Before digging into the chapter from Writing Across the Curriculum by Vacca and Vacca (part 1 & 2) and Writing Next by Graham and Perin, I quickly skimmed over each of them. I also read each of the strategies (GIST and metacognitive journal) that I would be completing. I decided to use the 2-part journal because I could assume that I wouldn't encounter anything that I would get stuck on and be able to use in the 3-part journal. Now, if I were using the Writing Next article, then I would have wanted to use the 3-part because I could tell by the language that I would probably get stuck. Since I had looked at the metacognitive journal before starting Writing Across the Curriculum, I knew that I would not only have to pay attention to the important things but I also had to tell why it was important. It made me very aware of what I was highlighting as important. I know that without that focus or purpose, I would have been highlighting a whole lot more:)
I pose a question...Is it realistic for students to be able to pick and skim like I did in order to have a better focus or individualized experience?
Part of my metacognitive journal...
Something important I learned today is…
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It is important because…
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-A classroom environment that supports reading and writing invites students to explore ideas, clarify meaning, and construct knowledge.
-Broad conclusions can be made that good readers are often good writers
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-I thought that this was a nice quick explanation. Almost like the headline of a meeting/training that a Literacy Specialist would be in charge of.
-I felt personally connected to this broad conclusion considering the fact that I consider myself a good reader but not a good writer. I know it is always a general assumption but I also see this happening in kindergarten. It does not always equal the other. Now, whether mine is because I don’t like writing therefore I don’t think that I am good at it.
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I was nervous about the GIST for Writing Next because I thought it seemed like a more difficult text and I have worked with the GIST format in a professional setting and I didn't enjoy it! I am really quite a rule follower so the 20 boxes make me worried that I won't have enough or I'll have too many or I won't be able to redo my sentence quick enough to fit.
Part of my GIST... (sorry about the format-can't find an easy way to make it copy)
#1
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Jobs
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Require
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Proficient
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Writing
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yet
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Many
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Adolescents
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And
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Adults
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Struggle
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and
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A
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Lot
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Of
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Money
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Is
#2
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spent
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To
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Improve
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skills.
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A
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Mixture
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Of
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Writing
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Elements
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Will
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Give
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Best
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Results
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When
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Trying
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To
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Prepare
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Adolescents
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For
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The
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Writing
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Demands
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Of
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Jobs.
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I have to admit that although I consider myself a strong reader, I definitely do NOT consider myself a good writer. I am not sure whether I didn't like writing first or I realized that I consider myself a bad writer-kind of like the chicken or the egg.... I guess I remember loving our free-write time in 5th grade but always being very careful what I actually wrote about because we were then randomly picked to read HAVE to read it to the class. It limited my writing so much. I am trying harder as I get older but all of this writing for grad school is another difficult hurdle for me to get over. I am very excited for the NIU Summer Literacy Conference this summer since the focus is writing!
I do believe that good writing instruction must be explicitly taught like reading. There are best practices involved at every level. Personally speaking, which I may be biased given my struggle with writing, is that reading is much easier to teach than writing, especially at the kindergarten level....would anyone agree/disagree? I know that I do a great job to fake the love for reading for my students which I recall from Donalyn Miller, the writer of The Book Whisperer, that I am reading in LTRE 505, that she says to let your students believe that you love reading even if you don't because it highly effects the students attitude. Do I wish that I didn't have to fake it?-YES and I hope that will come with this Masters!
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