https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz Made with a taste for adventure en-us 2018-02-24 00:25:36 UTC 2026-02-06 01:56:25 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Watchclock.png savvy_simms https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234936165 In chapter 5, we learned how to incorporate multigenre writing into different units of study.

Balloon Speech: Students will "become" a real or fictional character that is stranded on an island along with a group of their classmates that are also taking on the role of a different character. Only one character can be rescued. If their character is not rescued, it will be as if they and their accomplishments never existed.  Students will research their own character as well as those that are on the island with them and write a speech attempting to argue why they should be rescued. This is a great way to have students take on different perspectives to be able to argue their point and also try to predict what their opponents will say and how to counter their points.

Revolutionary War Multigenre Writing Project: With this assignment, students will study the revolutionary war from different points of view of people that would have been present at the time (children, slaves, King George, etc.).They will also study documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to learn the style of writing and language used in order to be able to create their own similar documents. Within this unit, students will work together in small groups based on their interests to study the different people and documents.

Multigenre Writing as a Response to Literature: Students will gain a deeper understanding of each character by using what they learn about them to decide how they would respond to questions and situations and how people outside of the book would respond to them and their decisions. Creating their own writing, using different genres, based on the knowledge that they gain about the characters will allow them to see them from different points of view and gain a deeper connection with the character.

Books to Read/Incorporate in my future classroom:
"Voices in the Park" by Anthony Brown - Four different characters tell about their experience in the same park on the same day. The different points of view will show students that people can experience the exact same thing in vastly different ways depending on their personalities and what has gone on in their day before that moment.

"The Straight Line Wonder" by Mem Fox - A straight line is tired of being straight and decides to change. His straight line friends plead with him to go back to being straight but the first line decided to stay true to himself and ends up becoming a star. This would be great way to teach students to embrace their differences while celebrating the differences of others as well. ]]> 2018-02-24 00:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234936165 savvy_simms https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234938453 I really enjoyed all of the lessons that were included in this chapter and hope to use them in my classroom one day. I think that looking at literature and historical events from different points of view through multigenre writing will give students a deeper connection both to the material and the characters themselves. Being creative will also allow them to enjoy the lessons more and keep them engaged and interested. 

I look forward to reading the books mentioned in this chapter as well to get a better idea of how multigenre writing is composed so that I can hopefully become better writer myself. I like the idea of learning how different people view the same event or experience because no two people will see it in the exact same way. ]]> 2018-02-24 01:12:32 UTC https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234938453 savvy_simms https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234938683 This chapter taught us different ways to make our conferences with our students more meaningful and how to improve our own writing skills so that we can connect with our students as a fellow writer and give them better advice on their work.

Conference sequence:
1. Read the draft and ask questions about their experiences along the way that brought them to this point.
2. Since conferences are usually fairly quick, focus on what you can say or do that would have the biggest impact on the writer and his or her work.

"Slow to Grow":
1. Instead of having lots of quick conferences, focus on adding in longer and slower conferences that give you more time to form a connection with the writer and the writing and make the meeting more meaningful for both of you.
2. Make sure the quicker conferences are as efficient as possible.
3. Make sure that your advice/suggestions are meaningful and that you are giving yourself enough time to focus and be in the moment with each student you confer with.

Reflect on your Conferences:
1. Keep notes on what you have already said and what you have talked about with the student.
2. Find ways to help the writer build on the writing that they have done (adding details, setting the scene, building on a character, etc.).
3. Ask yourself what you are doing well and what needs improving.
4. Share notes with your collegues to get ideas of how you can improve your conferences.

Remember to:
1. Keep notes on you conferences.
2. Keep track of what your students are working on.
3. Give yourself time to read and write so that you can understand your students on a more personal level.

]]> 2018-02-24 01:16:28 UTC https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234938683 savvy_simms https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234942259 This section gave me a lot of ideas of ways to hold myself accountable to be sure that I am having meaningful and effective conferences with my students. 

While my students are working on their own writing, I will keep notes on what they are working on and what I have discussed with them so that I can be more helpful to them during our following conferences. 

I also learned that I need to work on by own writing so that I can share my experiences (failures and successes) with my students to give them ideas and inspiration when they are working on their own writing. Sharing experiences will let them know that I have been in their shoes before and understand what they are going through. ]]> 2018-02-24 02:27:50 UTC https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234942259 savvy_simms https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234942415 McCormick-Calkins, L. & Harwayne, S. (1991). Living between the lines. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books, Inc.

Youngs, S., & Barone, D. M. (2007). Writing without boundaries: whats possible when students combine genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.]]> 2018-02-24 02:31:30 UTC https://padlet.com/savvy_simms/s0bi9kqy5udz/wish/234942415