Writing-Chapter 8

Teaching writing is one of the biggest struggles I have as a third grade teacher. Writing has never been my favorite subject, so I have to work hard to be a good writing teacher. Teaching 3rd graders to write can be very trying. Some students are naturally good writers and just need some extra help, while others have a hard time even forming good sentences. There are several things that I've learned to do well after teaching writing for several years. First, I model, model, model! Every time I begin a new writing I start out and model the piece of writing myself to show what I expect from the students. I also use modeling when teaching mini lessons about grammar and other writing topics. The only problem with modeling is many students try to copy my work, so I have to use examples that I know they will not copy. I also teach my students the writing rubric that they are graded with at the beginning of the year. My students know what I expect from their writing and how they can do well. Teaching my students about good writing and showing examples of good writing helps them develop better ideas of what I expect. Finally, I keep my students' finished writings in a portfolio. They are able to showcase their finished writings to their parents or go back to revise or edit these writings during the year.

I am constantly searching for ways to improve my writing instruction each year. Right now, my school is doing a book club on different writing books. Our book has given me many ideas for my writing instruction. There are several things that I don't do right while teaching writing. First, I do not give my students enough time to write. I try to have my students write daily. Unfortunately, since we are not tested on writing right now, writing is sometimes the subject that has to go if we are too busy that day. When we have a chance to write, students often do not have enough time to develop their thoughts and get them on paper. Also, I don't give enough instruction time to keyboarding skills. I would really like to have my students type their papers, but it takes too long because they do not know how to type.

There are several things that I could do to improve my writing instruction. First, I need to show more examples of student writing to my students. I need to make copies of previous student writing to keep for the following year. It is good for my students to see my writing, but even better when they are able to see another 3rd grader's writing. I would also like to show my students a low, middle, and high level writing example. We could go through the pros and cons of each writing together. I would also like to work on better writing conferences with my students. I meet with my students after they have revised and edited their papers. I need to meet with my students for short conferences during their drafting to provide better feedback. Finally, I want to make it a priority to write every day in my classroom. Improving my writing instruction is one of my goals for the rest of the year!