Imagine that you are a Grade 2 student and then imagine that you were not at school on Monday. Imagine that on Tuesday when you return someone is reading a poem about how her left foot and her eagle hurt. Imagine how confused you would be. Thankfully, enough of the students remembered what an "ego" was and we got sorted out.
You can't make this stuff up. I love it.
I reread my poem and made a few revisions, telling the kids that writers do that, they come back and make some changes. I confessed that my poem really wasn't about my left foot and so changed the title to Growing Older. This is very funny to seven year olds. I also read a couple of poems written by students their age, to remind them that poems could be about anything, that often a feeling was involved, and that they could be long or short.
The classroom teacher and I had selected three possible topics from the stickies students had written the day before. We had asked them to think of a topic that we might all know enough about to write together. The three were: candy, TV, and milk. I told them that we wouldn't be voting but that instead we would hear some thoughts on each topic and then I would choose on the basis of what they said and response from the group. I used Nancy's language and told them that no ideas would be wasted and that if we didn't pick the one they wanted they could always write about it tomorrow. And it worked. We did not get bogged down in deciding or pouting.
I forgot to take a picture of the poem but I may just be able to remember most of it... I reread it that many times!
We LOVE candy!
It tastes
good,
awesome,
delicious.
It feels
gooey,
sticky,
twisty.
It looks
bumpy,
?
?
WE LOVE CANDY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Almost got it. They were very excited by their poem and read with gusto. In hindsight, I wish I had talked more about the decisions I made about when to change lines. I will start that way tomorrow because I am not sure they get that yet. We have talked about how poems have white space and we have looked at how poems are placed on the page. Tomorrow we will see what is what because we will write our first poems independently. I will not forget to take pictures.
The classroom teacher made an observation today that we both found interesting. She said that several students who are normally very quiet offered thoughts and suggestions. My hunch is that it is due to the frontloading and support provided by the model and shared writing.
Grade 3
I began by rereading my review and making a few revisions. Thank you to those who have written to say that you will be checking the book out. I will be sharing that with the Grade 3s tomorrow!
Our goal was to write a shared review of a picture book previously shared with the class. The classroom teacher and I had decided the night before that we would co-construct criteria with the students before moving into writing. We did not use the full process as described by Anne Davies but an adaptation of it. It was not the teacher's intent that these reviews all sound the same so our criteria is a combination of things you must have and choices you could make. When I forget to take pictures it is apparently for the day, so here, to the best of my recollection is our criteria:
Beginning
-title and author of book
-hooks the reader- grabs their attention
-introduction
-maybe a recommendation
- no spoiler (don't tell the end)
Middle( Need at least 2 of:)
-details about the story
-tell about the characters
-convince the reader
-give your opinion
-summarize
End
-make a recommendation
-make a plea
-let your reader know you are done
To add a little movement break, the students paired up and discussed the book and what could be included in the review. Again I gave my talk about me being the decision maker and I used a tip I picked up from watching Ruth Gauvreau do shared writing. I jotted some of the things the students said on the side of the paper. It allows us to hang onto those ideas if we need them later and it makes the kids feel heard. That, along with the reminder that if you really think something is a good idea, you can use it in your own writing, helps keep the shared writing going.
I will include a picture of the review tomorrow (I hope) but for now I will say that somebody started us off with a question because the book was full of questions and we went on from there. It is not a long review but it met all of our criteria and as a group we declared it good to go.
Tomorrow we will begin with more "We do it", this time in the form of public conferences. I will ask for a volunteer to sit beside me while the others watch and learn. I will ask the writer some questions to help them get started on their piece. I will tell the audience that their job is to listen for things they might need in their own writing. This chance to remind and show what is important is what makes it a "We do". We will do 3-5 of them and send those ready off to write. Anyone not ready will have a quick, private conversation with the classroom teacher or me and then we will do roving conferences among the writers. No pulling up a chair and staying with one student the whole time. Regie says that if the support has been provided they will be ready to write. That is why I was glad to hear the question, "When do we get to write?". I also got the question, "Would it be okay if we wrote a poem at home tonight?" . I pretended to think about it long and hard and then said, "I think that would be okay with me."
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