Entry #6 - Dear Dr. Jones

Dear Dr. Jones, 

Where do I start? Prior to the start of this semester, I was eager to learn more about this course; but, I can't hide the fact that I was also nervous. Most of the time, my nerves stem from the unknown and things out of my control (which may be common for most individuals). I remember wondering: What is this course going to be about? What is the workload going to consist of? To ease some of my nerves, I can recall re-reading the course description, which gave me a sense that this course would be about the reading and writing process. However, as I am engaging in this course thus far, I find that I am really enjoying it. If I am being honest, I am not sure if this course matches my expectations, but that's possibly because I was unsure what to expect. But, I can say that I am specifically enjoying the Genre Pieces Project. I believe part of my excitement stems from the idea that we were able to choose our own topic, which reminds me of Tompkins (2012) concept of choice. For this project, I chose a topic that I am motivated to learn more about and is something that I am passionate about; I am excited to dive deeper into the three writing pieces.

Additionally, I believe the Genre Pieces Project is scaffolding my ability to effectively teach the writing process in my own classroom. As you shared during the first class, in order to teach students about the writing process, educators must be able to engage in the process themselves. Plus, to say the least, I am not only learning about the writing process, but who I am as a writer. Also, I have been enjoying the structure of the classroom. Specifically, I feel like the activities we do in class are meaningful and engaging; I can see myself implementing many of our activities (such as working in writing groups) into my own future classroom. I believe the collaboration aspect of our class is my favorite part; I love that this course is not a traditional lecture, but instead, we are learning by doing. 

As we continue to dive deeper into Tompkins' (2012) concept of the writing process, I have learned that this process is not linear. As a future teacher, I understand that each writer is unique and thus, students may move back and forth between the different stages of the writing process (p. 5). With this in mind, I can vividly remember an instructional strategy that my classmate, Maddison, shared during our class discussion. Specifically, if I am not mistaken, Maddison shared that an educator she subbed for put each stage of the writing process on a string and students used numbered clothespins to show which stage they were at; as students transitioned between the stages, they moved their clothespin up and down to represent this back and forth progression. Personally, I love this idea and so, I believe this would be a great tool to use after introducing each stage of the writing process.

Through the work of Calkins and Ehrenworth (2016), I have also learned the importance of developing a classroom community of writers. In the classroom, students should feel supported and take pride in their work. Oh, one last thing! As a future teacher, I believe utilizing mentor texts will support the development of Rickards and Hawes (2006) concept of a "balanced literacy instruction"(p. 372). Authors MacKay, Ricks, and Young (2017) have supported my ability to understand the power of mentor texts as they serve as a resource for students to learn more about the writing process. Therefore, when my classmates and I bring in our own mentor texts for the genre we are studying, I always try to take a "mental note" of the different books as I will utilize these as a resource in my future classroom library. 

I notice that as I write this letter, I am having a hard time condensing my thoughts. There are so many great instructional strategies and resources I have learned - I want to include them all! As a future teacher, I can envision that I will revisit Tompkins (2012) text, reminding myself of the many great strategies (including mini lessons and mentor texts) that I can use to support students through the writing process. However, in this course, I am having the most trouble with my Genre Pieces Project. Specifically, I notice that I am having difficulty coming up with the different genres I will use (e.g, journal, letter, persuasion, etc.). When engaging in the different freewrite activities, should I be focusing more on the content rather than the form? Then based on the content, I can decide which genre will support my purpose for writing? I am curious if this a good way to go about the process; I would love your feedback.

But, thank you for all your support thus far. I am looking forward to the rest of the semester. 

                                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                                        Amanda D.

References

Calkins, L. & Ehrenworth, M. (2016). Growing extraordinary writers: Leadership decisions to

            raise the level of writing across a school and a district. The Reading Teacher, 70(1), 7-

            18.

MacKay, K.L., Ricks, P.H., & Young, T.A. (2017). Supporting young writers with award-

            winning books. The Reading Teacher, 71(2), 177-187.

Rickards, D. & Hawes, S. (2006). Connecting reading and writing through author’s 

            craft. The Reading Teacher, 60(4), 370-373.