TLetizia SP22 618 Blog

 Dear Dr. Jones, I would like to say that the class is going pretty smooth so far. Last semester was a lot of heavy work and I really struggled to get through it so I feel like I am having a much better semester. It is definitely not what I expected but I really enjoy it. I usually hate writing like I mean HATE writing but I have enjoyed the writing workshops and just having time to free write with the prompts you give us. I also enjoy being able to write about a topic I feel strongly about and know a lot about.  I genuinely feel like these writing workshops have helped me overall not only as a writer but as a teacher of literacy. I feel like by the end of this semester, writing will be a strong suit of mine. I think that one of my issues is that I struggle writing formally but when I can write informally like this, I can go on and on. I think writing workshops should be incorporated in all classrooms at this point. I really think I have become a better writer because of it....

 I personally really enjoyed the Card Strategy Lesson. It was definitely a different way of brainstorming for me. Usually I just write a list and call it a day but I was able to write down all of my thoughts the spread them out in front of me. Then the part I really enjoyed the most was taking out the 11 most important and putting them in sequential order.  I was talking with my partner when we were working together to see if we could figure out the correct order and I just was saying how I really liked this approach. Not only was it a really good brainstorming method but also I felt like I had my whole outline right in front of me. This made it so easy when we started to free write because I had my cards in my hand and I was able to just keep flipping them when I was done with that topic.  Another thing that made it so easy was that I have experience in this topic. I chose this topic because I have depression and anxiety. This made it also a lot easier for me to brainsto...

      Throughout this semester, the readings have been very informative and helpful. I have really enjoyed reading Tompkins so far and getting to see all the different ways to incorporate writing into the classroom. I like being able to see the different types of writers crafts you can use in a writers workshop but also the mini lessons they provide you. It's also awesome how mentor texts are provided for you as well. This is definitely a book that I will be incorporating into my classroom in the future. It is showing me how writing workshops are sooo helpful and can be so important for students and their progress in writing.       One of the chapters I enjoyed the most from Tompkins was chapter one. This gives the most entail about writing workshops and about the writing process. I genuinely didn't know about all the stages to writing until I read this chapter. I can now add all stages in my classroom now. There is the prewriting, drafting, revising, ...

 As I read this week, I began to think about how I may have better planned for my former students. The former students I taught over the summer were in 6th grade going into 7th. They really struggled a lot with writing especially because of covid and them having to be online. Although I tried to make them write as much as possible by giving them writing prompts every morning to free write about, I feel like there was a lot more I could've done to enhance their writing skills. One activity I would've done with them is the "composing sentences" activity (Tompkins, p. 73-74). I would've done this because my students struggled a lot with creating full and complete sentences. In this activity they would unscramble phrases and rearrange it to make it into sentences. This would help students practice building sentences so they could eventually build them on their own. Another thing I would do with my students, (how I wish I read this book prior to teaching them), would ...

As I sit here and think back on my primary and secondary schooling, I start to think about the essential elements I was taught during writing instruction. I keep thinking about t he same thing over and over again that I was taught throughout almost my whole time  in  K-12.  BRAINSTORMING. Brainstorming was one of the most important aspects of writing..... at least my teachers made it seem that way. We would spend a whole 1-2 classes just brainstorming ideas and outlining our papers before even starting a rough draft.  I am always someone who wants to just jump right in so this always taught me a lot of patience and how to plan my writing out more.  Do I still brainstorm as much as I did throughout my K-12 days? Uh no, I don't. Whoops, I am definitely guilty of jumping right into my papers again. On the bright side, grad school has made me plan my papers out again so I guess you can say I am getting back on track to being a "good writer." As a teacher during the ...