https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd Replacing Form-First Pedagogy Discussion en-us 2016-10-11 15:38:02 UTC 2025-10-02 04:55:20 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Diskette.png tyler_burke https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/129858793 Take 10 minutes to reflect on the article handed out at our last TJMS ELA meeting called "Slay the Monster! Replacing Form-First Pedagogy with Effective Writing Instruction" by Kathleen Rowland. If you would rather respond to another person's post, that would be acceptable and appreciated. You do not need to reflect on the whole article just something that caught your eye or a part you agree/disagree with. ]]> 2016-10-11 15:44:22 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/129858793 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130146761 I love this article. For me, it is a near-perfect encapsulation of what it means to teach writing effectively. My brain divides the essay into two parts. First is the refutation of a form-first pedagogy. I agree with every assertion the author makes, and I enjoy the various types of evidence she uses to support her point. 

The second part of the article, for me at least, is the more prescriptive list of good instructional techniques. The sections on revision, on author's purpose, genre, etc. offer me a direction for my practice. Lastly, I think the sections at the end help put VA standards into more authentic contexts. I enjoy thinking about incorporating author's purpose when I've embedded it within more robust frameworks of instruction. ]]> 2016-10-12 14:41:35 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130146761 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130228209 When specifically teaching revision, I liked the given questions I can use to get the students to really challenge themselves to improve their writing. In the writer's craft section, I really like and will use the idea of having the students not only develop multiple titles for their own, but to allow their peers to suggest titles as well. Teaching revision is very difficult because students feel that draft one is the best one! So, these strategies were helpful.]]> 2016-10-12 18:00:41 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130228209 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130229457 I am a student of the five-paragraph essay.  Everything the author said in the beginning of the article described me completely.  And honestly, I love the five-paragraph essay not just because I was taught that way, but because it fits my type-A, everything in its place personality. 

But my students are not me. I love reading, I love writing, I love organization. I can take the basis of the five paragraph essay and run with it because that is the way my brain moves. I have to recognize that how I write now is influenced by the five-paragraph essay, not still driven by it. Over the years, I have seen too many kids who are confined by form - where form trumps content and the ability to move beyond form doesn't exist. This article is great reminder to me that in my teaching I have to be willing to move outside of my own experiences. 

The strategies shared can deepen our writing instruction and our students' thinking. When I look back at my five-paragraph writing instruction it is clear that I was being asked was not to think critically. It was instead to fit my thinking within a box. That may have been comfortable for me, but it wasn't stretching me. ]]> 2016-10-12 18:03:18 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130229457 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130235414
Mary Brown

]]> 2016-10-12 18:17:13 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130235414 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130239362 I was interested to read about the author's points about the five paragraph essay. I understand and accept her ideas, but I also feel that the five paragraph essay still has a place in the world. If we're to help our students with their writing, I think giving them many ways to express their thoughts and opinions. If students like the form and structure of introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion, why steer them astray? But if others feel constricted by it, what Rowlands suggests is great. I think having the students write their best is paramount - five paragraph essay or not. ]]> 2016-10-12 18:27:15 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130239362 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130243645 I am a huge fan of this article- emphasizing process over product has become one of the main goals in my writing instruction this year, along with providing quality feedback during the process. In our accountability era, however, I also struggle with eliminating the 5 paragraph essay completely. It is so easy to teach and helps struggling students lean on form to produce some type pf writing. I think the key here is that all students deserve more than JUST the 5 paragraph essay. Teaching all these skills and considerations should lead most students tp become better writers, then we can lean back on form with those who need that specific scaffold, rather than restricting all student writing to specific confines. ]]> 2016-10-12 18:38:10 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130243645 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130249827
I don't really understand the premise of this article--the suggestion that good writing and form-based writing are opposites. I do not think they are. It seems to me that before you can add "the meat"--sensory details, dialogue, etc.--you need to have "bones"--a way to organize and structure the writing to begin with. Moreover, the 5-paragraph essay and its cousin, the term paper, remain the staples of post-graduate study and much white-color writing. Since most of our students will enter the general workforce and perhaps NOT become the next Kwame Alexander, we need to make sure they have learned these formats.

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I feel like this article hit on so many things that are happening in my classroom this year. Similar to what Ms. Brown discussed, with trying the TC curriculum for the first time, this has been a large shift for me from more of form-writing to more authentic writing practices. Today for example was my first time using one of the TC checklists with the students and I found myself having a lot of interesting conversations. Some students were very concerned with what I wanted their personal narrative to be and couldn't quite grasp the idea that they could be critical of or invested in their own writing. 
I liked the part in "Teach Purpose, Audience, and Context" because one of my goals this year is to make a bigger deal out of the publishing stage of writing. I want my students to know that the writing we do in this class isn't just for me to read and grade but for them and for a larger audience. ]]> 2016-10-12 19:18:58 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130257229 joanne_mann https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130306991 This article resonated with me because I agree that writing should begin with a clear audience and purpose before settling on form. Deciding on form first is kind of like thinking, "I really want to use this muffin pan to make dessert, regardless of whether it will be creme brulee, brownies, or muffins." If it's muffins, by all means, use the muffin pan. While the five-paragraph essay is sometimes a very useful format and helps guide students through producing a clear and well-supported paper, I think we run the risk of limiting and restraining writers with it. The ongoing struggle in my classroom is time and needing more of it. I want to give them more time to read, to examine good writing and talk about the structure of it (what makes it so interesting/engaging/funny/clear), and, of course, time to write. As Rowlands points out, students need time to write extensively in order to develop as writers. They need time to revise and consult with one another, time to develop their voices, time to experiment with various formats, time to reflect, time to provide and receive feedback from their peers...time, time, time. It's about so much more than the five-paragraph essay.  ]]> 2016-10-13 01:12:30 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130306991 tyler_burke https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130384804 When reading through the posts I think the three things that grabbed my attention were Kara's, Kerry's and Joanne's post. While I love the idea of this article I have had a hard time actually implementing many of the strategies in my class that replace form with other end goals in mind. I believe this is partly because I, like Kara, am a product of the five paragraph essay. And as a child with pretty severe ADD I found that the structure really helped me keep my thoughts organized.  Nevertheless, however much I liked the five paragraph essay, there was no other option when I was in school. The one paragraph response (topic sentence, introduction to evidence, evidence, explanation of evidence, repeat, etc.) or the five paragraph essay was expected of us. This also means it is equally true that I have no idea whether or not other forms of writing would have been a stronger fit for me. This relates a lot to what Kerry and Kara said earlier; it still has a place but students learn differently and we need to be open in allowing them to use many different avenues to successfully complete/publish their work. This means teaching writing through a variety of means to achieve a goal.

The section I felt most strongly about, and the one I might be willing to tackle first, is teaching audience, purpose and context. All too often students write something because it is due on X day. If that is there end goal, I need to work on creating different assignments with more of a purpose.

I also just want to let Joanne know that her muffin pan analogy is amazing and made me think about this article and writers a little differently. There are numerous authors that broke the mold of traditional writing that have produced many pieces that are extremely successful that are not focused on form. ]]> 2016-10-13 10:58:37 UTC https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130384804 danielle_vogel1 https://padlet.com/tyler_burke/october12pd/wish/130630183 Sorry for being late on this! A few thoughts to share: 
First, I love the workshop model for writing (and reading!) that the article commends. But like Joanne, I'm always struggling with time in my implementation of this... Especially when conferencing (a cornerstone of the workshop model) with individual students usually a) takes a week for me to get through a whole class and b) means the remainder of my 6th graders are going be wild and crazy. On the flip side... I wish I could solely teach conference-style because of all of the important insights I gain about students' learning during that 1-on-1 time. I've found this especially true for revision activities. 
Second, I am a huge fan of making assignments have real-world context/implications/audiences for our kids. One accompanying caution, of course, is about sharing work in class with other students - As a student myself, I was always super self conscious in these situations because there are always "those kids" who either won't take the assignment seriously or are bound to make off-color comments about my precious writing. Thus, creating safe spaces for our kids to share their writing is always at the forefront of these activities for me. Once our kids (or me?!) start growing more confident (and thicker skins), we can begin to broaden their reach as writers. 
Lastly, I think models and forms are still important to some extent. I totally look up models/mentor texts when I write! (Resumes being a prime example). For me, the more diverse mentor texts we can offer our students for a single assignment, the better... But of course , there's always s that whole time issue to contend with.... :) 

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