Spelling: What are we doing? What should we do?

Two years ago, I remember helping a student I tutor at M.O.M.I.E's TLC (nonprofit organization partnered with DC Reads). She had memorized all of the spelling words by heart, but when asked what they meant, she didn't know. When asked why she didn't know what the spelling words meant, she responded: "My teacher doesn't care about me defining what the words means, she just wants me to spell!" This lead to me question what they were doing in the 6th grade at Paul M.S. that they didn't emphasize that the children needed to learn what the words meant, but just focused only how to spell them. 

In expanding a child's vocabulary and knowledge, it is important for them to, not only be able to spell the words, but have an understanding of what the word means so that they are able to use the vocabulary word in their everyday language. If the children do not understand what the words mean, they cannot incorporate it into their vocabulary, and the whole lesson goes to waste. Students need to learn how to use them in context, so other learners/readers can understand what he or she saying in their writing. At practicum, while students are doing independent work, students always ask me how to spell this and that. It's annoying but they want to learn, they want to know! However, I am not their spell check robot. How can we, educators, teach students to self-monitor themselves and learn to memorize to spelling words at the same time have them keep in mind as to how to use them, as well?

This may sound detach from what I said above, but I want to mention that some may argue that with the increase of technology, such as spell check, spelling is becoming obsolete. I would argue, however, that spelling is now more important as ever, in the increase of written communications rather than verbal. Personally, there is nothing more embarrassing than misspelling a word on document that will be sent to a professor or employer. Although some might argue that they have little to no experience with spelling, we subconsciously spell everyday. Just think about all the words that we have to spell each day. We spell in letters, emails, text messages, even when writing blog posts! Increasing a student's knowledge, vocabulary and mastery in spelling of those vocabulary words is essential for their future, as they will need to spell constantly in order to communicate with others.

Writing AND Thinking Forward

This chapter explained and answered a lot of my questions about how to come about with presenting how and what is takes to become a writer, as well as, what should be going through our (teachers) mind while planning a lesson plan. We should be asking ourselves “[…] how do I hope my students will be as writers?” instead of “What do I hope they will know?” (212-213). As for planning a writing workshop these should be the questions that we should be thinking about as we plan:

What are my strengths as a teacher of writing?
What have my students studied before in writing?
What are my students interested in? What do they want to know as writers?
What are my colleagues studying in their writing workshops?
What resources do I have?
For what kind of writing will my students be held accountable?
(217-219)

I have always struggled what I need to think about as I do my lesson plan. Wondrous Words laid out a way of what should be anticipated as we learn and teach writers to write. I really like the idea of learning to write like other writers before the student writers find their style of writing. I mean how can a student develop a sense of writing when do don’t have an idea of what is considered ‘good writing’. The guided questions above, has helped me apprehend what to think about and what to plan for. In a way, this chapter has helped me to be particular in how I should create my Evolution of a Writer Rubric— “For what kind of writing will my students be held Accountable?” 

As I continued to read, I wondered how I could share, explain and show the students in my practicum class. There’s so much rich information out there but I am limited to a certain period of time. For now, I am considering to work with one student with reading and writing. I want to share, explain or show a tactic of good writing and how the student can become that good writer. As I observe this student, I can see that this student could improve when in a one-on-one environment. Teaching a focus lesson would impact this student as a writer. The purpose of focus lessons is “to get possibilities in the room for things writers might try that will help them write well” (231). The biggest question I had was “Where do I start?” and it’s great that chapter 11 covers this! I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who struggle with the beginning. It says, “Teach your students to learn to write from writers” (229). If I were to apply this with the one student I plan to work with all semester, I could do an inquiry through the “study of our own lives and histories” or look through magazines (ex: Time For Kids) and talk about it (228). 

Then move on to the focus lesson, where the student will be able to take new insight to their own writing. Again, the book shows an ideal way of habitual process of thinking:

Inquiry: Notice something about the craft of a text. 
Focus Lesson: Show an example of a crafting technique

Inquiry: Talk about it and make a theory about why a writer might use this craft.
Focus Lesson: Explain why the writer might have chosen to craft in this way.

Inquiry: Give the craft a name.
Focus Lesson: Give the craft a name.

Inquiry: Think of other texts you know. Have you seen this craft before?
Focus Lesson: Show other examples of the crafting technique in other texts.

Inquiry: Try and envision using this crafting in your own writing.
Focus Lesson: Envision this crafting technique in use in student writing. 

At the same time, I would be guiding the student to think structurally about their writing. After all, we are assimilated in this TESTing era. 

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We both touched on some similar topics. I agree with the idea that teachers need to learn to write like writers before they can help their students. If we understand the process of writing, then we are better able to help our students edit their work. While reading the section on conferencing, I saw the teacher as an editor, helping the students formulate ideas or expand on the ones they had. Katie Wood Ray wasn’t afraid to make suggestions or references to storybooks or styles of writing to the student because it was all to help the student become a better writer. Like you said, these two chapters put me in a better place to begin lesson planning for the evolution of a writer assignment. Good luck! Can’t wait to hear the different skills people decide to focus on for their lessons and how we’re all going about it.  

Corinne

I would agree that the questions the text poses are really important. We need to figure out what students need and how we can instruct in that area to help them grow as writers.

Bryan 

Post #1-Sept 24.

In Wondrous Words, the organized inquiry helped me get a better sense of how students perceive reading like a writer. Up to this chapter, the author repeatedly emphasized the significance of “reading like a writer”. The thing that grab my attention is the emphasis of getting the specifics of noticing what you should notice as a reader and writer, the author called it “noticings”. Students had to find readerly and writerly things in the text, which allows the students to perceive in different perspectives. Though, as teachers we have to keep in mind that students may only touch the surface and may not know the difference of what writers and readers see. In other words, they may approach this activity with general responses. So, we should provide questions helping students to get a better sense of distinguishing the two. Helping students envision what to write eventually entails them to become adept to writing in what they envision, over a period of time. In page 131- the inquiry chart is a great example of how to help process students’ ideas.

Furthermore, I found that the think alouds provides a sense of letting the students know how they’re going to write. Allowing them to be the writer themselves, helps students feel that he or she is capable of going beyond what he or she expected can do. I wish/wonder if I can allocate this method into the students’ reading in my practicum classroom. I don’t know how to phrase this, but the second grade students in my practicum class struggle so much in writing what they envisioned. I know it’s only the beginning of the year but, hypothetically if I were to teach in this class, would it be too late or early to try to apply “read like a writer”?

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Good comments. I like how you added in the idea of think alouds and how we can incorporate those into our writing lessons as well.

Bryan

You point to the use of the terms  ”readerly and writerly” as used in the readings and how it can impact student work. You indicated that, “though, as teachers we have to keep in mind that students may only touch the surface and may not know the difference of what writers and readers see. In other words, they may approach this activity with general responses”. I think this is a very astute observation of how the text can be applied. Sometimes how we frame a given task makes all the difference in the world.  Confidence is an essential part of becoming a good writer, and I think the use of these terms and the skills and tools they point to will help to empower students seek out good writing and also to pen such writing themselves.

Courtney