Oh, my goodness! As we look to prepare for the upcoming school year, we find ourselves waiting every day for ever changing news. No matter how school may look for you next year, we all will do whatever is best for our students. As we begin to plan writing instruction– however that may look – here are some things we need to consider.
We all need relationships.
In order for students to be able to work cooperatively and compassionately together, they must feel invested in other people. Building relationships between students takes time and effort. One of the best sources we have found is The Morning Meeting Book by Davis and Kriete. https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/product/morning-meeting-book/ The book provides hands-on ideas for building positive classroom relationships. Whether the meetings be in-person or virtual, the time invested in Morning Meetings proves invaluable.
Students will need review time.
The school year ended under very difficult circumstances. Many students will begin the year deficient in skills. We will all need to adjust our expectations. Students may need more time for review than in previous years. Provide students the time they need to adjust to the new school routine. Take writing slowly at first, allowing time for students to review/relearn past skills. More than ever, we will need to slow down and carefully determine students’ strengths and areas of need.
Build skills step by step.
Just like math, writing skills need to be broken down step by step. Before students can write paragraphs, they must be able to write a sentence. Depending on grade level, sentence writing can be either a new skill or a review. Sentences need 5 components to be complete: a subject (who or what the sentence is about,) a verb (what the subject is doing, feeling, or being,) a capital at the beginning, a punctuation mark at the end, and it must make sense. Look for opportunities to practice these skills with students. Students can recognize complete and incomplete sentences, orally respond in complete sentences, answer questions in morning work in complete sentences, etc.
Create an organizational system for students to keep their work
Students will need to keep their writing and anchor charts to use throughout the year. Organizational systems vary. Composition notebooks, with blank space at the top for drawing, work well for primary students. Students will need to be shown to write on the right-hand page, leaving the left-hand side available for planning. Students will need a composition book for each semester.
A 3-ring notebook works well for intermediate students. Students will divide the notebook into sections: ideas, planning, rough drafts, and anchor charts. Students will have an easy system for storing, and then finding, their writing while it is in process.
If you begin the year teaching virtually, students will need to create folders in the on-line platform you use. Taking the time to teach and practice putting writing into a folder is a must. Click on a past newsletter for more information. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5609f7afe4b02872f51f680b/t/5d5339bfe1f15f00014fa7ff/1565735361916/September+-+October+2017+Newsletter.pdf
Remember writing is a process
Students must be sequentially taught each writing skill and then be given the time to practice that skill. Teachers should only be assessing what has been taught. For example, you may be teaching planning to your students. Provide students multiple opportunities to plan for writing. After they have completed the practice, students will then choose which plan they would like their teacher to assess. This helps students gain skill and confidence, while streaming the amount of grading which needs to be completed. Having students write a complete essay before they have learned or reviewed each component of a paragraph will lead to frustration for both you and your students.
Use available resources.
Student contact with books will be limited, no matter how you are teaching. Use YouTube and other online resources for videos of picture books being read out loud. This engages students with text. On our website, you will find a tab labeled Home Learning Ideas. There you will find a collection of lessons which combine books and writing. http://www.writenow-rightnow.com/home-learning-ideas
No matter how you go back to school this fall, teachers have always put their students first and sought out the best way to reach their students and meet their needs. Happy Writing!