Writing

 

       

        

        Writing is something that is very important to me. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. From diary entries, to essays, lab reports, stories and now blog posts. I have been involved in so many different forms of writing. I love writing because it allows you to have freedom. You can tell a lot about a person by just reading their writing. I would prefer to be able to free write than being assigned an essay topic, but I would pick writing essays over math problems any day. I have always been a fan of writing, but I struggle with the grammar/punctuation aspect of it. It is something that I am continuing to practice and work on daily.

            Wring is so important. Writing promotes your ability to pose questions. Writing is also important for vocabulary and reading development. It helps to express the person that you are.  Writing also helps others give you feed back. In addition, writing is something that sticks with you for forever. It is such an important job skill, whether you are writing books, proposals, or emails for a living.

            As a future Elementary School teacher I know I will be doing a ton of writing. I will be writing up lesson plans, emails, worksheets and so much more. I plan to implement writing in my classroom as much as possible. It is such an important skill that must be practiced multiple times a day. I don’t have to just teach writing in my writer’s workshop time. Writing is also used with explaining math problems as well as science experiments. In the article, Nuts and Bolts of teaching First Grade by Wagner,  I found a great guide for writers workshop ideas and scheduling. He suggests that you should spend 5-10 minutes on a mini lesson giving direct instruction to students about skills and writers craft. For the next 5 minutes it is good to do a “ group rehearsal” for writing. In others words this is brainstorming potential topics for writing. For the following 10 minutes the students should do some individual writing. Next, students can work with peers to critique writing and ask questions. For the last minutes of this workshop the teachers creates opportunity for the students to share their work. You can assess students writing by having them handing in the pieces that they have worked on all week. It is also a good idea for students to keep a writing journal. Students can then have an area to write and draw a picture of the story that they are trying to tell.

            According to The College Board, creative and reflective writing exercises build confidence and appreciation for writing. Through journals and personal story writing, children can discover their identities and work through real-life problems. Writing helps children connect to the world around them. It allows them to work with other students and see different styles of writing. This is what we call peer reviews. The feedback will allow students to learn from each other!