ENTRY #2: Reflecting on Essential Elements of Writing

 Thinking about the past weeks readings on what essential elements of writing programs consist of and what it might look like in classrooms. I can think back to many times were I have experienced my own interactions with elements as a student in school. In Calkins and Ehrenworth's article they talk about three main essentials, having protected time to write, choice, and response in the form of feedback. In elementary school we had 30-40 minutes a day blocked out just for writing. What I find interesting thinking back to elementary school is that it wasn't always consistent with the amount of time we actually had to write as we continued to move up on grade level. Calkins and Ehrenworth have mentioned how "teachers across grade levels to agree on a progression of skill development and corresponding units so instruction at one grade builds on instruction in the prior grade, with units of study fitting tongue and groove together" (2016, p.12). As I went up in grade level sometimes we would use that writing time to finish things that didn't get done in other subjects such as reading our chapter book and filling out comprehension questions. It was almost like teachers thought as long as we were writing something on paper it could be counted as writing time, the components of writing didn't always matter. 

How I see it is that like Tompkins says "teachers should provide 15-30 minute lessons" (2012, p.17) prior to the writers craft to teach students explicitly and then the chance to practice the skill and gain feedback on their writing in order for students to grow. Without consistency in grade levels I felt that there was gaps in my writing. One thing that really helped me throughout my writing is the feedback I received in my writing. For every piece of writing I did I would use that feedback to also help guide me in my next assignment. I was the type of student that thrived and was motivated off positive compliments and the use of suggestive feedback. I felt that with feedback I was always in the "know", I knew what I had to do to make my writing better and with the compliments I saw my strengths which helped me to grow confidence. 

I have not yet had the chance to be a teacher of writing, but as I read I was thinking about what would be beneficial to my future students in their writing workshop. I think that routine is something very important while incorporating the essential components. I think that it would be useful that students have a mentor text to go with their mini-lesson, students being able to see what that writing skill looks like in a text is a great reinforcement. Students learn differently as well and I think that adding this aspect especially helps our visual learners. I think that also students in my past would've benefited greatly from being able to have a choice of what they're going to write about. I have witnessed the huff's and puff's, and lost faces when writing about what they're told to. However like Calkins and Ehrenworth say "the quality of writing will go up if students are allowed to choose the subtopics into which they inquire, the primary research they pursue, and the positions they defend" (2016, p.9). I hope to have the chance to run a writing workshop one day that the students take ownership, and find engaging.

References

Calkings, L. Ehrenworth, M. (2016). Growing extraordinary writers: Leadership               decisions to raise the level of writing across a school and a district.The                    Reading Teacher, 70(1), 7-18.