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 it better
·
Re-read
what was written for a second time
·
Rearrange
words or sentences
·
Take
out, add parts or replace words
·
Read
the written piece aloud to check fluency
4.
Proof-reading
– Make corrections of mistakes/errors
·
All
sentences should be completed
·
Use
grammar rules
·
Change
words that are misused or misspelled
5.
Final
Draft – Share the finished product/piece
·
Someone
should double-check the written piece (once allowed)
·
Recopy
it correctly and neatly in your best handwriting
Philosophy of Teaching Writing
Students learn how to
write well by being exposed to a variety of texts and literature pieces ranging
from lower-order to higher-order levels of writing and reading. As well as a
wide horizon of interests and information presented in various genres of writing.
Tapping into prior knowledge, personal experiences, and memories, and making
connections to current events and real-life situations. Additionally, by verbally
expressing their feelings and thoughts through art forms such as drama, dance,
drawing, and painting they will better be able to put words to paper. Class/
group discussions as students can listen and learn from each other and gather
ideas.
As a teacher, I can
assist or intervene in this process by allowing students to freely express
themselves through speech, action, and writing. Allotting special times to write
freely on anything that is of interest. I would also give access to reading
material from a variety of genres that appeals to different interests, topics,
cognitive level, and age group.
The chief writing goals I have
for my students are as follows. Firstly, I want them to be able to express their thoughts
and emotions in words/ on paper. I want them to communicate effectively and
code-switch between Standard English and Creole. Secondly, I want my students to organize their ideas so that
they have some order or structure and flow logically. Thirdly, my students
should be able to develop proper sentence structure and sentence fluency. Finally,
I want my students to become independent writers and develop an interest in and
appreciation for writing.
Specific actions would
be implemented to achieve the goals that were previously mentioned. To begin,
I would identify and group my students into the writing stage that they are at and
work along with them according to their abilities and capabilities rather than
their disabilities and limitations. Then, I will introduce the writer’s workshop
to my students and reinforce it in my classroom. Following, I will practice the
writing process along with the six plus one trait throughout the term. Finally,
assign roles in each of the groups that will develop
their interest and appreciation for writing. For example, pretend that the
classroom is a news station and each group would have a field reporter, an
editor, a publisher, and a news anchor. These roles will be alternated each week
so that each member gets a chance to have each of the roles.
Special
needs students are unique and are their own individual. They are not disabled but
rather differently-abled persons. My goal is to promote inclusion within the
classrooms and so here are a few ways in which I would assist special needs students
to become great writers. I would practice using pictures/images, graphic organizers, and any other form of visuals to represent or map out their ideas. I would have
one on one time to teach the process of writing and the traits. Furthermore, I would
practice informal writing to encourage my students to write. Lastly, I would give
short and simple sentences to develop their motor skills and writing skills at
their cognitive level and own pace. I would practice the ‘I do, We do, You do’
strategy to gradually move from dependent to independent writers.
The
world is evolving day by day and so are people too. With that being said, the
education system is getting on board with this new era, the modern world, known
as the 21st Century. As teachers, we have to continuously adapt and
change our classroom environment to accommodate the children of this generation.
The following are a few creative ways in which I plan to teach writing in the
21st-centuryst century classroom. Introduce and use a variety of genres to
increase students’ interest. Encourage informal and ungraded writing to freely
express themselves in a safe environment. Also, encourage formal writing to
practice and develop writing skills such as the ability to write Standard English,
use grammar rules, spell words correctly and grow their vocabulary. In addition,
give students authentic writing assignments such as journals and story writing
which will be kept in a folder and presented as a portfolio. Implement drama as
a teaching strategy in Language Arts so that students can write scripts and dialogues
to dramatize a concept in a topic or any area in Language Arts. Drama can be used
in the other course subjects to encourage and develop their writing in content
areas.
The writing process is a very important aspect of writing that can be sometimes overlooked, therefore it is very important for us as teachers to first model then allow our students to go through the entire writing process because in the end it will be very beneficial to them especially if they are aspiring to become published writers. The writing process is a guidebook for writers.
ReplyDeleteI can see that you put a lot of thought into writing your ideology. The well-versed newsroom was a fantastic addition to help students write and speak in character. The further benefit of having students who can code swap whenever they choose is something that any teacher would be pleased to embrace.
ReplyDelete