Teaching Writers Through Reading

Currently working on a genre study for slice-of-life.  What a unique genre -- just making a point about life, a point we can all relate to.  The kind of reading that makes you say "Yeah!  You've got a good point there!" and then tell your own experience like the one you read about.  Katie Wood Ray in Study Driven notes that "readers enjoy reading 'slice-of-life' pieces because they identify with the uniquely human need to share life and the spirit of life with others."  It's this point that makes me think as I am finishing up this genre study with students:  how important it is for these young writers to get a sense of the feeling readers get from slice-of-life before they can begin writing.  Genre Study is about using mentor texts to guide the writing, but not to the point where it becomes another formula to put the puzzle pieces together for.  Writing needs to make a reader feel something, and if a student is a struggling and/or reluctant reader, then how can he/she know how to make someone else feel that way through writing?

Template for Incorporating Independent Time

Minilesson (10 minutes)

Reading/Writing Principle:  What skill will be assessed?  What will students know/be able to do after the lesson?

Illustrative Example:  Model, model, model.  Show the skill in action whether through teacher's own work or through another authentic model.

"Have-a-go":  Students practice the skill with support of the class or small group.

Application (30-60 minutes)

Students practice the skill independently using their own reading/writing.  Teacher uses this time to:

• Conference with individual students.  Based on data collected, which students need individual attention in order to move forward with the skill?
• Work with a small group.  Small groups of students needing support in similar ways can be pulled together.

Share

Reflection helps to solidify the skill.  Discuss as a class what was learned, individual processes, things noticed in the learning, etc.  Bring out the authenticity of the skill and how it is learned.

Data -- the new four-letter-word?

Data-driven instruction: How are we doing so far?

Thinking about how to truly begin looking at data to begin driving instruction . . .

• How does a teacher truly assess each and every student's understanding in order to guide instruction individually? Assessments need to be intentional and focused on specific skills students need to master.  Teachers need to know where each student's understanding is all the time, and then what each student needs in order to move forward.
• How does a teacher plan instruction to allow time for each level of learner to be met "where he/she is" in his/her understanding? This means students whose understanding is advanced can move ahead while staying engaged and challenged.  Students whose understanding is appropriate can receive the support to move their thinking forward.  Students who don't understand will have the opportunity to build the skills necessary to understand.  All students move toward greater independence in their own learning.  Time to work independently needs to be the largest chunk of class.
• How well do teachers really know how to assess the data they collect?  In order to assess data, a teacher needs to understand the skills being assessed and not only what it looks like when those skills are mastered, but what skills are lacking if a student does not show mastery, in order to fill in those gaps through instruction.

Student Engagement . . . what is it, really?  How does a teacher truly know that a student is engaged in learning?