I can confidently say that I believe I have learned about each of the "Student Learning Outcomes" on the first page of the syllables. I think my blog is truly evidence that I have learned each of the outcomes. In Entry #11 I just proved how much I learned about each genre and in previous posts I reflected on the genres after the student led workshops. In addition, I cannot tell you how many times I have used the short but sweet phrase "form follows function." I have used it when writing in my blog and when talking with people in my other classes. I really believe that phrase now and I do not think I will ever forget it because that is how I want to teach my students to write.
I have definitely learned about the traditional and digital writer's workshop through our integrated conversations of our two texts and through making connections in my blog posts. In Entry #10 I talk about how digital writing assignments are important, yet we cannot forget about traditional writing skills. It is not one or the other, but always a combination of the two. Teaching one workshop over the other would be doing a disservice to our students. They need traditional skills to be able to write, even simply handwriting. However, students also need to be trained to use, read and write in digital modes in order to thrive in our technological world.
My blog reflects my understanding of the parallel processes of reading and writing and my own personal journey of becoming more metacognitively aware of these processes in Entry #5. I detail how these two processes are deeply connected. I think that many people underestimate the connections between reading and writing because they are taught as separate entities rather than parallel processes. I plan on teaching them together in my future classroom and teaching my students strategies that will benefit them in both reading and writing.
I am definitely aware of reading and writing assignments that are appropriate for learners. We read a couple of articles on teaching the writing process to struggling writers. A few things that I took away from those articles are the idea of teaching expository writing first and the writing wheel and card sorting strategies. Expository writing is a good place to start for students who have difficulty writing because it is much more organized and structured. It allows students to do some research and organize their facts into subtopics to write about one general topic rather than attempting to write a complex narrative right away. Students who struggle often need this type of structure. In addition, I remember the writing wheel being helpful because students could mark where they were in the writing process and see where they were going. The card sorting strategy like we did in class is great because it enables students to brainstorm starting at the word level and then provides cards for them to manipulate to guide them on their writing journey. Sentences can also be cut out in order to be manipulated during revision. These are all excellent approaches to make the writing process more manageable for all students.
Many digital technologies can enhance the writing process as well. Students should always be expected to produce a piece in written form first, but in the last few stages of the writing process the piece has the potential to be transformed into a digital means of communication. This may include a podcast, a wiki, or a digital story, just to name a few. This then takes the focus away from the mechanical aspects of writing, which students might struggle with, and puts a greater emphasis on the ideas, word choice and organization of the digital piece. These digital modes have greater potential to reach more distant and elaborate audiences than traditional written pieces.
Lastly, we have talked extensively about assessment and evaluation of writing. I would say that the most important thing that I have learned in terms of assessment is to assess the writer not the writing. Often that means focusing on ideas and not mechanics. The emphasis should be on the the writer's process not on each individual project. Although final products are important and should be graded sometimes I think that we have to think of writing as a long term process and not get caught up on minor errors. I'm thinking of writing as a piece of music and each final project is one note in the large scheme of things. We do not expect students to get every note right when they are first learning how to play an instrument or read music so why should we expect students to compose perfect written pieces when they are still learning to write? We should never grade students just to get a grade in the grade book. Grades should always has a purpose, just like writing should always have a purpose.
With all that being said, I am thrilled by the knowledge that I have gained in this course! It has been my favorite course this semester and I have learned so much that I will carry with me in the future. I am actually amazed by how much that I learned! My new knowledge will influence me and mold me into the teacher that I want to be.
Thanks Dr. Jones!! :)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Entry #11
I have learned SO much about the reading and writing genres that we have studied! I really believe that each genre is unique and I think each of our presentations really emphasized that. Each genre serves a specific purpose and children need to know this so they can choose a genre that best matches their own purpose for writing. I think we all experienced this when we had to decide which form we wanted to compose each of our pieces in for our Genre Pieces Project. Although we all wanted to decide on this first we really had to take a step back and think, "Will that genre be the best match for my purpose and audience?" We had to remind ourselves that form follows function and that is how we must teach our students to approach writing each and every time.
I'd like to outline why I think each genre is unique.
*Journal writing has a flow to it unlike any other genre. When reading journal writing we must focus on the ideas not the mechanics. Journaling shows progress overtime and is a great way to get children writing everyday. It can be used in any content area for a variety of reasons because there are many different types.
*Biographical writing focuses on one person's life or details a particular event. It especially works well with history, but is not limited to this content area alone. Students can benefit from this type of reading and writing because it exposes them to research and allows them to make connections between another person's life and their own. In personal narratives the person of study is the writer, which offers him or her an opportunity to write about a certain experience. By studying ourselves and other people students make connections that are essential to forming generalizations.
*Expository writing is the way we connect and communicate with others. Students need to know the different structures of this genre so they can comprehend any complex nonfiction text that they come across. This is especially important for reading in this genre. As students move through their schooling they will be expected to read, comprehend and write an increasing amount of expository material. It is imperative that students be able to interpret expository text so they can become life long learners through reading and so they can communicate with the world through writing.
*Narrative writing is the classic genre and everybody's favorite. There is something comforting about listening to a story rather than an expository text, which is much more formal and straightforward. Narratives open our eyes to enduring characters, unique settings and situations. This is where we let our imaginations run free. This is true whether it's through reading or writing narratives. A well-developed character can make a story what it is because the character is so connected with the plot. Although many people love reading narratives, when it comes to writing them it is a very complex process. Narratives are so intricate because the writer must include all of the story elements. This requires a lot of planning so it is important that students are able to identify and write using story structure.
*Descriptive writing is kind of the exception to the genres. It's more of a trait than a genre, but that does not lessen its role in writing. If anything it makes it more important because it is part of all of the other genres. Descriptive writing is what makes you not what to put a book down. It means the author has captured an experience so vividly that you feel as though you are there. This is the driving force that motivates us to keep reading and even to keep writing. Composing quality descriptive writing means selecting specific words and phrases that describe what cannot be seen. With that being said, it does not mean that every word must be descriptive because that would be overusing descriptive language. Instead, we must teach students to select strong and vivid words to articulate their vision instead of overusing descriptive language.
*Poetry writing is the genre of fear for most people. I consider poetry to be an art form that uses descriptive language to create a vision in readers minds. Poetry can be funny or serious and there are numerous types. What many students don't realize is that poetry is not confining, but very open ended. People seem to think that all poetry has to rhyme or has to fit a certain structure. Some types of poetry do require this, but other types are very freeing. Students need to be taught that poetry is not intimidating because the writer makes it what it is. I think that poetry is short, but sweet and can be extremely powerful in producing an aesthetic reaction.
*Persuasive writing is the genre of convincing. Persuasion may be evident in all the genres because no matter what the writer is always trying to establish his/her point. The writer wants the audience to believe what he or she wrote. It is essential that students understand how to write persuasively so that they can convey the points that they want to make in their writing. In addition, students absolutely need to know how to identify and read persuasive writing because it surrounds us and impacts the way we think, even when we don't realize it. Students must become critical thinkers of the messages that advertisements and the media put out there in order to weed out the truth from the fabricated.
In my last entry I explained how I thought I knew quite a bit about descriptive writing at the beginning, but now I feel that it is such a foundational skill that leads to detailed writing that comes to life. I had never really thought of descriptive writing as a genre, but I had to work through that understanding because it was kind of outlined in the course as a genre. Or at least it appeared to be a genre. I am happy to say that I cannot wait to teach descriptive writing in my own classroom and inspire kids to get excited about words!
At the beginning of the course I thought I knew a lot about biographical writing. However, I did not know that personal narratives were considered part of biographical writing. Now it makes perfect sense to me, but I do not think I would have included personal narratives in biographical writing without learning about the genre in detail. This is helpful because if I do end up teaching a primary grade I will be able to teach this genre through personal narratives and "Me" projects with the little ones.
Also, my thoughts on expository writing have evolved because I now see the importance of including expository text in the primary grades. In the past the focus as always been on narratives with young kids, but now research says we must expose children to expository texts as early as possible. This will help them to learn how nonfiction is structured, just like how they learn story structure at a young age. This will benefit children in the future when they will be expected to make meaning out of expository texts all the time.
I think I had a pretty solid understanding of narratives because that is what was stressed when I was growing up. However, I have not written a narrative in so long that my attempt to do so now in writer's workshop has reminded me how difficult it actually is to compose a narrative. I am determined to push through it because I do not believe in asking my future students to write narratives if I cannot. I want to be an expert in all of the genres so I can assist my students in any way possible.
I think that I am still a little intimidated by poetry. I wrote two poems for one of my genre pieces and I am really liking how they are turning out. As I have been writing them it almost feels like a therapeutic experience. I am an artsy person in general and writing my poems as reminded me of creating a piece of artwork. This is a very useful realization in my opinion because I can encourage students who may struggle with writing, but excel in art to try writing poetry. I think this could be really helpful for some students if they are not restricted by certain guidelines for creating poetry.
As for journal writing and persuasive writing, I felt that I understood them pretty well before this class, but now I truly see their importance. Journaling is so important so students can grow as writers and just feel the flow of writing without worrying about anything else. I will definitely use journaling in my classroom. I would like to use dialogue journals in particular. Persuasive writing is also important because children have to understand how to choose a point and to consistently prove it or focus on it in all pieces that they write. In addition, persuasive writing really emphasizes that critical literacy piece that is oh so necessary for all students to be aware of in today's mass media filled world.
I'd like to outline why I think each genre is unique.
*Journal writing has a flow to it unlike any other genre. When reading journal writing we must focus on the ideas not the mechanics. Journaling shows progress overtime and is a great way to get children writing everyday. It can be used in any content area for a variety of reasons because there are many different types.
*Biographical writing focuses on one person's life or details a particular event. It especially works well with history, but is not limited to this content area alone. Students can benefit from this type of reading and writing because it exposes them to research and allows them to make connections between another person's life and their own. In personal narratives the person of study is the writer, which offers him or her an opportunity to write about a certain experience. By studying ourselves and other people students make connections that are essential to forming generalizations.
*Expository writing is the way we connect and communicate with others. Students need to know the different structures of this genre so they can comprehend any complex nonfiction text that they come across. This is especially important for reading in this genre. As students move through their schooling they will be expected to read, comprehend and write an increasing amount of expository material. It is imperative that students be able to interpret expository text so they can become life long learners through reading and so they can communicate with the world through writing.
*Narrative writing is the classic genre and everybody's favorite. There is something comforting about listening to a story rather than an expository text, which is much more formal and straightforward. Narratives open our eyes to enduring characters, unique settings and situations. This is where we let our imaginations run free. This is true whether it's through reading or writing narratives. A well-developed character can make a story what it is because the character is so connected with the plot. Although many people love reading narratives, when it comes to writing them it is a very complex process. Narratives are so intricate because the writer must include all of the story elements. This requires a lot of planning so it is important that students are able to identify and write using story structure.
*Descriptive writing is kind of the exception to the genres. It's more of a trait than a genre, but that does not lessen its role in writing. If anything it makes it more important because it is part of all of the other genres. Descriptive writing is what makes you not what to put a book down. It means the author has captured an experience so vividly that you feel as though you are there. This is the driving force that motivates us to keep reading and even to keep writing. Composing quality descriptive writing means selecting specific words and phrases that describe what cannot be seen. With that being said, it does not mean that every word must be descriptive because that would be overusing descriptive language. Instead, we must teach students to select strong and vivid words to articulate their vision instead of overusing descriptive language.
*Poetry writing is the genre of fear for most people. I consider poetry to be an art form that uses descriptive language to create a vision in readers minds. Poetry can be funny or serious and there are numerous types. What many students don't realize is that poetry is not confining, but very open ended. People seem to think that all poetry has to rhyme or has to fit a certain structure. Some types of poetry do require this, but other types are very freeing. Students need to be taught that poetry is not intimidating because the writer makes it what it is. I think that poetry is short, but sweet and can be extremely powerful in producing an aesthetic reaction.
*Persuasive writing is the genre of convincing. Persuasion may be evident in all the genres because no matter what the writer is always trying to establish his/her point. The writer wants the audience to believe what he or she wrote. It is essential that students understand how to write persuasively so that they can convey the points that they want to make in their writing. In addition, students absolutely need to know how to identify and read persuasive writing because it surrounds us and impacts the way we think, even when we don't realize it. Students must become critical thinkers of the messages that advertisements and the media put out there in order to weed out the truth from the fabricated.
In my last entry I explained how I thought I knew quite a bit about descriptive writing at the beginning, but now I feel that it is such a foundational skill that leads to detailed writing that comes to life. I had never really thought of descriptive writing as a genre, but I had to work through that understanding because it was kind of outlined in the course as a genre. Or at least it appeared to be a genre. I am happy to say that I cannot wait to teach descriptive writing in my own classroom and inspire kids to get excited about words!
At the beginning of the course I thought I knew a lot about biographical writing. However, I did not know that personal narratives were considered part of biographical writing. Now it makes perfect sense to me, but I do not think I would have included personal narratives in biographical writing without learning about the genre in detail. This is helpful because if I do end up teaching a primary grade I will be able to teach this genre through personal narratives and "Me" projects with the little ones.
Also, my thoughts on expository writing have evolved because I now see the importance of including expository text in the primary grades. In the past the focus as always been on narratives with young kids, but now research says we must expose children to expository texts as early as possible. This will help them to learn how nonfiction is structured, just like how they learn story structure at a young age. This will benefit children in the future when they will be expected to make meaning out of expository texts all the time.
I think I had a pretty solid understanding of narratives because that is what was stressed when I was growing up. However, I have not written a narrative in so long that my attempt to do so now in writer's workshop has reminded me how difficult it actually is to compose a narrative. I am determined to push through it because I do not believe in asking my future students to write narratives if I cannot. I want to be an expert in all of the genres so I can assist my students in any way possible.
I think that I am still a little intimidated by poetry. I wrote two poems for one of my genre pieces and I am really liking how they are turning out. As I have been writing them it almost feels like a therapeutic experience. I am an artsy person in general and writing my poems as reminded me of creating a piece of artwork. This is a very useful realization in my opinion because I can encourage students who may struggle with writing, but excel in art to try writing poetry. I think this could be really helpful for some students if they are not restricted by certain guidelines for creating poetry.
As for journal writing and persuasive writing, I felt that I understood them pretty well before this class, but now I truly see their importance. Journaling is so important so students can grow as writers and just feel the flow of writing without worrying about anything else. I will definitely use journaling in my classroom. I would like to use dialogue journals in particular. Persuasive writing is also important because children have to understand how to choose a point and to consistently prove it or focus on it in all pieces that they write. In addition, persuasive writing really emphasizes that critical literacy piece that is oh so necessary for all students to be aware of in today's mass media filled world.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Entry #10
I'm blessing and addressing a post from Carrie's Entry #4:
In reference to the digital writing workshop, Carrie says...
"...we must think carefully about how and why we want students to engaged with digital writing" (Hicks, 2009, p.27) is an important mantra to keep in mind when we are expanding the walls of our classrooms into the digital world. There is so much out there, but we have to keep our students focused and remember to always to give them a purpose. The same writing goals pertain to a digital workshop as they do in a standard workshop. Though being on the internet is always more fun than looking at a textbook, we as teachers have to remember to teach the same skills as we would before in our digital writing workshops.
Carrie, I absolutely agree with you that the digital workshop and the traditional workshop must go hand in hand. We were actually talking about this in LTED 612 tonight! Students definitely still need to practice traditional skills (even handwriting!) so that they can later use digital tools. I think that students sometimes think of technology as more fun and cool than the traditional writing workshop. Or maybe they believe it to be "easier" to write using technology. There are certain types of technology that can simply be used one time to create a quick end result. However, we want our students to know that we expect much more from them. We don't want them to just do a podcast or make an iMovie just to get it done. Of course, we want them to fully transact with the reading and writing processes. As teachers, we must always be sure that assignments that we give using technology would also meet the same standards/objectives that a traditional writer's workshop would. I like to view technology as taking the next step to enhance writing that has been composed in a traditional writer's workshop setting. The digital writer's workshop should take written work to the next level by exploring form. It should not be the "easy way out."
For example, digital story telling is quite an extensive process if you think about it. It may actually require more work than the traditional writer's workshop because there are many technical elements that go into it. Students could just slap a digital story together, but would it have the same impact as a digital story that was carefully edited so each image matched the text to a tee and transitioned at an appropriate time? Not only should we teach students skills that are required to succeed in the traditional writer's workshop, but we also need to stress new skills that they need to become literate in the language of technology.
As Carrie says, we must always give our students a purpose to write. In some cases we might not have to "give" it to them, but we should let them come up with their own purpose for writing. What is writing without a purpose? It is meaningless and seems silly. No wonder students grow to deeply dislike writing. As they move through their schooling many of the writing tasks they do lack an authentic purpose, which turns writing into a tool to get something done rather than a creative process in which a student can develop new understanding. This truly saddens me because in the younger years students are excited about writing, for some of them it is their favorite part of the day. However, eventually the switch occurs from learning to read/write to reading and writing to learn. I'm not sure why it has to be this way when in reality we are always evolving as readers and writers. If we are to build a love for writing within our students then our instruction and assessment need to match this philosophy that we are never experts on reading and writing. By remembering form follows function we can maintain consistency in our writer's workshop that revolves around a meaningful purpose. In the real world people write with a purpose in mind (one that probably falls somewhere in Halliday's 7 Functions) and this is how we want our students to think about writing. Why write? Write for a real purpose whenever you feel the need. Thinking of writing in this way makes it a less daunting and more of an expressive task that anyone is capable of. I hope to teach my students to first think purpose and process and then think product.
In reference to the digital writing workshop, Carrie says...
"...we must think carefully about how and why we want students to engaged with digital writing" (Hicks, 2009, p.27) is an important mantra to keep in mind when we are expanding the walls of our classrooms into the digital world. There is so much out there, but we have to keep our students focused and remember to always to give them a purpose. The same writing goals pertain to a digital workshop as they do in a standard workshop. Though being on the internet is always more fun than looking at a textbook, we as teachers have to remember to teach the same skills as we would before in our digital writing workshops.
Carrie, I absolutely agree with you that the digital workshop and the traditional workshop must go hand in hand. We were actually talking about this in LTED 612 tonight! Students definitely still need to practice traditional skills (even handwriting!) so that they can later use digital tools. I think that students sometimes think of technology as more fun and cool than the traditional writing workshop. Or maybe they believe it to be "easier" to write using technology. There are certain types of technology that can simply be used one time to create a quick end result. However, we want our students to know that we expect much more from them. We don't want them to just do a podcast or make an iMovie just to get it done. Of course, we want them to fully transact with the reading and writing processes. As teachers, we must always be sure that assignments that we give using technology would also meet the same standards/objectives that a traditional writer's workshop would. I like to view technology as taking the next step to enhance writing that has been composed in a traditional writer's workshop setting. The digital writer's workshop should take written work to the next level by exploring form. It should not be the "easy way out."
For example, digital story telling is quite an extensive process if you think about it. It may actually require more work than the traditional writer's workshop because there are many technical elements that go into it. Students could just slap a digital story together, but would it have the same impact as a digital story that was carefully edited so each image matched the text to a tee and transitioned at an appropriate time? Not only should we teach students skills that are required to succeed in the traditional writer's workshop, but we also need to stress new skills that they need to become literate in the language of technology.
As Carrie says, we must always give our students a purpose to write. In some cases we might not have to "give" it to them, but we should let them come up with their own purpose for writing. What is writing without a purpose? It is meaningless and seems silly. No wonder students grow to deeply dislike writing. As they move through their schooling many of the writing tasks they do lack an authentic purpose, which turns writing into a tool to get something done rather than a creative process in which a student can develop new understanding. This truly saddens me because in the younger years students are excited about writing, for some of them it is their favorite part of the day. However, eventually the switch occurs from learning to read/write to reading and writing to learn. I'm not sure why it has to be this way when in reality we are always evolving as readers and writers. If we are to build a love for writing within our students then our instruction and assessment need to match this philosophy that we are never experts on reading and writing. By remembering form follows function we can maintain consistency in our writer's workshop that revolves around a meaningful purpose. In the real world people write with a purpose in mind (one that probably falls somewhere in Halliday's 7 Functions) and this is how we want our students to think about writing. Why write? Write for a real purpose whenever you feel the need. Thinking of writing in this way makes it a less daunting and more of an expressive task that anyone is capable of. I hope to teach my students to first think purpose and process and then think product.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Entry #9
This week I'd like to reflect on my presentation on descriptive writing because it really forced me to think about how essential these skills are for all types of writing. It's funny because I felt that I had a solid knowledge base on descriptive writing techniques before I began my presentation, but my research and thought process really developed on a deeper level as I completed my genre presentation. I now find myself thinking about descriptive writing all the time. While, I would consider myself someone who is pretty conscious of text when I read and write I have been noticing more and more how descriptive writing impacts both processes. Even when we were peer conferencing about our genre pieces project I found myself talking about descriptive language. It really does strike a chord with a reader/writer by "painting a picture with words" as Tompkins (2008) describes. I feel that I am now much more aware of descriptive writing and more prepared to teach it in accordance with all the other writing genres we have studied thus far.
I found that it was kind of challenging to find research on descriptive writing. It's hard because sometimes it may be associated with vocabulary, even though they are different in a sense. I wonder do they have to be different? Essentially, both descriptive writing and vocabulary deal with words. Wouldn't it be best for these two sub categories to be taught in an integrated fashion, possibly with spelling too?
For this week's readings in LTED 609 we read Baumann et al. (2007), which was titled "'Bumping Into Spicy, Tasty Words That Catch Your Tongue': A Formative Experiment on Vocabulary Instruction." Although I did not come across this article in time for my genre presentation, I almost liked it better that way. After just finishing examining descriptive writing I read this article and walked away feeling such a strong sense of understanding and excitement that made me feel anxious to put some of these methods into my own teaching as soon as possible. Baumann et al. (2007) offers ways to incorporate vocabulary/descriptive writing in such a practical sense that I can see myself implementing them tomorrow. It really made me think that the foundation for reading and writing has to be words. One of the goals of instruction should be "Word consciousness [which] involves 'an awareness of and interest in words and their meanings'" (Baumann et al., 2007, p. 116). Words of all types should be emphasized as we connect them with the world around us. There are so many quick activities that can be done at the word level that will make students more aware of words. Most importantly, it is essential to stress that word play can be fun! I think spelling and vocabulary have this reputation of being boring, drill, test-based activities, but I do not want children to think of words this way in my classroom. I want them to bring in words that they encounter to trigger discussion and to develop structural and context analysis strategies. I truly feel that I have adopted a new philosophy about word choice that will be reflected through the way that I implement instruction in vocabulary, spelling, reading and writing. It amazes me to think that you can change an entire classroom environment by having fun with words!! :)
Something that I did not fully mention in my presentation was this connection between descriptive writing and poetry. Sophia outlined all of the various types of poetry out there and as we learned there are many unique forms of poetry. Poems are often associated with descriptive writing because they typically are shorter so they require the use of more descriptive language to spark imagery within the reader. I think that some people even confuse descriptive writing and poetry as one in the same. Although we determined that descriptive writing is more of a trait than a genre it still plays an essential role in poetry as well as in all genres of writing, whether it is in the form a word, sentence, paragraph or a whole written piece. This is what makes descriptive writing unique compared to the other genres, but I must admit that poetry and descriptive writing do make a compatible pair. I think that descriptive writing should be taught as an entity in itself, but it should also be emphasized in all writing. Maybe pairing descriptive writing and poetry instruction would provide an ideal opportunity to re-emphasize these particular techniques.
Lastly, I just want to thank Sophia for asking us to write a two voices poem in class. I did not really know much about this type of poetry and it was an interesting task to attempt a short version of this type of poem. It really illustrated how powerful a poem with two voices can be because it inspires an aesthetic reaction to what is read. Personally, I do not consider myself much of a poet and I do not dabble in writing poetry often, probably due to my own fears of it. I feel myself wanting to try it more after Sophia's presentation, which is why I will attempting to write a poem for my genre pieces project. Wish me luck! ;)
I found that it was kind of challenging to find research on descriptive writing. It's hard because sometimes it may be associated with vocabulary, even though they are different in a sense. I wonder do they have to be different? Essentially, both descriptive writing and vocabulary deal with words. Wouldn't it be best for these two sub categories to be taught in an integrated fashion, possibly with spelling too?
For this week's readings in LTED 609 we read Baumann et al. (2007), which was titled "'Bumping Into Spicy, Tasty Words That Catch Your Tongue': A Formative Experiment on Vocabulary Instruction." Although I did not come across this article in time for my genre presentation, I almost liked it better that way. After just finishing examining descriptive writing I read this article and walked away feeling such a strong sense of understanding and excitement that made me feel anxious to put some of these methods into my own teaching as soon as possible. Baumann et al. (2007) offers ways to incorporate vocabulary/descriptive writing in such a practical sense that I can see myself implementing them tomorrow. It really made me think that the foundation for reading and writing has to be words. One of the goals of instruction should be "Word consciousness [which] involves 'an awareness of and interest in words and their meanings'" (Baumann et al., 2007, p. 116). Words of all types should be emphasized as we connect them with the world around us. There are so many quick activities that can be done at the word level that will make students more aware of words. Most importantly, it is essential to stress that word play can be fun! I think spelling and vocabulary have this reputation of being boring, drill, test-based activities, but I do not want children to think of words this way in my classroom. I want them to bring in words that they encounter to trigger discussion and to develop structural and context analysis strategies. I truly feel that I have adopted a new philosophy about word choice that will be reflected through the way that I implement instruction in vocabulary, spelling, reading and writing. It amazes me to think that you can change an entire classroom environment by having fun with words!! :)
Something that I did not fully mention in my presentation was this connection between descriptive writing and poetry. Sophia outlined all of the various types of poetry out there and as we learned there are many unique forms of poetry. Poems are often associated with descriptive writing because they typically are shorter so they require the use of more descriptive language to spark imagery within the reader. I think that some people even confuse descriptive writing and poetry as one in the same. Although we determined that descriptive writing is more of a trait than a genre it still plays an essential role in poetry as well as in all genres of writing, whether it is in the form a word, sentence, paragraph or a whole written piece. This is what makes descriptive writing unique compared to the other genres, but I must admit that poetry and descriptive writing do make a compatible pair. I think that descriptive writing should be taught as an entity in itself, but it should also be emphasized in all writing. Maybe pairing descriptive writing and poetry instruction would provide an ideal opportunity to re-emphasize these particular techniques.
Lastly, I just want to thank Sophia for asking us to write a two voices poem in class. I did not really know much about this type of poetry and it was an interesting task to attempt a short version of this type of poem. It really illustrated how powerful a poem with two voices can be because it inspires an aesthetic reaction to what is read. Personally, I do not consider myself much of a poet and I do not dabble in writing poetry often, probably due to my own fears of it. I feel myself wanting to try it more after Sophia's presentation, which is why I will attempting to write a poem for my genre pieces project. Wish me luck! ;)
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