invitation-to-journal-1.doc

After reading the article by Moulton and the chapters in Writing Without Boundaries I understand what a multigenre writing consist of.  I’m so excited about teaching this within my class.  As a fourth grade teacher I sometimes feel that we only have to write for the writing test.  I think that multigenre writing is a way to make students love to write and learn at the same time and this is so exciting!  I would start this type of writing at the first of the year and expand on it throughout the year.  I feel that students will enjoy this type of writing and it will help tremendously with their writing fluency.  The article and the book explains that multigenre writing encourages creativity in several ways.  The students learn different types of genres but they also create art, poetry, music, short stories and other creative styles of writing.   The students learn to work together and give corrective criticism on each others writings. I agree that as a teacher you need to have several examples of these types of writing for the students to better understand what their final product should look and sound like.  I agree with the readings that this will give the students a personal connection to their writing and help them gain more of an understanding of the topic they are researching.

having-a-healthy-diet.doc 

i-poem11.doci New and improved.  2/20/08

I am connecting my I poem with my Science Health Unit.

What make a good poem? 

• Mood, poems strike you differently at different times of your life.
• It portrays the author’s feelings and emotions with clarity.
• Tone, you can relate to the author’s tone and word choice.
• Imagery, you can clearly see the picture the author has painted with words.
• Rhythm, how it flows
• Theme, if it relays a message or lesson
• A good poem is one you can relate to, it “speaks” to you.
• Reflection time, after you go back and look at it again, you gain new insight.
• Vocabulary, do you have to analyze it to understand it?

 Poetry Models:

• Models are helpful, but sometimes limit student thinking. 
• They are helpful for reluctant writers.
• They give the impression that there is a “right” and “wrong” way to write a poem.
• They can be restrictive.
• They are good for scaffolding.

I’m not really sure if I have a favorite poem. ”YET”  I like this poem alot by Maya Angelou.

This article was very interesting to me.  I have never tried to write an “I” poem, but I really like the idea of it.  I liked several things the article mentioned of why “I” poems are a fun way of teaching and learning.  One way it mentions is that it can be a way for students to deepen their literary experiences of characters, setting, plot and narrative point of view.  These poems will make them see, feel and experience the characters, setting, and the plot within a story. I like how they built a background to Sara, Plain and Tall with the I poems.  This made the readers understand Sarah and where she came from and where see was going by describing the setting.  I like the outline they give you, this is a starting point for you and the students.  I will try creating “I” poems with my students.

This chapter focuses on the planning/prewriting strategies to several different types of writings.  What has bothered me most about this year in fourth grade is hearing how many teachers k-3 do not teach, model or show students how to plan prior to writing.  The book mentions that planning is an very important part of skilled writing.  Planning is an important part to writing.  The most important thing I agree with that the book mentions is that teachers need to model and show students how to plan and brainstorm.  Being supportive and having a supportive classroom environment is very important for the students as well as the teacher.  I really liked the beginning words they used on page 125 for having a supportive environment:  Create, Establish, Allow, Encourage, Ask, Conference, Praise, Reinforce and Promote!  This are such strong and bold words to use.  I got a lot from the seven principles of teaching planning especially principle #1 modeling and scaffolding students.  This is so important in all aspects of writing just not planning.  If teachers can get this part they can get all the other aspects of teaching writing.  I enjoyed this chapter especially going into our writing workshop, I will try several things it mentions from the seven strategies.