What's the Deal With Details?

Students in Reading Workshop are confused.  All year they have listened to me scream about more details.  They hear comments like, use information from the text/book, include support from the selection, tell me more, back up your point, and you need more details. In every writing assignment, whether it was a letter, a journal, or a blog post, I have constantly prodded them to help the reader visualize by including more details.

Now, as we begin to focus more on reading, and breaking down nonfiction essays, I am telling them to forget the details.  All we talked about yesterday was looking for the main points, looking for the gist, and the W's.  The message has changed and the students are giving me that dazed and confused look.

So what's the deal with details?  Do they matter or not?  Well, the answer is yes and no.  As a writer, details are your best friend.  They are how you help the reader understand.  They help you draw a picture so the reader sees and comprehends your points.  Specific details make writing great.

As a reader, fighting for understanding of difficult text, skip the details.  Don't worry about spectacular facts, or engaging opinions.  Ignore grabber introductions written to get you interested in a piece of writing.  As a reader, focus on the W's.  Find out who is the main person (or topic) of the essays.  Look for where and when the event happened.  Determine why this event took place and how it worked.

Then look for the gist.  Find the central idea.  Determine the most vital part of the piece of writing.  Once you understand this, you have successfully read the essay.

Do details matter?  Only if you need them to help you understand the W's and the gist.

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A Dandi Presentation

Author Dandi Daley Mackall visited Laurelville Elementary on March 18-19. She has written over 400 published books in a variety of genres, including one of her latest, an adolescent realistic fiction, Larger-Than-Life Lara. Dandi spoke to the entire student body at an all-school assembly to kick off her visit. Over the rest of the two day period, she met with classes to discuss writing techniques and her experiences.

Dandi did a writing workshop session with the classes. She went through the process of creating a story. Her advise was to always begin with a character. According to Dandi, "If the reader identifies with and/or cares about the main character, they will care about the story and want to read it." She says you need to know the character so you know how he/she will act in story.

She also told students to be sure to begin their stories with action. Here is an example of a story starter done both the wrong way, and then the right way.

Wrong

Dasia is a sixth grade girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 5' tall. She likes to read and chat with her friends on the computer. Her best friend's name is . . .

Right

The minute Dasia got out of bed this morning, she dreaded going to school.

About the writing process, Dandi said, "I write and I write, and I rewrite and I write, and I rewrite probably at least 12 times."

Amber C., a sixth grade student said, "she tells interesting stories." This makes it easy to see where she gets her ideas for books.

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Is Handwriting Yesterday's Skill?

Handwriting is still alive, but should it be? With all of the emphasis on curriculum, the need to cover the course of study, and prepare for the OAT, one must consider if handwriting is just a distraction. Although this is still a skill taught in school, one could question if keyboarding is a more relevant skill.

My handwriting is terrible, at best, even though my elementary teachers did their best to teach me penmanship. If I take my time, it is legible, but never without a struggle. When I write, it is almost always on the computer. When I read something, it is almost always digital. Anything that has been hand-written is usually brief, and most likely informal.

Recently, a post on the Core Knowledge blog explored this issue. Much of the argument stressed the need to continue teaching and using cursive writing. By the time I finished reading it though, I had this "do as I say, not as I do" kind of feeling. Even those that advocated the need for handwriting seemed to admit that they seldom used it themselves.

When I think about the careers that students in the sixth grade are most likely to have as adults, I am not sure that I can picture anywhere handwriting plays a vital role. However, technology will most-likely be an integral part of most jobs, if not when they graduate, surely throughout their lifetime.

There is a problem though. As long as students are in school, they will need to write legibly. Tests and journals will be written for grades. If teachers cannot read the writing, or have to struggle to understand it, students' grades will suffer. Even though handwriting is not graded, it could affect many scores.

What do you think? Should schools still focus on handwriting? Or should more emphasis be placed by schools on catching up with the rest of the world?

http://flickr.com/photos/bg/1532769756/
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A Newspaper's Role in Education

Recently I posted about the poor grammar used by a worker at a local restaurant. A teacher today brought in a newspaper from the town where the Wendy's is located.

Here is a headline from the paper.

Utilities work to restore power
Some have went without electricity for five days

As the voice of the area, and the written daily record of history from the county, a certain level of responsibility might be expected with the proper use of the English language. However, the dialect from an area is bound to creep in, especially if writers for the paper grew up locally.

For the most part, lack of proper grammar is not a hindrance here. "Me and" and "we was" are not even noticed in most casual conversations. In fact, overcoming common usage is one of the biggest problems students face in language arts classes.

So this brings us to the question. What is a newspaper's role in education? Should a local paper's language reflect the area, or should they serve as an example to all readers.

Image from http://flickr.com/photos/drb62/2054107736/
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Free Writing Choice Friday

Students need time to write. Students need to be able to pursue writing projects. Students need to make choices about their education. Students need to prioritize and work on projects they deem important.

This means, choose a genre and write. If students haven't had as many opportunities to write poetry as they would like, forge ahead. Read some Sara Holbrook, I Never Said I Wasn't Difficult or follow the steps of Sharon Creech in Love That Dog and Hate That Cat. Write poetry and publish it to share.

Every Friday, students will have one hour to write whatever they choose. It can be any project, as long as they are writing. I will be available for conferencing, and can meet with students to address their individual needs. Peers can assist with revision, and as listeners to essays being read aloud to find errors or inconsistencies.

Students, if you have been wanting to write a fictional narrative or a memoir, plan on it. Do some prewriting, and/or spend some time thinking. Consider your characters and the problems they face. Decide how to get the reader into your story with a great opening, and how to build the excitement to the climax. Write an ending that will make the reader think about your story a few hours or maybe even days later.

Maybe your online journal needs some work. You can take this time to add details to entries, or to write a separate entry about your SSR book. If a book has especially touched you, or forced you to think about something, tell the reader about it.

Did you notice a blog post, where you wanted to comment? This is a time that you can share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions. Spend a Free Writing Choice Friday and give the readers of The Reading Workshop something to consider. Or, challenge an idea or opinion with facts that make the reader reconsider.

Free Writing Friday is a chance for you, students to write about what matters to you, writing in whatever genre you choose. The only requirement--write.

Image from http://flickr.com/photos/outlandos/
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Where are the Workshop "How To's?"

What is most important to know about reading workshop? Some might say knowing what mini-lessons to teach is especially important. Others might think the format and how to set up a workshop is most significant. Activities students complete might be the choice from some that carries the most weight.

And the next question is, where should a blog called The Reading Workshop focus? Should it be on how a workshop looks and what activities take place? Or is it about students from classes in a workshop? I started thinking about this after I got this email.

I really like reading your blog . . .
Have you ever considered more posts with "how to's?" So many of your posts are about the students. I enjoy reading about them, but I think most teachers would like more on how to do reading workshop.

After reading this email a few times, and thinking about it for a couple of day, I thought about what controls my reading workshop day-to-day and how that has changed.

Originally it was the "experts." I read In the Middle and modeled my class after it. Today there are thousands of sites to get the "how to's." Nancie Atwell is still an excellent resource for the fundamentals of reading and writing workshop. The internet is filled with ideas for teaching, and examples from classes.

For me though, reading workshop starts and ends with the students. Every activity is only as valuable as it is relevant to the class I am teaching. The best book only matters if it reaches the student. And it is only the best book because of what it makes a student think and feel. The best lesson is only good because of how it impacts the class and the students. A good journal topic only matters if it lets a student share a thought, idea, or opinion that is meaningful to him.

It all starts and it all ends with the students. That should be the focus.

Letter Introduction and Conclusion

Students finished their first major writing project last week--a letter about the book they were reading. This was quite a learning process for some, and as we start the second letter this week, students have definite areas that need focus.

One student's letter stood out above all last week because of her introduction and conclusion. In fact, just the wrapping at the beginning and the end was enough to set her letter apart.

Here is Sarah's introduction:
I'm reading a book called Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Akazban. Hopefully I can read all seven books by 8th grade. Have you ever read any of the Harry Potter books? Or read any books by J.K. Rowling? I hope you end up reading some of these books after you read my review.

This sets an upbeat positive tone, introduces the subject, and gets the reader involved in the letter.

Here is Sarah's Conclusion:
I really like this book. It's very different from other books. I highly recommend this book to others because its so easy to understand and read. If you like reading about magic and risking your life to save others, these books are for you. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

Again, there is a positive tone, she wraps up the letter, states the reason for writing, and closes with a thank you for the reader. Great job Sarah B.!!!!

Writer's Block

When I have writer's block, I just write some hooey. I just put some words down, knowing that it ain't gonna be to good. What the heck, it's just a first draft, so it don't really matter. First drafts are supposed to suck.

Sometimes I will crank up the music. Sometimes I will read a little, or surf the net. But the main thing I do is just keep trying to get words down. Good, bad, or ugly, I just keep adding a word here, and then a word there until I have a sentence. Before I know it, I have written another post on the blog.

Now, my brilliant young students, I am sure you are asking, "what does this have to do with me and Reading Workshop?"

I have noticed that some of you are sitting there, looking like the keyboard might electrocute you. It won't. I promise. Just put down some words. Any words. You are allowed to make mistakes. You are allowed to not make sense. Go ahead, screw up. We can fix it. If you are not sure about the assignment, ask.

If you are not quite sure, just throw some words out there. Before you know it, the assignment will be done. You will be a success. Your teacher and your parents will be proud. They will smile and tell you that you are wonderful. You will get A's and be on the honor roll. You will win all of the awards.


P.S. Even if all of that doesn't happen, at least you will get the assignment done.

Scary Story

Today we will be writing a scary story. When I told students this last week, they thought I had lost my mind. "It's not Halloween," they said. "Why would we do it in May?" they asked.

Well, funny you should ask that. The things we will cover include:

1. The plot and developing problems;

2. Descriptive writing and adding supporting details;

3. Punctuating dialogue;

4. Character development;

5. Building a narrative to a climax;

6. Cooperation and writing with a partner;

7. Edditing-git that speling write;

8. Writing with an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The assignment is to write a scary/horror story. BUT, shooting or guns, and stabbing or knives, or killing in any way is NOT allowed! All injuries must be incidental or accidental. The focus is on scaring the reading in only the most imaginative ways!

I can't wait to read them.

Problems in Writing

All good writing has problems, lots and lots of problems, with lots and lots of details. The more problems in a narrative, and the more descriptive the writing, the more the reader will be engaged. Problems are what give the story a body. They create the interest by getting the reader to insert himself into the story, to think of solutions, and to root for a character to succeed or fail.

Today, students brainstormed a list of problems that could occur in the setting where their scary story takes place. Each partnership came up with problems that might fit in a horror story. These problems had to be realistic enough to be believable, but "sick" enough to fit into a scary fictional narrative.

Once each group came up with a list of 8 - 10 problems, we came to the circle, and shared ideas. Then students revised their essays, inserting new problems and adding details. As we continue writing and improving these stories, I am sure the final drafts will be excellent and eerie.

Two Person Journal

One journal, one topic, one file, but two writers make a Two Person Journal. Students were partnered with a peer from another class. A folder with a file was created on the Laurelville server. The page was divided down the middle using a two column table. For the rest of the school year, students will write each day about a different topic.

This system has an advantage over a regular journal in that the writer has an audience. Everything written will be read daily. Also, with a peer to share ideas, comments, opinions, and information, it means more. Whether students write about books, school, friends, hobbies, family, or any other topic, they know a reader cares about what they have to say.

I originally did this project with composition notebooks that students shared. Now, with the technology available in Reading Workshop, students keep a common Open Office Word file saved on our file server. They can each write to the file from anywhere in the school. Because there is a computer for each student, they can access their file during class each day, read their partner's post, and respond.

This is a great motivator for students. After all, what does every writer want? To be read, of course.

Teen Writing, r u lol

How has the use of electronic writing affected you? How has it helped? What problems has it caused? With only one month left in the school year, should language arts instruction be changed to reflect this? And if so, how?

Pew Internet & American Life Project researched Writing, Technology and Teens. The study looked at the effect of modern technology on students' writing.

This is a significant issue based on their conclusion that 85% of teens ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.

This table summarizes some of the findings of the study.


The complete findings of this study can be viewed here.

Are texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email ruining the next generation of writers, or will they make them the best ever?

Fantastic Commenter

GOOD JOB!

Congrats to the KW's for being selected as the Outstanding Commenters for April. Katie and Kari consistently post with great comments that are well written. You can find their opinions all through the blog. They were two of the first to comment, and continue to join in on almost all discussions.


Congratulations to Trevor S. for also being selected as the Fantastic Commenter for the month of April. He was selected due to his well thought out comments and clean, easy to understand commenting (And his mom posted too).

Trevor S. said...

I think bringing a CD into school and listening to it for the day is awesome. Listening to music helps me focus on my school work or any work. I got a high percentage in the accelerated category on my OAT test. I know that is not as I high as some people in this class but I tried. However I did better listening to music than I had ever done. My mom was not so sure about letting me bring in a CD to school, until she saw the blog. Thanks Mr. McGuire for letting us do such a cool thing.

Trevor S. said...

The reasons why I come to school are...

1. Well I have to by law

2. Learning is is fun to me.

3. I get to play basketball.

4. I get to talk to friends.

5. It will help me get a good job in the future.

6. How are you going to get smart just sitting at home. (Home school does not count).

And his mom said:

Mr.McGuire,

I encourage both of my boys (Trevor & Brayden) to learn all they can now while they are in school. I think all parents want that for their children. Your knowlege will get you everywhere you want to go in the future. When you grow up it is a tough world out there. And it just keeps on getting tougher! Take advantage of the time you have now to learn all you can. When you get out in the real world there are no free lunches! Go to school and learn and have fun. You are only a kid once so enjoy it!

P.S. I'll have my eyes peeled for the McGuire family when we go out to eat!!

Steph Swackhamer

Stay tuned as I will feature the intelligent thoughts of other commenters soon.

Special thanks to the Dangerously Irrelevant Blog for the idea and the certificate!

Haiku

Haiku poetry originated in Japan. It has a strict format that includes:

1. Three lines with 17 syllables in the pattern of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables
2. Only one topic
3. Traditionally about nature and/or seasons
4. Does not rhyme
5. Written in present tense
6. Stirs the imagination


Sunshine by J. McGuire

Breaking through treetops
filtering golden beauty
bringing in the day

Spring By Alina S.

Spring is here today
Daffodils and crocuses
Blooming everywhere

When it Rains by Josh P.

Clouds roaring with fierce
Lightening attacks with anger
Peaceful when rain stops

Spring Flowers by Connor H.

They are violet blue
they are purple and yellow
they are spring flowers

Mushrooms by Sean C.

walking through the woods
see those mushrooms, see them.
go and pick them please

Wildfire by Shelby C.

Bright like a wild fire
suddenly stepping forward,
out of plane nothing.

Jumping Flowers by Justin H.

Flowers jumping up
out of the rich dark brown soil
their bright pedals glow

Hot, Nice Day by Dimitri H.

Walking outside, oooh
look at the big sunflower
what a hot nice day

Morels by Mrs. Bower

Hunting for mushrooms
Delicacies hiding low
cool, damp, sunny day.

Carpenter Bees by Mrs. Bower

Angry, droning pests
Aggressively drilling holes
wood chewing insect.

An Arch of Color by Jennie B.

Rainbows have colors
Pot O' Gold at the bottom
An arch of color

Walking in the Woods by Brittany M.

Walking in the woods
alone looking for a waterfall
it's close when it's cool.

Dancing Rain by Haley E.

Rain dancing outside
Around and around it goes
Going on forever

Wolves by Kari W.

Mistaken creatures
Wandering through the forest
Gentle animals.

Grass by Amanda K.

long, soft cut, pokey
green, soft, rough, up in the air
falling all over

Clouds by Dillon Y.

Clouds, drifting like ghost
in the sky so high above
Fly by day and night.

Birds by Brianna G.

birds fly in the air
cardinals and red tailed hawks
what beautiful birds.

Trees of the Forest by Jacob T.

The trees of the damp
forest move swiftly by my
eyes with great beauty.

Writing in Social Studies

In Mrs. Griffey's social studies class, students studied, researched, and then wrote essays about Mesopotamia. Students had to follow the writing process. They wrote a rough draft, peer edited, and then published a final draft to be graded. This project counted as a social studies grade which was weighted based on content, and as a writing grade which was weighted towards the writing. Overall, the essays were filled with information, interesting, and well written.

Justin did a good job with his introduction and conclusion. He used a W's beginning to introduce the topic to the reader.

I discovered a lot of interesting things about Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was located in the fertile crescent in what is now present day Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syrian, Jordan, Israel and Syria. Mesopotamia started in 4000 B.C. Mesopotamia was also located by two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates.

His closing sums up the topic, and restates a few key points.

Mesopotamia was a very successful culture. In Mesopotamia they had laws, a form of writing and technology. The people of Mesopotamia still affect us today.

By using a simple, but effective opening and closing, and having a body with many details, Justin and many of his classmates did well with this interdisciplinary project.

Thanks at Thanksgiving

One of our latest projects in Writing Workshop is to write a thank you letter to someone in your life that has made your life better. Students chose parents, grandparents, aunts, cousins, and family friends. Most of the letters were exceptional in sincerity and meaning. The following letter below, by Trey is one examples.

November 8, 2007

Dear Grandpa,

I would like to tell you how much I appreciate everything you have done for me. So get ready to be very amazed at my writing about my dedication to you.

I am very grateful when you take me to the camper every weekend. When we go there it's like we are in heaven. The reason why I think it's heaven is because it is just so peaceful there. The birds are always chirping and the deer are always grazing. When we go there we ride around on golf carts. Sometimes we work for the manager or sometimes we fish. I am very grateful because if you did not take me to the camper, I would be watching Addy, or siting in my room really bored. I would probably be planning a prank on Ashlee (Should I use water balloons filled with hot water or the old whipped cream in the hand prank?).

I am grateful that you were always there for me when Dad was not. If you would not have been there for me I would not have had any other boys to have fun with. Like that time in Tar Hollow when this kid laughed at me because I had no Dad around like most kids but I told him that I did have a Dad, my Grandpa. Since then you have been my substitute Dad.

Grandpa I can't tell you how grateful I am. Especially not in this little peace of writing but I am really grateful that you have done all those things for me. Thank you Grandpa.

Your Grandson,

Trey

Thank You Letter from 4th

We received the nicest thank you letter from a fourth grade student after we co-wrote the answer to a question using a book that Mrs. Wolfe read aloud Mountain Magic. See the post on October 29 for details.

This act of kindness made working together totally worth it.

Co-writing with 4th Grade

Today, the sixth graders were the teachers in Writing Workshop. Mrs. Wolfe's fourth grade language arts class came up to our room to co-write a response to the book, Mountain Magic, written by Alice Boggs Lentz. The question was: How does the main character feel about growing up in the mountains? Use examples from the book to support your answers.

Mrs. Wolfe read the book aloud. The book is the story of a family's journeys home to their grandmother's home in the mountains. The visits are filled with "magic" memories. The sixth grade students did an excellent job as "teachers." They helped their students formulate responses that started with topic sentences, and supported their answer with details from the book.

Tomorrow we will finish answers, revise for content, edit for mistakes, and then publish a final draft on the computers.

Committees For Writing Workshop

In Writing Workshop, we are improving through the use of committees. Each class has a Revision Committee and an Editing Committee. As students move through the writing process, the committee members help improve writing, peer tutor, and assist with grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

The process includes:

Step 1 Thinking, Prewriting, First Draft
Students can either write out the first draft or type it on a computer. If they write it out, they type it before going to step 2.

Step 2 Revision Committee
A member of the Revision Committee reads the first draft and writes down any questions he/she has as they read.

Step 3 Revise Content
Students use the questions to revise and improve the content.

Step 4 Editing Committee
Once students have checked their writing for mistakes, they go over it with a member of the Editing Committee checking for errors in spelling, sentencing, punctuation, and capitalization.
Students clean up mistakes, and print out a clean copy. Students then meet with a different member of the Editing Committee for a final look, checking for any mistakes.

Step 5 Correct Mistakes, Final Draft
Students correct any remaining mistakes, and give their essay a final look.
Students then print a final draft and turn in to be graded.

6-B Revision Committee

6-A Revision Committee

6-B Editing Committee

6-A Editing Committee

Peer Tutoring at Work

Congratulations to our Study Island Students of the Day, Catherine and Scotty!