LIT 102 Task #1 Blog

  Entry 7: How to Teach using the Writing Process “The most difficult and complicated part of the writing process is the beginning.” – A. B. Yehoshua   In class, we viewed an eight minutes YouTube video on teaching the process step by step. 1.       Pre-writing -Lay foundation/ brainstorm ·          Decide the purpose for writing ·          Decide audience ·          Choose a topic of focus 2.       Drafting - Gather information and put it on paper ·          Use appropriate language ·          Construct sentences into paragraphs ·          Read what was written and evaluate if the meaning of the passage is clear 3.       Revising – Time to make ...

  In my belief, each child is unique and deserves a stimulating learning environment where they can grow socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. I am adamant that teachers have a responsibility to demand nothing less from their students. I will make an effort to bring a positive attitude, an open mind, and high standards for my students daily in the classroom. I wish to create an atmosphere where students can develop to their full potential. In this safe environment, I'll encourage students to express themselves and take risks. Therefore, I believe it is vital that the faculty, parents, and school community work together to create a collaborative learning environment for our students. Although I have not taught before, I wish to continue my journey as a second-generation teacher as my way of giving back to the community and myself because becoming a teacher to me, means that I have the chance to make an impact and change the lives of children. I aim to be a strong, nurt...

  My Philosophy  In the words of Sarah Dessen, “Teaching was great for me because I got to show people how writing can really change the way you see not only yourself but the world”. As a teacher, I strongly believe that it is important for me to encourage my students to become enthusiastic about reading and writing. To set the foundation for my students, I too must have a love for reading and writing as well. To make reading and writing easy to engage in, teachers like myself must equip them with the necessary strategies that would help to promote efficiency in reading and writing. For instance, with the use of explicit teaching, teachers can show students an example of exemplar text that they can use as a guide while writing. Or, on the other hand, teachers can use the gradual release of responsibility model to facilitate students while allowing them to be independent readers and writers in the end. Additionally, teachers can engage students in a writing workshop where stude...

  Entry 6: Stages of Writing Development “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what I mean. What I want and what I fear.” – Joan Didion We were introduced to the 6 Traits of Writing plus 1 The traits are as follows: 1.      `  Ideas – share thoughts, purpose, theme, and main points 2.       Organization – use transitional words or phrases, and pay attention to the structure or layout of your writing piece. 3.       Voice – make a connection with readers/audience and make your opinion (s) clear and refer to experiences. 4.       Word Choice – choose meaningful words and phrases, pay attention to the use of language and explore your vocabulary. 5.       Sentence Fluency – ensure that the sentences flow and make sense together. These sentences can be simple, complex, short, or long. 6.   ...

 The class was exposed to the stages of writing this week, which are similar to the phases of writing development but include preliterate activities like drawing and scribbling as well as early emergent, emergent, transitional, and fluency. The act of scribbling is comparable to a baby's babbling. Early emerging youngsters begin to write in letter-like forms where the shapes mimic actual letters. Children will start writing random letters or strings of letters when they are in the emergent period. The child's writing may resemble printed words at this point. The child's writing may resemble printed words at this point. Then comes the transitional stage, when kids start using created spelling, where one letter might stand in for an entire system. This stage also contains three substages: 1. The kid symbolizes words with the beginning sound; 2. The child utilizes the beginning and the finishing sounds; and 3. The child uses both the beginning and the ending sounds before addi...

Pre-literate/ Audio storytelling stage (2-3yrs) This stage is mostly focused on spoken language and gives the younger children the opportunity to share stories by recording. This is where parents or teachers can translate the spoken language into written words so a comparison can be made between written and spoken language. They also use drawing in place of written words. They are convinced that this is a way of communicating what they wish to express.  Early Emergent writing (3-5yrs) This stage begins with children scribbling. At this stage, they are learning about what writing is about by linking sound-symbol correspondence. Their shapes in writing look like letters and are usually formed in their unique way.  Emergent writing stage (4-6yrs) Children at this stage have taken steps from scribbling to actually writing symbols called letters. they may write letters in many ways. At this stage, they begin to understand that letters play a big role in writing. As they become bett...

  Entry 5: Writing Strategies “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” – Richard Bach   In class, we did a total of twenty-four (24) writing strategies. However, I chose five (5) of my favorite strategies that stood out to me during the class presentations. 1.       Free writing – I learned that as teachers we should not assign topics. We should neither require students to share their journals nor ask students to conform to a specific format. I will also add that we should not grade journals as I believe that journals are supposed to be used to encourage writing, express their thoughts and feelings on paper, and develop their writing skills. 2.       Paragraph Structure – ensure that there is a beginning, middle, and ending. Lower grades K to 2 can work on writing 3 paragraphs with the guidance of the teacher. While upper grades 3-6 can work on 5 paragraphs with the guidance of the teacher. 3.  ...

" As instructors, we must be able to navigate which instructional strategies will best meet the learning needs of the students at that moment in time "~Neil Haave, professor at the University of Alberta. Therefore, teachers need to take the time to get to know their students to implement strategies which best caters to their needs. There are many writing strategies teachers can embark on to help improve students' writing. For instance, there is free writing, process writing instruction, paragraph structure instruction, vocabulary instruction, and much more. Depending on the area of need of the students, teachers can decide which writing strategy is appropriate at a particular time.  Today, the writing strategy that will be the topic of conversation, is conferencing. This strategy plays a major role in teachers providing adequate assistance for their students in their area of need. Conferencing involves peer and teacher conferencing whether one-on-one or in small groups. I...

  This week we ended the last of the demonstrations for the writing strategies. This included Peer collaboration,  decreasing spelling and grammar errors, setting product goals, feedback, technology application, and text model. Out of all the ending writing strategies that were covered, the 1 that I would utilize the most in my classes would be peer collaboration. This is because it's a great way to foster collaboration, teamwork, and friendship. It is also an excellent method to cover the planning, drafting, revising, and editing process more efficiently.  The topic of challenges in the teaching of writing was covered as well.  Some ways to tackle these issues were covered as well which would include utilizing creativity/imager or even vocabulary instruction.  The stages in writing development were also introduced. These include 1. The emergent stage is where writers are learning what writing is about. This stage contains developing and emergent writers. 2. Ear...

  Entry Four: Essentials of Teaching Writing “Man has two great gifts: ‘words’ to give sound to thoughts, and ‘writing’ to give thoughts meaning forever.” - Gianfranco Lovino Children need: 1.       Time to write – opportunities to write to start a class, in-class, or to end class such as journalizing. 2.       Regular response to their writing – feedback from teachers and/or students whether it be oral or written. 3.       To publish their writing – stick students’ work on a wall, hang them on a line, engage in a gallery walk or even author’s chair. 4.       To choose most of the topics they write about   - students can pick out of a hat/bag, play a raffle or choose from a lineup. 5.       To hear their teachers talk through what they are doing as they write – teachers may sound crazy but they should read aloud the words that are being wri...