Blog Entry #4

     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, editing, and publishing stage. I'm thinking maybe every week we can have one stage or maybe every day we can work on one stage. This way we can practicing our writing in the correct way. This book also shows how to teach the different stages of the writing process as well so now I know how to incorporate it.

    Another reading I really enjoyed this semester was the Support Young Writers with Award Winning Books by; Kathryn Lake MacKay, Paul H. Ricks, Terrell A. Young. This article shows how you can incorporate mentor texts into lessons and helping your students use their writing techniques with them. There are different activities that are given based on what you want your students to learn and mentor texts are provided for each of the writing techniques. This is a very helpful article as well to incorporate into the classroom. 

    I have always hated writing and I know I will have students who won't like it either so therefore I will try to make it as fun as possible. One way I can have my students write is writing a blog like this, it is a different way for them to practice writing and getting their thoughts down but in a different less formal way. I like being able to write in the blog and get my thoughts down but be able to do it without having to sound as professional as I would in a paper or a reflection. This is why I like writing in a blog much more and I think my students may enjoy it as well.