Chapter 8 Written Expression

       Things I Do And Plan To Do………….

When I am teaching writing I do a lot of modeling. Whether it is kindergarten or third grade I am always modeling writing. I will write an example on the board, read aloud an example, and ask for examples from the class. Depending on the grade level I put mistakes in the sentences so the students will practice editing their own writing. Students love to think that they are perfect writers and do not make any mistakes. Another tool that I use is making up activities to reinforce writing. For example, in first grade I have sentences cut apart so students can piece it back together to make sense. I also have words cut out so students can build a sentence of their own. This year when I subbed in third grade, I found out that they love using a dictionary. Using a dictionary is another fun way to teach students new vocabulary words.

       Things I Do Not Do…………

I have a hard time with explaining every little detail when teaching writing. I think writing is difficult for me to teach. I especially struggled when teaching third graders how to write in paragraphs and staying on the topic. I found that hamburger writing did help but I still need a lot more strategies to teach students how to write a good healthy paragraph about one topic. I like the texts example figure 8.1 of the story element graphic organizer. I think this would help lay everything out for students and they can organize their thoughts. I have never heard of TREE planning. I really like how it outlines your thoughts. I think this would be great to give students at the beginning of their writing.

       Things I Need To Improve………….

I need to work on using story organizers. I think this would be a great start when introducing writing at the beginning of the year. I want to work on teaching editing skills and helpful writing tips students will enjoy and remember. I also need to work on how to grade writing. I think it is extremely difficult to not only teach writing but grading writing as well. This year I have had to turn to several teachers to help me understand the grading process of writing assignments.