Sei's reflection to Graves Ch 2
In Chapter 2, Donald Graves provides a step-by-step instructional guide to surviving day one of teaching the subject of writing. Although many teachers are hesitant of teaching writing more than any subject, according to Graves, teaching writing is not so different or not much more difficult of a task. To teach writing, the teacher must be knowledgeable about the process, the student, and the subject.
When working with seven- through eleven-year-olds, there are 5 steps to teaching writing. In step one, the teacher should “set the tone” by writing with the children. It is important that the students see that the teacher is also writing. In this step, it is important to think of 3 or 4 topics that not only interest you, but also your students. Step two involves “showing your topic choice”. Along with the class, brainstorm ideas of possible topics then give the students some time to pick one to write about. It is essential that the teacher shows the students how he/she came up with the topics. Let the children start writing and you also start writing, but make it a point to let the children know that you are not to be disturbed when you are writing. “Visiting” is step three. It is at this time that the teacher should go around the classroom and see how the kids are doing. It is important to reiterate to the specific student what he/she wrote about. In this way, the child can “receive the work” and through open questions, the teacher can pose more ideas for the child. “Sharing” is step for and it is to be done at the end of each class period. The children may be asked about how the class session was; the work of a few students maybe shared; and for one or two selections, the child may be asked one or two questions about his/her work. The last and final step is the “folder”, which is a manila folder that each student has to store his/her work.
When working with six-year-old children, the session will start off a little different, but the process will be the same for the most part. These children are given blank pieces of paper along with the choice of medium that they want to write with. They may be able to choose between pens, crayons, pencils, markers, or anything that makes them feel most comfortable. It is vital for the teacher to observe and watch the way these children manage the space of the paper and what they call “writing”. They are then given time to write and share, just like the older kids.
Once again, Graves has provided me with a very useful piece of information. Although I may not follow him exactly step-by-step, it’s such a relief to have a guideline or starting point. It’s so comforting to be given the idea of what to do instead of having to figure it out by myself and not knowing where in the world to start.
When working with seven- through eleven-year-olds, there are 5 steps to teaching writing. In step one, the teacher should “set the tone” by writing with the children. It is important that the students see that the teacher is also writing. In this step, it is important to think of 3 or 4 topics that not only interest you, but also your students. Step two involves “showing your topic choice”. Along with the class, brainstorm ideas of possible topics then give the students some time to pick one to write about. It is essential that the teacher shows the students how he/she came up with the topics. Let the children start writing and you also start writing, but make it a point to let the children know that you are not to be disturbed when you are writing. “Visiting” is step three. It is at this time that the teacher should go around the classroom and see how the kids are doing. It is important to reiterate to the specific student what he/she wrote about. In this way, the child can “receive the work” and through open questions, the teacher can pose more ideas for the child. “Sharing” is step for and it is to be done at the end of each class period. The children may be asked about how the class session was; the work of a few students maybe shared; and for one or two selections, the child may be asked one or two questions about his/her work. The last and final step is the “folder”, which is a manila folder that each student has to store his/her work.
When working with six-year-old children, the session will start off a little different, but the process will be the same for the most part. These children are given blank pieces of paper along with the choice of medium that they want to write with. They may be able to choose between pens, crayons, pencils, markers, or anything that makes them feel most comfortable. It is vital for the teacher to observe and watch the way these children manage the space of the paper and what they call “writing”. They are then given time to write and share, just like the older kids.
Once again, Graves has provided me with a very useful piece of information. Although I may not follow him exactly step-by-step, it’s such a relief to have a guideline or starting point. It’s so comforting to be given the idea of what to do instead of having to figure it out by myself and not knowing where in the world to start.
posted by Sei | 2:05 PM
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