seen conferencing and share time in my classroom to some extent. One of the very first days of being in my second grade classroom I was conferencing with students and have continued almost every day I have gone. The type of conferencing I do is a little different than Ray's model. I don't really talk a lot to students about their writing, but sometimes I do. A couple of boys have written about computer games or video games that I have never heard of so we have talked about that. Also some girls have written "how to" papers on baking and I make connections with them because I enjoy baking. I was shocked by one girl's paper that was so detailed it was like she copied from a recipe book. I really liked Ray's idea to make a chart to keep a record of each conference. It can get confusing to know who you have and have not conferenced with. The teacher going around to each student and being in close proximity to the class helps students stay focused.
I liked the four different types of share time that Ray discusses. The type of share time I have seen was when a student read her finished piece aloud and students made comments about what was good and where she could improve. Ray mentions this is not the best way to do it and I would agree. If you want students to read finished work that is fine, but don't critique in front of the whole class. Perhaps critique in small groups.
My favorite point that Ray made about assessments was that most of us don't waste time asking questions we already know the answers to. This is REALLY enlighening idea to me because if you really think about that as a teacher it changes how and why you ask questions. The questions of history, action, and process are all good ideas for ways to help students improve as writers. It is good to remember why and what you are assessing students for and what this teaches them.

http://www.piclits.com/viewpoem.aspx?PoemId=82562

Ray's Ch. 9, 10, and 13

Let me begin by saying how crazy this past week and weekend has been. I have had so much going on. My field placement is awesome in second grade. It ties really well with this writing class because we have been learning about the writing process. The students have been taking pieces from prewriting through publishing. These chapters were helpful to me because they gave practical advice about what to do when teaching writers workshop. I haven't totally decided if my mentor teacher does writers workshop or not because there is not a lot of student choice involved.

It was great to read about all the preparations to begin to teach. I liked Katie's point that in a writers workshop you actually teach the entire time. A short time is whole class instruction but the remaining time you are giving one on one instruction. Many students learn best when they have the teacher focusing on them and I have seen this happen in my classroom. Students stay on task and ask more detailed questions if the teacher is sitting beside him or her. One of my favorite points Katie makes is when she asks "If I locked my students in my classroom and stood outside the door, what could they learn about writing without me being in there?" This is a great self check as a teacher to evaluate how effective your environment is. Something else new I learned was about the homework strategy with writing. Having students make a "toolbox" with a writer's notebook can be very helpful in writing. Students essentially create their own curriculum with the information they gather from everyday life and record in their notebook. Incorporating research skills such as interviews and surveys into students' everyday lives will help their creativity in writing flow.

Building students' understanding of writers will help them know more about what they are doing. I liked Katie's connections to the notebook like a painter's palette and learning to read like a seamstress visiting a dress shop. Kids know more about the real world than teachers often think, so the more connections made to real life the better.

I agree with Katie that I want my students to be interested in their work. I like that focus lessons shouldn't have to grab students attention because their attention should already be grabbed by what they are working on in writers workshop. The teacher centered approach to the focus lesson sounds like it is a good strategy to keep it brief and let students know the expectation. I also like  ending the lesson with a "reader's digest" version. This helps students know exactly what they just heard in a nutshell.

Katie Wood Ray's book

I have enjoyed reading Ray's book so far. This book offers good practical advice and ideas about writing workshops. Towards the beginning of her book she says "Each student is able to bring his or her particular interests to the workshop and explore these interests through writing." This concept is so important in school, particularly in writing. Who would want to do something they do not like? What if you had a eat asparagus every day and you hate asparagus? Why would students want to come to school and write everyday about a topic they don't like or are not good at? Giving students choice is the first step to developing writers.
Another key point that Ray makes and I agree with is that "writing is something that you do, not something that you know." She goes on to talk about being a person that writes and being a teacher that writes, not just a writing teacher. What is the definition of "being a writer"? This is an idea she discusses in the book. To "be a writer" do you have to be a professional? Some people consider themselves readers but people do not often call themselves writers. Just because a woman cooks dinner every night for her family she may not refer to herself as a cook. After helping students find their identity in writing they can begin to find what works best for them. Do they write well in short or long periods of time? The more students write, the more they can figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
The tone of teaching is something else Ray discusses in her book and that I have already observed in the field. Ray defines this as "the sum total of the presentation of teaching." This includes all the things teachers do in the classroom to create the atmosphere. My mentor teacher is fun and lets the students have fun. She has energy and allows the students to use their energy in the classroom. She is enthusiastic and the students are equally as enthusiastic. The tone of teaching plays huge roles in the classroom and the quality of the students work. If students are given opportunities to write and they see the teacher writing and the teacher has good tone, then the students are more likely going to write better.

My first blog

I'm new to this blogging idea but think it will be fun. Today was my first day in my field placement this semester. I am in a second grade classroom with an awesome teacher. She let me jump right in and start helping. I got to work with a small group of ESOL students and had a blast. I also answered questions students had during independent work time. I plan to interview a student that I will work with throughout the semester tomorrow and I'm excited to go back for more fun!