jaimie k's reflection to fox ch. 6...

I really enjoyed the format of this chapter. I like how Fox used a story to express her ideas on writing. It’s like she said, you must practice what you preach.

This chapter was really just a summary of some of the ideas Fox stated in earlier chapters. She mentioned a lot of these things in chapters one and two. I guess she’s just trying to emphasize her opinions and reinforce why she thinks they’re so vital to the teaching and learning of writing.

There are two “items” which she always mentions that seem to be essential. Reality and Rejoicing in Choices. I see now how important they are. But, are they easier said than done? Are they easy to execute? Questions that can only be answered if we chose to use them in our own teachings.

I really like how she chooses to explain her ideas; for instance, using stories. I think that’s a great idea. It really does make everything seem more intimate when you share personal stories and life experiences. It creates a connection between you and whoever’s your audience. I think people will listen more because they might be drawn in or it gets them more interested.

Macey's Fox ch. 6 reflection

Chapter 6 in Mem Fox has been the most difficult for me to get through so far. I did not enjoy the information presented as I have been enjoying the others. However, there is one section of the chapter that stands out in my mind the most.

In the beginning, Mem tells the story about Alison and Tamara to give an example of relationships. Alison is Tamara’s mother. By the time Tamara was eighteen moths old, Alison had already formed a strong relationship with Tamara. They loved each other and deeply cared about each other. Alison knows that it is her responsibility to take care of her daughter and protect her. She knows that she has to teach Tamara to grow up to be the best she can be. Tamara knows that Alison will always take care of her. She feels safe and knows that Alison will protect her from any evil.

Mem says that much like a mother forms a relationship with her children, a teacher must form a relationship with his or her students. She says that as a teacher, she almost becomes a mother to her students. Her students love her and she loves her students. Because of this relationship, her students are always striving to please her. They do their best so as not to disappoint her.

The thing that scares me most about becoming a teacher is that I might not have good classroom management. By forming a good relationship with my students, I hope that my students will do their best to not disappoint me. I will also do my best to not disappoint my students.

Macey's Graves Reflection #1

In the preface and chapter 1 of Donald Graves’ book, “Writing”, he begins with the quotation, “Children want to write.” I think this is an excellent quote to have in the book because a lot of people do not realize that children really do want to write. I think we have all experienced children who scribble on the walls or anywhere else they can, yet we do not see this as an expression of their interest in writing.

That said, I now know that children do want to write, and that is motivation in itself. As a teacher, it will be my goal to keep them motivated to write. From the reading, I learned that a teacher can help keep children interested in writing by always being encouraging and welcoming of their ideas. The book says, “Focus on the writer and the writing will come.” I find this to be a really good technique for encouragement.

I think it is great that the students are the teachers in their writing piece, and the teacher acts as a learner. This allows the student to take control over their piece and the teacher to aid the process. When the students have more control over what they write, they will most likely have more energy to write.

The most important thing is that we have to remember that children do want to write, and we as teachers should not limit their ideas and creativity.

Macey's Fox chapter choice reflection

I chose to read “Chapter 11: Men Who Weep, Boys Who Dance The Gender Agenda Between the Lines in Children’s Literature.” The chapter began with the startling statistic that 85 percent of the main characters in stories for children are male. When Mem first heard this statistic, she was as shocked as I was. She tried an experiment with her college level students, in which they were asked to write a children’s story. To her surprise, most of the students’ stories were about a male main character. When the students were told the purpose of the assignment, they were also shocked and curious as to why they chose to make their characters male. All of the male characters could have easily been female.

I have never thought about the gender of the main characters very much, so I was very surprised to read this chapter. I think it’s sad that we are raised in a society where literature teaches us to fall into certain gender roles. Males are expected to be strong and manly. They never cry and they must always be the provider for their entire family. Women, on the other hand, are the nurturers. They stay at home and take care of the family. They are portrayed as helpless.

Mem writes her stories quite the opposite because she is aware of the sexism in our books today. Her females are the heroes and providers and her males cry and dance. I admire Mem for writing her stories the way she does.

Learning this fact was a huge wake up call for me, and I will definitely be more aware of gender assignments as a reader as well as a writer.

Kendrah's Response to Chelsea's Reflection

In response to Chelsea's Reflection on Graves chapter 2 & 3, I agree with Chelsea when she says that teachers should be active participants in the writing process along with the students. I agree because when students can see the teachers partaking in the work needed to be done, then perhaps the students will try to do it because it gives them a reason to at least try since their own teacher tried. I know that when i went to school and was assigned work by teachers, which i found difficult, I always wished that the teachers knew what it was like to do the work instead of just ordering us to do it. I believe if the students saw the teachers trying to do their own assigned work and help the students too, then maybe the students may be encouraged to write more.

Kendrah's Reflection- Fox C/6

In Chapter 6, "Halt! Who Goes There?", Fox writes an intersting dialogue between a language arts teacher and the keeper of the gate. I would rather read a chapter like that instead of only endless paragraphs. It was interesting. Fox wrote this chapter in a creative way. There were some things in the language arts teachers briefcase that she carried. First, she carried relationships. Fox writes that getting to know the students and what they like are very important in the writing process. She also writes that the classroom must feel homelike. I'm glad that Fox mentions that teachers should get to know their students because it will make the students feel important and that what they think, say, and write will be respected by the teacher. The teacher has achieved well if he or she has found the interest of his or her students. The focus on students also encourages them to write. Another item in the briefcase was reality. Fox believes that students should write about real situations otherwise it will not have any meaning. Another item in the briefcase was rejoicing in choices. Students should write what they want. Finally, the last item in the briefcase was the return of the affective. Fox writes that if a teacher is engaged, then the student will be engaged. Overall, writing should be an enjoyable process for both the teacher and the students.

Kendrah's Reflection for Graves C-2 & 3

In Chapter 2, Survive Day One, Graves writes about Pat, a teacher. Pat doesn't find it difficult to teach math but she finds it difficult in teach writing. Pat has had a horrendous experience learning to write and she doesn't want to be the one that causes another horrendous writing experience for another.
In order to attain positive writing experiences, teachers must first set the tone. It is set by what the teacher does instead of what the teacher says. If the topic is of interest to the teacher, then it will be of interest for the children. A teacher must think from the child's perspective. Secondly, a teacher must show the topic choice. As the teacher, writing ideas down for the children to see helps. Teachers must show that sometimes writing isn't as easy as it looks and that teachers may struggle too. Third, teachers must walk around and visit. Speaking one on one with the students and asking questions is important in order to see where the student is headed in the writing process. Fourth, allow sharing time for the students. This is a time to share what the students have been writing about. The students can help each other improve their pieces by sharing ideas and asking questions in small groups. Finally, teachers should provide folders so that students can keep their work throughout the year and revise when necessary.
I enjoyed reading chapter 2 because it motivates a teacher to not be afraid to teach writing. Although writing may be difficult, it can be a rewarding process when done right. This chapter provides the proper steps in order to achieve success in the writing process.
In Chapter 3, Help Children Choose Topics, Graves writes about helping students choose topics, instead of choosing topics for them to do. Letting students choose their own topics connects them to their writing. When the students are connected to their writing, they take pride in their piece. Getting to know the students personally is helpful when helping them choose a topic to write about. Also, let the students help each other and let them read through books of different authors. Overall, encourage the student to be able to write about any topic of interest to him or her.
This is a good chapter to read because i believe teachers forget that students like to write about things interesting to them, not to the teacher. Therefore, it reminds teachers that they must listen to the students in order to help the students write.

Megan's Comment on Lehua's Reflection (Mem chapter 6)

I agree with Lehua that I appreciated Mem's attempt to use a different writing format in this chapter. Althoug Lahua found it a little to drawn out and one-sided, I thought it was a nice switch up to, regain the readers attention. Now if the whole book was writen in this format of if every chapter was writen in all kinds of different crazy formats, I would definately not be amused! I am also looking forward to reading the rest of the book and seeing what information Mem wants to share.

Megan's reflection- Graves chapters 2&3

Chapter 2 was basically about the writing process. It explained that in order for a teacher to be confident in teaching literature and writing, the must first be familiar with the subject, the process, the children and the means for the children to become independent learners. I completely agree with this statement and I know that I must first create a passion for writing in myself if I am to pass it on to my students. The writing process is described a little differently than what we’ve heard in class though. He steps to this process are to set the tone, show the topic, visit, time to share, and keeping a folder. Though stated differently, they basically contain the same message as the steps we’ve learned, with a teacher as the model emphasized greatly.
Chapter 3 is about helping the students choose their own writing topics and supporting their writing decisions. Graves states that it is very important to know the children and their interests. I agree that knowing our students’ interests is a starting point to help them when they get stuck and can’t think of anything to write about. Some other suggestions that he encourages are letting the children help each other, helping the children with topics in dry periods, publishing, reading children’s literature, keeping a writing folder, and modeling. I think that being involved in the writing process with the children is very important to their progress. Encouragement and support can plant the seed of a love for writing.

Megan's Reflection- Mem chapter 6

The layout of this chapter was very interesting and entertaining! It was nice to get information out of the writing and feel like I was reading a story. The Language Arts Teacher had a few essential things that she carried in her briefcase that she felt were very important to the literature process. The first was relationships. Mem stated that she felt it was important to try to get to know her students as soon as possible. She also wanted to make her classroom feel homelike, emotionally informal, and safe. I strongly agree that knowing our students and their interests are important to the literature process. We have to be able to know how to spark their interests and get them interested in writing. Another item in the briefcase was reality. She reemphasizes the fact that she believes the students should write about real situations or to real people. If they don’t see why what they are writing matters, it will be of no importance to them and the will not put a lot of effort into it. Another item in the briefcase was rejoicing in choices. Mem comments on the vast number of genres available to the writer and that children should be able to write about what they want to. I agree that giving them a subject to write about is not nearly as exciting as writing about something that you care about. The final item in the briefcase was the return of the affective. She says that the affective engagement of the teacher will spark the child to become interested in learning and therefore they will be affected by literature.

Coby’s Reaction to Donald Graves Preface to Chapter 1

In his book, Writing: Teachers and Children at Work, Donald Graves points out in the preface that children will want to write if we let them. He begins by saying that we underestimate what our children can do and that we should give them higher expectations. Graves emphasizes that the teacher makes a lot more difference than any methodology. He stresses that students need to choose their own topics, be responded to regularly, spend three out of five days writing, publish their work, witness their teacher’s thinking, and maintain collections of their work.

In his first chapter Graves states that reading and writing are partners not steps. He says that teachers should teach writing no matter what and encourages them to practice writing because writers do a much better job teaching writing than non-writers. Some of the things that Graves suggests is writing groups of five that share their writing with each other and correct each others errors. He explains that when students help someone else they are better able to help themselves on their own drafts. Graves says that a good way to get focus children is to ask them a bunch of naïve questions so that they still retain energy and ownership of their writing.

I really like Graves ideas because I have seen them work in Greg’s class. Knowing that I would get class time to be creative and have fun makes me excited to go to class. These chapters made me want to teach a writing block lesson to the children that I have at Mililani Uka. I could help to make writing more enjoyable for them. The thrill and energy that they will feel when they have ownership of their paper will be priceless. I would like to do for them what was not done for me in elementary school.

Chelsea's Reflection on Graves (Ch. 2 & 3)

I thought "Chapter 2: Surviving Day One" was extremely
interesting. I also found the information very useful. I've
seen the type of teaching on writing that is like modeled
writing many times before in the classroom. Most of
the teaching ways I've seen are similar to what Graves
explains in his chapter, but I greatly admire his way the
most. I like that he explains step-by-step how a teacher
should teach writing on the first days of school. He
explains everything by being very straight-forward, and
also by providing examples, which is a great tool for
visual learners. The thing I really liked about this chapter
is when Graves explains that a teacher should write with
his/her students when they are writing. I think that is a
very good idea because when the students see the teacher
participating and writing with them, then they will most
likely be more motivated to write. Plus, I think the students
will appreciate and respect the teacher more because most
students look up to their teachers as a role model.
Chapter 3 is about helping children choose topics for a
writing piece. This chapter must be where Greg got the idea
of a memory attempt, which is remembering our kid's names
and what they are interested in. In the beginning of the
chapter, there are a few paragraphs on how older children
have a harder time than younger children choosing topics to
write about. The reason for this is because younger children
basically think they know a lot. They have great self-esteem
which makes them believe that they can write about anything.
When I become a teacher, no matter what grade I am in, I
want to mix things up a little when teaching my students how
to write. Sometimes I will assign them a topic, and sometimes
I will ask them to think of one on their own. However, I would
start off with letting them choose their own topic, so that they
get used to thinking of something to write about.
Also, in Chapter 3, it talks about "publishing" students' work.
At first, I thought we were to take the books to a real publisher,
but it just means binding the students' book into a folder. I like
this idea. I want to let my students write all kinds of books
throughout the school year, and create a student library in the
classroom. I think it would be neat to have a little library full
of student-made books. The students would love it too.

Chelsea's Reflection on Mem Fox (Ch.6)

I liked that Mem Fox used dialogue to explain what she
needed to in "Chapter 6: Halt! Who Goes There?" It was
somewhat easy to read and exciting. I figured that Mem
Fox was the teacher of language arts, while the person
reading the chapter is the keeper at the gate. I've
noticed so far that Mem Fox loves to use examples or
samples of people's work in her writing. I like that she
provides these in her chapters because it helps the
reader to get a small picture of what she is trying to
explain.
Mem Fox mentions at the end of the chapter that all the
things she pulled out of her baggage is labeled the Four
R's. The first one relationship is something that I would
want to have with my students. I want to get to know
them as soon as they step foot in my classroom, so that
I can figure out ways on how they are able to learn. I
know some students are going to need some
accommodations, so I would like to get to know them way
ahead of time to get started on those accommodations at
the beginning of the year. The second, reality, talked
about how students don't always know the reason why
they are writing, let alone who for and who cares.
Teachers should explain these types of things to their
students. When I was in school, I was always wondering
why we were learning certain things, but the teacher
could never tell me an exact reason. Honestly, I still
don't know why some things are taught in school. Some
things just seem like a waste of time. They should be
learning things that are useful. The third, rejoicing in
choices, is when students are wanting to write something.
They choose to write a letter to someone or write a song
to help them remember things. When people have the
choice, they understand why they are writing. The fourth,
return of the affective, is understood to me as when a
piece of writing affects someone's life. The example Mem
Fox provided clearly explains how the writing affected the
students and the teacher. I like reading Mem Fox's book
because it is easy for me to understand. I am a visual
learner, so all the examples she provides really helps me.

Chelsea's Chapter Choice Reflection

I decided to read "Chapter 7: Flashing Screens or Turning Pages?
Winning the War Between Books and Television." It was interesting
to read about the differences of why most children enjoy watching
television rather than sitting down and reading a book. I guess
some children see reading as a chore or work that needs to be
done. While watching television is entertainment for them, and
doesn't need to be assigned to them for homework. They have
the choice of doing what they want to do.
When I have my own children, I am planning to read to them at
least every night before they go to bed. I like to read, and want
my children to want to like to read. I'm not just going to read it
to them, but be animated while reading. I want to make the story
come alive. I can't promise right now that I will read to my child
every single night, but I want to invite reading into their life, and
hope that they will read on their own as well. I also want to have a
little library in my child's room with my favorites, as well as theirs.
I think it would be great to even have a little reading corner in their
room, if the space is available. I am not only wanting this for my
own children, but for my students as well. No matter what age
they are; I would like to provide reading as something of their
choice. I want to make reading available, and make it exciting.

Jaime S. reflection Fox- Ch.7 Flashing Screens or Turning Pages?

I chose to write about Chapter 7 because I used to be one of those parents that allowed their children to watch television as a means of getting my work done. Television has become a babysitter for many parents. Parents assume that it's okay for children to watch television for a long period as long as it's educational. Mem Fox is not saying that television is a bad thing, but rather as educators and parents, we need to make books more attractive than television. We have to provide an environment that supports readings. As educators, we need to support children positively instead of scolding them for mispronounced words. Parents also need to provide an environment that supports their readings. Parents should provide lots of books for their children and set up a quiet, reading area somewhere in their home.

Sei's Reflection on Mem Fox (Ch. 4)

Radical Reflections
Reflection Chapter 4: A Fox in Possum’s Clothing

In chapter 4, Mem Fox writes about how her knowledge of the process of reading and some other experiences affect the way she writes for children. She goes on to explain with specific examples and excerpts from some of her children’s books about her techniques of how to teach a child to read-intentionally or unintentionally.

Fox begins with a brief explanation of the three cueing systems: Knowledge of the world (semantic); Knowledge of language (syntactic); and Knowledge of print (graphophonic). She then goes on to give examples of how she’s used these aspects in some of her past writing for children.

What interested me more than Mem Fox’s explanation of the 3 cueing systems and the other commonly known facts about the reading process (prior knowledge, rhythm and repetition, reading in chunks, etc), were the other things that she considered critical to the love of reading-loving relationships; fine writing; and stunning illustrations.
According to Fox, “the love of reading is closely connected to the love of a feeling of being read to by someone you love”. She goes on to explain that her books often target adults along with the children because her reading audience is often too young to read the books for themselves. This is to say that she’d like the parents who are reading these books to their children to remember bits and pieces of their own childhoods.

Although it is the emotional content that initially interests the reader, Fox states that heartache, joy, fear, humor, etc alone cannot keep the reader hooked. It is the fine writing that works hand-in-hand with the emotional aspect that creates a beautiful piece of literature. “It’s exquisitely constructed sentences; it’s carefully honed cadences; it’s the marvelous satisfaction of the sensual rhythm of perfect prose.”

It is the stunning illustrations of children’s books that lure the child into actually reading the book. No matter how beautiful the words and the sentiment, let’s face it, children would easily get bored without colorful and bright pictures that make the story come alive.

Reading this chapter really inspired me as both a reader and a writer. The ideal situation would be to master both crafts. Because they work hand-in-hand, I’d have to practice both to master the crafts. The motivation for this is so that I’d be a great teacher in the future. I’d want to be able to inspire my students to become avid readers and writers.

Carol's Reflection on Fox, Ch. 9

"The Story Fights Back" is an eye-opening chapter that shows how real books can stand alone to nurture literacy. Most schools (mine included) use basal readers where dull language is spoken in unreal situations by unbelievable characters, all with the intention of teaching the mechanics of reading. Next, senseless worksheets that don't give children practice in fluency or higher-level thinking must be filled out. After this boring work a child would naturally think that reading gives little pleasure, so why read? I can hear the whispers of my fifth-graders while they fill out their worksheets: "I don't get it," "That was a dumb question," and "Why are we doing this?"

Fox helps children to be literate while they are enjoying themselves with great stories that have wonderful art, rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl write stories that entertain and teach children at the same time. Good books can stand alone without worksheets to help kids be literate. Fox suggests that alternate activities such as a performance or a story-themed party (Jaimie and I are helping our kids put on a play and party this week!) could replace dry worksheets. I like these suggestions, but my mentor teacher and I would wonder how to put a play or a party into a work sample file.

I appreciate that although some of Fox's stories contain real issues like death or divorce, she always gives them a happy or at least hopeful ending. Everyone wants the feeling that things will work out in real life. Writing happy endings is something that I would like to do and would also encourage my students to practice.

Sei's Reflection on Graves (Preface-p. 10)

After reading the preface and chapter one of Donald Graves’ book, WRITING: Teachers & Children At Work, it seems that this book will provide great information to future educators. It may give beneficial information, not only to teaching writing, but also about children and being an overall “good teacher”. To be quite honest, I find this book pretty interesting and easy to read, which is really contrary from my initial assumptions of it being a bore to read.

I was really taken back when Graves wrote that to teach writing, teachers must be writers themselves. This is very true and makes perfectly logical sense in my opinion. How can an individual possibly successfully and effectively teach a “craft” that one has not mastered himself/herself?

Yes, it’s a craft- both teaching and writing. As Graves points out, a craft is something of a process that leads towards a final product. Both writing and teaching are crafts that require practice, motivation, continual self-improvement, and so on and so forth. Basically, by reading something like this, I’d assume that educators could only be successful in teaching the craft of writing, if they, themselves, have learned to control their writing and have mastered their craft. How do we do that? The answer is simple- we keep writing, whether it’s for professional reasons or personal reasons.

Another point that Graves makes is that children like to write and oftentimes, can write to exceed the commonly mediocre expectations of many teachers. We shouldn’t “take the control away from children and place unnecessary road blocks in the way of their intentions”. Children want to write and can write, but sometimes we may overly guide them and try to mold them to our expectations too much. In those cases, they’re in some sort of a trap. They are put into a position where they’re not able to showcase their talents and we just assume that it’s because of their lack of ability. As an educator, it’s important to find a balance between giving them control of their own writing and guiding them into the right direction.

It’s critical to keep the writer in mind and then the writing. Although allowing the children to choose their own topics, may lead them to write about cartoons or Nintendo Games, it’s important to work on the level of writing that they’re at. They’d be able to best display their writing abilities when they write about something they know best and are interested in. Providing them with the topics isn’t the answer. A good educator of writing can successfully help improve their students writing even if it’s through revising drafts and drafts of a paper on Power Rangers or Sponge Bob Squarepants.

Kia_Graves_reflection

I understand completely what Graves is trying to say. It already feels like I have taken a long journey through self-evaluation this semester, even though we are only on the second month now. I have changed my prospective as a teacher and teaching style. It is very important to not be a dictator when it comes to the writing process.
I find myself using these techniques in my 5th grade classroom, and I have to say the results are amazing. It is like the kids have never been asked questions before, even though I know they have by my mentor teacher. I have one boy in particular that sits and stares every time a writing assignment is made. This happened on a test as well. I noticed and went over and started asking him questions. As he answered them, I told him he should write down what he just told me. He got so excited that he wrote a total of 1 1/2 pages. It even made sense. I am so excited, and I cannot wait to motivate others!

Kia_Ch7_Fox

I read Chapter 7: Flashing Screens or Turning Pages? Winning the War between Books and Television. This chapter grabbed my attention, because of a book I read years ago. I found a book called Six Points to a Happy Healthy Family. It was written by a doctor, and to tell you the truth, I can’t remember where I got the book. I read it, and in one of the chapters they started concentrating on children with ADD. The doctor had a theory that ADD was linked to children having too much T.V. access. He went on to support his theory by saying that the constant flicker of the T.V. was teaching children that there was no need to concentrate. He said that the longest period of time that a T.V. would stay steady was seven, yes, seven seconds. This in turn kept the child’s interest, and because of the constant changes, children who have watched too much T.V. have not developed any level of concentration to use for a substantial period of time. This meant the child would have trouble in school, at home, or any other place that required attention.
I agree with Mem Fox. Reading has got to be interesting. Books have to be available. The T.V. has to be off to allow time to develop an interest. I have found this true with my own kids. They do not get much T.V. time, so when they do, they are glued. I find that this is okay, because they have in turn developed a love for reading. My kids read all the time. A lot of the time, they prefer to read on the go, whether in the car or walking through a store. It gives me piece of mind, because it is much better than listening to them ask for everything they see.

jaimie k's reflection to fox ch. 7...

I really like Fox’s essential factors that could help reading become just as, or even more, interesting as watching television. She makes very good points on why children might not like reading because they lack these factors.

The first one, that homes should have books in it; how obvious right?! Wrong. I remember growing up, I didn’t have very many books I could read in my house. So even if I wanted to read, I couldn’t. So what else is there to do? Oh right, watch the TV, play on the computer, go outside.

The second, having favorite books to read and reread. Every kid should have a favorite book. And if not a favorite, one they wouldn’t mind reading again when they felt like it. My favorite book was either my Berenstain Bears Junk Food book or my Nancy Drew book, The Strange Message in the Parchment. I could read those two books over and over. And it also opens kids up to reading other books in the same series of books. I know I read a lot of Berenstain Bears and Nancy Drew stories after that.

The third factor, having a wide variety of materials is great. Everyone gets bored doing the same things over and over; the same goes for reading the same things over and over. You need to change things up every once in a while. And different materials provide different types of information, and can spark different interests.

I agree with the fourth factor that kids should be able to read what they want. If you always assign them what to read, you could be giving them lower level material. Some teachers think they know what the childs’ potential is, but kids surprise us all the time. We, as teachers and as parents, need to at least give them the chance to try.

The fifth factor is something I always saw my Dad doing. I used to see him reading all the time. And I must say, it did spark my interest to try and do the same. But then again, if you don’t have factor 1, like I didn’t, then it’s no use.

Factor number six, having books that look enticing. It’s so easy to say what books may look enticing, but this is something that totally depends on the child. You have to know what they might be interested in first before deciding which books will be rewarding to them.

Number seven is also something I never experienced in my household. Would it have helped me become a better reader, or even have gotten me more interested in reading? I’ll never know; but it doesn’t hurt to try. Not only is it a great way to put the kids to bed, it’s also a nice bonding time.

The last factor is another small, minor thing that most people tend to overlook. Actually having a nice place and time to read. Somewhere with no loud noise, no distractions; just a comfortable spot with lighting to enjoy a book. How simple, yet so hard to find in most homes.

Fox really has some great ideas on how to contribute to reading. As a teacher I would hope to instill many of these things in my students, but it seems to me that a lot of it has to do with parents and time at home. It’s so easy for parents to blame the teachers for their child’s struggle with reading; but there are so many things they could do, and some things are completely left up to them.

Randall's Graves Reflection 1

So far, the first chapter in Donald H. Graves book has helped me realize some things about my own writing. I find that I spend too much time trying to make revisions in the very first sentence that I write and before I know it a couple of hours have already passed by. I get easily frustrated and would rather make sense of it now than have to go back and fix it later. I think I need to break this habit because in a way, it's holding me back from expressing the ideas running through my head. It's almost like I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and I can't just leave it the way I wrote it the first time. Don't get me wrong, I do believe we must edit and revise our papers, but I will do it in the introduction alone and stay there until I like the way it sounds or it is actually conveying my thoughts.

I hope that by the end of the next two semesters I will be more comfortable with my writing. I feel that if I can become a better writer or one that is able to know some of the processes to make me or my students a better one, I will be a first-rate teacher like Graves mentioned in the book. The qualities that he gives are within my reach except for the first one because I am not highly literate and I almost never write for myself. I guess this gives me something to work on during the course of the semester.

Carol's Reflection on Graves

How reassuring and liberating to read that although methodology has its place, more important are the conditions set by those teaching writing. Having high expectations, teaching by showing, being intensely interested in my students, making sure each has a primary place in my classroom and instilling a sense of responsibility are things I can do without consulting a chart. But, auwe! One condition is missing for this future educator: being highly literate. I don't have the time to read or write as much as I'd like to other than the newspaper and occasional journal entry, but it's clear I have to make time if I expect my students to do the same.

Defining teaching as a craft -- the process of shaping material toward an end -- gave me a different perspective. It reminds me that although there are necessary goals like completing the curriculum and reaching benchmarks, careful attention has to be paid to the process of reaching those goals. There was a definite feeling of familiarity when I read the conversation between a student in a writing slump and her teacher, since most light bulbs that I see going on are a result of questions asked. Graves seems to repeat some common themes I see in my own classes as well as my 5th grade class: give fewer instructions, show more, and ask more questions.

jaimie k's reflection to graves ch. 1...

I really like the first paragraph in the book. I know we’ve heard it several times in this class alone, but it’s so true. “Children want to write.” They try to write all the time. From the first time they could hold a pen, or crayon, or chalk. I remember I was drawing on the sidewalk with my friend’s son Davin. He was maybe 2 years old at the time; could barely make complete sentences yet. In the midst of drawing, he would try and write his name. Although it was just a couple of straight lines, he was trying to write. It was adorable. He said, “Look! That’s me, Davin!”

There were several great ideas in this first chapter of how to assist or encourage students in their writing. One that I really liked was on page three. Mrs. Giacobbe gave all of her first graders “blank page, hardcover books with [their] names embossed on the covers.” She gave it to them giving them the complete freedom to write whatever they felt like. The end result was books of creative writing, illustrations, and more than most teachers would expect from their first graders.

The other thing I thought was great is the section on Teaching as Craft. I try to do that when students tell me they don’t know what to write about, or they’re stuck. I ask them questions to get their ideas flowing again. I think it’s a good method, being the naïve reader-listener. I didn’t realize that I was helping them take ownership in their writing. I like the idea that students have ownership in what they do, because it makes them proud when they see the end result.

Kamealoha's Reflection

Kamealoha’s Donald Graves Reflection

I thought that reading the first chapter of Donald Graves’s book was very interesting. I really liked the way that they use detailed examples. I think that this helps me to understand the situations better. I am like Brian. When I write I am always cutting and pasting and rearranging my thoughts. I think that this helps me to write better.

I think that it is important for teachers to motivate students to write. I love the idea of asking questions to get them to think about their writings instead of telling them they should add this or do that. I think that a child should feel like they are in control of their writings. I think that this is going to be a great book to help us to learn more about being a better teacher of writing.

September 24, 2006

Kamealoha’s Mem Fox Reflection

I chose to read chapter seven. This chapter is called Flashing Screens or turning pages? I thought that this chapter was very interesting; it was about children, reading, and television. I think that it is a shame that some children do not have books in there household. I remember growing up with books beyond books at our house. My mom would read to us every night. I still have all of those books; I thought it would be good to keep them for my classroom one day.

One of the things that are important to get children interested in reading is to provide books for them to read. We need to have books in our homes so that children have the chance to pick up a book and read it. It is also important to provide a variety of reading materials for them. I agree with Mem Fox when she says that it is important to let children read whatever it is that they want to read. We can not force children to read certain material or they will just be reading just because they have to, not because they want to and enjoy it.

I also think that Mem Fox had a great point about having a role model. Children need to be able to see someone they look up to reading. I remember growing up and m mom always reading a book in her free time. My dad was also always reading the newspaper. Since I looked up to them I would try to mimic them and get one of my books and read next to them. Parents play such an important role in the reading of there children.

Randall's Writer's Workshop Reflection

I really enjoyed reading about writer's workshop. To me, it has many important aspects that I believe will make many improvements on our future students' writing. Two of the components that I liked in particular were the mini lesson and the freedom to choose the topic. The mini lesson is a crucial element that aids the students to perfect their craft of writing. Rather than teaching things straight out of a book, the teacher can use the the activity period to find out certain errors that the students are making and then go over it with them in the following lesson. I think this also eliminates any alienation of the students and prevents any lowering of self-esteem when students are not called out in front of class for their mistakes. With the use of writer's workshop this is highly unlikely because the point is for students not to be afraid of writing, but to feel the freedom to write on topics of their choice.

Kieu's Mem Fox Reflection- CH7

It looks like Chapter 7 is going to be a popular one!

I think this is an important chapter for all of us to consider and plan for. Like Mem Fox said at the beginning of the chapter, “Television will not go away.”

She makes a good point about the coexistence of books and television. My nephew is six-years-old and when he is home, he would rather turn on the TV or play a videogame on his PS2. Even better for him would be running outside with his friends. On the few occasions that he is over at my place, I would make sure that his homework was done and then allow him to go downstairs to play with the neighborhood kids. I feel that it is very important for him to learn to socialize through interactions with other kids, sometimes even more important than sitting down to read a book. However, he does like to read. We sat down the other night to read a story that he was assigned in class and I was amazed at how well he read and how much he enjoyed reading. Perhaps I should give credit to his reading teacher.

Mem Fox speaks of the necessity of available books in order for children to learn to love to read. Growing up, my dad made sure that we had books available in the home. I remember this gigantic dictionary and this collection of Disney books that must’ve cost about $50-$60, which was quite expensive for us at the time. I have 2 older brothers and a younger sister. We are all about a year apart in age: 25, 23, 22, 21. Even with the books right at our fingertips, my brothers picked up WWF figures instead of the books. Furthermore, once we all hit middle school, it was clear that I was the only one who really cared to read and write. I would be the first to pick up a book and read for fun. My point is, we all grew up in the same environment, yet we did not all love to read.

Although, I didn’t agree with everything she said, but she did have some great ideas.

For example, children should be able to choose what books they want to read and parents should set good examples.

Kendrah's Mem Fox Reflection

I read chapter 7 in Mem Fox's book entitled, "Flashing Screens or Turning Pages?" What appealed to me about this chapter was that I was able to relate to it. It talked about how television is an attraction to many people and that instead of building a home that produces book lovers, many families build homes that steer away from the importance of reading and even writing. It discusses how children must be taught that reading can be fun and rewarding. It reminded me of when I was younger and how television was something that I could never get enough of. I used to watch TV than do my homework because I found that the TV was more entertaining than doing my homework. In chapter 7, Fox believes that a in order to produce a home of book lovers, there are steps needed to be done. Fox mentions that homes should have books, bookshelves, wide varieties of reading material, parents who read and much more. Fox mentions that in order for children to love books they need time to read and a quiet place to read. Children must be continuously surrounded by this type of positive envrionment to accomplish the goal of children who love to read. The reason why children enjoy television so much is because they can choose what they want to watch and it's always exciting. In order to steer away from television, reading should have the same emphasis of fun.
After reading this chapter it is my goal to produce a home of book lovers. I believe that because I wasn't surrounded by many books and people who encouraged me to read, perhaps it contributed to the reason for my fascination of the television. it was always the TV over reading but now at this point in my life it is the opposite way around. I find reading books enjoyable when I get to read what I want. It's the same way for a child. Educators and parents must provide an environment that will encourage children to want to read.

Jess' Reflections - Mem Fox

I chose to read ch. 7 titled: Flashing Screens or Turning Pages. This chapter was of particular interest to me because of my 4 yr. old son, Logan. I feel that he is too dependent on watching tv. He always has to be watching nickelodeon or cartoon network. While reading some of the chapter, I saw myself. Logan has all the things the chapter talks about. He has his own tv, vcr, dvd player, computer, video games, and a bike. But he does have books. Logan has a lot of books. He has a book case by his bed for easy access. There are books of all different types from picture books to big story books. Every once in a while he will have an interest to read them but for the most part they just sit in the case. This worries me. He has all the necessities that children need in order to read. He has books of different varieties that are HIS books. Logan can read whenever he wants. My husband and I try to read to him everynight. Notice I said try. Logan thinks he should watch cartoon network before bed. That is where I start to worry. Reading on through the chapter I learned that kids NEED some tv. T.V. is not all bad. It is the programs watched that make it bad. Television shows and movies have turned alot of people onto the books the shows are made after. They even help to understand the books a little better. I think my biggest obstacle is going to be getting my son to read more. I know he is still young but I have to start somewhere, right?

Kendrah's Writer's Workshop Reflection

I enjoyed reading through Greg's book of writer's workshop. I felt that it was very thorough. I usually don't like reading and I thought this book would be very boring but it defintiely wasn't. Since we did get to practice writer's workshop in class that one day and I enjoyed it, I felt that reading through Greg's book would be beneficial for me. I hope to practice writer's workshop in my own classroom one day as an educator. I like being able to write my own ideas down on paper and the fact that no one will argue that i'm wrong. I also feel that it will be helpful for children who have trouble voicing their thoughts, opinions and ideas openly. I heavily support writer's workshop because I feel it is important to let a student freely express him or herself, especially through writing.
This past week, I've been able to do some mini writer's workshop exercises with the kindergarten children at Kapalama. The class separates into stations and I was instructed to run a station in which the children could write what they wanted about themselves. They had trouble at first deciding what they liked about themselves, so I told them what I liked about myself. Eventually, they all found something they liked about themselves and wrote about it. I noticed that they are discouraged to write if they don't know the correct spelling of words. Therefore, when they asked me for the correct spelling I just told them to write it the way they think the word is spelt. After that the children were able to write without any problems. I belive that writer's workshop is a very important tool in the writing process.

Kieu's Graves reflection

Personally, I enjoy writing and reading. I like the brainstorming and drafting processes. Like nine-year-old Brian (and Greg), I do a lot of cutting and pasting when writing. I jump all over the place and I rarely write in chronological order. Yet, I have almost always preferred math over writing, both the teaching and learning of it. In my mind, it is more difficult to teach students to work with words than it is to work with numbers. I am quite nervous about teaching writing to students. The stories that I have read make it all sound so simple, but is teaching writing really that easy? How do we encourage our students to enjoy writing?

Jess' Reflection Graves - Writing

Wow! Everyone writes such long entries. After reading the preface and ch.1 I realized that I am not alone in the writing battle. I do not consider myself to be a good writer. I mean just look at how short my reflections are. My writing is short and to the point. I feel that there is only so much a person can embelish before is it just balognie. I have a lot to learn about writing myself. I was starting to wonder how I could teach children to write if I did not like to do it myself. In the first chapter I found a few different ways to improve or embelish what has already been written with a few simple questions. I also learned that there are those that were just as frightened about writing as I am, but are loving it now. I have alot to learn. Hopefully this book will get me started.

Jess' Reflection - Writer's Workshop

A major round of applause for Greg for writing the Writer's Workshop. I printed it out so that I will always have it on hand to refer back to. I found it to have very valuable information that I will be able to use in my classroom someday. I love the checklists in the back. Those are things i can pass along to my students to help them become better writers.

Chelsea's Reflection on Graves (Preface & Ch.1)

From what I've read so far, it seems like this book will be very
interesting and helpful. Graves mentions that every child is a
writer before they even step foot in their classroom. I never
really thought of that before, but it is so true. Children do
scribble all over anything they can reach. That's so funny when
you actually think about it. I loved writing when I was child. I
was always drawing or writing something down. Actually, I still
do write or draw on a piece of paper when I'm bored.
In the class that I am observing this semester, I believe most of
the students enjoy writing when their teacher asks them to. The
one time that I was there, the students were all very quiet and
focused on their stories they were told to write. I think one
reason why they enjoyed writing their pieces was because they
were able to choose their own topic. I like the idea of letting
children choose their own topics when writing because they
will have more than enough information to write about.
I also like the way Graves uses examples and dialogues in his
writing like how a teacher could ask their student's questions
about something to give them more ideas on what to write about.
I enjoyed reading the short dialogue about the student and her
cockatiel. It was cute. I look forward to reading more and
learning more from Graves' book.

Kieu's writer workshop reaction

It’s great that this workshop does not apply to just one genre of writing. Personally, I would like to try the “How To” writing idea. This will allow the students to feel like they are the teachers of a skill they know well.
Ownership is always an important aspect of any work a student produces. I am now an avid supporter of allowing the students to choose their own topic. They can’t possibly write about something of which they have no knowledge or experience. Of course, as long as it is not inappropriate or disrespectful in any way. I truly believe that once we limit the freedom a child has in writing, we cut off their creativity.
My kids at the YMCA are my guinea pigs. I have tried activities that I have learned in math, as well as this class. Last week, I thought I would test out the writer’s workshop to see if: 1) I was capable and; 2) if they would actually enjoy it. To be honest, I did not lead the workshop perfectly, but I tried my best to model it after what we did in class. I had them all listen to their peers share and then clap. I also tried to get them to share their thoughts on the writings they heard from the writers. The results were rather interesting. Of course, there are those who don’t put much effort into their writing and then there are those students who come up with the greatest ideas and writing. What really made me happy was this one girl who came up to me the following week and asked if I would lead the “Creative Writing” class again. She didn’t only ask me once, but two or three more times.
Jaime mentioned in her reflection that her class at Mililani Waena writes in their journals every morning. Well, I am also at the same school, working with the same grade level, so we are doing the same thing. However, unlike her class, mine does not share the writing that they have done. To be honest, I don’t think the teacher even checks their writing, not for grammar, but for content.
My concern, however, is how to reach the group of students who aren’t as willing to pick up their pencils to write. How would I encourage them to express their ideas down on paper?

Jaime's Reflection- Writer's Workshop

I enjoyed reading the writer's workshop because it was easy to read. The writing was done with simple words and the format was easy to follow. It wasn't a long, boring paper that seemed endless. I'll definitely use all the checklists Greg provided. The checklists will be good to pass out to students or to post it on the wall in the classroom as a guide for students to follow.

I think the writer's workshop is a great way to teach students the craft of writing. One thing that is stressed a few times in this paper is demonstration or modeling. It's important for the students to see and hear how the teacher gets started with writing. I never thought that brainstorming out loud would be an effective way to teach writing. I don't ever recall my teachers thinking out loud. Back then teachers just told you what to do. A writer's workshop will also teach the students to be better listeners and it will also boost their confidence. Students are taught that during sharing time they must show respect and encouragement to the writer. I like the idea of using an author's chair during sharing time. This is a great way for the student to share their writings.

I'm working with fourth graders this semester at Kapalama and during the days that I'm there, I've only seen the students write once. They wrote a letter to some guest speakers that came to their school. I noticed that the students have S.U.R.F every morning for about twenty minutes. Maybe during that time they should do a writer's workshop instead. I think my students would like the writer's workshop because of the fact that they would be able to choose their own topic. They're always telling me about something that happened to them or someone else. I think it would be good for them to get all their thoughts and concerns down on paper.

Megan's Reflection (Fox)

Reflection – Fox, Chap. 5

This chapter was so enlightening and I think it shares so much that will benefit us as future teachers! It discusses how children learn so much from various places and how we don’t take advantage of those experiences in the classroom. There are sixteen lessons she addresses. The first talks about how learning should be delightful. The second discusses how we as teachers how such low expectations for our students. However, when learning is made entertaining and informing, it become natural. The third warns us not to let our college education of child development limit students. The fourth encourages us as teachers to be a little crazy, loud and energetic and to let no accomplishment go unnoticed. This creates motivation and energy for the students to learn. The fifth warns us of the yawn. We need to make sure that what we read is interesting to the students and ourselves. The yawn is a danger signal. The sixth discusses how basal readers are literature killers and should be burned. The seventh encourages us to let our students see us enjoy, cry over, and be captivated by reading. The eighth discusses that classrooms should be equipped with real books that children enjoy, not just boring read-alongs. The ninth tells us that reading is better taught with stories, not the ABCs. This is because stories have clues that help students figure out the words they get stuck on. The tenth encourages us to not put limits on our student’s desires to read. Let them try out the books they are interested in reading, even if they are more advanced. The eleventh tells us to let our student’s choose which books they want to read. As adults, what we read may depend on our mood or needs. We should give the children the same choice. The twelfth encourages us to supply our classrooms with the best variety of the best literature possible. The thirteenth discusses reading aloud and its benefits to new readers. The fourteenth states that worksheets are useless and have no reason. This is discouraging to young readers. The fifteenth tells us to create a comfortable and appealing environment that the children can read in. Finally, the sixteenth stresses once more that teachers should read aloud with energy and feeling.
Though this chapter covered a lot of material, it was all very interesting and applicable! I plan to take this advice and follow it to my best ability in my own classroom one day. Hopefully, then my students will be flourishing readers, who can’t wait to open that next book!

Megan's Reflection

Megan's Reflection (Graves)

I like how the preface prepares us for the organization and some of the inspiration of the book. The reading starts out stating that children have an innate desire to write. They draw and scribble on everything they can reach! I agree that the educational process puts “road blocks” in the way of a student’s creativity and that is truly a shame.
When children are old enough to write a full story, the reading reminds us that they should take ownership and control over the writing. Revising and editing should not be dreaded. One way to do this is through helping others. I think working with others when writing is very helpful because they can give their opinion about it and maybe catch some mistakes that the student overlooked.
Graves also believes that if a teacher is going to teach writing, she must master her own craft first. I strongly agree. In order to master her craft, she must go through the writing process and become aware of the time and effort it takes in order to give the same amount and opportunities to her students. I agree that this should be an unhurried process. I think that would take pressure off of the student and allow them to enjoy writing more.

jaimie k's reflection to writer's workshop...

I personally like the idea of having a writer’s workshop. I think it’s great because it allows student’s to practice their writing frequently. The fact that students also come to love the activity is even better. I love when I see student’s disappointed that they didn’t get to a certain subject that day, or they didn’t have time to complete something. Not because their disappointed, but because that shows that they’re really enjoying it.

I know in the booklet it suggests that writer’s workshop be held everyday; but I just can’t see that happening. I don’t think there is enough time to implement a workshop in the daily curriculum. Each school has their own curriculum they need to follow, and the school days seem to be getting shorter and shorter. At the school I’m at, Mililani Waena Elementary, they do a daily writing every morning, which I think is the closest they come to a writer’s workshop. They call it their daily language practice (DLP) because they also correct grammar as well. They don’t spend very much time on it.

The first thing they do when they come in the classroom is grab their writing composition books and start working on their DLP. The assignment is already on the board on an overhead. They look at two sentences and correct them in their books. Next there’s a question they have to answer, which tends to pertain to real life. For example, “Your parents signed you up for day camp, but all of your friends are going to night camp. Write down some suggestions you could use to convince your parent’s to let you go to night camp.” They each write a response in their composition books. Then the teacher asks what some of them wrote. They share, and then are given about five more minutes to finish up; maybe using some ideas that were just shared. It’s like a writer’s workshop with less time, no teacher demonstration, no one-on-one time, and no student-to-student discussion.

The suggestions for mini lessons are a great help. There are some really good ideas in there for teachers to use. I also really like all the worksheets in chapter 3, the activity time. Those would be awesome to give to all of the students to make sure they’re doing a good job, or improving their work. And there are also good examples they could use as references when they’re doing their work. There’s even a helpful guide in chapter 4 for student sharing. I think the resources for the teacher’s in chapter 5 would help the workshop a lot. Even a teacher needs to make sure they are doing everything they need to, so the checklist helps. And the other worksheets are good for organization of the workshop.

If I had the means, I would do a writer’s workshop everyday. It seems like a great way to keep the students’ attention and interest in writing. The students are given the opportunity to express themselves freely. This booklet was awesome in illustrating not only the concept of a writer’s workshop, but in great detail how to actually carry one out. It went through each of the three steps of a writer’s workshop; and in each step, what the student and teacher should accomplish in that step, how to perform the lessons, and great examples. I truly have a better understanding from the reading of what a writer’s workshop is supposed to entail, then from what we discussed in class.

Reading assignment for Sept 25 -

Browse around the Mem Fox book. Find a chapter that is especially appealing to you. Read it. Reflect on it. Post your reflection on this blog. Read the reflections of the other students.

In the Donald Graves book: Start with the Preface and read through page 10. Reflect on what you read. Post your reflection on this blog. Read the reflections written by our colleagues.

Greg :-)

Chelsea's Reflection on Writer's Workshop

I really enjoyed reading Greg's book. It was very thorough
and straight to the point. I liked that the words he used were
easy to understand, rather than having difficult words that the
meanings need to be looked up in a dictionary. I also like that
everything was listed out step-by-step. It pretty much
answers all of your questions before the book ends. I would
like to hold on to this book for future use to look back on
when I become a teacher.
It's perfect that we are learning about writer's workshop
right now because I have the opportunity to see examples
of this process in my mentor's classroom at Mililani Uka. Just
last week, my mentor teacher introduced the writing process
to her students and used this process to teach them. She used
the same example that Greg showed us in class last Monday.
I've seen the writer's workshop work in action because most of
the kids do seem to enjoy writing. I think my mentor teacher
did a really good job of presenting her mini lesson in the
beginning. She was very enthusiastic and provided a lot of
demonstrations for the kids to look at. When it was time for
the kids to start their own brainstorming and writing, they
got straight to jotting down their topics to write about. I like
to see kids motivated to want to do their work in class.

Macey's reflection on writer's workshop workbook

Macey Uehara
ITE 313
Reflection

Writer’s Workshop Workbook Reflection

Wow! The reading on writer’s workshops was very thorough. I feel like it covered every part of a writer’s workshop that we should know about. I liked how it even includes checklists for the students as well as the teacher.
I think that writer’s workshop will be an extremely useful tool in the classroom. I do not consider myself much of a writer (perhaps because I grew up with the traditional teaching method for writing), so I am anxious to see how this writer’s workshop approach will help my future students to see themselves as writers. I am so glad that there is a way to make students feel more confident in their writing and give them lots of practice. The best part about the writer’s workshop is that the students like it. If there’s any way that we can get our students to enjoy writing, I think it’s great.
Another thing I like about the writer’s workshop is the social aspect. I like that the students are taught how to share their piece as well as to listen to others’ pieces. By setting up all the rules for the classroom, the teacher is also setting up rules that students should use throughout their lives. For example, teaching the students to be accepting and encouraging of all students’ work may also teach them to be accepting of everyone’s ideas in and out of school.
I think that writer’s workshop is an excellent method of teaching children writing. It’s also great that the workshop is not a very hard task for the teacher or the students. It seems that once you get the hang of it, the workshop is easy to implement and fun to do. I look forward to trying this in our ITE 313 class, and someday in my own classroom.

Kamealoha’s Reflection

Reading Radical Reflections by Mem Fox was a lot of fun. She had so much information to share that I have never really thought about before. First of all on our first day of instruction when we were asked do we like to write? I said yes if it is something that I am interested in. This is partially what Mem was saying in her book. We need to make sure that when we are having children write that they at least like what they are writing about. I think that it is hard for children to just start writing on something that has no meaning to them.
I also think that it is important to think about why we write. If we are writing just to write then there is not as much meaning to it and it will not be as well written then if we had a purpose. I remember that I wrote a poem for my mom for mother’s day and I spent a lot of time on it and really got in to it. When I was done I was so excited to show it to her and watch how she reacted to her poem. I think that children need some kind of motivation and purpose to write. We can do this by giving them an audience that they care about to write for.
I think another great point that Mem mentioned was that we write to get a response. I think that feedback is important. I like to write to either get a letter grade as feed back or if it is just writing a letter to a friend and waiting for a response. I think that you can help children by giving them feedback and also by posting there works. I remember as a child I would love to have my work posted up where everyone could see it. This book was really informative. I think that this is going to be a great tool to use as a future teacher. I think that I will be able to look back to it and be able to use it as a reference.

Macey's Mem Fox Reflection #1

Macey Uehara
Mem Fox Reading Reflection #1
Writing has never been a favorite of mine. The only writing I do in my own time is in my journal, or the occasional letter to a friend.
I agree with Mem that the reason why we write is because it matters. I write in my journal because I hope that someday I can look back on my entries and remember my past. I sometimes write letters or responses to letters from friends because I value our friendship. If I didn’t care about those things, I would not write at all in my own time. As future teachers, this will be a useful piece of information for us because now we know that we should find out what matters to our students so that they will want to write.
Mem writes that the first consideration in writing is choice of topic. I was, at first, under the impression that we should always give students freedom to choose their own topic so they can write about something that matters to them. I find it interesting that students are sometimes driven by the fact that they can’t choose their own topic.
Another consideration in writing is audience. According to Mem, we should, as teachers, have our students write for a variety of audiences. I think this might be a good idea because a change every so often is exciting. Something new is likely to hold the students’ attention.
Mem also mentions that drafting and conferencing are considerations in writing. She goes on to say that sometimes only one draft is enough in writing. Other times, there may be thirty-two drafts needed. I find this interesting because in my experience, I remember always being required to write at least a rough and a final draft. Our classmates would make corrections to our rough draft and we would construct our final draft from that. Most of the time, the only marks on my first draft were “Good job. Don’t change anything,” or something to that extent. I began to purposely put mistakes into my first draft so that I could turn in my final draft with changes, as required. So, maybe it is true that we don’t always need more than one draft, but how would a teacher fairly say who will need to write that second draft? Wouldn’t it be unfair for the teacher to only require some students to do the extra work?
The most important idea I got out of this section of reading is that we are driven to write by what matters to us. Our students should be given writing assignments with that consideration in mind. If we know this, we are more likely to have students who consider themselves writers and who genuinely enjoy writing.

Lit & Lit 1 - UH - Swim - F2006

Lit & Lit 1 - UH - Swim - F2006: "UH "
Kia_Reflection_Mem_Fox

I was intrigued by Mem Fox's book, Radical Reflections. I am also not one to read a book unless I have to. I am glad I finally picked up the book. I definately agree with Mem. Children do write when they have a purpose. People, in general, write better if there is a purpose behind it. If you approach a work of writing, knowing people are going to read what you are writing, you take more time to chose your words wisely, making sure you articulate exactly your point. This is even true for young children. If they know the teacher is going to read it, they will do better than if they think the teacher is just going to give them a check for effort.
I remember back in my English 100 class, my instructor would write notes by nearly every paragraph even if it was just a "yeah" to say she agreed. It was almost like a conversation where you could only hear one side at a time. Reading her comments when I got my paper back made me, for the first time really revise my papers multiple times. Before her, and after her, I must say, most of the time I only write one draft, and on occassion may write two. It makes a difference when you know who your audiance is.
I do see the connection in both the elementary and the college level writing. They both need a reason to write and an appointed audience to maintain their focus in order to produce their best quality work. I think as teachers we should be writers. I love writing children's books. That is my second dream job. I have only written one so far, but I am well on my way to writing more. I just have to learn how to illustrate! This class is very inspiring.
Thank you for forcing me to read this book. It confirms many of my beliefs as a writer and an educator. I can't wait to read and write more.

Jaime's Reflection-Mem Fox

I wish had the talent, creativity, and wit like Mem Fox. She uses a lot of humor in her writing, but it’s done in a subtle way. In the first chapter of her book she mentions that there is always a watcher on the other side and that the watcher is always important to her. I feel the same way whenever I’m writing a paper, sending an email, or writing a thank you card. I feel as though the ‘watcher’ will misinterpret what I’m writing or that my writing will not make sense. I don’t know what I would do without the backspace button or liquid paper.

I think her Dream Piece assignment she mentioned in Chapter Two is a good way to get students to write creatively. I enjoyed reading Donna’s Dream Piece. Her Dream Piece had been written like the Bible. Instead of the Ten Commandments, she wrote fourteen commandments. Mem Fox responded by writing in the same style as Donna. The best part was when she said that Donna was a mighty sinner for using an apostrophe in the word “storehouses.”

The first three chapters taught me that writing has to matter. You need to care about your readers in order to be a writer. I find that so true as I have struggled to write this reflection.

Kieu's Reaction #1- Radical Reflections

From reading just the first three chapters of Radical Reflections, I can conclude that Mem Fox is, indeed, a powerful writer. This is evident not in the theories that she has about language arts, but in the way she writes. She writes not only to inform, but to educate and encourage as well. One can see in her work that she truly enjoys writing.
The theory she speaks of at the end of Chapter 1 really struck a chord with me. In order for children to learn to write, they need to write to someone who will respond. I have always been a supporter of the Social Cognitive Theory and truly believe that children learn through interaction. They do need to care about what they write and to whom they write. That is why it’s so important for them to have freedom of choice as to what topic to focus on. Although one child may enjoy writing about the ozone layer, the child sitting in the next seat may despise the topic. Personally, I have always preferred writing that came from my heart, whether it be a love letter or a birthday card. Rarely do I give out birthday and Christmas cards because it annoys me to stick a blank card onto a present. I often spend hours deciding what to write and then revising it on paper before I transfer it onto the card.
My most favorite memory of writing is my commencement speech. I had to compete with two other girls to earn the position. During the last few months of my senior at McKinley High School, I worked and worked with the speech teacher on my commencement speech, speaking of the ‘past’. Notice that I did not say ‘write’. For weeks, all I did was come up with ideas of what to write and once I found my ideas, I spent even more time expanding on those ideas. This speech was important to me because I was not only writing to my teacher, but to the whole senior class as well as our family and friends. The decision process itself was to be delivered in front of a dozen teachers. I had to impress all of these people before I could even revise further. It was crazy and exciting at the same time.
I think we all dread reading and writing to a certain extent. Even the best of writers, like Mem Fox, dread writing sometimes. However, it is our responsibility as teachers to help our students learn what it means to love to write, to write from their hearts.

Chelsea's Mem Fox Reflection #1

After reading the first few chapters, I couldn’t help to notice how
humorous, yet serious Mem Fox is. She appears to be a very
interesting writer. If I understood my reading correctly, I believe
that she is explaining the points on what it takes to be a good writer.
She also mentions a lot how unusual it is for non-writing teachers to
teach language arts in the classroom. I agree with her because a
teacher who is teaching about writing should be able to write
something themselves, just in case the students have any questions
that need to be answered or they need an example to be shown. A
similar situation would be a voice teacher who couldn’t sing. It just
wouldn’t make sense.
I enjoyed reading chapter two in Mem Fox’s book because it made
me laugh. It was about her days teaching college students how to
write, and how she once assigned them with a creative activity.
The examples of this activity she provided were very creative. It’s
neat to see how a person’s creativity can expand so greatly in such a
simple assignment. The examples in the chapter went far beyond
what I would ever think of doing if I was assigned an assignment like
that one.
In chapter three, Mem Fox states what she thinks are good
considerations in writing. I definitely agree with her list. I believe that
for a person to want to write, they should be able to choose their own
topic. If I was told what to write about all the time, I don’t think I
would enjoy writing as much. When a person has a choice of topic,
they should be able to fill up a page of writing. Of course, you have to
have a purpose to write. However, some people enjoy writing for fun.
When I was younger, I would write little stories every now and then just
for myself to read, and not anyone else. Nowadays, I don’t really like
picking up a pencil. The next thing a writer needs to think about is who
their audience is. They should know whom they are writing to and what
kind of people are they. They also need to provide enough time to
produce effective writing. They shouldn’t have to rush in their writing,
but let it flow. The last thing Mem Fox states is drafting. Honestly, I
hate making drafts any time I write something. Sometimes, I just think
it’s a big waste of paper. Once in a while, I might have to make a few
corrections to my paper, so I might have to write another draft for it.
However, I often write my papers once, which probably shouldn’t be a
good habit for a future teacher to want to do.

Kendrah's Reflection - Mem Fox - 1st reading

Gallardo, Kendrah
Professor Swimelar
09/04/2006

Reflection: Radical Reflections (Mem Fox)

Radical Reflections is a book written by Mem Fox. She introduces her book by stating that, “I tried to remember I was writing for a wide audience of parents, schoolteachers, would-be teachers, teachers of teachers…” This book is written to give support to the populations who want to continue teaching whole language. Mem Fox shares her own experiences of working with different level students over the past twenty years while teaching language arts. She believes that language arts are important to teach in schools. Throughout this book, she plans to focus on writing, teaching of reading and writing, and reflecting back on her own writing.
When I realized that I had to start reading this book for class I wasn’t too enthused about it. First of all, reading isn’t something I like to do for fun but from time to time I will find an excellent book I will want to read. Second of all, I knew I would eventually have to write a reflection about what I read from this book. However, when I first began to read this book I realized that perhaps this book wouldn’t be as bad as I thought it could be. Then, I remembered I needed to write my reflection. I was dreading it but then I remembered that I liked writing reflections because it’s my thoughts of what I read. So, with that said I’ve willingly started reading his book and writing about it. In chapter one entitled, Notes from the Battlefield, Fox states that she plans to focus on why writers write and what the implications are for teachers of writers. Fox explains that she writes because “it matters.” She wrote this book because she was asked to write it by people who she admired and liked. She also wanted to demonstrate her worthiness. There’s always a purpose for writing and “language develops only when it is used for real.” I totally agree with Fox because if I have to write in my journal to relieve stress or to a friend to say hello, I know I will write because it is for a purpose. Fox continues and mentions that teachers make a mistake of giving “unreal topics” to students that are meaningless activities. I believe my teachers made a mistake while teaching writing because they did forget that instead of always following a specific topic perhaps they could make it a topic relevant to the students. When I was in school, I hated writing especially in English class because we would have to write about topics not relevant to students who live in Hawaiʻi. There was no purpose to be excited about writing in that English class. Also, Fox mentions that writing has power and when writing has power it is a craft. Fox defines a craft as being able to put understandings into practice. Teachers must remember to assign topics that will excite students to write and want to write. The students will want to use their power if teachers let them and are willing to understand. Fox finishes up the chapter by writing, “Children develop language through interaction, not action. They learn to talk by talking to someone who responds. They must therefore learn to write by writing to someone who responds.” I think this quote was written perfectly by Fox and sums up the whole chapter I just mentioned.
In the second chapter titled There’s a Coffin in My Office, Fox explains how she teaches as a professor. Since she teaches first year teacher education college students, the college students consist of various ages. Some of these students are still experiencing the world while some have journeyed far throughout life. Whatever the story may be, Fox tries to relate each assignment to each of the students life. Therefore, Fox calls upon two end of the semester assignments that allows them to be creative. As I was reading through some of the examples provided in this chapter I wondered why I never came across a fun assignment like those mentioned in my own classes. If there were more of those kinds of assignments I probably would have fun doing them. The main point in teaching should be that success of “modeling the fact language is a vital tool that can be employed with power and enjoyment for many different purposes.” The goal in writing is to give the power to the student. Instead of guiding the student, the student will guide the teacher. While I reflected back on chapter two it made me see how my teachers could have made a difference in teaching me how to read and write. However, I’m satisfied that I am able to read a book like this so I can make a change.
In chapter three titled The Paths of Story Lead But to the Graves, Fox briefly touches upon the fact that teachers who teach writing must practice writing themselves. Teachers shouldn’t expect much from their student if they haven’t gone through the hardships of writing themselves. Fox admits that she struggles to write at times and therefore she points out that choice of topic is important for a writer. It is hard to write willingly for most people unless there is a topic at interest for a writer to be written about. There are other points that should also be kept in mind while writing and those are the purpose, the audience, the time and drafting and conferencing. Fox goes into depth about these subjects and why they all affect a person’s writing.
Overall, Fox’s book was written with a purpose and that purpose is to continue teaching language arts the right way. Fox reminds the reader to look at every aspect of writing and to realize that every aspect is essential to producing quality work. Throughout the last chapter, Fox writes that we as future teachers can prevent the death of the best methods of writing if we do our part in teaching writing the right way.

The Surprise of Complication

Hi, everyone. I was very surprised at how difficult it was to come up with the steps needed in the learning experience. I think it is something we take for granted, because it has become second nature to us. You just do not seem to notice all of the steps when you are in the learning position.

It seems we have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders when teaching these children and very little room for mistake. We cannot overlook anything. That's a big load to carry.

I am excited about teaching. I think I like the upper levels of elementary (3rd-5th), so that they have most of the foundation needed, and they can already do most of these things when given a few reminders. It is definately a difficult and complex concept for the children to grasp and conciously utilize on a daily basis.