Online Module Week 5 task 4

Diedra Gammill

Learning the write way

This article discusses the idea of writing to learn, contrasted to the common idea of writing to communicate, convince, or entertain.  It encourages the idea that writing is not just an exclusive domain of the language arts curriculum, but that it can and should be integrated throughout all subjects to encourage higher level thinking and reflection.  Using tools such as K-W-L (know-want to know-learn) charts or journals, science journals or math logs, will allow student to write in an informal way while still allowing for teachers to assess learning.  Using writing in this way in all subjects allows for student to make inferences, draw upon previous knowledge as well as synthesize materials.  While having classroom discussions is a great instructional tool, it does not allow for students to engage is higher level thinking in the same way that writing would.  Writing to learn really encourages students to explore material and then relate it to themselves and what it means to them. This type of informal writing without having to worry about conventions gives students a “safe” writing zone where they can really develop the ability to share their thinking through writing.

I really liked this approach to writing as a supplemental activity in all core content areas.  Too often I feel teachers see writing as something that has to be done on its own, encouraging different genres and styles.  While this knowledge is important, it is also important to encourage students to be critical thinkers, which this type of writing really does.  I could definitely see this being used in my fifth grade classroom.  We already have science journals, where they could write reflection entries at the end of a lesson or write about what they still need to know.  I really liked the idea of math logs, since math and writing are normally two subjects that are considered disjoint.  I think this would be a great challenge for my students, to articulate their mathematical and logical reasoning strategies into words.  It would really allow for them to analyze their own thinking, something we are trying to encourage.

Do use this approach, I would need to learn how to phrase prompts to students for their writing.  How could I get them to write about what they learned in math or how or why they solved a problem using logical reasoning as opposed to just writing the exact process.  It would be challenging to get the students to analyze their thinking in a way that they could write it out.  I would also need to find a way to encourage students to be comfortable using writing in all areas and not just seeing writing as a part of language arts.

This module really helped me see how I can assess my students for my lesson.  The videos I viewed on a fifth grade writers workshop really displayed how I can scaffold certain ideas and then relate them to student’s own writing.  I was also able to see how he assessed students all throughout the process using anecdotal notes.  In my own unit, my students are going to be writing a historical fiction piece.  Through this reading, I can see how I can relate social studies journals to the writing we are going to be doing and how I can integrate writing into the content areas.  I need to find out how much knowledge my students have on the genre itself, how well they are already able to communicate ideas, as well as how well they can use descriptions and era appropriate material to make a reader understand the time period.