Step 5: Publishing

Publishing is the final and most exciting step!  It's the most exciting because you are holding a piece that you are proud of and what you feel is the best, most polished writing you can do.  It has been checked for errors and checked for clarity and you are confident that it is a well-written, quality piece.  This published writing is ready for public sharing, whether it be a hard copy or electronic copy, for a teacher, classmates, friends, a public blog post, etc. 

Step 4: Editing

Editing is where writers proofread their work and correct any spelling or grammar mistakes.  If sentences sound funny, they can also address those by rewording them or reorganizing their structures.  In editing, writers hope to improve clarity so their messages can easily be understood by readers.  The unique thing about the editing stage is that writers can share their work with others to proofread in order to get other opinions and points of view.  Peer editing is extremely important because its not the reviewers' work so they won't be biased and it is a great way to see if the writer's message is being conveyed clearly.

Step 3: Revising

Revision is when the writer goes back and reviews his/her work.  In this step, the key components are:

*Adding
*Rearranging
*Removing
*Replacing

Details and facts can be added as well as descriptions of scenery, setting, and more information on characters and/or their development.
Sentences within the writing or the plot of a story can be rearranged so that it makes the most sense.
Certain details or words that don't add to the writing's message can be omitted, or removed.
The thesaurus can be used to replace common words with ones that sound more formal if that is what the writer is going for.

Step 2: Writing

This step is where the writer takes all of his ideas from his pre-writing and brainstorming and begins writing! The writer does not have to worry too much about spelling, grammar, or format in this step of the writing process, for he will later review and revise what he wrote in this step.  Here the writer just composes a rough draft, also known as a "sloppy copy" in elementary school.  It can be thought of as a free-write except there is a little bit more direction and it is a little bit more narrow in topic.  If an essay is being written, it would be good to use the thesis statement as a start to support or refute an arguement and then provide evidence.  If a fictional story is being written, in this step the general plot can be created and added to in more detail in the next step three, which is revision.

Step 1: Pre-Writing

Pre-Writing is basically all about getting your thoughts onto the page. This step may start off with the writer not being completely sure about what he or she is going to write about. The writer can just free-write about what is on his mind or what he thinks he may want to write about. This week, a guest speaker came into my English class. She is an author and poet from Philadelphia. Her advice to us was to free-write for twenty-two minutes each day, not paying any attention to spelling or punctuation, just letting the ideas escape from our minds. This reminded me of the first step in the writing process because in pre-writing, the writer just brainstorms about a few different topics to see which topic evokes a lot of thoughts or emotions. That topic can then be further explored and developed into something more. That best topic can then be researched, outlined, and a thesis statement can be started.

The Wonderful Writing Process

Writing is like baking!  You start off with a handful of ingredients such as eggs, butter, flour, coffee, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder and eventually end up with a mouth-watering, beautifully put together Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake.  But, in order to go from a bunch of random ingredients to a savory masterpiece, a process must be followed: Nana’s famous recipe of course!  Writing is just like baking.  You can have a bunch of random skills and thoughts to start with but a process must be followed, much like a recipe, in order to turn your random “ingredients” into a beautifully crafted literary work of art.

When baking a cake, the process includes making a list of all the ingredients; going to the grocery store to buy those ingredients; blending all the ingredients together, following the recipe; tasting the batter to see what needs to be tweaked; and the best part, sharing your delicious creation with friends and family.  Similarly, the writing process is a 5-Step process that includes gathering thoughts (Pre-Writing), blending them all together (Writing), tweaking and adding finishing touches (Revising &Editing), and finally ending up with a noteworthy final product that is ready to be shared (Publishing)!

Original Poetry

"Poetry is language

at its most distilled and most powerful." -Rita Dove

~~~~~~~~~

Catching the Taxi on a City Street in the Middle of a Rainy September Night

I remember staring out the office window, a prisoner to my desk.
I forget why I had been feeling so stressed.
I remember calling it quits, tomorrow I’ll finish the rest.

I forget exactly what time it was when I left.
I remember running outside, taking in a deep breath.
I forget which way I went,
I remember not caring; I was free from my cell.

I forget getting wet,
I remember the rain.
I forget that onlookers must have deemed me insane.
I remember splashing in puddles like it was a game.
I forget the street’s name.
I remember looking up, the sky’s tears to my tongue.
I forget why that was refreshing,
I remember feeling relieved; free of all chains.
I forget if anyone saw, but I really didn’t care.

I remember the darkness that night
and the flash of headlights and cabs speeding by.
I forget if others’ eyes met mine, all
I remember is complete peace of mind.
I forget who stopped when I waved my hand high,
I remember his voice, “Where can I take you tonight?”
I forget my reply.
I remember feeling confined.
I forget why I even wanted a ride.
I remember regretting being inside and dry.
I forget what was so special about wide open skies,
I remember pushing the door, rushing right back outside.
I forget his reaction when I told him, “Goodbye”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beautifall

Caramel apples,

tangy cider,
sweet harvest appeal.
 
Seasonal donuts,
soothing, steamy lattes,
craving and carving pumpkin.
 
Savory spices,
fresh cinnamon,
delightful aromas in kitchen.

Homemade arts and crafts for sale,

children laugh on spinney rides,
numerous festivals and fairs.

Metamorphosis of trees,

leaves spiral with grace,
varied palette paints the streets.
 
Crisp air whips,
leaves rattle and swirl,
faces tingle.

Fringy fashion boots,
fuzzy cotton scarves,
bundling of lightened skin.

Maple sap,
burgundy mums,
mahogany leaves.

Scarecrows stand guard,

tractors crawl by,
wild hay lay out, golden trim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sad Song

I shut the door and turn the key.
The seat beside me, once yours, now empty.
I don’t hear your seatbelt click,
don’t smell your cologne.
Fix my eyes on the road ahead,
turn the radio on.
But still I think of you and me,
beautiful voices blend in synchronicity.
High notes are hit and then they fall
but still a pleasing melody.

I wish you could have understood

the meaning of “duet”:
made for two, no one else,
the perfect harmony.
But you needed the whole choir;
that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

You played me like a sour note,
disrupted our song.
The light turns green, reminding me
that like a dignified soloist,
I need to carry on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory is a Beautiful Thing

 

A lone boat
treks along a vast sea
and drifts into the sunset
trusting the wind’s power
to energize its sails
and send it home.
 
Surmounting the choppy waves
as valiant as it fought the war,
it accepts triumph
and glides along into the sunset.

Like pure, white smoke
that spreads into the night,
the clouds rise from the horizon.
As the sun falls to the ocean
the sky turns a hue of navy and emerald
as if the sea is a mirror
reflecting blended pigments
into the atmosphere.
A single star will light the path
until the morning sunrise
leads it home.

Envisioning Reader's Workshop & Role of Mini-Lessons

It's no surprise that reading is an extremely important aspect of elementary classrooms. I see reader's workshop as a way to ensure that reading and writing is being continually practiced and encouraged. Reader's workshop can start off with a mini-lesson, then move to independent practice, and progress further to one-on-one conferences with each student. Here's a general breakdown.

• Mini-Lesson

-Statement of Explicit Goal(s)

-Modeling

-Guided Practice

• Independent Practice:

- Students practice what they learned in the mini-lesson

- They read, think, and journal in their reader's notebook

• One-On-One Conferences:

-Teacher assesses individual student progress

-Listens to them read, has them think aloud, asks them questions, etc.

-Assigns and records appropriate learning goals for each student.

So that's the mini-lesson and reader's workshop in a nutshell. But I'm sure you want to hear about this in more detail! This is how I envision reader's workshop ~~~


The teacher calls her students to the reading rug and models the explicit goal(s) he or she has set for the particular day. For example, a goal may be to focus on making predictions while reading. The teacher can model this by reading a few pages of a story to the class and thinking out loud as she shows how she forms predictions from reading. The teacher can model how to make predictions about characters.

For example, she can say, "The boy in this story says he is going to the pet store to buy a bone and leash for Max. Even though we aren't told exactly who Max is, I can predict that Max is a dog because dogs chew on bones and need leashes for a walk. Also, Max is a common name for a dog." The students' observation of the teacher thinking aloud will teach them how to form their own predictions. 

 

She can also model how to make predictions about story plot. For example, she can say, "I predict that Max is sick because he doesn't want his bone and won't go for a walk. Dogs always like these things so something may be wrong. I predict that the boy will take Max to the vet so they can figure out if Max is feeling okay." These predictions are engaging for students because as they continue to read they can record whether or not their predictions were correct. It makes the students more connected to the story and is interactive.
The teacher can model this by saying, "Now that I turn the page, I see my prediction was wrong because it turns out the reason Max didn't want his bone or to go for a walk was because he was a new puppy and was in an unfamiliar environment. He's a little afraid and still trying to adjust."

 

The next step of the mini-lesson would be guided practice where the teacher asks for student participation after having observed the modeling. She may say, "What do you predict will happen when the boy's mom comes home and sees Max's muddy paw prints on the carpet?"… "Yes! She might be mad. What clues helped you to make your prediction she will be mad?" The guided practice reinforces the modeling and prepares the students for the next step: Independent practice!

 

 

Independent practice is where the students get the chance to go back to their seats and practice what they have just learned in the mini-lesson. They can record their predictions and the outcomes in their reader's notebook as they go along.  At this time every student should be focusing.

"Touching Spirit Bear" Group Discussion #3

In the third and final discussion of "Touching Spirit Bear", the conclusion of the story was discussed.  The discussion questions that we came up with for students focused on deeper meanings within the story, beyond concrete observations.

For example:

*Do you think the spirit bear is real or just a figment of Cole's imagination?

This is a question that cannot be found by flipping through pages in the book.  There is no exact answer to this question.  Students would have to think about the reality of the spirit bear and the mental and physical states Cole was in each time the bear approached. 

*What is the significant of the circle on the totem pole?

Students would have to think further and use their own creative ideas to answer this.  Perhaps the circle signified Cole coming "full-circle", changing for the better, or his attitude about life has done a 360.  Or maybe he now feels more whole and complete having come to terms with his real self, being more considerate, forgiving, and recognizing his humility and weaknesses.

Other questions like this that we came up with were:

*What do you think is the significance of Peter and Cole filling in the blank space on the totem pole together?  Do you think they've forgiven each other?

*Was the fact that Peter was good at carving significant?

*Do  Cole and Peter identify with each other in some way?

*What do you think Cole's life would have been like in the end if he did not have the support of Edwin and Garvey?

"Touching Spirit Bear" Group Discussion #2

On February 26th, my group and I held our second group discussion of "Touching Spirit Bear", focusing on Chapters 10-19.  In this discussion we focused on critical thinking and characterization.  These chapters highlighted Cole's development and changes in attitude.  He went from not caring if he died to having a strong will to live.  We came up with a list of discussion questions that would get students to focus on Cole's character and changing attitudes as the story progressed.  For example:

*What was the significance of the mouse?
(This was a disturbing visual image of this young boy eating a mouse.  As disgusting as it was, it was crucial because it showed that Cole did not want to die anymore, and that he would do anything necessary in order to survive.)

We also came up with questions that would spark students' critical thinking skills within the context of this story.

*What do you think encouraged Cole's shift in attitude from his indifference about death to his will to live?
*Do you think the father's absence is a good or bad thing for Cole?  Why?

(The absence of the father was definitely a good thing.  The physical abuse Cole had to endure in the beginning of the book was a huge factor in Cole's tough attitude and violent acts.  With the father in the picture, Cole's mother had lost her voice, so Cole really didn't have a great relationship with either parent.  With the father gone, Cole is able to regain some of his self-esteem in a positive way, and doesn't feel the need to act tough.  His mother also becomes more courageous, even testifying against him in support of her son Cole.)

*What kind of impact are Garvey and Edwin having on Cole?
*Why do you think Edwin and Garvey are so determined to help Cole?

(We can predict that Edwin and Garvey had a similar childhood and upbringing as Cole.  This prediction can be made because these two men are so empathetic and understanding of Cole.  They clearly are able to relate to him, which means they most likely see a little bit of themselves in him.  Their passion and determination in helping Cole are definitely huge factors in his success and self-improvement.

"Touching Spirit Bear" Group Discussion #1

On February 19th, my group and I held our first discussion of "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen.  We analyzed Chapters 1-9 and focused on characterization and making predictions.  The things that stood out most to us in these chapters were Cole's tough attitude and violent behavior.  Our group came up with some discussion questions that we would be able to ask in an elementary classroom, particularly geared toward fifth or sixth grade students. We came up with:

*What do you think will happen to Cole now that he burned his supplies? (Prediction)
*Do you think he regrets that decision to burn the supplies?
*Why do you think Cole thinks the bear should fear him?
*Is this banishment going to help him?

We also had some questions that addressed a turning point in Cole's character.  On page 92 when Cole was severely injured, he finally admitted and realized his true weakness, despite the strong, invincible attitude he had always shown.

*What do you think of Cole's realization that he has always been weak?
*Now that Cole has recognized his weakness, do you think this honesty with himself will help him?  Maybe he will be less angry?
*Do you feel sorry for Cole and all that he has been through?