EDEC: Week 2 Post

1-28-11

            This is my second week here in first grade at

Timothy Road

. So far, I enjoy my first graders. This morning, two girls got up in front of the class, during calendar time and sang Mrs. Davis and me and cheer. The cheer was, “2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? Ms. Davis, Ms. Davis! 2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? Ms. Tedder, Ms. Tedder!” I loved this cheer. What a great way to start out the morning!

            In the chapter that we read in our books, it talks about expectation and consequences. I feel like Mrs. Davis’ class knows the expectations and knows the consequences. I feel like there is no grey area when it comes to these two terms. I also could not believe that the principal in the book came over the intercom and said what he said about the thumping. I found it funny that everyone started thumping each other, including the author of the book we are reading. It’s like every time you say, “Don’t do that!” The students do it anyway. I feel like there are other ways around this and what you say and how you say it has a huge impact.

Writer's Workshop Chapters 6 &11

Ready, Set, Go! Wow, I hope one day that after I give my students their focus lesson they will be able to go off on their own for 30 to 40 minutes and write independently in the writer's workshop. How great would that be?! I love the idea about having students write on their own and doing their "own thing" during this given time period. As we know, to have a productive writer's workshop we need to get the layout and routine of the workshop at the first of the school year. The writer's workshop is a time for students to "do what writers do." Students need to know that the sky is the limit during writer's workshop. I love that quote! How great to be able to allow students to write about whatever they want, whatever they feel, their experiences, this time is theirs to explore and grow. I think it is another good point that students know that this is not time to "just write, just to be writing." They need to start and write about meaningful things. I like how the writer's workshop will let students' free write when they first start the writer's workshop. As the time progresses, the teachers will help them further their knowledge, how they use their notebooks, the drafting stages, and so forth.
Once again, the book does a great job of breaking down the different things that writers can do during independent writing time. They can free write, do writing exercises, reading to support their writing, daydreaming, asking peers, and more. I really liked the idea about day dreaming. I highly agree that sometimes writers just need to think. However, they need to be productive during this time and not doing other homework and such. Another thing to help students manage their writing time is have little reminders in the workshop. What a good idea. I always have reminders in my room or in my agenda. At the end of the chapter it has the best list of all...Kinds of things that you might write in your notebook! Having this around for students to read and get ideas from is much needed in my opinion.
I think that it is such a valid point that when we were students the whole class wrote about the same things and the teacher corrected problem on it and handed it back to us. We taught this was teaching. We taught this was normal writing time. WRONG! There really was not any teaching going on here at all. I like how the book puts "the teaching of writing revolves around strategies, techniques, and understandings that are not connected to specific material." I have learned that we can let go of telling the students "what" to write. You can do a whole-class teaching with the students writing about many different things.

Writer's Workshop Chapters 9, 10, 13

In the next three chapters that we read about writer’s workshop is getting more detailed about how to start and finish a lesson. We have to remember that students are learning and should be learning at all times during the writer’s workshop. I liked the 5 ways to think about teaching the writer’s workshop which are: environment, demonstration, direct instruction, inquiry, and potential of the world. The book explains these 5 things in an easy way for someone to understand. I liked how the best way to set up our writer’s workshop is by surrounding the area by things to learn from. This quote made a lot of sense to me. So many times we are thinking about what we need to teach the students. Having things that surround the area that we can learn from is a great idea. We should ask ourselves, “What can I get going in my room that the students can learn from?” When students have plenty of time and are able to write everyday they become better writers and learn to enjoy writing. I agree that the writer’s workshop needs to have routines set early in the school year. This way the students know what to do and when to do it. I like the idea about the group share. I like how it is ongoing and that students can learn from each other. Teachers need to remember to create the daily routine and maintain a supportive classroom environment where students are comfortable in sharing. I like the list of ideas how students can learn and how to display students’ work. The book gives many good examples about the kinds of texts and different genres that are needed in the writer’s workshop. I love the idea about having copies of students’ work around in the writer’s workshop. Once again students can learn from others. Also, you can share quotes about writers, have books on grammar, and have visitors in your classroom that will aid your writer’s workshop. Teachers also need to write about anything that they want. Students need to know that their teacher is writing and is a writer just like they are. Heavy writing should be done in the writer’s workshop; however, students can still have writing homework. I like the section about the desk work and the world work. Most of the time we write about what we know and what we have experienced throughout our lives. Students can go out in the world and try new things and come to school and write about these new things.

            Once again, I think that the book does a great job in giving us 5 steps to use to teach writer’s workshop. These 5 steps are: strategies, techniques, questions, relationships, and conventions. Students need to build a repertoire of understandings, strategies, and techniques to support them in their work as writers. Students will grow more as writers if good teaching is involved. Students can also help to explain and teach new strategies to other students. I agree that good teachers of writing continue to add to their knowledge base about writing curriculum throughout their teaching careers. We must remember that we can’t know it all when we start out. I also think that it is great that the book gives us a list of resources to use for how teachers get smart about writing. These are great tips.

            I finally have a better idea about what a focus lesson is. A single focus lesson is always a part of a series of lessons. I like how students should be brought together during some point of the writer’s workshop. This allows time for intellectual gathering and we need to make sure that we have a gathering place in the room. I liked how the tone is very direct and teaching writing is powerful when the students see the teacher as both a writing mentor and a fellow writer. I agree with talking to your students as writers and not as children. I love the idea about show and tell during the focus lesson. This makes a lot of sense. These are just some of the highlights that made a lot of sense to me and that I defiantly will take with me to my writer’s workshop in the future.

First day in First Grade (Journal for EDEC) Extra for LLED

The first day has been fun and I already have learned a few new things. I watched a guided reading lesson, observed a math and writing lesson, and I am blown away by the smartboard. I really want to learn how to do all of the neat things that the smartboard has to offer. Reading the first 14 pages in our book makes perfect sense to me. I am really starting to believe that there are not "bad children," but only bad teachers. I enjoyed the examples that the book gives about great teachers and what they do or do not do. As future teachers, we have always been told what NOT to do as teachers. Now, we are starting to learn how to become great teachers.

Thursday 1/20/11: Observed a math and writing lesson, helped a child with their work, and listen to a child read.

Chapters 1-5

Lauren Tedder

Ch 1-5

Writing Workshop Blog

1-18-11

            First of all, this text is not so bad after all. I find this text actually interesting and I enjoy the settings this text puts you in. It gives you real life situations and examples. This is great because I really, really do not like to read. I have learned a lot through the first five chapters of this text. To be honest, I did not really have a great understanding of what a writing workshop is or why we should have one in our classrooms.

            The goal of a writing workshop is to help find good reasons for students to write, do all the things that writers really do, and the students can decided about what they want to write about. How perfect is this? Giving students choices to freely write about whatever they wish. This would help many, if not all students stay interested in writing. As a student, I really dislike writing about boring topics or topics that the teacher picks for us to write about. It is much more fun writing about things you care about. I also like how the writing workshop allows teachers to bring in their own personalities, experiences, and strengths to the workshop. I do agree that all writers need time and experience to write. I think that it is a great idea to have a set time everyday for students to explore writing. I learned a lot about the different parts that make up a writing workshop.

            I never really thought about writing being two different parts. There is writing to support your life and writing to communicate. I mean writing love notes or grocery lists never seemed like “writing” to me. However, reading chapter 2 made me realize that writing is writing and you can do it and learn it in different forms. I like how writing is not my grade level or ability level. The reason is because writers grow and learn their whole lives. Writing is a great way for people to share and respect others ideas. The best part, in my opinion, about the writing workshop is that not every piece of work a student writes has to be their very best work. This takes the pressure of the students and allows them to explore and try new things.

            I found chapter 4 interesting about the tone of the room. I liked how it said that cluster in a room is okay. That cluster means something interesting is going on! There are many different combinations a room can have to set its tone. I like how the author addresses time and how each student will be finished with the writing workshop when the clock is up and the whole 30 minutes is up. So far, I have a much better understanding of what and why a writing workshop can be a helpful tool.

Testing!

First Post!