Megan Gilbert's Reflection- Graves chap. 9-11

I’ve decided to write this reflection on chapter nine alone because it interested me the most out of the chapters we had to read. Chapter nine was about some of the most common questions teachers have about writing and the answers to these questions. The first category of questions was about the child’s practice in writing. These questions included what to do when the child only wants to write about one topic, won’t revise, is worried about convections, can’t find a topic, and won’t complete his work. The chapter ensures that when children chose to write about one topic for a long time, there is a reason for it. The teacher should accept this, carefully take note of the child progress in writing, and take the topic seriously. Children don’t like to revise because they don’t like to “mess up” the page and they are use to leaving their writing as it is after they are finished. Teachers need to teach their students the importance of correcting a piece of writing to make it presentable to the public. To those students who are overly concerned with convections, the teacher must communicate that convections don’t matter during the drafting process. It is ok to make mistakes because they can be corrected later during the editing and revising processes. Finally, this chapter emphasizes that all writers go through dry periods. However, if the student continually does not finish their work, it is important to conference with the student about their unfinished work to uncover the problem.

The second category is that of teacher practices. These questions included how to find time to teach writing, publish writing, see if skills are taking hold, teach children to work independently, and the problem of grading. Teachers find time to teach writing by making it a priority and taking the time from different curriculum areas. Making time for publishing starts in the summer with the teacher making the bookbindings. Then, during the year, the teacher should enlist the parent’s help. A teacher can learn if the skills are taking hold through keeping a record of skills, writing folders, and holding conferences. Students will learn to better work on their own through set routines and a sense of strong group consciousness. Finally, children should be graded on their best work. I agree with a lot of the solutions presented in this chapter and I believe it will be an excellent resource for the future.