Writing and Representing

What do you think is important to teach students about writing and representing?

Reading and writing are two of the most important skills a student can have. Without them, a student cannot become an independent learner (‘How can I,’ p. 40). However, for a young learner, beginning to read and write could seem very daunting. A wise teacher once told me that writing is reading written down. When looked at in this light, reading and writing are simplified and made less intimidating for students. Related to this saying is the idea of interrelation between reading and writing. In the B.C. English Language Arts (ELA) Integrated Resource Package (IRP), it is written that “[l]earning to write assists children in their reading; in learning to read, children also gain insights that help them as writers” (IRP, p. 5). Therefore, the importance of both reading and writing is maintained. Additionally, the B.C. ELA IRP indicates that “[a]ll the language arts (i.e., speaking, listening, reading, viewing, writing, and representing) are interrelated and interdependent: facility in one strengthens and supports the others. Students become confident and competent users of all six language arts through having many opportunities to speak, listen, read, write, view, and represent in a variety of contexts” (IRP, p. 15). Therefore, when teaching students about writing and representing, it is important to highlight the interrelated nature of all of the ELA strands and the importance of practicing them all. And finally, it is important to stress to students that all of the ELA strands occur throughout all subject matters. One example of this is highlighted in the book Constructing Meaning, by Joyce Bainbridge et al. in which the use of the writing strand in the subject of math is presented outside of an English lesson (Bainbridge et al., p. 242). This connection between subjects is also important for students to learn about because it will connect for them the usefulness and all encompassing nature of writing and representing.

What is important in the writing and representing classroom?

As a student teacher, I think there are five important things to include in the writing and representing classroom. First, giving students lots of time to work at writing is essential for the writing and representing classroom. A reason for this, according to Bainbridge et al., is that writing is a “process [that] requires time, thought, and the reworking of multiple drafts” (Bainbridge, p. 275). This idea is also found in the B.C. ELA IRP in which it is stated that, “[l]ong blocks of uninterrupted time are most beneficial for literacy success. […] Reading deeply and writing thoughtfully take time. The long blocks of time also [… allow] students to delve deeply [… into writing]” (IRP, p. 34). Therefore, ensuring that students are given lots of time to write is important for the writing and representing classroom. Secondly, providing a safe and respectful environment for feedback in the writing and representing classroom is important. According to Jennifer Savage, students “need an environment that is comfortable, encouraging, and non-threatening [… because she wants them] to have fun and enjoy being in the classroom” (‘How can I,’ p. 41). And similarly, Bainbridge et al. write that when children know there is a respectful and safe environment in the classroom, they will “share their pieces of writing with a group […] and will be able to accept the feedback” (Bainbridge, p. 280). Therefore, a safe and respectful environment in the classroom is key to the feedback process and a happy classroom. Third, having a language-rich classroom is important for the writing and representing classroom because according to the B.C. ELA IRP, “for children to become skilled readers (and writers), they need to develop a rich language and conceptual knowledge base, a broad and deep vocabulary, and verbal reasoning abilities to understand messages conveyed through print” (IRP, p. 31). Therefore, if children are surrounded by language in the classroom, they will be helped in becoming skilled readers and writers. Fourth, having as a goal students becoming independent writers is important in the writing and representing classroom. In the B.C. ELA IRP, this goal is highlighted as important and achievable through a teacher’s use of “scaffold[ing] writing development through a range of activities involving the gradual release of support” (IRP, p. 23). This will allow students to move towards more independence as writers. And fifth, a balanced program of writing instruction is important because, according to Bainbridge et al., “[i]n a balanced program of writing instruction, all of [… the writing] voices, levels, and genres of writing are taught. Students can then learn to write effectively for a range of audiences and purposes” (Bainbridge, p. 292).

How would you support student writing and representing in the ELA classroom?

As a student teacher, I have been learning about the many ways of supporting student writing and representing. However, because of the sheer number of strategies and methods of support, I will only discuss a few that I feel to be the most important.

First, to support student writing and representing, I would provide many modeling opportunities so that students will know what constitutes good quality writing and will know that writing is valued. To do this, I would ensure that I (as a teacher) would write while the students are writing. This would show that writing is valued. Additionally, I would have a published author come into the classroom to talk to the students. This is important because published authors have the ability to inspire children to write. In Sharon Creech’s novel Love That Dog, the influence of a published poet’s visit to a classroom is presented. The main character named Jack invites the poet Walter Dean Myers to his classroom. After the poet’s visit, Jack writes, “[t]hank you for coming to see us Mr. Walter Dean Myers. Inside this envelope is a poem using some of your words. I wrote it. It was inspired by you Mr. Walter Dean Myers. From your number one fan, Jack” (Creech, p. 85). This example indicates the published poet’s positive influence on Jack because the student became confident in his poetry, as evidenced by his willingness to share it with the poet. Furthermore, having a published author speak to students is important according to Bainbridge et al., because when students “listen to published authors talk about their work, they have a different purpose and motivation in learning to become good writers. Writing […] becomes an art that can entertain and delight, and it can produce great pride in young writers who know it is a valuable accomplishment” (Bainbridge, p. 280). Therefore, in inviting published authors and poets into the classroom, students can become inspired and begin to see themselves as writers.

Second, I would support students’ writing by providing them with the five steps to writing presented in the B.C. ELA IRP, which include prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and presenting and publishing (IRP, p. 22). These steps are important for students to learn because they provide an easy to follow sequence to work on the process of creating quality pieces of writing. In relation to this, I would also highlight the fact that “[t]he writing process is cyclical” (Bainbridge, p. 275) so that students do not get discouraged or overwhelmed by the results of their first drafts of writing pieces.

Third, I would give my students many opportunities to write in order to support their writing and representing. This is because “writing [… is] a series of processes that a writer goes through” (Bainbridge, p. 275). The more practice a student has, the more familiar they will become with the processes. Furthermore, many opportunities to write are important because “writing for learning is an intrinsic part of the total learning process. It makes learning personally meaningful and creates […] ‘action knowledge’ rather than ‘book knowledge’ […] When children write in journals, they reflect, shape, and redraft as they engage in learning” (Bainbridge, p. 239). Therefore, the more opportunities students have to write, the more opportunities they have to engage in learning. However, when providing students with many opportunities to write, it will be important to stress that most pieces of writing will not be shared with others. This will allow students to develop a few quality pieces of writing that are well thought out and reworked (Bainbridge, p. 275).

Fourth, I would support student writing and representing by having students focus more on integrating grammar learning into their writing rather than separating it through the use of methods such as grammar sheets. This is because in the B.C. ELA IRP it is stated that “[t]eaching grammar outside of the students’ writing experiences […] does not result in a transfer of skills or learning to the next writing experience. Grammar skills should be taught in the context of the writing experience, using students’ and teachers’ own writing” (IRP, p. 25). One strategy that I would use to encourage grammar learning in writing is by having students use what Jennifer Savage calls “Think Pad” (Savage, p. 41). The Think Pad works when students are writing and they don’t know how to spell a word, they simply “jo[t] down attempts to spell [… the] unfamiliar words” (Savage, p. 41) in the Think Pad. This way, students learn words in the context of their own writing, which will aid them in understanding their meanings.

Fifth, in order to support student writing and representing, I would offer different feedback methods. This is important because according to Bainbridge et al., “young writers want to be listened to and want honest responses to their work […] In the [… feedback] process, writers learn new ways of making meaning, building on their already existing writing the skills” (Bainbridge, p. 280). A specific method of feedback I would include in my classroom would be the Two Stars and a Wish method because it allows students to give both positive and constructive feedback.

Sixth, I would ensure that students would have an authentic audience because according to Bainbridge et al., “[e]stablishing an authentic audience for children’s writing makes a difference in how children go about the process of composition and revision. Awareness that a real audience is going to hear or see their written pieces makes all the difference in the world” (Bainbridge, p. 279). In relation to this and in support of student writing and representation, I would offer students different methods of sharing written pieces with an audience. First, I would provide students with the choice to present their writing under the name anonymous. This would allow shy students and those who are not confident in their writing the opportunity to share with an audience in safety. Second, I would ensure that throughout the school year students would have the opportunity to read their written work to the class in the form of a presentation. And third, I would have students write their own books and place them in a very local author section in the classroom library. This opportunity is the most important because a student will feel accomplished and proud when their book is placed next to published books. It is also important because it provide students with motivation and an authentic audience.

A seventh way I would support student writing and representing is in providing adequate time and encouragement for students to learn specific genres of writing such as poetry. When students are provided with a year-long study of a genre rather than a short unit, they are able to develop a deeper understanding of it and become encouraged to want to try it themselves. This method is present in the novel Love that Dog by Sharon Creech. In this novel, the main character Jack initially does not want to write poems because “boys don’t write poetry. Girls do” (Creech, p. 1). However, because his teacher continued to teach poetry throughout the school year and provided encouragement in the form of modeling and language rich activities in the classroom, Jack eventually wanted to write poetry (Creech, p. 86).

And finally, to support student writing and representing, I would provide a balance between freedom and structure in the writing curriculum. This balance is important according to Mara Casey and Stephen I. Hemenway, because the result would be students that are “more dynamic writers excited about their abilities to blend exposition and imagination for more creative communication” (‘Structure,’ p. 68). In the classroom, I would create this balance between freedom and structure for writing by providing students with opportunities to write narrative and expressive writing in addition to other forms of writing. This is essential because, as in the case of Page, a former student, students get “frustrated with being assigned such structured topics, with little freedom to express [their] views or feelings” (‘Structure,’ p. 74). Therefore, when students are provided with writing that will allow them to be “in complete control—free to express their own ideas and feelings” (‘Structure,’ p. 70), they will enjoy writing, which is the ultimate goal.

What is important in the Grade 1 writing and representing classroom?

First and foremost, providing students with a safe and respectful classroom environment is crucial. This is because when students feel safe, they are happy and when they are happy, they “are more motivated to learn and have a greater opportunity for successful learning” (‘How can I,’ p. 41). Another important aspect to include in the Grade 1 writing and representing classroom is the provision of fun strategies for young learners that will fulfill the Grade 1 PLOs. First, according to Savage, “[f]or early writers […] drawing their story is as important as the words” (‘How can I,’ p. 41). This idea is relevant to the Grade 1 PLOs because it fulfills PLOs C1, C2, which all state, “ideas [can be] represented through words, sentences, and images that connect to a topic” (IRP, p. 53). A strategy that Savage uses to encourage drawing and writing, and that I would like to adopt in my future classroom, is a journal for each student that incorporates an area for pictures and for writing (‘How can I,’ p. 41). Additionally, to help students learn to have “appropriate spacing between letters and between words” (IRP, p. 54), as dictated in PLO C10, I would have students use a ‘spaceman’. This ‘spaceman’ is mentioned in Savage’s article and consists of a paper spaceman glued to a popsicle stick (‘How can I,’ p. 43). I find this strategy both creative and appealing to students because it is a great alternative to the finger space strategy. Although I have mentioned only two fun strategies to support students in writing and representing, it is possible to see how achievable it is for teachers to help Grade 1 students learn to write and represent while fulfilling the PLOs in the B.C. ELA IRP.

Bibliography:

British Columbia Ministry of Education. English Language Arts, Kindergarten to Grade 7: Integrated Resource Package (IRP) 2006.

Jennifer Savage. “How can I effectively use the First Steps Writing program in my classroom?”

Joyce Bainbridge, Rachel Heydon et al. Constructing Meaning: Balancing Elementary Language Arts. Fourth Edition. Nelson Education Ltd.: 2009.

Mara Casey and Stephen I. Hemenway. “Structure and Freedom: Achieving a Balanced Writing Curriculum,” English Journal, July 2001, p. 68-75.

Sharon Creech. Love That Dog. Harper Collins: New York, 2001.