Dear Ms. Mary,
My students tend to connect all of their ideas with the word "and," so they end up with one huge run-on sentence where they should have a paragraph. How can I teach them to make meaningful decisions about where to place punctuation marks?
Thanks,
Desperately Seeking End Marks
Dear Desperately Seeking,
I think that you are raising some valid questions and I hope that I can offer solid advice and that your students will take this advice and run with it and hopefully you will see bast improvements in their work and that this advice, in addition to being pertinent, will also prove to be inspiring and that you will also decide that you can create more of a culture of editing around your own writing and that your colleagues will see the fruits of your labor and emulate your teaching and this enthusiasm for editing will become viral in your building. (Sometimes a lot of "ands" is a craft choice...but it's usually not.)
Actually, I think the answer to this lies in reading. Close study of a page in a book, using a combination of inquiry and guided practice, is the first step in making editing stick. When readers study punctuation and practice reading a paragraph so that it sounds "golden," they are using their voices to show appropriately applied punctuation. Additionally, close study of punctuation typically boosts fluency and comprehension. When we call attention in reading to the cadence of sentences and the interesting choices that writers make, our students are more included to try using more appropriate -- or more interesting -- punctuation to shape their own writing. When you read, you let punctuation shape your voice; when you write, your voice shapes the punctuation.
Student editing is a testament to what has been taught in reading; in my experience, editing is an application of what has already been taught. You cannot teach all this punctuation only while editing. It's too late. Teach it in reading first and then remind them of what they already know when they are drafting and, finally, editing.
And if you do this work in your reading and writing workshops, I promise you your writers will make better choices.*
With my utmost confidence,
Ms. Mary
*This sentence starting with "and" is a craft choice.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
How do I get kids to really revise?
Ms. Mary,
I'm having trouble getting my students to revise their work. I led a mini-lesson on choosing more interesting/powerful verbs, and that resulted in some small (but effective) changes in the students' text. But how do I get them to think beyond basic editing changes and really revise their work?
Signed,
Stuck
Dear Stuck,
When I am working with writers who feel stuck or uninspired in revision, I know that the first thing I should do is to back track: I need to light a fire under them. I have learned that "fire" here does not involve real fires -- or even matches -- but it must have the same urgency as something burning. In lieu of pyrotechnics, try looking more closely at immersing kids in text before starting writing. I must find high-quality written examples of what we will try to write. I used to think my students needed to spend copious amounts of energy revising at the end. While they do need to revise at the end, it isn't that simple. They need to begin well-versed in good examples of the kind of writing we are doing so they can make good choices as they go, leaving less work in revision at the end.
The next area to consider is modeling and think-aloud. We need to teach writers what they can do when they revise -- and why they would make those changes. If I can show students how I am very careful about the purpose of my writing, they can see me revise with purpose and joy. This model they see -- on the easel or a screen or in my notebook -- and supported by think-aloud, is very powerful. It's like learning to knit: it's a lot easier to sit next to someone who is doing it well. You can watch the "expert" and then try it. (Although you may still be working on a scarf --for over three years-- involving only a blanket stitch.)
The third area I know I look to is my own writing. Think about your own writing and your own investment in revision. My conferences are much more meaningful when I really understand the work the students are doing. When I invest in my own writing -- and my own revision -- I can infuse students with energy and inform them.
Revision is about taking something that's already good and making it better. So help students start with something that's strong, and then connect with other writers in a writing community where revision matters.
Good luck!
Ms. Mary
Disclaimer: I have been asked to reiterate that the IPYW does not--does not, I repeat--support the use of actual fire under writers or even the use of matches in classrooms. That being said, it does remain untested.
I'm having trouble getting my students to revise their work. I led a mini-lesson on choosing more interesting/powerful verbs, and that resulted in some small (but effective) changes in the students' text. But how do I get them to think beyond basic editing changes and really revise their work?
Signed,
Stuck
Dear Stuck,
When I am working with writers who feel stuck or uninspired in revision, I know that the first thing I should do is to back track: I need to light a fire under them. I have learned that "fire" here does not involve real fires -- or even matches -- but it must have the same urgency as something burning. In lieu of pyrotechnics, try looking more closely at immersing kids in text before starting writing. I must find high-quality written examples of what we will try to write. I used to think my students needed to spend copious amounts of energy revising at the end. While they do need to revise at the end, it isn't that simple. They need to begin well-versed in good examples of the kind of writing we are doing so they can make good choices as they go, leaving less work in revision at the end.
The next area to consider is modeling and think-aloud. We need to teach writers what they can do when they revise -- and why they would make those changes. If I can show students how I am very careful about the purpose of my writing, they can see me revise with purpose and joy. This model they see -- on the easel or a screen or in my notebook -- and supported by think-aloud, is very powerful. It's like learning to knit: it's a lot easier to sit next to someone who is doing it well. You can watch the "expert" and then try it. (Although you may still be working on a scarf --for over three years-- involving only a blanket stitch.)
The third area I know I look to is my own writing. Think about your own writing and your own investment in revision. My conferences are much more meaningful when I really understand the work the students are doing. When I invest in my own writing -- and my own revision -- I can infuse students with energy and inform them.
Revision is about taking something that's already good and making it better. So help students start with something that's strong, and then connect with other writers in a writing community where revision matters.
Good luck!
Ms. Mary
Disclaimer: I have been asked to reiterate that the IPYW does not--does not, I repeat--support the use of actual fire under writers or even the use of matches in classrooms. That being said, it does remain untested.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)