http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/ RecentChanges for learners4life http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/feedlogo.gif http://pbwiki.com/ PBwiki 3.7 support@pbwiki.com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Writers+Workshop email.hidden@example.com (Jodi) Jodi commented on Writers Workshop Penny, thank you for answering those questions! I'm sure I'll have several more to follow.]]> Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:35:06 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Writers+Workshop email.hidden@example.com (Jodi) Jodi commented on Writers Workshop Thank you for answering those questions! I'm sure I'll have several more to follow.]]> Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:34:32 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Student+Focus%3A+Rick email.hidden@example.com (Tammy Gillmore) Tammy Gillmore commented on Student Focus: Rick Oh, my...I just read about Rick today...while on a day-date with my husband (while he was looking at some "manly" things, I read a while!). When I finished, I wrote a student's name down at the end of that chapter...wishing I had touched him more, for when I look back, I now wonder how bad his home-life might have been...or is. This student and I got off to a very rocky start after he used the f-word in my class towards me...we actually worked through this..have to admit that I watched and wanted him to mess up, for his actions greatly irritated me! But he didn't, and our relationship improved immensely (thankfully...and with work on both our parts.) Even though we wrote in journals in my class, the focus was not the sort that Mrs. Penny uses...nor did I read them as I should have. I always waited until the end of the nine-week. Going to think through this more...maybe will find some answers as I get caught up on my reading also!]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:32:56 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Writers+Workshop email.hidden@example.com (Stacey Kerr) Stacey Kerr commented on Writers Workshop @Jodi I'm so with you on the colored pencils! I loved that idea. ]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:25:16 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Writers+Workshop email.hidden@example.com (Stacey Kerr) Stacey Kerr commented on Writers Workshop Obviously, with the title of the book, it always has to come back to modeling. But I can't help but be drawn in and motivated by how much of the success of this "method" depends on my own integrity as a teacher-writer. It's funny, Penny mentions the thing that she heard at a workshop once--a teacher may be the only adult the students see reading. I heard that too, when I was being trained to teach the "Ramp Up" program in NYC. Since then, I've been really committed to reading in front of my students. I talk to them about how I write--but only when I'm in a phase when I am writing. Everything from the injunction to write just one line, to write beyond distraction in the beginning of the chapter, to the seven principles, to the first day handout, is speaking to ME as a writer (and a sheepish nonwriter) before it is speaking to me as a teacher. Teacher, teach thyself. ;)]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:24:38 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Integration+Ideas email.hidden@example.com (Stacey Kerr) Stacey Kerr edited Integration Ideas Dana Huff
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]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:12:38 +0000 mod http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Writers+Workshop email.hidden@example.com (Penny Kittle) Penny Kittle commented on Writers Workshop Hi Jodi, a couple answers.... I have students read for 10 minutes in their book and determine how many pages they can comfortably read in that time. Then we calculate how many pages they should read in two hours of homework reading a night. That way they can make a 'good faith effort' at their own ability level. However, I set the '100 pages' a week goal so that all will work to read more than usual. We keep track of reading rate throughout the semester and every student's goes up because they're reading more. I wish I had time to tell you about one of my IEP students this semester... in a quick summary, she started reading story/poetry (Sold was her first novel in verse) and from there started reading and reading. She was motivated, although dyslexic, but she improved a lot. She had been faking it for years, and since she chose books she could read, she started to work at it and improve.

Parent homework is to write me a letter telling me about their son/daughter. I ask them to tell me things about them th]]> Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:29:24 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Writers+Workshop email.hidden@example.com (Jodi) Jodi commented on Writers Workshop There is so much in this chapter that I may have to take it on in more than one post. I enjoyed reading the first day handouts that Penny provides for her students. I am sure that we all hand out similar items and go over them with the students, but I have never thought to use those pages as the first lesson in how to read like a writer. In addition to the syllabus and first day information, I will also be handing out colored pencils to my new students.
I am wondering how Penny deals with and motivates the student who is not reading the 100-150 pages a week and if there are any concessions made for IEP students, and what homework is given to the parents on the first day. I am always looking for additional ways to bring my parents into the classroom.
]]> Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:26:32 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Student+Focus%3A+Rick email.hidden@example.com (Jodi) Jodi commented on Student Focus: Rick I love that the focus of Rick's project was himself, that he was able to distinguish himself from the chaos in which he was living. Despite the heartbreak (and often anger) I experience when I read things like this from my students, it is very humbling to me that they feel they can express their feelings to me. I do believe that a student's trust is one of the greatest compliments we can receive as educators. ]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:21:32 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Notebook email.hidden@example.com (Penny Kittle) Penny Kittle commented on Notebook The tricky question is my most common one when I talk to teachers. I will say a couple of things in response. We need to look closely at our curriculum and ask hard questions about how it engages our students. It is all about engagement. I want them engaged in their own writing process because it always pays off. The other thing is that teachers in literature-heavy courses just vary units. They teach a novel for a few weeks, and then a writing-focused unit. We can use writing to support reading some of the time, but we have to realize we can't do it all of the time. Students need to study writing as its own content area some of the time, too. Then they really learn things about writing in all settings, not just about literature. I don't pretend it is easy. I wish I had enough time... but I never do. ]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:02:33 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/How+Writing+Units+Work+Together email.hidden@example.com (Penny Kittle) Penny Kittle commented on How Writing Units Work Together We always have those non-teamplayers, too. We just work around them. Everyone else gets on board... that's good for kids. I'm not sure a department-wide rubric is an answer, but it does help us have good conversations about what kinds of things we're noticing in writing and want to address together. ]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:59:36 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Integration+Ideas email.hidden@example.com (Dana Huff) Dana Huff edited Integration Ideas Jodi Douglas
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]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:03:45 +0000 mod http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Quick+Writes email.hidden@example.com (Anonymous) Anonymous commented on Quick Writes I forgot: no HTML allowed on this page. Add your del.icio.us account and/or links to anchor texts on the "Integration Ideas" page: http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Integration-Ideas]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:38:35 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Quick+Writes email.hidden@example.com (Anonymous) Anonymous commented on Quick Writes I created a spot for the anchor texts on the page. ]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:37:09 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Integration+Ideas email.hidden@example.com (Anonymous) Anonymous edited Integration Ideas How Can I Use This in My Classroom with My Students?
Share your ideas here.Anchor Texts
Jodi & Tammy voiced a desire to collectively pool resources to help us all find good anchor pieces. If you find a good one, you can create a link to it below. Also, we can share del.icio.us accounts and all tag pieces "anchortexts."
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]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:35:20 +0000 mod http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Quick+Writes email.hidden@example.com (Anonymous) Anonymous commented on Quick Writes Great ideas, ladies. I'm adding a page now for anchor texts. On the page, we could all add our del.icio.us user names. Also, if everyone tags the texts with the same phrase, it might be helpful. Can we all agree to tag them with "anchortexts"?]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:29:57 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/Notebook email.hidden@example.com (Anonymous) Anonymous commented on Notebook I've enjoyed reading Tammy & Jodi's discussion. I hate to admit this, but I've never used writer's notebooks in my more than a decade of teaching. I've always frowned on journal writing, not really seeing any benefit to having my students write to a prompt for bell work and then simply grading them for completion. Kittle's point about writing fluency is an interesting one. Perhaps there is merit to simply writing--if only for fluency sake. What I like about Kittle's approach is the structure. Her journal writing is not merely free writing with no end goal in mind. She's teaching specific skills, having students practice and play with these skills. Students are re-visiting the writing, choosing to throw out some, amend some, add to some, and stitch together a few to create longer pieces. I like this kind of writer's notebook. I love the quick writes. How to merge all this into my curriculum--where writing is not the only focus--is a bit tricky. I'm still not sure how to do that.]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:26:43 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/How+Writing+Units+Work+Together email.hidden@example.com (Dana Huff) Dana Huff commented on How Writing Units Work Together It's an important distinction that you make Penny -- coverage versus learning. Also, you're right about some teachers not knowing enough about grammar to teach it. I would like to have a department-wide rubric, but I don't think my administration would approve (even though I am department chair). One thing my administration prizes is academic freedom, and I think it would be seen as an imposition on other department members. Ah, I can hear you say, why not develop your own rubric together so everyone would have buy-in. Ideally, that would work. However, we have one non-teamplayer who would be the fly in the ointment.]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:47:52 +0000 com http://learners4life.pbwiki.com/This+I+Believe email.hidden@example.com (Dana Huff) Dana Huff commented on This I Believe Lisa and Jodi, I agree with your statements. This chapter is about modeling. I highlighted "My teaching was all tell, no show" (7). I wrote in the margin that "I suspect this is the root of my current problems with writing." What I meant, of course, was teaching writing. I keep wondering why students don't implement my suggestions next time. The answer, of course, is that I'm telling them to make changes, but not showing them how. To echo your closing thoughts, Lisa, "next year!"

Jodi, how great that you are getting to try these ideas out.]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:04:37 +0000 com