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One major takeaway was that writing is a process. Just like many thing s in life, writing does not take place in a bubble, but instead in a cycle. We teach writing as a process, almost like a how-to guide, planning out each step at a time.

Another major takeaway, which we practice at my school is to allow students to write consistently. It won't be perfect, in fact it may even be terrible at the start. Howevee, giving students feeback and SMART goals, and allowing for them to revise proves to be an effective way in increasing writing stamina and creating good writers.

This article aligns with many of the strategies implimented at my school. However it is an uphill battle to see the grand scheme of things with my students. I know there are things I can improve on and there is more than one solution to any problem that I have.

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Response to Eamon Deeley by Cherice Nealy 

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Response to Eamon Deeley by Cherice Nealy 

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HI Eamon,

I agree with the idea that we need to shift our focus to the ideas being presented rather than fixating on the the grammatical errors that may arise. In this way it allows for students to  learn how to celebrate their ideas rather than just focusing on the mistakes that may arise.

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Response to Alex Bauer by Cherice Nealy 

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Response to Alex Bauer by Cherice Nealy 

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Hi Alex,
I agree that it is important to create strong norms and routines within the classroom to establish a writing culture. So that students can develop are writers and build confidence in themselves as writers. I am currently struggling with this in classroom to create strong writers who enjoy the writing process.

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Hi Stephanie,
I, too, was both a bit amazed and confused by the idea that writing class should resemble a studio. The article mentions the value and necessity of structured classrooms, something we both know is essential for a productive learning environment. Yet, when I think of a structured classroom, the last thing that comes to mind is a studio where everyone is working at their own pace, on their own project. I see now how those two ideals are not mutually exclusive. I love walking into Art and seeing the classroom run itself. The art teacher is merely a consultant, giving students ideas without restricting their creativity. As a result, the students have so much room to continually produce and grow. Writing shouldn't be any different, even though this approach might be a bit out of our comfort zones!

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My first major takeaway from the Graves article is to allow students the time to write on a regular basis. Allowing students to write consistently, coupled with feedback gives them to the skills to better be able to edit their writing and develop  an ear for what "good" writing sounds like. Another major takeaway from this article is to give students choice. Giving students choice provides them with the opportunity to reflect on what they know which in turn gives them a feeling of success when they are fully able to elaborate on a topic of their choice instead of creating this feeling of them not knowing anything .

In my own classroom, I  know I need to do a better job of creating a strong writing culture where students feel as though they are writers. Unfortunately, my students do not get much time to write about topics of their own personal interest which in turn has created an environment where students are not confident in their writing ability and further do not find writing fun or interesting.

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Hi Karen,
That is great to hear that you and your co-teacher have established a classroom where students feel comfortable sharing their writing pieces. I was curious what steps you both took at the beginning of the school year to build that culture? I work a lot with students who struggle academically and are reluctant to share or participate. While I've had some success, I've never gotten to the point where I have fully established a community where everyone is willing to share their work openly. I'd love any tips or tricks you and your co-teacher have!

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My first major takeaway from the Graves article is that the writing process should begin with one's desire to share what he or she already knows. Writing instruction can sometimes devolve into: read a text, response to a prompt about the text, and implement feedback from a teacher to revise the original response. While that type of writing serves a purpose, it does not give writers (particularly reluctant writers or writers with learning difficulties) much ownership over the process. If the topic of writing is unfamiliar, the process becomes a chore, instead of an opportunity to share. By starting with what a student already knows, a teacher can encourage the student to write freely, then focus on one specific skill to work on with the student. Teachers cannot get to the place of helping students improve their writing if they cannot motivate them to write initially.

My second main takeaway was the idea that in order to teach writing, the teachers must themselves be prolific writers. The line that stuck out to me the most was, "It would be unheard of for a piano teacher, a ceramicist, or an artist working with water colors to teach someone their craft without practicing it themselves" (Graves, 1985). It sounds like common sense, but I personally never thought writing the same way I think of playing an instrument or a sport. It makes sense how writing is something a teacher would ideally be a master of in order to instill that passion and desire to constantly improve in their own students.

This article may be release that we do not embrace writing as a process like this in the upper middle school grades. We tend to be far too restrictive with the topics and forms of writing that we do not provide students with enough opportunities to openly write. Our school recently hosted a Slam Poetry Night where students composed and presented spoken word pieces about their identity. I remember being shocked by how amazing the pieces were, particularly from students who I would otherwise consider poor writers. I realize that this was one of a handful of times a year when students are permitted to write from the heart and teach others about themselves through their writing. This realization and the article helps me understand that students would develop into stronger, more confident writers with more opportunities to write freely and share written work that they have a personal connection with.

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I agree with you that it’s more important to focus on student’s ideas than to focus on spelling or grammar. I think I would be a better writer if my teachers focused more on creativity than on spelling and grammar!

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Eamon, I agree that the collaborative atmosphere is just as important as the process itself in the classroom. It sounds like you've taken a good amount of time to really set that up in your room. I completely agree that if the vibe isn't right, a process that requires collaboration will fail. This applies in math so much as well since students need to be able to call out mistakes and handle criticism gracefully. I think it's a valid point to bring up in any subject.

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Hi Alex,

I agree when you wrote that, "having a structured environment allows my scholars to know what is expected of them. It also allows my scholars to feel confident and secure with what needs to be done and it helps them become successful in my class." A structured classroom environment goes a long way. My students have become so familiar with the fact that every time we do a writing assignment we always engage in peer editing sessions, they know that it is the norm and we are not met with any resistance whatsoever. From my experience, a lot of students need structure in order to perform well and so by providing structure in the classroom, we are helping these students tremendously.

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Alex, I liked that you brought up the structure within the structure in terms of the classroom needing to be somewhat predictable for students to thrive and participate in the writing process authentically. For the process to work and for students to buy in, they need to feel that their step of the process is part of the larger picture. When they work through it each day, I agree that it's easier for them to pick up momentum and keep going.

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Hi Stephanie,
I agree when you wrote that "in order to teach students how to fall in love with writing, and become writers, we cannot be editors." As an ELA co-teacher, it is so easy for me to put on that editor hat and critique my students' work. However, I have noticed that a few of my students aren't particularly fond of having their work edited. Some of my students aren't so keen when it comes to receiving feedback, and often times tune out and think that their writing is not good enough because it is being critiqued.
I believe that students need to practice being editors themselves and that it's best for them to find and learn their mistakes beforehand.

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In the article "All Children Can Write" Donald Graves outlines a strategy for teacher students to write. Two of his main points are that students need a structured classroom to produce good writing and that teachers should focus on the content of a writing piece rather than the presentation.

I agree with Mr. Graves that students need structure to be successful writers. I think this urge to give students structure is what leads us to give students the prompts and sentence starters Mr. Graves dislikes. Using the workshop model he suggests replaces this structure of content with a structure of form.

Mr. Graves also suggests focusing on students ideas when writing, rather than spelling or grammar. He argues that this will allow students to build proficiency in communicating ideas, rather then fixating on structural mistakes.

I agree with Mr. Grave's suggestions. As a social studies teacher, I have always focused more on the content and persuasiveness of an essay rather then on the spelling or grammar. One thing I will work on after reading this article is providing my students more choice in writing topics. Generally, I assign a reading and have a prescribed question students will have to respond to. Moving forwards I will strive to provide a variety of article on a topic, let students choose an article and a question to respond to.

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Karen,

I agree with your comment that the writing process is more difficult when the students have to write about topics they are not familiar with or do not have any interest in. I think the students are better writers when they have a choice and this will also allow them to be more creative and enjoy the writing process.

I also like your idea of peer editing. It is a great way to engage the students in writing and enables them to interact with each other while learning.

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Alex Bauer                                     My main takeaways from the article "All Children Can Write," by Donald Graves are the 4 essentials of a strong writing program. I agree with Graves that students need time to write and the more they write, the better the writer they will be. I also agree with Graves when he says, "Topic choice, a subject the child is aware that he knows something about, is at the heart of success in writing". If students write about a topic they are interested in, it will help them enjoy the writing process and will make the writing process easier for them. Additionally, sharing your writing with others and getting their feedback is essential to becoming a better writer. And lastly, a predictable and structured classroom environment is necessary to provide a successful writing and learning environment. In my math classes, I always have a structured environment. Having a structured environment allows my scholars to know what is expected of them. It also allows my scholars to feel confident and secure with what needs to be done and it helps them become successful in my class. 

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Alex Bauer                                     My main takeaways from the article "All Children Can Write," by Donald Graves are the 4 essentials of a strong writing program. I agree with Graves that students need time to write and the more they write, the better the writer they will be. I also agree with Graves when he says, "Topic choice, a subject the child is aware that he knows something about, is at the heart of success in writing". If students write about a topic they are interested in, it will help them enjoy the writing process and will make the writing process easier for them. Additionally, sharing your writing with others and getting their feedback is essential to becoming a better writer. And lastly, a predictable and structured classroom environment is necessary to provide a successful writing and learning environment. In my math classes, I always have a structured environment. Having a structured environment allows my scholars to know what is expected of them. It also allows my scholars to feel confident and secure with what needs to be done and it helps them become successful in my class. 

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One major takeaway that I had from this article was that teachers need to focus on ideas above all else in writing. There is a tendency - especially among English teachers - to become an editor when reading student writing. The text mentions the "red lined first drafts are the norm; we blanch at any misspellings or crudely formed letters."  Yet, in order to teach students how to fall in love with writing, and become writers, we cannot be editors. Time and time again in the article, it mentioned the importance of student choice, and writing about topics they feel comfortable with.  In my school, and our current writing workshop model, we believe that ideas come first, and do not give feedback around other aspects (such as conventions) until the idea is solidified. However, we do not conference with students the way that is suggested by this piece, and will tell students that their ideas are not strong enough and that they need to think again for a NEW idea, rather than focusing on expressing their original idea more clearly.  Nor do we separate making meaning construction, as seemingly suggested by this piece. We typically study mentor texts, and read to determine both the author's message and the tactics they used to communicate this message. Thus, in my next writing unit I will work towards giving students more feedback and more drafts on their original ideas, rather than redirecting them to create a new idea and beginning the process all over. Additionally, we may save the mentor pieces for later in the writing process to model more specific writing strategies after they have workshopped on making their ideas clear to a reader.

My second takeaway is that developing strong writers has less to do with instruction, and more to do with culture of a classroom. Throughout the piece, the author mentioned the need for a "highly structured classroom" and for the creation of a culture that loves and cherishes writing as a time to express ideas, rather than a source of shame. This seems to be particularly relevant to middle school, because this is the age where students fall out of love with learning, and "become disenchanted with writing" because they believe they "can't keep up, and equate their struggles....as evidence that their ideas are unacceptable and that they are less intelligent than others." Much of the development of this culture centers around children taking responsibility and ownership in the classroom environment, as well as making sure they understand that they are HEARD.  They are heard through their writing and through sharing those pieces with others.  This directly affects my current work with students because while I believe that I have created a classroom where students do have ownership and feel responsible for our class culture, that culture does not center around writing. We may journal once a week, and write daily during exit tickets and the occasional writing project, but we do not have that studio-like atmosphere  where students are excited to share their writing and communicate through writing. I believe this is mainly because they see writing as a source of anxiety, and that they believe they can communicate better through speaking. In order to change that,

One question I am left with however, is how to reconcile the use of explicitly teaching strategies and skills - as recommended by many literacy research pieces - and a more progressive model of education. How does one balance allowing students to discover and explore the writing process on their own, while still explicitly teaching them how to develop an argument. This article did address that the brainstorming process in children looks different for each person - though this fits with a more progressive model, and works for kindergarten, I am unsure how to balance this with the necessity of writing a research paper in middle school.

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The article "All Children Can Write," by Donald Graves, made some points that I agreed with tremendously. In the article, the author writes that "topic choice, a subject the child is aware that he knows something about, is at the heart of success in writing." I agree with this because so many times I have encountered students who struggle when it came to writing assignments. When my students have to write a paper on a topic that they are not familiar with, the paper tends to be very rushed, poorly structured and whatever information they may have gathered during research is simply tossed into the writing piece. However, when my students are given a choice to write about a topic they know a lot about, the quality of the paper is much better and one can tell that the student has truly put a lot of time and effort into their writing.
Another part of the article that I agreed with was when the author states, "Children with learning disabilities often have histories of emotional problems. Many have become isolated and feel very little sense of community." As a result of this, getting students with disabilities to write or engage in a writing assignment may prove to be difficult. However, I feel that if a strong sense of community is developed in the classroom, this can assist greatly in terms of creating a safe haven for the students to share out their writing pieces to one another.
In my classroom, my students have engaged in several writing activities. My co-teacher and I have established a classroom in which students are comfortable with sharing their writing and during every writing assignment we have them engage in peer-editing sessions in which they exchange their drafts with one another and gain feedback from their peers. As a result of this method, not only do our students feel comfortable sharing their writing with one another but they are learning from each other as well.

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One major takeaway from this article is that teaching writing to students can only be successful when it's taught as a process.  Students must understand that their writing will never start out perfectly and will always require work towards a better final project.  The other major takeaway I got is that it's important that no one, teachers included, think they're too good for the process.  When teachers can model working through versions of their own work and learning how to take and give feedback, students buy into the process much more.

This article impacts my work with my own students because it reminds me that there ARE real solutions to the problems that plague are students and often feel unavoidable for certain cases.  I love that this piece breaks down the parts of the process as well as the ways that students need to access the process.  Relating students to the subject of their writing is the largest part of giving them access, and yet it's not always taught that way.  I found this article informative and easy to read.

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Respond to the below questions and comment on 2 responses written by your colleagues. 

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Respond to the below questions and comment on 2 responses written by your colleagues. 

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1. What are 2 major takeaways from this article?
2. How does this article impact the work with students in your classroom?