Writing in front of my students
As a kindergarten teacher I modeled all of my writing in front of my students. As a second grade teacher, showing the thinking work behind the transfer to the page has become very important. In this clip, I model visualization for my students, using my own writing. Ideally, I would want my students to see the entire process. While that is not possible in the classroom, I try to show the process as authentically as possible, focusing most of my time on showing my thoughts as I use particular strategies. In this clip, I also choose to reread my sample piece aloud to model this good practice in front of my students and to encourage them to do the same. I had made prior decisions about which passages I would write in front of the students (which may impact the authenticity) and which I would pre-write (to retain the focus on my thought process).
I then visualize 2 or 3 actions and stop again to show students my writing. Before moving on to the application of visualization, I try to quickly check for understanding by asking students to
Demonstrating the complexity of the writing process
I think the demonstration portion of my lesson is a key component in supporting many students' understanding of how to visualize action in their stories. I'm trying to make this complex process of visualizing actions very concrete for my young writers and as authentic as possible. Because every writer's process is different, I struggle to find a balance between showing a step-by-step process (an attempt to authentically represent the complexity of my own thinking) while making sure that students know that other ways may work for them. Some students are working to elaborate on events in their stories, and some are making decisions about which details are relevant, while others understand the need to keep their details close to the importance of the story and are ready to elaborate.
Scaffolding toward independence
The first part of the mini-lesson involves so much of my talking and little opportunity for response. During this time, I'm wondering, "Are they getting it?" I try to stay clear and focused despite my inclination to begin a detailed description of other ways to apply this strategy. I remind myself that I'll have many other opportunities for instruction and clarification.
I would estimate that over half of the students participated in counting my actions. Next time, maybe I need to take more time to clearly explain their participation.
| TEACHER: |
The people who are in charge of the folders please carefully pass them out so that you can have a kind of practice just before you do your own writing. Thank you. Look at how responsible these writers are. I told you I feel like I'm in college when I'm in this classroom. Thank you. That was very polite of you.
Would you open up - thanks Vincent for waiting and Cesaleigh for waiting. Would you now open your folders and take out your books [inaudible]. I think everybody's book should be in there still. Would you now take about thirty seconds to find a part that you think is important for your read to know a lot about. Would you find a part, either that you're working on or you're going to work on, and point to the words or the picture of a part that you think you might want to stretch out with action because you really want your reader to understand that part. Just find it and point to it when you have a part that you might want to stretch out and then we'll look at me when you have that part. And it might be a picture but I see Dennis has found a sketch that he knows in the future at some point during this writing he's going to probably want to stretch out. That's okay. Find a part you might want to work on. Good. And one important part. Of course there are many parts. Great. Now I want you to visualize that part in your mind and think of two or three actions you might write that you did or someone else in your story did that you can write down in your story. So I want you to close your eyes and hold up one finger when you think of one action for that part, two fingers when you think of another action and three fingers if you think of another one. If you finish, just say those actions again. You don't need to go on to any more actions. Just three and when you're done I'll know because you'll have three fingers up. Go ahead and take some time. |
| [pause while thinking] | |
| TEACHER: | Great. Would you now turn to, hold on, let me move the board. Turn to your partner and would purple partner please share the two or three actions and then look back at me. Only the purple partner. Go ahead. |
| [pause while interacting] | |
| TEACHER: | Okay, eyes back on me. Would blue partner please share - actually, you know what? Before we share, Chelsea? Can everyone look at Chelsea please. Just in case, I know this is a bit difficult. We know writing is hard and thinking about this is hard. Would you just share your three actions? |
| STUDENT: | I think my important part is [inaudible] morning. Where we were going... |
| STUDENT: | Um, my three actions are, when are we were running around the living room - we were jumping on the floor and we had a pillow fight. |
| TEACHER: | Okay. Eyes back on me... in 3 2 1. Would blue partner please share? Actually before we share, Chelsea? Could everyone look at Chelsea please? Just in case I know this is difficult. We know writing is hard. And thinking about this is hard. Would you just share your three actions? |
| STUDENT: | My three actions are when my brother broke something. Before that, we were running around the living room - we were jumping on the couches and we were having a pillow fight. |
| TEACHER: | Great. Okay, that's an example of three actions for right before the very, very important moment. Very good. Okay, would blue partner please share their three actions. |
| [pause while interacting] | |
| TEACHER: |
Okay, three, two, one. Would you please put your books on top of your red folder and show me how you sit like responsible writers, even though you have those folders and you're probably thinking, I just can't wait to go start writing. I know. So I saw some of you holding up your fingers, I saw some of you closing your eyes, thinking about those actions. It is difficult to do but what I want to remind you is that whenever you are writing, one way you can help your reader really understand what your story is about is by stopping while you're writing and visualizing two or three actions and then writing them down. And then stopping and visualizing a few more actions and then writing them down. And today while you're writing, I might see you at your seat going like this. And I someone else came in our classroom they might not understand what we were doing but we know that one of our strategies is visualizing the actions. So I might see that today. And our goal today is to stop and visualize actions. So I will be looking for writers who are really trying to visualize those actions and maybe one of those writers can share an author's chair today and yes, some of you realize it's a very similar goal to our readers workshop goal.
Give me a thumbs up if you're ready to go and reread your writing to get yourself back into your story and then to try and stop and visualize the actions. Hands down. I will dismiss you. The arrow is on mini lesson, I will move it to independent work time. Christina may get started. |