WJA Presentation by Sabrina Hensel https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1 en-us 2016-11-09 00:38:31 UTC 2016-11-09 00:41:38 UTC hello@padlet.com Successes and Challenges as a Writing Teacher sabrina_d_hensel https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1/wish/136273381             During initial conversation, it might not seem as though an educator’s personal experiences with writing would have a meaningful impact with the writing instruction in their classroom, but our experiences with writing may be the driving factor of writing instruction. As a young writer, I often penned imaginary worlds filled with innovative plots, characters, and experiences. However, as I grew up, that world became less about me and more about achieving the expectations of others. Somewhere along the line, my creativity ceased to exist and was replaced with complacent academia. As an early childhood educator, the world of creativity and imagination wasn’t out of reach – it was something that was mentioned often in class, however, there were few seldom opportunities for participation with these ideas. With the pressure of rigor within the Common Core Standards, many educators (including myself) have been confronted with a seemingly impossible task: allow students to flourish in their own creative writing opportunities while expecting perfection in the ability to respond to prompts or write an open ended response to a literature selection. With a twenty-five-minute writing block, accomplishing all of this with fidelity can seem nearly impossible. Yes, we write a lot in reading block, but there are still skills that need to be reviewed in writing. Mentor texts provide a meaningful way for students to play with author’s craft, but using them, teaching a mini lesson, allowing time for writer’s workshop, reflecting, and sharing work can take almost a month! Some students need meticulous practice with basic writing skills (capitalization, punctuation) and are apprehensive to write. Creating a cohesive writing plan that encompasses best practice and allows students to write creatively about topics of their choice is harder to do than it sounds.
            When given ample time to complete the writing, my students can produce high-quality assignments. Just last week, my students were tasked with writing a descriptive writing assignment about a jack-o-lantern. Every student was given a jack-o-lantern with unique features. They were tasked with writing a description that when read aloud, would reveal which one was theirs. I was super impressed with how my students included voice in their writing and made sure to point out what I loved about their descriptions and introductions/conclusions to the entire class so that they would be able to attempt to try the same thing the next time they wrote. The students were proud of the writing they produced. I love to see them excited about their writing assignments. For this project, I gave students more time that I usually do. I made sure that they knew they would not only be a writer, but that their peers would be their audience as they read their story aloud. These strategies helped to amplify writer’s workshop and I plan on adding more strategies as we move through the year.
]]> 2016-11-09 00:39:35 UTC https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1/wish/136273381 Readings and Strategies sabrina_d_hensel https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1/wish/136273435            Many writers are apprehensive to put paper to pencil due to the fear of failure. They have become so inundated with rubrics and expectations that they loathe the writing process. Elbow (2000) offers great suggestions on how to create a classroom where students enjoy writing. He mentions framing comments in a positive way for students, noting their successes and not just their failures. He also suggests that students write just to share, not for any purpose other than an audience hearing their work. I have provided more opportunities this year for students to share their writing, whether it be in an author’s chair or with a partner. They take pride in their work and it has made the writing assignments more concrete. Although they enjoy when I read their writing, I believe it is more important for their peers to hear it.
            Creating a classroom environment where writing is an adventure and not “just another academic task” is at the forefront of my vision. To achieve greater success in my classroom and confront the challenges of early childhood education, I plan on channeling the work of Graves (1982) and Murray (1979). They both discuss the importance of having a writer’s workshop that is predictable and focused on process over product. Graves continues to talk about playfulness and humor can help to ease tension that may arise in students who do not prefer writing. I would like to do more free writing in my classroom, focusing on using the six traits of writing.
           Additionally, Newkirk (2014) makes the argument for the use of non-fiction texts as a major player in the world of writing. As an elementary teacher, I feel that I rely deeply on fiction texts, but do not always give a non-fiction mentor texts the recognition they deserve. Typically, when teachers become enamored with texts and enjoy sharing them with their students, their students also start to become interested in them. Using non-fiction texts as a forefront in the classroom can help to bridge the fiction- non-fiction gap. I want students to become invested in information writing and to recognize that non-fiction can be told as a story and does not have to be strictly informative.
            Fletcher (2013) solidified the idea that students learn to write from us (teachers and authors alike) and that we can use mentor texts as a pathway for students to create. Mentor texts are going to become the forefront of my writer’s workshop. I will use them to teach the six traits of writing, paying close attention to voice and audience. I want my students to take ownership and pride in their work.
]]> 2016-11-09 00:40:09 UTC https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1/wish/136273435 Ideal Classroom sabrina_d_hensel https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1/wish/136273582 In my ideal classroom, I would have at least an hour for writer's workshop. This would allow me to use mentor texts that connect directly to student's lives and influence their writing. Students would have time for both academic and personal writing. I would especially like my students to free write and share their inspirations. It is increasingly important to me that students get a chance to reflect on their past writing and that they get to share their writing with their peers. Getting positive feedback about writing is imperative to building a community of writers. Additionally, students would be able to sit through a mini-lesson and choose a place in the school/classroom that speaks to them for writing. I have 24 students right now, which can make it difficult for all students to find a different place to write (other than their desk). After construction is done, we will have room for students to write around the building, but this then becomes an issue with being able to watch them. 

The class readings have reframed the way I think about writing because I did not see myself as such a pivotal part of the writing process. I now encourage my students to take risks and think outside of the box. 

I continue to question why my district, the state, and the country force our students to write about things that are irrelevant to their lives. Teacher's work in a competitive environment. If they do not produce good test results, their jobs are on the line. This creates a climate that is not suitable for good writing, because the focus turns to academic writing, instead of personal writing and reflection. As a teacher, I need to find a way to combat this so that my student's can be successful and see themselves as good writers.]]> 2016-11-09 00:41:22 UTC https://padlet.com/sabrina_d_hensel/bnkbwmpir8i1/wish/136273582