Final Reflection on Writing Across the Curriculum

To be perfectly honest, I didn't have very high expectations going into this class. I chose Writing Across the Curriculum from a list of possible electives for the Winter semester because nothing else on the list was the least bit intriguing. My background is in English and I love to write, but initially I didn't exactly take this course thinking I was going to be helped in any significant way. However, after spending the last few months in this course, working with my colleagues and spending time with Corey (and Alan) at Hawthorne, I am walking away from Writing Across the Curriculum feeling as though I am taking quite a bit away from the course.

At first, it seemed a little obvious to me that writing could be incorporated into any class subject. However, this course opened my eyes to the fact that writing can be used to extend learning in any subject in a meaningful way rather than simply be used in a cheap way, like asking students to write a reflection on what they learned that day. Specifically, I really liked the idea of using conventional writing forms typically restricted to the English classroom, like poetry, to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a different subject, like math. I think that using written forms students may be more familiar with is a great way to have them work through understanding concepts that may be more foreign to them. Personally, I was never strong in subjects like math or science. Had I had opportunities to explore concepts from those classes in writing, either by creating my own pieces or reading stories or poems about given subjects, for example, I think I could have been more successful in those areas.

Writing Across the Curriculum was most fulfilling to me, however, in my work in mentoring a student writer at Hawthorne. First and foremost, I very much appreciated the fact that this mentorship assignment allowed me to put what I was learning into practicing immediately. In every other class this year, we were always being asked to create lesson or unit plans for specific subjects. However, there was never a reason to do so other than the fact that we had to know how to create these things; there was no student to teach or classroom to implement these plans in. This, to me, made the process of creating these plans extremely redundant because I couldn't justify how I was learning anything from using the same templates over and over again while simply plugging in different information from curriculum documents and various resources. Our mentorship assignment, however, enabled me to fulfill similar responsibilities of gathering information and determining an effective way of presenting that information while also putting all those plans into action by working with a student. I found this process challenging at times, because Corey, my student, gave me very vague answers at times with regards to what areas of writing he needs help with or how he would like the process to unfold. However, the challenge is what made the process so fun, too. I was forced to think of different ways to get information across to Corey (or Alan in week 2) on the spot when the strategy I had planned wasn't working and was able to see my work, as well as his own, pay off through the progress and growth he'd made as a writer by our final session together. Working with Corey on a weekly basis was an incredibly worthwhile process because it gave me the opportunity to do the things I had been learning in all my classes in a hands-on way that was not done in any other class this year.

The mentorship process proved to also be a great resource because of the fact that my classmates were also involved in the same process. As such, I was able to track their progress and see what techniques or resources they were using by checking their writing blogs or speaking to them outside of the classroom. Teachers don't all go about reaching the same goal through the same process; in witnessing the work my fellow student teachers were doing, I was able to truly understand that there is not right way of doing things, but rather that there is a right way of doing things for the student. Everyone catered their teaching style to the student they were paired with, which ultimately meant that our blogs were filled with unique resources to cater to each student's learning style and mode of writing. I hope that this will prove to be a tremendous resource for me down the road when I come across students who have a variety of learning styles.

From thinking that I wouldn't take away much from this course at the beginning of the semester, I think I've actually done the complete opposite. I've learned a lot from working with different writing forms, mentoring a student writer and observing my colleagues do the same, not to mention the incredible resource our course textbook has proven and will continue to prove to be (it's seriously the only course textbook I've found helpful when it comes to real teaching practice so far).

Now that the on-campus portion of the BEd program has come to an end and I look forward to my second practicum with excitement and anticipation, I have found myself reflecting on my time in this program as a whole and what I have taken away from it that will directly inform my teaching practice. Although each class has fulfilled that in a variety of ways and to varying degrees, I can't help but think that the work I've done this semester in Writing Across the Curriculum will actively inform my practice in terms of what goes on in my future classroom and how my students will go about learning.

A Few Words of Inspiration

Since I started coaching basketball five years ago, I have been collecting inspirational quotes to share with my players to keep them motivated or give them something to think about when it came to sport, school or life. My collection has reached a rather large number by this point, one that isn't feasible to be shared in its entirety in this venue. However, I've included a small sample below of the quotations I have collected over the years, paying particular attention, in this case, to some that I look to for inspiration when it comes to creativity and teaching:

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.

-Johann Gottfried Von Herder-

Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.

-W. Clement Stone-

Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.

-Jamie Paolinetti-

Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. Be brave enough to live life creatively.

-Alan Alda-

All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.

-Calvin Coolidge-

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

-Albert Einstein-

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

-Jane Goodall-

Not only can you not plan the impact you're going to have, you often won't recognize it when you're having it.

-Dick Costolo-

What we first find impossible, we later deem unlikely, and eventually accept as inevitable.

-Bill Bennett-

From what we get, we can make a living. What we give, however, makes a life.

-Arthur Ashe-

Lack of direction, not like of time, is the problem. We all have 24 hours.

-Zig Ziglar-

The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.

-Ella Jane Fitzgerald-

Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.

-Margaret Mead-

The mediocre teacher tells.

The good teacher explains.

The superior teacher demonstrates.

The great teacher inspires.

-William A. Ward-

You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes,

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

-Dr. Seuss-

Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.

-Unknown-

Each day when I awake I know I have one more day to make a difference in someone's life.

-James Mann-

High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.

-Jack Kinder-

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.

-Peter F. Drucker-

6+3=9, but so does 5+4. The way you do things is not always the only way to do them. Respect other people's way of thinking.

-Unknown-

Week 3 at Hawthorne

I was very happy to see Corey walk into the classroom as our third week at Hawthorne began. It had been a long time since we last saw each other and I was really looking forward to getting started. At the same time, it felt like we were starting over in a way.

Our time at Hawthorne began with Corey's teacher stressing the importance of identifying goals for the remainder of our time working with our students. Once Corey and I got settled in the computer lab, I asked him if he had thought about what he wanted to get out of this experience. His response was quite simple: he wants to get better at writing. Things hadn't changed since our first session, when he told me that he wanted help in organizing his ideas more effectively and picking up any tips on improving the presentation of his work (formatting, editing, etc.)

We jumped right into our work. Corey is working on a persuasive piece arguing that pre-ordering video games has had a negative impact on gaming culture. It's obvious that he's passionate about the subject (and has perhaps been previously disappointed in a game after it's been hyped up in ads).

To help Corey better organize his ideas, I brought in a Persuasion Map handout for us to work with. The first step was identifying his position. Then, we pulled up his piece on his laptop (I had also brought in two copies of it to work with, but he preferred working on his computer) and began deconstructing! Because his writing was not structured properly (no paragraphs/separation of ideas), he found it difficult to clearly identify his reasons (the handout calls for 3). Instead, we decided to work backwards and pick out the supporting evidence he had and grouping them into two categories (which would be his reasons). Once we did this, his two reasons were labeled.

Now that we had a basic outline to Corey's piece worked out, we worked on creating an introduction (which he didn't have originally and he has admitted to not being strong at creating). I provided him with a sample introduction, which showed him out, in its most basic form, the introduction is used to give the reader context to the argument to follow and provide a thesis statement.

Corey's passion really comes through in his recollection of different games or reviews that lend themselves to his reasons for arguing against pre-ordering games. However, none of them are supported with actual evidence. I suggested he do some research and find evidence on websites that support his claims. With the little time we had left, we began brainstorming where he could find this evidence (primarily in video game reviews and industry websites).

As our session came to an end, I asked Corey to take some time before Monday to find some type of supportive evidence for each of his six pieces of his claims and plug them into his Google Doc so I could check on his progress. In our fourth and final session, I plan to work with Corey on creating the first of his body paragraphs, including using topic and transition sentences, and how to properly use evidence in support of claims (i.e. state your claim, use your evidence, explain it). If we have time left, I want to touch on how to write a conclusion (since he's admitted to also having problems there) and hope that our work on the first body paragraph will be enough to help him write the rest of his piece on his own. I will also be giving him a sheet with basic editing tips to help him clean up his work.

Very excited to continue this process next week!

Reflections on Week 2 of Mentorship

After my initial meeting with my student, Corey, I was very excited to really get started in helping him develop stronger writing skills, particularly when it came to organizing his ideas to formulate a clear argument. Going into week 2, I had planned to help Corey deconstruct his existing piece and plot his points onto a handout I had prepared in advance of our second meeting in order to help him better organize his arguments and supporting evidence.

It was frustrating, then, to arrive for week 2 and come to find that Corey was not present (even though we had been warned ahead of time that this was likely, it was different once I realized it was true). I had never met Alan, the student I would be working with that day, and had no idea what type of writing he was working on or how to best help him. Luckily, he was working on a fictional story and had the first page for me to look over for him. I was able to help him with some basic editing and formatting problems, as well as with plotting out the rest of his story. The handouts I had prepared were quickly turned over and used to identify the climax of Alan's story, what events would build up to it, and how it would be resolved. Even though I will not be working with Alan again, I will be sending him a graphic organizer to build upon the work we did during our session together (posted as part of the Resources blog entry).

Despite the fact that I was initially frustrated with this change, I am happy that it happened. In teaching, sometimes what you had planned does not work and you have to take your lesson in a different direction with no time to prepare. Despite only having to make the adjustment with one student, I proved to myself that I am capable of doing good work on the fly, a skill that I will most certainly encounter numerous times over my career, and perhaps even in my second practicum.

Photo: The first page of Alan's story, King Jewels and the Stolen Ring, and the work we did together during our session: jot notes of potential plot points to come and a rough plot line for the rest of the story.

Mentorship Resources

In my initial meeting with Corey, I asked him what areas of writing he thought he needed help in. Together, we were able to identify several aspects of writing I will help him with in our time together, including the proper flow of ideas, editing, constructing introductions and conclusions.

I have found a few initial online resources I will be using during our second session together:

http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/free-graphic-organizers-w.html

A website featuring a range of graphic organizer templates for various forms of writing. Since most of the templates are simply images to draw interest into purchasing the resource they come from, I will likely be modifying one of the templates for writing a persuasive essay to use with my student in our second session together. By using his existing piece of writing, the chart will be used as a means of better organizing his ideas and potentially developing new ones as we go along.

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/argument.htm

A website providing basic tips for writing an argumentative essay. Again, I will be looking through the tips and modifying the language in a way that I believe will suite my student. I don't want to overwhelm him with too much information in one session, so outlining basic tips may be best.

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/editing-and-proofreading/

A website providing tips and handouts for editing writing. This seems to be an area of particular concern for my student. My goal is to either print a resource directly from the website or modify one that my student can use in future writing and not just for this assignment.

As our second week working with students was interrupted by a field trip, I was fortunate enough to work with another student, Alan, who had a creative writing piece to share with me. He mentioned that he needed help in developing his plot, which made up the majority of our discussion during our session together. The images below are resources that I have since sent him to accentuate our discussion:

Week 3 marked the second time I would be meeting with Corey. Despite the fact that we wouldn't get to everything I had initially planned during our time working together, I decided  not to speed up the process and focus on the areas Corey needed most help in. His original piece of writing was essentially comprised of one paragraph featuring a number of key ideas that needed to be separated. For our second session together, I brought in a graphic organizer to help Corey break up his writing into logical sections:

Now that we had broken up his original text into logical sections (reason, supportive evidence), I wanted to spend our last session together helping Corey with another area he identified as needing help - his introduction. I found this great image to help Corey better understand the purpose and structure for an introduction on one of my classmates' blogs (thanks Ian!). On the same blog was the image for conclusions, which I discussed with Corey but left it up to him to use when he finally got to that part of his essay:

Conventional Mode of Writing

In the English classroom, it seems as though there is no more conventional mode of writing than the literary essay. Although simple in its essence, I believe it is important, especially with students new to this form of writing, to spend time identifying and explaining each section of the literary essay. As such, one strategy to use would be to create an anchor chart to display in the classroom explaining the elements of the literary essay and how they function as a whole (above). To further student understanding, students could be asked to formulate their own versions of an anchor chart in their own words based on a previous class discussion about the different parts of a literary essay.

Prior to engaging in writing a literary essay, students would be provided with an organizational chart to map out their ideas. The chart would include sections for the introduction, the thesis statement (including the 3 main ideas), the 3 body paragraphs (including topic sentences, student ideas and supportive evidence) and the conclusion. This not only serves as a tool to confirm the students understand the function of each section of their essay, but also provides the students an opportunity to brainstorm their ideas before beginning a rough draft.

Prose Reflection

Although it is unlikely that novels will ever be produced as a classroom assignment, I believe that the novel is nonetheless an important tool to show students as an exemplar piece of prose. Unlike other subject areas, the writing of prose fits naturally into the English classroom. My example of prose, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, can be used effectively in demonstrating to students how to properly use writing conventions and how to write a narrative in general. In terms of writing conventions, Gatsby, as with any other text, can be used in demonstrating the proper use of grammar, punctuation, narrative structure and how to properly format and use dialogue.


For example, in my first practicum, students were asked to write an additional chapter to the classroom novel once we had completed reading it. Since they had a limited amount of space to wrap up the details of storylines from the novel, I suggested that they use dialogue in order to drive their imagined plot. However, none of them had ever written dialogue before. That class was dedicated to writing outlines, and by tomorrow's class I had put together a brief lesson on how to format dialogue using Gatsby as well as other resources. Specifically, I selected two paragraphs from the text. The first was a conversation between Tom and Wilson. This dialogue was used as my exemplar and we discussed how we as readers are able to differentiate who is speaking in the way that Fitzgerald uses tags (i.e. "Wilson said") and how some are left out because we are able to follow the exchange between the two without tags at times. The second conversation was between Nick and Jordan. However, in this instance, I showed the conversation without proper formatting, so that the entire conversation appeared in a single paragraph. I asked the students to indicate how many characters were involved in the conversation and then to differentiate who was speaking throughout. They obviously found this process difficult, so I showed them my exemplar again in order for them to understand why formatting dialogue properly was so important. Suddenly, it clicked. When a different character is speaking, we must start that dialogue on a new line! We worked to break up the dialogue properly then, using each example, I asked students to tell me what they learned about each character through the dialogue. This discussion proved vital, as students were better able to understand that, when dialogue is being used properly, it is helping further the story by developing plot or character.


Showing a text like Gatsby, whether that be the complete text or various excerpts, is important, in my opinion, because it demonstrates to students that words should not be wasted in writing. That is, every detail of the text helps drive the story; details about setting or character are important in furthering the plot. I think this is important for students to understand. In doing so, they can remain focused on developing their main ideas rather than be distracted by the need to over do it. Moreover, this concept should be applied to any type of writing done in the English classroom. These improved writing skills will help students in other classes too, since this practice of focusing on what's most important can be transferred to note taking or even answering exam questions.

Non-Narrative Mentor Text

In Leaving Out to Pull In: Using Reader Response to Teach Multicultural Literature, Rose C. Reissman discusses her "Leaving Out" activity conducted in three separate middle school and high school classrooms aimed at encouraging students to apply their own experiences to those of characters in multicultural literature. As an introduction to a given text to be studied in class, Reissman suggests reading a selected passage aloud to the students while omitting particular information that would indicate the cultural background of characters, including their name or where they live, or the author. By replacing these indicators with the word "blank," Reissman reports that students were encouraged to more closely relate in some way to the character in the passage by attaching their own experiences to those being described. Although Reissman indicates that students were mostly not 'right' in their assumptions about the character or author's cultural background, it is nonetheless important that they found some way to relate to the text.

I believe that this text could be useful in a mentorship setting because it presents a manner by which students can be led to feel connected to a text or literary character by recognizing their similarities rather than their differences, such as race or cultural background. Reissman's method of generating personal responses from students based on their own experiences, whether it be feelings of isolation or recalling memories of their own families, is an effective way of generating discussion and establishing an understanding of potential themes of a given text before reading or beginning the teaching unit. Students, then, are able to better connect and respond to characters and themes from the text as well. In a classroom setting, the "Leaving Out" activity encourages students to be more empathetic or respectful of their classmates' experiences. This activity can also be effectively used in a classroom or one-on-one setting with pieces of music or film that are related to the text in that the student(s) can gain a better understanding of the time period of the writing.

Reissman's journal article also offers the opportunity to explore the conventions of the genre. Specifically, I believe this text could be used as an example of how to properly format an article/essay/response (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion) or develop an argument and/or inform the reader by breaking down the structure of the article, i.e. introduction of the "Leaving Out" activity and demonstrating its effectiveness through classroom evidence, then wrapping up the information at the end. Likewise, the article can be used to demonstrate how to use quotes and cite sources, as well as properly punctuate sentences.

Reissman, Rose C (1994). Leaving Out to Pull In: Using Reader Response to Teach Multicultural Literature. The English Journal, 83, 20-23.

A Response to Atwell & Peterson

As a prospective English teacher, I found Atwell's story quite refreshing. Her story first struck me because of how closely the evolution of her teaching narrative itself mimicked the writing process, in that she began with a particular way of teaching that she found most effective, her first draft. Through critical reflection, or editing, she refined her craft and found a more effective way to educate her students by employing a writing workshop style in her classroom. I found her story motivating; that kind of writing-central style of teaching is something I would like to adopt in my own classes rather than only adopting the typical writing forms, like essays, for example. Involving students in short writing activities would encourage them to become better writers because it is something that could be done frequently while also involving more creativity and personal input.

However, as Peterson points out, I think it is also important to not give students absolute control or freedom over the subject matter of their writing as that many options and so little guidance could prove rather overwhelming to students, especially for those who do not think they are particularly strong writers to begin with. By giving students options to choose from, they are still being offered a choice rather than limiting their focus to one strict topic in particular. In doing so, students can write about things they relate strongly to at first. As they become more comfortable with their craft, they can broaden their horizons and delve into subjects they otherwise would not have previously. This can be accomplished in numerous ways. Journaling in response to teacher prompts using prose, poetry, drawing or any other creative form would be a strong starting point. Accommodating for students, like Atwell did for her student Jeff, is important because students are given the choice of how they feel most comfortable responding to given material. As they grow more comfortable in their expression, journaling allows the teacher to transition into other short writing tasks and, eventually, into developing arguments or responses.

I believe that this type of structure is ideal in encouraging students to explore their own creativity through writing, developing confidence and strong writing skills, and, eventually, in producing strong final products. To further encourage this growth, I think it is important that students are given incentive to keep producing quality work. This can be accomplished by displaying chosen writing in the classroom, on a class blog, or in the school paper.

Personal Narrative - Free Write

Writing plays an important role in the English classroom, but it seems as though many students are intimidated and fearful of being tasked with writing assignments because they do not believe they are capable of producing valuable work. For students, it seems as though there is nothing more terrifying than a blank page staring back at them. During the Free Write activity, many words and phrases came to mind when I thought about writing: creativity, imagination, a tool to convey meaning and understanding. However, the word that stood out most to me was expression. For as much as the final product carries importance, I believe it to be equally important for the given writing task to enable students to embrace the process of finding their own expressive voice. I think that a lot of students in particular find writing intimidating because they over think it. In Finding Forrester, one of my favorite movies about a reclusive writer who helps mentor a promising young writer, William Forrester suggests to Jamal Wallace that "You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to think." The initial steps of writing should be focused on getting thoughts on the page, whether these are formed by brainstorming or in a rough first draft, because getting started is the most important step. Once these ideas take shape and connections are made, the student is better suited to be critical of what is on the page and how to best proceed with their assignment.

Particularly in a school setting where many students are hesitant to speak up in class, writing tasks, such as journaling, are effect tools students can use to convey their understanding of material without the fear of being criticized by their peers. All types of writing, whether they are creative or conventional, encourage expression through the creative process. It is important for students to understand that writing is, in fact, a process, and that a masterpiece will not just appear on the page. However, that should not detract students from appreciating the fact that writing offers them an opportunity for self-expression. I believe that, the sooner students come to realize that writing is a tool for expression, the easier the writing process is and, ultimately, the more fulfilling the final product will become.