How’s it going? Carl Anderson would ask.
Launch and Preassessment (On-Demand Writing)
There’s momentum, and I am afraid the shiny bubble might burst. I need to stop seeing the initial high as a bubble and more like a rollercoaster. Our first week was short; we only had three instructional days, so we did our On-Demand, and read a student sample to immerse ourselves in this genre. The data I collected from that preassessment was a bit surprising; I was expecting less background knowledge and a bunch of informational pieces or narratives. However, most of these writers seem to have an idea about persuasive writing.
We got our feet wet in the first two sessions by experimenting with the basics of Boxes and Bullets: I like____ because____. Also,_____. Another reason why______ is that_____. I modeled, we had a shared writing experience, and they went off and gave it a try. We began studying the structure of essays and had discussions about the qualities of good freewriting. Those first two days, everyone wrote—Success!
Independent Writing and Conferences
The first thing that caught my attention was the vulnerability some writers began showing. They quickly went from the “I like ice cream” idea to other strategies. Some wrote about family members, others about people and friends they admire. The two usual suspects wrote about their cats and two others wrote about a piece of furniture in the home (One of the entries I wrote was about my gray chair.)
I waited until this week to start conferring, and I went in with high hopes and clear intentions: get a glimpse of what they’re doing and why. So far, I’ve met with half the class, and I’ve seen great opportunities for some grouping. I still see some narratives when I read notebooks, so I’m coaching writers to generate an opinion based on those stories. My goal for this weekend is to group students ready for specific revision moves, confer one-on-one with those who struggle with daily volume and adjust their writing to the genre.
Extended Writing Opportunities (Homework)
Writing at home has also been helpful for a few writers. Up to this point, the only times I assigned writing as homework, I told them to take their notebooks home and write something, anything!—First semester goals: confidence and volume. Homework for this unit will be more targeted, and I will differentiate based on the progress each writer makes that day. I know I’m setting myself up for extra work, but I am optimistic it will pay off.
We are also making a case for documenting where we write by adding an (S) for school or an (H) for home each time we write an entry. I plan to invite writers to study their notebooks mid-unit to work on their writer’s mindset and become more intentional and invested in their work.
Ms. Ana’s Writing
One of Lucy, Kelly, and Cory‘s recommendations is for the teacher to write and experience what each session invites students to do. I always do some writing for each writing unit, but I must admit that I don’t do as much as I should. This time though, I feel a lot more inspired to write entries that can cater to what my students are aiming for, which is something worth mining.
My entries include vulnerable and more “light” topics, freewriting with some writer’s thinking, and various ideas using the three strategies: people, places, and objects. I’ve invited students into my process to practice elaboration strategies and phrases to expand initial thoughts. They are always eager to tell me what I should add or change in my writing.
Up and Down the Ladder. Keeping My Goals On Sight
On Tuesday, I introduced the Up and Down the Ladder of Abstraction from Roy Peter Clark. I did so with some hesitation. So far, most of my writers struggle with going deeper into certain ideas, so when I saw the strategy this early in the unit, I needed to raise my “Brené game” and assume positive. I called for a Mid-Workshop interruption and told them a bit about Roy and his 50 Tools book; then, I pulled a writing sample to explain how going “up and down the ladder” could help them expand on ideas. I’ll just say I’m glad I did.
To wrap up a quick check-in on my initial intentions:
✓ Pre-assessment
Self-assessment throughout the unit: lifting the level of reflection and goal-setting.
✓ Partnerships: feedback and collaboration
Help students understand about audience
Revisions: Continue to work with Writer’s Mindset to help students revise in significant ways.
✓ My learning: use the blog to check in on how I’m doing and what I’m learning as I teach/write my essays.
Start with a Story 