Assignment #2 - Written Reflection Section 1

I liked seeing the visual of Routman’s Optimal Learning Model because it made me reflect on what I do well with my students and where I need to improve within the model.  This year after visiting several exemplary writing teachers’ classrooms I was impressed by how much time they gave the students to share what they wanted to write.  Since these trainings I have become much better at giving students plenty of time for guided practice.  I believe I also give students many opportunities for independent practice and I allow them lots of choice during writing time.  I think where I need to improve is in the demonstration and shared demonstration pieces.  I do model writing for the students, but I often forget to share my thinking with the students.  I need to remember to let students in on what I am thinking about. 

While looking over Routman’s “12 Writing Essentials for All Grade Levels” I thought about my own students and my teaching and how I teach the essentials.  I think I do a good job choosing strong read alouds that provide good modeling of what good writing looks like.  This ties into Routman’s “Read widely and deeply – and with a writer’s perspective.”  I think the essential that I struggle the most with as a first grade teacher is “apply correct conventions and form.”  I have some students who from the first day of school know exactly where to put punctuation while I have others who don’t know where to put a period on the last day of school.  Conventions are so difficult to teach because you have to have so much exposure to reading and writing before they make any sense.  Every year I feel like I have failed students when they leave my classroom not knowing where to put a period. 

I celebrate student’s writing by having a few students share their writing each day with the class.  I usually pick 3-4 students that have worked hard during writing time to share.  Another way I celebrate student writing is by letting students share their writing with the principal.  Our principal loves hearing student writing and is a way for her to get to know the students better.  Because our principal is so busy I usually just send 2 students to her office just a couple times a month, so it is a really big deal to get chosen!  We celebrate student writing in the spring by having student led conferences.  In March, instead of doing a 3^rd quarter report card we have students work on a portfolio of different current work.  The majority of their portfolio is writing.  In addition to reading their writing to their parents, they also complete a writing activity with their parents at the conference.  Students, parents, and teachers love student led conferences because they are much more celebratory than report cards.

One goal I have for myself to celebrate student writing more is to have a night where each student reads a piece of their writing in a small group of other students a parents.  We would make 2 copies of their writing so they could take one home and keep one in our classroom library.  I think students would have a great time and really see themselves as writers.

I would like to make writing more purposeful for students by starting off the year by making a list of reasons why we write.  I would like to hang this up so everyone can see it and we can refer back to it and continually add to the list.  I would also like students to see themselves as writers, but first they need to see that I love writing and view myself as a writer.  I will show them samples of my writing, (emails, a letter to a friend, an essay I wrote in high school etc.) so students can see that there is a p