Writing in World of Extravagant Opportunities
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."
--Stephen King
The Writing Process
The quote above by Stephen King is important to consider in terms of writing because students should be able to comprehend information presented to them, and then be able to reciprocate it through written work. As indicated in the Ontario Curriculum, "writing competence develops hand in hand with skills in other areas of language, especially reading" (OME, 2006, pg. 12).
Hanson, 2014
While these aspects of writing are important, it is necessary to recognize the elements of writing that make up the entire process of bringing ideas together to publish a piece. The stages of the writing process that are required in developing a piece of written work include:
- Pre-writing
- Drafting
- Revising
- Proofreading
- Publishing
Pre-writing is the task that is taking time to think of ideas; a draft is taking the time to write down ideas; revising is the process of improving the writing while looking for errors and mistakes; proofreading is fixing the writing to make it correct; publishing is sharing the final written piece of work. The process of writing is critical because of the overall expectations defined by the Ontario curriculum guidelines. In respect to writing, students are to "generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience; and use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively" (MOE, 2006, pg. 86). Furthermore, when elementary students are writing pieces, whether that be essays, diaries, comic strips, emails, etc., they are reminded by teachers to think about the purpose, audience, and form.
Berninger, 2013
Types of Writing:
Modelled writing
Shared writing
Guided writing
Independent writing
Now that I have described the writing process, it is necessary to identify the four different types of writing that can be done with students. Modelled writing/write aloud helps with demonstrating proficient writing skills, extends student's writing ability and exposes students to varied text forms. Shared writing teaches and guides students through writing strategies, and extends understanding of the writing process. Guided writing is when teachers reinforce writing skills and strategies, teachers can ask students critical thinking question to propel writing, students can practice strategies, and helps students build confidence. Independent writing will assist students in independently practicing writing strategies, students can write at an independent level with self-regulation, and study words with emphasis on vocabulary, spelling and grammar. Other types of writing that are seen occasionally are interactive writing, reflective writing and global writing.
Wyatt, 2019 - EDBE 8P24: Language and Literacy
Making Writing Meaningful
In today's day and age, elementary students are finding any excuse possible to not take part in writing activities in Language and English classes. This is due to the misconception that students are evaluated on writing that is error-free and assessed on basic grammatical skills in their ability to transcribe speech to print (Jeter, 2016, pg. 62). When students are expected to perform the skill of writing without mistakes, they are fearful, then stressed for the next time they have to write for the purpose of being assessed and evaluated. Rather, teachers are trying to relate writing to real-world settings and reflect on past experiences. As identified in Fostering "Good" Writers: Making Writing Meaningful, students will enjoy expressing themselves in writing if they are aware of the idea "that writing is about making meaning, sharing, ideas, and getting things done", as opposed to only worrying about the grammar aspect (Jeter, 2016, pg. 63). Another viewpoint of writing to acknowledge for making writing meaningful is the concept of global writing. Global writing, as defined recently in class, is writing to be authentic, meaningful, real-life, and for a purpose.
Writing Resources
Online Applications
As times keep developing in terms of technology and education, it is important to consider the multiple applications that are now available, in which students may find valuable for extra practice in writing. Apps that are widely known and have been introduced in education are:
Grammarly: this online website allows individuals an opportunity to check their written pieces to detect for grammar and spelling, style and tone, clear sentence structure, helps to eliminate errors, as well as finds the perfect words to be expressive.
Twitter: this application is available online and on smartphones, to get important information across the world in a single tweet. Within a tweet, individuals have to be cautious with what they say, as it is public, and only have a certain amount of characters to fit their thoughts. This resource has been significant in terms of "hashtagging" for written communication online. Lately, a lot of teachers can be seen using this resource to find information based on just hashtag's alone. Some popular education hashtags that have been identified in our Language class are #education, #edtech, #mathchat, #engchat and more. For more information on the use of twitter hashtags, check out The Complete Guide to Twitter Hashtags for Education.
ReadWriteThink: this online application has a variety of benefits that are available for teachers, students, and parents. There are classroom resources that students can find helpful, such as writing and publishing, organizing and summarizing, as well as writing poetry. When looking under classroom resources-printouts, I was able to find handouts for writing starters, a strategy guide for persuasive writing, a RAFT writing template, and many other accessible documents that are essential in developing writing. With this being said, students should consider types of strategies that can be found to assist with writing.
Wyatt, 2019 - EDBE 8P24: Language and Literacy
Writing Strategies
As mentioned above, some online applications provide convenient documents that support the improvement of writing. For the younger grades, like junior/intermediate, teachers should highlight the use of graphic organizers to combine ideas. Graphic organizers are known as visual instructional tools that are used to express, organize and plan the thoughts, ideas or concepts to help students structure their knowledge and writing. Visit the Top 10 Writing Graphic Organizers, for more examples and handouts that students can utilize to enhance their writing.
TeacherVision, n.d.
Concerning the four different types of writing, graphic organizers are strategies of independent writing. Whereas for collaborative and shared writing, there are various strategies with the use of technology and without technology. Suggestions for the technology include writable, an ether pad, write about this, boom writer, and story jumper, and for technology, teachers could implement mini-lessons, cubing, RAFT, clusters and/or author's chair. As mentioned earlier, in making writing meaningful, such as with global writing, online strategies that could be of assistance are Wordpress, Global Read Aloud or the 100 Word Challenge.
Techniques & Methods
Recently, I was introduced to new methods of writing styles and required to complete a series of tasks. In week 7, we looked at Haiku's, as well as rant poetry and slam. While in week 8 our class observed other pieces of poetry, such as patterns, which include a simile, two descriptive traits, an action, and another action. Overall, I would have never considered using these types of writing to help with different techniques of incorporating a sense of meaning and interest. Honestly, I had never thought to incorporate poetry or these types of methods, for the purpose of writing. Plus, in life every day, we see, hear and observe the writing process in multiple forms. For instance, I believe that music is important in terms of writing. As Berner says, "writing, creative nonfiction, fiction, and certainly poetry, is more like writing music than I had ever imagined" (July 23). Musicians have to take their thoughts and ideas, write them down and then attempt to create a melody out of it. Also, they complete the 6 steps to the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading and publishing. These methods can fit into the Ontario Curriculum guidelines because students are to draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audiences" (MOE, 2006, pg. 86).
Personal Exemplar
Resources:
Berner, D. (July 23). The Writing Cooperative: Writing is Like Music. Retrieved from https://writingcooperative.com/writing-is-like-music-befb38644af6
Berninger, D. (August, 25, 2013). Strength: The 5 Steps in the Writing Process for Strength and Conditioning. Retrieved from http://www.dougberninger.com/the-5-steps-of-the-writing-process-for-strength-and-conditioning/
Hanson, D. (June 23, 2014). Crafting Connections: Author's Purpose Anchor Chart. Retrieved from https://www.crafting-connections.com/2014/06/anchors-away-monday-62314-plus-monday.html
Heick, T. (June 28, 2017). Teachthought: What Teaching Writing In The 21st Century Might Look Like. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/what-teaching-writing-in-the-21st-century-might-look-like/
Leibowitz, G. (August 24, 2017). Inc.: 50 Inspiring Quotes About Writing from the World's Greatest Authors. https://www.inc.com/glenn-leibowitz/50-quotes-from-famous-authors-that-will-inspire-yo.html
TeacherVision (n.d.). Persuasive Letter Graphic Organizer. Retrieved from https://www.teachervision.com/graphic-organizer/persuasive-letter-graphic-organizer#
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