I will be honest with you. I am a fifth grade ELA teacher who has yet to pass out writing notebooks and it is the middle of the year. I am ashamed to say that, but it is the truth. With three hour and a half blocks, I feel like I never have time to include writing heavily in the classroom due to the pressure of the weekly story, grammar lesson, incorporation of word study, and reading workshop. In addition, I’m always afraid I will have students who will say “Mrs. Pitman, I don’t know what to write about.” This week I have realized I need to let my fears and insecurities of writing go, and luckily I have read many texts this week with ideas of how to encourage a classroom of writing.
Choosing a Topic
There have been many ideas presented on choosing a topic for writing this week. One that I found especially interesting is using an inverted triangle. According to Dorfman and Cappelli (2017), this graphic organizer can be used to internalize the process of narrowing a topic. The top of the inverted triangle is very broad, but allows students to begin narrowing their ideas. By the time they finish completing the triangle, they have narrowed their territory into a specific topic. I know within my own classroom, students seem to struggle with trying to write about a topic that is too broad. However, using this strategy will allow them to really focus on a topic that they can write a lot about, instead of writing a lot about many different ideas.
Next, Dorfman and Cappelli (2017), discussed creating a hand map to think of ideas for writing. Students outline their hand and fill the finger spaces with emotions. From each finger, students can branch out to list memories associated with the emotion. Once the memories are listed, students should have several topics that they can write about. This strategy really intrigued me this week, so much that I wanted to create one myself (which I have shared below).
Accountability Partners
Another aspect that encourages a classroom of writing is allowing students the opportunity to talk about their ideas and writing. Aside from prewriting activities, allowing students to talk about memories, ideas, or topics before writing will allow them to be successful when the time comes to put them on paper. This collaboration also aids students when they feel “stuck.” They can talk through some of their bigger ideas to narrow their topic of writing. According to Calkins (2006), students should have a specific area in the classroom where they meet with their partners. The meeting area has students’ names (in pairs) with either the number one or two next to each name. The numbers are given so each child will know when it is their time to share with their partner. Students are encouraged to work it pairs to share ideas and help each other become better writers. It also allows students to work on their speaking and listening skills. Furthermore, I noticed that Dorfman and Cappelli (2017) spoke on this topic as well, saying that it allows students to get to know each other as writers. When the time comes for students to peer review, students will recognize the importance of collaboration to aid in becoming better writers.
I’ll leave you this week with a quote. According to Rosenthal (2016), “Just look at us, all of us, quietly doing our thing and trying to matter.” Wouldn’t it be great to see our students sitting quietly, genuinely excited about writing and feeling like what they have to say truly matters?
References
Calkins, L. M. (2006). A guide to the writing workshop, grades 3-5.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2017). Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing
Through Children’s Literature(2nd ed.). Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.
Rosenthal, A. K. (2016). Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal: Not exactly a
memoir. NY, NY: Dutton.
Mrs. Pitman's Classroom 