When I think of writing, I think of expression, knowledge, communication, learning, and exploration. I think of growth, development, and understanding. I think of fiction, poetry, narrative, textbooks, essays, and websites. I have always had a love of English and I look forward to teaching writing to my students in its various forms – but one thing I need to keep in mind is that my students will not all share my enjoyment of writing; in fact for some, it may be an onerous task they would rather avoid. I think in teaching it is important to find a delicate balance between teaching your students good grammar, and teaching them the ability to express their ideas and use their words to communicate their thoughts. While for many these two concepts typically go hand-in-hand, for some students these are two separate entities that need to be built upon and constructed. It is important to help my students grow as readers, without causing them to feel exhausted from over-focusing on proper writing. It is also important to find a balance between working in writing skills in cross-curricular activities. The history class can write letters home as though they were living in a particular time period. The science class can create lab reports and write “articles” on their findings. The geography class can write a beautiful poem detailing the topography of the region they are studying. There are many possibilities for incorporating writing into different subjects and helping our students to grow as both readers and writers.
Monday, January 5, 2015
What does 'Writing' Mean to You? - Jan. 5
When I think of writing, I think of expression, knowledge, communication, learning, and exploration. I think of growth, development, and understanding. I think of fiction, poetry, narrative, textbooks, essays, and websites. I have always had a love of English and I look forward to teaching writing to my students in its various forms – but one thing I need to keep in mind is that my students will not all share my enjoyment of writing; in fact for some, it may be an onerous task they would rather avoid. I think in teaching it is important to find a delicate balance between teaching your students good grammar, and teaching them the ability to express their ideas and use their words to communicate their thoughts. While for many these two concepts typically go hand-in-hand, for some students these are two separate entities that need to be built upon and constructed. It is important to help my students grow as readers, without causing them to feel exhausted from over-focusing on proper writing. It is also important to find a balance between working in writing skills in cross-curricular activities. The history class can write letters home as though they were living in a particular time period. The science class can create lab reports and write “articles” on their findings. The geography class can write a beautiful poem detailing the topography of the region they are studying. There are many possibilities for incorporating writing into different subjects and helping our students to grow as both readers and writers.
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Hi Eden, I think your point of remembering that unlike yourself, not all students love writing. Helping students though to grow as readers and writers through engaging opportunities is key.
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