4/30/2017 Goal 2: Engagement: Independence, Increasing Volume, and Developing a Writing IdentityRead NowOur next guest host is Gretchen Vogle. She is a second grade teacher at Lawnton Elementary in the Central Dauphin School District.
Gretchen writes... I was immediately intrigued by this chapter because student engagement can be difficult across the board, but I find it is especially difficult when teaching writing. I really like the idea of an engagement inventory. I have used this concept with reading; why not in writing? Has anyone implemented this in their classroom? How so? While I love the idea, I also wonder how to incorporate this and confer with students. One strategy I thought would be easy to implement is 2.3 Listen. Praise. Instead of having students listen to edit, the students simply tell their classmates what they like. I sometimes struggle with how to have students work meaningfully together with writing. This is a nice simple way for students to share their writing and get feedback from their peers. Another strategy that stood out to me was 2.6 Writers Are Problem Solvers. I currently have an anchor chart in my classroom for 'What to do if I don't know how to spell a word.' This chart is a nice way to expand upon that. While my students will refer to the spelling chart, they often come to me for the other situations, such as it being too loud or being stuck. Having an anchor chart like this in the classroom would help the students be more independent. I even thought of adding other situations, like 'My pencil broke.' or 'I don't know what else to write.' What are some ideas you would add? These are just two of the strategies from this section that I can't wait to incorporate in my classroom. Which strategies stood out to you? Are there any other ways you foster engagement in your classroom?
15 Comments
Lisa Findley
5/1/2017 05:19:04 pm
Hi Gretchen (and everyone!),
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Michael Williams
5/6/2017 04:20:27 pm
Those sound like great strategies Lisa. I would like to see how you have your writing partners share. I tried writing partners this year and it didn't go as well as I expected. If your first graders are already into the routine, I can continue it.
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Lisa
5/10/2017 03:10:30 pm
Our writing partners could still use A LOT of work in regards to supporting each other in writing - revising and editing! 5/2/2017 06:42:25 am
I wrote last week about choice being something that promotes engagement, although too much choice, with some learners, can become overwhelming. While some teachers use a "Heart Map" at the beginning of writing workshop, I also recommend "Writing Territories" to help a student identify three or so topics about which they would enjoy writing. This will help keep them engaged.
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Michael Williams
5/6/2017 04:19:01 pm
I like the engagement inventory as well. Engagement is so crucial and essential to the learning process, no matter what subject is being taught.
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Miranda Aaron
5/3/2017 02:26:22 pm
What stood out to me in this chapter was just how explicit we need to be about teaching engagement during the writing block. A colleague of mine gets so frustrated when time and time again teachers say they "talk about something" and expect kids to be able to do it. It is so critical that we teacher skills explicitly. Giving students strategies for how to get started, keep writing, hold their pencil, etc. will definitely help build engagement.
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Michael Williams
5/6/2017 04:23:28 pm
Time spent teaching strategies for engagement and building stamina is not lost, but actually provides more time for teaching in the end. Our second grade writing time is about thirty minutes and the strategies that you mentioned seem like they would be helpful.
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Kelly Wintemute
5/4/2017 03:32:00 pm
I am definitely going to use the engagement inventory. I have some students who consistently look like they are busy but actually are getting very little written.i would also use the questions adapted from James Vopat and Nancie Atwell during the first week of school. 2.3 Listen, Praise would be a great way to get my students to share with each other. 2.5 is a great way to have students self monitor. 2.10 is great for those students who write a little bit then want feedback because they are insecure about their writing. I find that sometimes my best writers are the most critical of their own writing. I am also considering using 2.11 by putting a plan write on their writing as well as 2.18 I am conflicted about teaching what is required doesn't always lend itself to student choice writing. I feel that 2.18 would allow more student choice.This chapter was inspiring and many of these ideas would be easy to implement.
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Michael Williams
5/6/2017 04:25:06 pm
I agree with you, Kelly. This goal was very motivating. It probably is my favorite goal and the most important one in my opinion. The strategies in this goal are needed to make all the other strategies work.
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Carol Johnston
5/4/2017 05:24:58 pm
I liked this chapter a lot. There are strategies to engage a variety of learning and writing styles. Since I’ve never done it before, I wondered about pairing students up for conferencing. Are we matching students’ work styles, writing styles, or complementary school skills - for example, those with strong executive functioning/time management skills with those that have strengths elsewhere, such as creativity or energy?
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Michael Williams
5/6/2017 04:26:47 pm
Carol, I agree that adults could benefit from these strategies when they are writing. Students need to see teachers modeling these strategies. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Christine Hartzman
5/7/2017 05:08:21 pm
I am also a big fan of the engagement inventory. It is a great snapshot of your class as a whole and helpful in determining the next steps in planning.
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5/7/2017 05:26:55 pm
There are so many great strategies in this chapter that I continue to be overwhelmed with where to begin. Strategy 2.1 reminds me that the environment I like best for writing my not be the same for my students. Maybe desk tops don't need to be cleared for all writers. And the idea of playing some background music sounds intriguing/calming/thought provoking. Encouraging students to discover their best writing environment seems easy and yet makes such a difference.
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Gretchen Vogle
5/29/2017 02:49:25 pm
Valerie,
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Ashley Oyer
5/14/2017 04:57:02 pm
Writer’s block happens to the best of us. It can be so frustrating for some of my students and I sometimes struggle with helping them find their way. 2.16: Stuck with Writing? Read, shows an anchor chart that teachers can post with inspirational text. I think this a great idea. I always share a mentor text at the beginning of a unit, but I haven’t given additional examples. Speaking of getting stuck, I changed the way my students buddy edit during writing workshop this year. I have the writer read their story paragraph by paragraph out loud and the listener has a half sheet of paper to help them focus on the reader. The piece of paper includes various tasks and an area for summary/comments. For instance, I might ask students to listen for the setting and any descriptive language that goes along with it. Then, I’ll have them write what they learned in a summary format (10-12 words). My students enjoy meeting with each other and sharing their work in this way.
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