Juli
Kendall's
2004-05
READING/WRITING
WORKSHOP JOURNAL
Entry #06
Getting Students to Write
I recently bought a new nightshirt, one of those comfy, t-shirt like things people love to wear as they sleep.
It wasn't an accident, either. We were at Pike Place Market in Seattle to watch them "throw the fish." One website describes the 95-year-old public farmer's market this way:"It's still a mecca of gorgeous local produce, cheap fresh flowers, fabulous flying fish, endless ethnic eateries and groceries, boisterous street musicians, funky antique shops, crafts stands and hip boutiques. So pick a rainy weekday and head on down." That's what we did. It was a wonderful place to be on a rainy Sunday afternoon, plus we got to see the "flying fish" in person. If you are in education, then you have probably seen the FISH! video from the Pike Place Fish Market, which is located at the front of the public market. The video is frequently used as a motivational tool to get educators and schools working together for a common purpose. To learn more about this wonderful place where fish, sometimes very large fish, fly through the air, check this out . You can even order the video online. If you want to see some QuickTime movies about the market and their philosophy, and watch a fish fly, go here. The "Over the Girls" movie is my favorite. So as my husband took pictures of flying fish, I went shopping. I found the t-shirt store on the street level just around the corner from the newsstand. I've wanted a nightshirt that says "Sleepless in Seattle" for a several years and a large quantity were hanging on the first rack inside the door. It was perfect! Only thing was—it came in only one size. The label read, "One size fits all." Give me a break! There's no way this nightshirt fits everyone. For some it's way too big and for others it's way too small. But for me it was just right. Sort of like teaching kids how to write. Sometimes our strategy fits the learner and sometimes it doesn't. As I continually ponder how to help match my writing instruction to what kids need, I was especially interested in an email from Pam Buchanan on the MiddleWeb Reading/Writing Workshop listserv. She was asking for responses to questions about writing from some of her preservice teachers. Here's what she wanted to know, "By far, the most asked question is: What do you do about the kids who refuse to write?" I hear this a lot. It also came up on another listserv I belong to—an online mentoring list for new teachers. The question went something like: How do I get kids to write? What do I do if they don't write anything?
I love these questions about getting kids to write. They show that teachers care about kids. But the problem of "getting kids to write" occurs very infrequently in the classes where I work. I think that's because of the student and teacher expectation that we are all writers. For building expectations for kids in writing, no one is better than Isoke Nia. I heard her respond to questions about what to do if students lose their Writer's Notebooks or don't bring them to class or don't write in them. Her response was very matter of fact. "I simply expect that they will do this, and believe me they do." I think a lot about getting kids to write is expecting that they will write and that they will be successful. But remember, one size doesn't fit all. Here are some of the things I do to build the expectation that we are all writers: 1. Model, model, model. I read aloud text that shows kids the kind of writing I want before we start writing. They can refer to these examples as they work on their own writing. I model my own writing. Before I ask students to write in a genre or do an assigned writing piece, I show them how I go about doing this kind of writing by thinking aloud for them as I write. Writing in front of your class and thinking aloud about how you do it really helps kids develop the expectation that everyone writes, even the teacher!
2. I use writing for real, authentic purposes like asking for permission to go to the bathroom, describing unacceptable behavior, or requesting a pencil. In this way I build on the expectation that we are all writers. When asked for something, I often say, "Just put it in writing." I keep a pile of small pieces of scrap paper for students to use to "Put it in writing." Then at appropriate times they can hand me a note. Sometimes the writing is very terse, something like, "He's bothering me." Other times, when students are writing me a letter explaining a problem that happened and what they will do to make sure it doesn't happen again, it's long and involved.
3. I accept any writing at the first of the year. I once had a student say, on the first day of school, "It's just too soon to write." So I asked him to write like he did the year before, and he scribbled something down. I accept any kind of writing at the first of the year because I want to convey the expectation that we are all writers and that everyone writes differently. Rather than judging it, I use it as a baseline to plan further instruction. Kids fear rejection and criticism. Just like we do... As for my own writing, I've learning that "one size fits all" just doesn't fit me, and that one thing that helps me is the expectation that we are all writers, even teachers.
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