Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers-- Part 2

Summary

The script emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive community for writers by involving teachers as participants, offering students choice in topics, and fostering collaboration and feedback. It suggests activities like 'Star of the Day' to build community and 'Author's Chair' for peer feedback. Displaying and publishing student work extends the community beyond the classroom, reinforcing the value and reward of writing.

Takeaways

• 📘 Creating a supportive writing environment is crucial for establishing an engaged community of writers.
• 👩‍🏫 Teachers should actively participate as writers and model the importance of writing in daily life.
• 📓 Allowing students to choose their own topics fosters a sense of ownership and engagement in writing.
• 🤝 Encouraging collaboration and feedback among students enhances the writing process and improves skills.
• 📝 Publishing students' work helps them see themselves as writers and validates their efforts.
• 🎓 Extending the writing community beyond the classroom can inspire students and showcase their talents.
• 📔 Teachers can model perseverance and express satisfaction from creating meaningful texts to motivate students.
• 📋 Keeping a notebook for recording writing topics encourages students to think creatively and plan their work.
• 🌟 The 'Star of the Day' activity is an example of how to build a sense of community and celebrate individuality.
• 🗣️ Learning to give and receive constructive feedback is essential for students to improve their writing.
• 🏆 Displaying student work in the classroom or beyond can boost confidence and acknowledge their achievements.
• 📚 Publishing student work in school libraries or other public spaces can make writing feel more authentic and valued.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of creating a community of writers?

The primary goal is to establish a supportive writing environment where students feel engaged and connected to one another through the writing process.

How can teachers participate as writers in the classroom community?

Teachers can participate by writing and sharing their own work, modeling how writing affects their daily lives, and demonstrating the importance of writing for communication.

Why is it important for teachers to model perseverance and express satisfaction from writing?

Modeling perseverance and expressing satisfaction helps students understand the value of persistence in writing and the joy that can come from creating meaningful texts.

How can giving students choices in their writing assignments contribute to an engaged community of writers?

Allowing students to choose their own topics for writing helps them feel more invested in their work, fostering a sense of ownership and engagement within the community.

What is the purpose of keeping a notebook for recording writing topics?

The notebook serves as a repository for students to record, add, and modify their ideas throughout the year, providing a resource for inspiration when starting new writing projects.

What are some ways teachers can encourage collaboration during the writing process?

Teachers can encourage collaboration through brainstorming sessions, writing group responses to drafts, peer editing, and revision assistance.

Can you describe the 'Star of the Day' activity and its role in building a community of writers?

The 'Star of the Day' activity celebrates a student by having them answer interview questions in front of the class. Following the interview, students compose sentences about the 'Star,' which are combined into a paragraph and displayed, fostering a sense of community and recognition.

How does the feedback process help students with their writing?

The feedback process allows students to understand if their writing effectively conveys its message, identify problems in others' writing, and enhance their own writing through peer and teacher comments.

Why is it important for students to learn strategies for written feedback?

Learning strategies for written feedback helps students provide constructive and appropriate comments, improving the quality of their peers' work and enhancing their own understanding of effective writing.

What is the 'Author's Chair' activity, and how does it facilitate verbal feedback?

In the 'Author's Chair' activity, a student reads their work to peers while sitting in a special chair. The teacher models and facilitates giving kind, positive, and constructive verbal feedback, promoting a supportive environment for writers.

How can displaying student work in the classroom or beyond enhance the sense of being a writer?

Displaying student work prominently, such as on a 'Wall of Fame' or in school hallways, helps students see themselves as writers and validates their efforts, encouraging pride and engagement in their writing.

What is the significance of publishing student work in books with an 'About the Author' page?

Publishing student work in books with an 'About the Author' page gives students a sense of accomplishment and authenticity, as their work is recognized and made available in the school library.

Can you explain the concept of writing for authentic purposes as mentioned in the script?

Writing for authentic purposes involves students writing pieces that have real-world applications, such as persuasive letters to a newspaper editor, which can help students see the relevance and impact of their writing.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Building a Supportive Writing Community

This paragraph discusses the importance of creating an engaged community of writers by establishing a supportive environment. It emphasizes the role of teachers as participants and models, the benefits of allowing student choice in writing topics, and the value of collaboration and feedback. The paragraph also introduces the 'Star of the Day' activity as a way to celebrate individual students and foster a sense of community. It highlights the significance of giving students the opportunity to share their work, receive feedback, and understand the impact of writing on daily life.

Keywords

💡Engaged Community

An 'engaged community' refers to a group of individuals who are actively involved and committed to a shared goal or interest. In the context of the video, it specifically pertains to a community of writers who are actively participating in the writing process and supporting each other's growth. The video emphasizes the importance of creating such a community to foster a supportive writing environment.

💡Supportive Writing Environment

A 'supportive writing environment' is a space where writers feel encouraged, valued, and motivated to express themselves through writing. The video script suggests that this environment is crucial for nurturing a community of writers and includes elements such as teacher participation, student choice, and opportunities for collaboration and feedback.

💡Teacher Participation

In the video, 'teacher participation' as writers means that educators should not only guide but also actively engage in the writing process alongside their students. This involvement helps model the writing process, demonstrates the relevance of writing in daily life, and builds a sense of camaraderie within the community of writers.

💡Student Choice

'Student choice' is the concept of allowing students to select their own topics for writing assignments, which contributes to their engagement and motivation. The video script mentions that providing students with choices helps in establishing an engaged community of writers, as it gives them the autonomy to explore topics that interest them.

💡Collaboration

'Collaboration' in the script refers to the process of working together, especially in the context of the writing process. It involves activities such as brainstorming, responding to drafts, and peer editing, which are all aimed at building a community of writers through shared effort and mutual support.

💡Feedback

'Feedback' is the process of providing comments and suggestions on a piece of writing to help the writer improve. The video emphasizes the importance of feedback in the writing process, both from teachers and peers, as it aids in identifying strengths and areas for improvement within the community of writers.

💡Star of the Day

'Star of the Day' is a specific collaborative activity mentioned in the script that helps build a sense of community. It involves celebrating a student by interviewing them and then having classmates write about them, which fosters a supportive atmosphere and encourages students to write about their peers.

💡Author's Chair

The 'Author's Chair' is an activity where a student reads their work to peers while sitting in a special chair. The teacher models and facilitates the feedback process, providing positive and constructive comments. This activity is highlighted in the script as a way to encourage verbal feedback and enhance the sense of community among writers.

💡Wall of Fame

A 'Wall of Fame' is a display in the classroom that features the best excerpts from each student's writing. The script suggests this as a method to help students see themselves as writers and to celebrate their achievements, thereby reinforcing the community of writers.

💡Gallery Walk

'Gallery Walk' is an activity where students walk around a space where their work is displayed, leaving positive comments on sticky notes. The script describes this as a way to extend the community of writers beyond the classroom and to simulate an art gallery experience, encouraging peer appreciation and engagement.

💡Publishing

In the context of the video, 'publishing' refers to making students' writing publicly available, such as in school libraries or by creating books with an 'About the Author' page. This not only gives students a sense of accomplishment but also extends the community of writers by sharing their work with a wider audience.

💡Authentic Purposes

'Authentic purposes' in the script means writing for real-world audiences and contexts, such as writing a persuasive letter to a local newspaper. This approach helps students understand the relevance and impact of writing beyond the classroom, further engaging them in the writing process.

Highlights

Creating a supportive writing environment is key to establishing a community of writers.

Teachers should participate as writers to model the writing process for students.

Allowing students to choose their own topics fosters engagement in the writing community.

Encouraging collaboration and feedback enhances the writing process.

Publishing students' work extends the writing community beyond the classroom.

Teachers modeling how writing affects their daily lives can inspire students.

Demonstrating the importance of writing for communication is crucial.

Modeling perseverance in writing can motivate students to overcome challenges.

Expressing the satisfaction from creating meaningful texts can be inspiring.

Students keeping a notebook for recording writing topics is a valuable practice.

Topic lists for various genres can spark creativity in writing.

Brainstorming and responding to drafts in groups can improve writing quality.

The Star of the Day activity is an example of fostering a writer's community.

Sharing writing and responding to feedback helps students convey their message accurately.

Teaching strategies for written feedback is essential for peer review.

Author's Chair activity facilitates constructive verbal feedback on writing.

Displaying student work in the classroom boosts their identity as writers.

Creating a Wall of Fame can showcase the best excerpts from student writing.

Extending the community of writers beyond the classroom through public displays.

Gallery Walk activity allows students to engage with and appreciate each other's work.

Publishing student work in school library books can validate their writing efforts.

Writing for authentic purposes, such as to a local newspaper, gives writing real-world relevance.

Creating an engaged community of writers emphasizes the importance and value of writing.

Transcripts

Welcome to the overview on Creating an Engaged Community of Writers.

Establishing a community of writers involves creating a supportive writing environment.

Teachers should participate as writers, allow students opportunities to choose their own

topics, and encourage collaboration and feedback in and out of the classroom. They should also

publish students' writing and extend the community beyond the classroom.

By writing and sharing their writing, teachers can participate as members of the classroom

writing community. Teachers also need to model how writing affects their daily lives, demonstrate

the importance of writing for communication, model perseverance, and express the satisfaction

that can come from creating a meaningful text.

Giving students choices for their writing assignments helps contribute to an engaged

community of writers. For example, teachers could have students keep a notebook in which

they record topics for writing, adding and modifying their ideas throughout the year.

Topic lists can be kept for all genres, including ideas for personal narratives, poems, persuasive

letters, expository essays, et cetera. Whenever they are starting a new piece of writing,

they can consult their notebook for ideas.

There are a variety of ways teachers can encourage students to collaborate throughout the writing

process, such as brainstorming ideas, responding to drafts in a writing group, or helping peers

edit or revise their work.

An example of a collaborative activity that helps build a community of writers is Star

of the Day. This activity celebrates each student on his or her day (maybe his or her

birthday). The Star of the Day sits at the front of the class and answers interview questions.

After the interview, students compose sentences about the Star of the Day, and these sentences

are combined into one paragraph and displayed on the class bulletin board.

Students can determine whether their writing is accurately and appropriately conveying

its message by sharing their writing and responding to written and verbal feedback from their

teachers and their peers. The feedback process helps students identify problems in other

people's writing and may enhance the understanding of their own writing.

Students need to be taught strategies and appropriate language for written feedback.

Teachers can model and encourage students to give each other appropriate verbal feedback

on their writing during activities such as Author's Chair. In this activity, one student

sits in the special chair and reads his or her work to peers. Then the teacher models and

facilitates the class, giving kind verbal comments that are both positive and constructive

to the author about his or her writing.

Displaying student work prominently in the classroom can help students see themselves

as writers. For example, teachers can create a Wall of Fame featuring the best excerpts

from each student's writing on a bulletin board in the classroom.

Teachers can extend the community of writers beyond the classroom by displaying student

work in the hallways or administration buildings or by hanging their work around the school

or classroom to simulate an art gallery. Students can walk around in a Gallery Walk, writing

positive comments on sticky notes and attaching the notes to the work on display in the gallery.

Teachers can also publish student work in books that include an About the Author page,

and these books can be made available in the school library.

Students can write for authentic purposes, such as by writing a persuasive letter to the editor

of a local newspaper about a current issue.

Creating an engaged community of writers helps convey the message that writing is important,

valued, and rewarding. Implementing activities such as those suggested here can help teachers

create a supportive classroom environment in which students feel connected to one another

and engaged in the writing process with their peers.