{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"52853922","dateCreated":"1334330754","smartDate":"Apr 13, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"Martin.mintz","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Martin.mintz","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/52853922"},"dateDigested":1532919300,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Martin's Post","description":"There are so many strategies in this reading that I found it very exciting to go through. I found a few idea in particular that I could think about how my students would just write, write, write! That is something that is so important for my 8th graders, I think, as many of them struggle with writing or resist the writing process. Why not change the writing process up? It is not always the same when you are outside of the classroom, so it seems like a great idea to change that up in the classroom as well.
\n I have always loved writing letters and have used that in my classroom frequently, but there are many other ideas that I see as having a real positive impact in my classroom as well. Both from the students as well as me as the teacher, I have found them a great use of classroom time as we look to get to know students, invest them and push them even more. I have found that one of the best ways to invest students and keep them accountable for the work that they do is to show\/tell them that myself am keeping them accountable as well as valuing their work.
\nWrite around and double entry journals are both great techniques\u2014getting students involved in the material and invested in the following information, referring back to what they have created gives the students a great role in the direction of the class and the learning as we go through the material. I have been searching for ways for students to interact with their peers in productive ways in the classroom, and double entry journals seem like a great activity to add for that. WTL is a great concept; this readings as a whole have been helpful in getting me to consolidate many of the ideas\/assignments that can be useful in helping my students see the process and reasoning behind writing in and outside the classroom setting.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50581920","dateCreated":"1329368578","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jmiller76","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jmiller76","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50581920"},"dateDigested":1532919300,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Jason Miller Post","description":"One of the key points that I gleaned from the various different WTL's suggested is that strong content instruction demands constant reflection and anticipation of problems. I know that for me personally I struggle with falling into a routinized rut with my kids where my lessons will follow a predictable pattern. My lesson typically begins with a short do now followed by some guided notes and concluding with a primary source or acting activity. I think that because I found a routine that somewhat works I rely on it even if it may not be the best way to convey material or ensure higher levels of thinking. The WTL's like a double journal or writing pass around demand higher levels of thinking and accountability. I think that it is easy to fall prey to relying on what seems like its working in order to avoid management hiccups. Yet because we need all of our students to engage with our content in a meaningful and rigorous way, WTL's can ensure that we accomplish that goal, especially where students have to explain or synthesize information.
\nAnother idea that the authors stressed was to anticipate where the potential problems might arise. For example, in the continuos write, students might just stop writing and then disrupt other students. They suggest that you offer extension activities so that there is no time to waste. By predicting where issues might occur, we will be better prepared to move ahead with the WTL's and feel more confident to employ them in our classrooms.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50581838","dateCreated":"1329368255","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"terrencekumar","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/terrencekumar","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50581838"},"dateDigested":1532919300,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Terrence's post","description":"Chapter 4 of Content-Area Writing made me much more skeptical of some of these write around strategies and the like. I was reading some of the including writing examples from middle-school students and was astounded. These pre-teens are far better writers than my high school juniors. They seem sufficiently capable of interpreting material (whether its literature, film, or a history lesson) and communicating these thoughts in writing. I am not working with this type of student.
\n For example, an English teacher at my school occasionally plays this guessing game with me that he calls, \u201cMy 3rd grade cousin or 3B?\u201d 3B refers to a section of juniors that he teaches. On one occasion he read this following passage, which was written by a junior during a reflection assignment. The instructions were to write about something they did over the weekend.
\n I went to the zoo over the weekend. There were animals there. I like to see the animals. That is why I like the zoo.
\n English is this student\u2019s first language and he is not the worst writer in this class. I believe that these writing strategies can be useful. However, I am skeptical that this would be time well-spent for students who desperately need more direct instruction.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"50661440","body":"These are the very students who need to be writing, writing, writing...in volume, everyday. And they need to be doing it in low-stakes situation where they're not paralyzed by pressure of tests and regents essays. They need practice expressing themselves and communicating in writing. This practice does not always have to come in the format of direct instruction (especially in a content area classroom).","dateCreated":"1329512389","smartDate":"Feb 17, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jetadonovan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jetadonovan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"50580456","dateCreated":"1329365208","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"ellen.louise.dunn","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ellen.louise.dunn","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50580456"},"dateDigested":1532919300,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Differentiation","description":"I wonder how some of these writing to learn strategies could be easily differentiated. Many of them involve a correspondence between students. However, I have students who range from borderline illiterate to roughly a high school level of literacy. An exchange between two students on vastly different levels seems less valuable. The weaker partner might not be able to contribute as much or read their stronger partner's writing. The stronger partner may not be able to push his or her ideas as far because there is less of an interplay\/dialogue.
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\nOn one hand, maybe it's good to mix levels to allow peers to help each other with the writing process. But, on the other hand, I cannot help but think it'd be a disservice if I paired my strongest reader\/writer with my weakest simply because neither would fully be able to push their ideas. Ultimately, I think the only differentiation appropriate to WTL would be to change my pairings so that corresponding students were on a more similar level. But, I don't think that would fully negate the problem.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50580296","dateCreated":"1329364966","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"cfinch45","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/cfinch45","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50580296"},"dateDigested":1532919301,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Chris Finch Posta!","description":"Today I was a literacy teacher!!!
\n\u201cDevelopment and Assessment of Literacy in Social Studies\u201d, so far, has taught me that I am in charge, at least to a certain degree, of my students\u2019 ability to be literate. No other class is going to work with historical non-fiction, analyze primary documents to the extent we do or connect themes throughout history; and more generally, there is no other place in their lives where they are going to interact with historical vocabulary and ideas as much as we do. It is up to my class to develop these literacies. Pretty challenging. Especially when I assess where my students are to where we want them to be.
\nHowever, WTL strategies as explained in Chapter 4 offer a bit of hopeful inspiration. I have constantly been trying to get our students to write as much as possible, especially in an effort to get them to digest the information.
\nFor one example of how we have incorporated WTL strategies, let\u2019s look at a typical Wednesday in our class: Our lessons on Wednesday are scheduled around DBQ practice. We go over the \u201ccriteria for success\u201d for the 1,096th time: complete sentences, evidence from the documents and prior knowledge.
\nI always lead into the DBQ practice with, \u201cNow we are going to do your favorite thing!\u201d This is not even close to the truth. I guide them through the practice of one short answer DBQ response. We echo the question in the response, and then we create a list of prior knowledge and then we identify answers in the document. We\u2019ve done this since the beginning of the year. Students are still not earning full credit on their DBQ answers. So today we tried something new.
\nToday, we had a vocabulary challenge. We went over two vocab words that could be used in their \u201cNon-Stop Writing\u201d assignment which was also used as their \u201cExit Ticket.\u201d We\u2019ve done this before and often hit the same roadblocks as explained in \u201cWhat can go wrong\u201d (kids don\u2019t write the whole time! Surprise!) However, after we explained a few vocab words, secular, crusade and monastery, more students than usual wrote for the full 5 minute block. So, familiarizing the students with vocab worked. As it got use to use the WTL activity more efficiently.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50580278","dateCreated":"1329364916","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"regler","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/regler","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50580278"},"dateDigested":1532919301,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Rebecca's Post","description":"I enjoyed reading the various activities for writing to learn activities in a social studies classroom. My favorites included the gallery walk, as well as the brainstorming lists. I've attempted gallery walks in the past, with great degrees of varying success. In my opinion, gallery walks are an excellent way to "put the work on the students" without, to a certain extent, really having them notice. While they may be grumpy to get up and walk around from time to time (or maybe that's just my darlings) they don't seem as bored as straight lecture. My only fear with that though tends to be that they do not take the information, or stress the ideas that I really believe to be important. I have been trying to perfect the gallery walk to ensure that they are more useful than just pages draped around the room. Anyway, I highly recommend it every once and awhile in order to change up classroom routines.
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\nThe one thing that stuck out to me throughout the activities though, and always does in education classes, is the degree to which behavior management is required in order to ensure any of these activities are going to work. As somebody who struggles with behavior management, this is a constant issue in my planning that I always try to account for - but luckily, at the same time, these activities do have the potential to make that easier. Does anyone else have the same fear in giving students mobility and conversational activities in class? If so, how have you kept it structured enough to ensure students stayed on task without taking away the creative aspects of these activities?","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50579270","dateCreated":"1329363248","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"christinepeters13","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/christinepeters13","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50579270"},"dateDigested":1532919301,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Christine P's Post","description":"This reading made me reflective of last week's lecture when we engaged in the writing activity with the "thought bubbles". One of the questions posed was if writing could be a community\/collaborative activity (I don't remember the exact wording). In the activity in class, I said no. I based my response last week on my previous experiences with writing in groups and group essays.
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\nHowever, last week, I failed to consider WTL activities. WTL activities can be quite structured in terms of participation and student engagement, but allow for collaboration (in "silent conversations"). I really liked how this chapter discussed that more in depth, and offered numerous activities that, well, completely disproved my thoughts a week ago. Moreover, to praise the structure of these activities, I like the emphasis on the teacher participating to model the expectations as well. I actually think this is more well-structured than when I have my students silently write an essay in class.
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\nFinally, I agree with the section about putting the writing to work and having student share aloud. I think that, while the WTL activities done silently are important, I think their impact is enhanced with a verbal component. True, as the reading points out, is a time consuming task, but in my own experiences, students tend to produce better work and become inspired what their peer's produce.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50579090","dateCreated":"1329362994","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"aylinkuzucan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/aylinkuzucan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50579090"},"dateDigested":1532919301,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Aylin's post ","description":" I\u2019ve intercepted a couple of notes between students during class and have found myself regretting the fact that I read them later. Passing notes, especially in high school, is an everyday activity for my students and after reading this article I can see how this habit can be utilized in the classroom. The article mentioned quite a few great ideas to improve my students\u2019 literacy. Non-stop write, silent conversations in a write around, and collaborative annotation are excellent tools that can be used in more literacy based classes. Nonstop writes could be used in my classroom for reflective purposes but I\u2019m unsure how to have students keep writing when solving a math problem. I like the idea of silent conversations and collaborative annotation but I\u2019m unsure how students could give each other constant dialogue in math \u2013 perhaps pass the paper around and each student adds the next step of the math problem. Though I do feel I can morph these ideas into math geared activities I found other suggestions easier to implement. What I was most drawn to in this article were the \u201cKWL,\u201d the double entry journal, and the letters to and from students. The \u201cKWL\u201d can be an excellent tool to start a unit. I currently teach to some repeater classes so this activity is two pronged. First, it will give students confidence in entering the unit because they have seen it before, and would have a lot to write about on what they know. Second, it can give me a gage of which students have misunderstood the material and which areas students are mastering. The brainstorming exercise overall adds a big picture for all students to set where they will be at the end of the unit. The double entry journal is what I used when I was in high school. I often got lazy and didn\u2019t take the time to use the right side for questions, but I do see it as being beneficial for both me and the student. When I\u2019m writing a new problem on the board I can ask students to reflect on the right side, or left, on the last problem we did and think of some questions. This will replace my students just sitting and staring at the board while I write the new problem. Additionally, it gives students the opportunity to think and analyze what we did; often I find students will write everything down in their notes but leave the lecture as if they have never seen the material before. The last suggestion I appreciated was the letters to students. This idea can be used as an investment for my students. This week I am beginning conferences with my students and adding a letter will give an extra avenue for my students to voice their opinions and concerns.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"50577944","dateCreated":"1329361442","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jthomas27","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jthomas27","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50577944"},"dateDigested":1532919301,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Johanna's Post","description":"Like the previous chapters by Daniels, Zemelman, and Steineke I read this chapter with interest. I found myself intrigued by some of their suggestions, but unlike the previous chapters, I had a harder time thinking of ways to adapt these suggestions to the math class.
\nI liked the idea of having students write comments in the margins of an enlarged piece of paper. I often find myself going around the classroom trying to pick out why a student\u2019s algebra problem \u201cdidn\u2019t work\u201d. I think I might do this exercise with algebra problems that have errors. This exercise will offer students practice in finding errors as well as an opportunity to brainstorm ideas on how to avoid them.
\nI also liked the idea of a write-around. I have to agree with the authors that classroom discussions are often just held between a few vocal students and it is difficult to gauge what the silent students are thinking. A write-around would be engage everyone and give me opportunity to look around at the thoughts of the more silent students.
\nI also think the KWL is also a worthwhile exercise. For me, the K would be a kind of pre-assessment that would help me determine what to teach and how to start. I\u2019m definitely planning to use this in my next unit.
\nAs I am writing this, I guess I found more applications than I thought I did. All in all an interesting read.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"50580506","body":"As a social studies teacher, its difficult for me to think about these activities in a math class, but it sounds really cool! I feel like you might have to do a little more "tricking" into getting students to write, as I know that many students often seem hesitant to cross the skills required in a number of different courses. Have you incorporated writing into your math classes before? I would be interested in seeing an example in class one day!","dateCreated":"1329365288","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"regler","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/regler","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"50574118","dateCreated":"1329357156","smartDate":"Feb 15, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"AvaMarron","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/AvaMarron","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50574118"},"dateDigested":1532919301,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Ava's Post 2\/16","description":"I think the difference between the non-stop write and the reflective write is so key. Many of my students do not understand how to change their voice when writing. There are so many types of persuasive writing, creative writing, logical writing, essay writing, etc. Many of my students with learning disabilities have such trouble starting to write. If they get into the habit of taking risks while they write, it will give them confidence and better writing habits. The freedom of "you can write whatever you want, there is no "wrong writing"" is so rare. So much of the time my students are given very strict formats for how they must compose every single thing they write. Many times this stifles them. Even if the writing is coherent, logical, and completely answers the question teachers may take off points for not formatting the response in the exact way given.
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\nThat's why I loved the example of Steven Keck's historical writing class. This was similar to our back and forth prompts last week in class. It is so important and meaningful for students to get into a habit or dialoguing formally and informally through reflective writing. I think I have had some of the best conversations with kids through notes during their quiet work time. They think about what is written so much more than what is said verbally. Also for students with learning disabilities or who have trouble with retention or concentrating, when the direction or dialogue is written, they can turn back to the conversation for reference.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"50661178","body":"Love your point about "taking risks" when they write. Writing, like all crafts, must be honed by trial and error, by new skills and tricks, by a willingness to experiment. These activities can give students the space to engage in writing in that way. Such a benefit to them!","dateCreated":"1329511828","smartDate":"Feb 17, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jetadonovan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jetadonovan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[{"id":"50622436","dateCreated":"1329434452","smartDate":"Feb 16, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"LEM0N","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/LEM0N","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ctge5549spring12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/50622436"},"dateDigested":1532919300,"commentId":"420737","orphaned":false,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"comment","title":"Comment: Type your comment here","description":"Type your comment here","rangeActions":[{"name":"Comment added","rangeText":"The strategy in the article that I am striving to implement in my classroom is giving my students personal notes throughout the year. I feel that these types of messages are beneficial to teachers as well as students and they allow even the most \"troubled students\" to feel special. My previous attempts have been haphazard at best because I have not found a strategy that allows me to write to all of my students at the same time. After reading about Angie's strategy in the reading, feel that I could try to have students write notes to me as part of the Do Now and keep my responses short and sweet so I would not spend 10 minutes writing back one response to a student or I could write a one letter as a response to the class with personal tidbits. Though, I wonder how would I make it personal enough for all my kids to be invested in the response letter.
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\nHaving students to create Double Entry Journals on some occasions sounds like a great idea to work on my students writing in my Math Foundations Seminar. However, my seminar is for remediation and teaching the structure of writing Double Entry Journals to my students feels daunting.","dateCreated":"1329434452","user":{"username":"LEM0N","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/LEM0N","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"diffUrl":"\/page\/diff\/February+16th\/302571194?mode=code"}],"replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]}]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}