Writting Assignments 1 - 3

Assignment #1

1. Personal connections – students need to have personal connection with the writing within the classroom setting.  Within personal connections, students can quick write or interactive journal writing.  There are formal and information text type writing.  Interactive journal writing is an informal writing while formal writing is a personal narrative that will be published as a book or within a class collection.  Both informal and formal writing gives the students the opportunity to be engaged in a range of writing text types. 

Students also need to write in content (expository text) across curriculum.  The integration of other content areas (i.e. Science and social studies) in gives students the opportunity to connect writing to the content standards.  Within the diverse classroom, students can connect personally to expository text and share their experience with the class to help other students connect personally to the content.  Likewise, writing can also include kid culture connections, allowing students to write about a topic that is high interest to them. 

Students bring a lot of additional knowledge into the classroom and the free write time (topic of interest) allows for expression and creativity in writing.  Free write time can be at the beginning or end of class.  Students can read their free write to the class or students can express their interests on a classroom blog page.

2. Writing conventions – spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.  Helping students improve their writing conventions need to be done in a one-on-one setting.  The video suggest only focusing on no more than two conventions at a time.  Using personal writing to improve writing conventions differentiates instruction.  Using the student’s personal writing makes the teaching of conventions authentic and engaging for the student.  Teacher should keep a journal of the writing conventions each student is working on and their mastery of the conventions as writing progress through the year.

3. Inventions –  The inventive writers are creative with conventions.  As teachers, we should allow students to experiment with the format for writing (choice).  Students need time to write, create, and publish their own works.  Publish works demonstrates student authenticity in writing.  During free write, students can experiment with different writing styles and create a style of their own.

Assignment #2

In the video, the instructor mentions a model for improving student writing based on the social learning theory:  writing to children, writing with children, and writing done by children.  The social interaction in this model leads students to independent writing.  It is suggested that shared writing should continue at the intermediate level as well.  At the intermediate level, the teacher needs to model complex, correct, advanced writing.  It is especially important when introducing new text types or within content writing.

Additionally students need the opportunity to talk with the teacher, partner or peers before writing on a topic.  Talking before writing improves writing by helping the students focus on detail and expressing their written thought more effectively.  Likewise, students need feedback to their writing.  Feedback can be oral or written.  Discussion before and after writing can be done as a small group during literary circles or a book study writing station.

Assignment #3

In the video, Professor Ruiz discusses student writing portfolios and monthly writing assessments and how the assessments of writing should be on-going.  In a student portfolio, the student and teacher works together to gather a collection of the students written work throughout the year.  The first part of the portfolio is written reflections by the student on a subject of their goals in writing or a content area.  The portfolio contains a variety of pieces and at the end of the year, the student selects a piece to analyze which gives the opportunity to assess their writing growth from the beginning to the end of the year.

 Monthly writing assessments mimic high stakes writing tests.  The students are given a writing prompt (topic).  They are given an allotted time to research and write a narrative.  If they have time remaining they can revise and edit their written narrative.  Professor Ruiz states that an effective writing program is important to have the entire year.  Students should be writing daily and across curriculum in the other content areas.

I am not sure what the challenges would be with having the students keep a portfolio of their writing.  I have not taught reading/language arts; therefore, I have not had the experience of using monthly writing assessments.  I do incorporate writing into math.  It is not on a daily basis, but I do strive to write weekly and have a writing portion on tests or projects.  I look for the understanding of the concept and writing conventions.  I tell the students that their detailed writing should paint a picture in my mind.