I had to read the first two pages of chapter 4 a few times for them to really sink in. I know this probably sounds strange to most of you, but honestly it is as hard for me to imagine not enjoying writing as it is for any math teacher to comprehend why some students don’t like math, probably even harder. After all, writing is personal, there is no right or wrong answer like in math and most of the time there is a freedom of rules and expectations unheard of in other disciplines. To write poetry…that comes from within….and to share those thoughts with others…seems effortless to me. To observe the world, to process how you feel about what you see and know and then be able to express it, how could that be anything but joyful? It’s a game to me, although one I often play alone, to find just the right word with just the right sound to express what I intend, or more often, imply in my writing. I guess we will all be including some type of poetry in our MGRP if we agree with page 55, “multigenre papers would not seem complete if they didn’t contain some poetic experiments”.
I have to force myself to accept that some students will find these exercises difficult, unnecessary and perhaps just plain boring. I have to find a way to reach them, to help them find their own inner writer full of voice and passion. I liked the idea of introducing song lyrics with a lesson on poetry, something most all children can relate to. I also appreciated the different techniques of poetry presented to give students lots of different formats to get started writing poetry. Many times creating a plan for the writing is the hardest part. I was also impressed with the content of many of the poems. Children have observations, emotions, and understandings that go much deeper than I imagine at times. These examples remind me to stop and really take in what students have to say about their world.
Van Sluys (setting up invitations)
Okay, so maybe I’ve really missed the mark here but I keep searching for a definition of what “an invitation is” and can’t quite get a handle on it. I have a clear picture of what is entails by the description of the common features, and what it is about, but somehow I’m still left wondering what it is. I am stumped by the notion that invitations should be “always accessible and not artificially relegated to certain periods of the day”. How in the world would this work? What would it look like in practice and how would a teacher support all the invitations going on and get anything else done during the day if the time was not regulated? Baffling to me!
So after finishing reading about invitations I can’t help but think, “wow!”, “awesome!”, what another fantastic teaching tool. Then my mind grows weary and dizzy trying to imagine encompassing all the standards expected to be taught, as well as the day to day requirements of teaching within an invitation. “Whew!” please tell me it isn’t just me feeling this way. I also had some questions about allowing students to do google searches to find research on subjects. Our field experience teacher advised strongly against this because inappropriate material surfaces often. How would one support appropriate research without doing “pre research” on every single invitation topic beforehand yourself? And how would you have time for that? Don’t get me wrong, I love the concept of invitations, I just have a difficult time envisioning them. “Students being in charge and paving the way of their inquiry paths”….how cool is that!? Surly our class discussion this week will pull all the pieces together for me.
Lynne, you are so lucky that you like to write. I think I'd rather do another research paper than write a poem. I think I'd even rather draw, and I do not draw well.
ReplyDeleteOn the Google thing...the attitude at my kids' school is that if something inappropriate comes up, then you have an opportunity to talk about it. They can't learn what to do or how to judge the appropriateness of material if they never see anything BUT appropriate material. You can even talk about different reasons that something might not be appropriate, either because it's not for kids or because it doesn't help you find the results you're looking for. I think helping children craft their searches is probably good, and being with them when the search is good too. It's a learning opportunity.
Lynne, I think it's so wonderful that you find such joy in writing poetry and expressing yourself through writing. I also think it's great that you pointed out how crucial it is to recognize that poetry will not be easy for all students and that some may need a little extra coaching and encouragement when trying to write through poems. As someone who tends to fear poetry myself, I need to do the opposite, and make sure that I provide enough opportunities for my students to engage with poetry, even if I'm a bit timid myself. Great points--thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhile I think that there may be students who will like to write, they may be hesitant to express themselves in front of others. Your initial comments reminded me of the article we read at the beginning of the year where the teacher was shocked to hear that a particular student was so willing to write extensively on her blog but not so much in the classroom. You obviously have developed not only the ability to write well but also the self-confidence to share that ability with others. Now, we need to help our students develop that same self-confidence (which I know you can!).
ReplyDeleteAnd, no, you are not the only one confused about what a reading invitation is. Can't wait to find out! :)