Write Your Own Ending

As the author states, "writing empowers." Writing that is celebrated leads to excitement and promise. "Don't settle for anything less."

CH. 12 Make Every Minute Count

I connected with the author's words on page 283 when she looked into student's eyes seeking to find what they love to do. I believe we have to spend time meeting our student's eyes and giving them reasons to smile. Just as the author, we all want to connect with students and make our time together count. I hope to develop some of my own lists, such as secrets of good writers, with my students to post in the room and help motivate us as we write. Finally, her question to ask ourselves, "How did what we do help students become more competent, confident, and independent as literacy learners?" As with my own children, I want to turn my students into life time learners and writers.

Ch.11 Build on Best Practice and Research

Make sure your instruction is meaningful, relevant, and explicit and explain why, p. 276 and 277. I have a new 1st grade student and I've been explaining sometimes daily why she is in my room. How I am going to turn her into a wonderful reader and writer. She has a strong desire to learn, she just looks at me like she is startled by this information, but gets started with the program. Page 277 spoke to me because for years I have tried with more success lately in getting my low students in the regular room for writing. They think that they are so lucky they get to write in two places, not. I have seen the excitement and ownership when they share in these language activities in the regular room. Page 268, "the more peer interaction was spontaneous and less teacher directed, the better the outcomes in the writing progress." This is a reminder to me to let them talk to develop their writing.

CH 10 Make Assessment Count

Helping students become test wise is always something students need to feel comfortable with and to help them reduce their anxiety. I always remember this for the other state tests and need to do this as well when it comes to writing. Creating a specific audience with the positive spin on p. 247 is something I need to invent. As always, what am I teaching and what do I expect to be valid. Staff always needs reliable and valid data to improve what we are doing, p. 250. With my class, we are always trying to reach their personal goals. Page 252, "Eighty percent of students' writing needn't be graded," is a balance I need to reach, and instead help them learn to become better writers.

Ch 9 Conference with Students

I liked how her whole class share is a conference. I think I was always feeling conferencing had to be individual to attain good results. I also agreed with her purposes which was 1st to celebrate and 2nd to move the writer forward. Teaching my students to peer conference is something I want to try more, believing it will help them improve their own writing. The authors reminds us that the conference should be an "easy, confidence-building process."

Ch. 8 Organize for Daily Writing

As I have read these chapters, I underlined and marked those ideas that really spoke to me. I found I put three stars on p. 176 where it states, I find the time to do what is really important and that, "We make time for what we value. " That speaks volumes for my personal life and I want to portrait it in my teaching. I also need to build in more free writing to build confidence and fluency. I am also going to start limiting my graphic organizers. I have used them to the extreme at times, but with the goal of really trying to improve their writing. With my class, I do have the advantage of finding the time to have in depth conversations about their writing. I have used one of her short writing projects on page 198 and found it valuable to my students. They found real purpose in writing to someone they admired.

Ch. 7 Be Efficient and Integrate Basic Skills

I liked her reminder on page 149 when a fourth grader says, "I don't have my lead" and can't start. She said, "Your lead and title can come later. Just start." Students do need to get their first thoughts down. I believe this is when they truly have their own voice. The chapter also reinforced that I need to be writing and thinking aloud more in front of my students. I just honestly find it hard when I'm teaching 4 grade levels to find the time. At one conference I had one student who wanted to share his writing paper over his computer projects. It was so up lifting seeing him celebrating his writing with parent and teacher.