23rd -27th /10/23 - The 6+1 Traits of Writing (Organization and Word Choice)

                  Continuing our journey in Lit 102, we were further informed of the 6+1 Writing Traits. Based on those traits, the two traits that resonated the most to me were Organization and Word Choice. Organization stood out to me because the information presented by my colleagues caused me to ponder on the different ideas within my writing piece that come together logically and cohesively. One further notes that organized writing contains the introduction, which should be written in such a way that captivates the reader’s attention. It also includes the body, which contains the various elements of the writing piece concerning the topic, which should be coherent. It has transition words to connect the ideas within the writing piece smoothly and presents the writing in a logical, sequential order. Moreover, an organized writing piece should also have a conclusion that shows cases the resolution or summary of the primary purpose of the writing piece. 

            Concerning Word Choice, my blogging family, Dessy-Ann, Makeda and myself, had to present on this topic. I had fun researching word choice and creating PowerPoint slides.😀 Previously, I had never thought about the benefits of using vocabulary for one’s writing piece. I am now more cognizant that the types of words chosen can make a difference in the tone and impact of the writing piece. Additionally, I came across an interesting article called ‘V.I.P. C.O.W.S’ that noted Word Choice should be specific according to the topic and the reader’s comprehension. Additionally, the selection of words should include new words, words that show action or movement, words that describe, words that go beyond the child’s spelling ability, and words that are sensory appealing to the reader.

            Regarding the 6+1 Writing Traits, one can use these through various activities such as the creation of a thesaurus with overused words regarding Word Choice, as well as using a web to plan ideas before writing about Organization. The other traits, such as Voice, Ideas, Presentation, Conventions, and Sentence Fluency, are also notably essential and can be used to have the student write a paragraph or story with a checklist provided to edit their writing. 

        The following images give a vivid description of the beneficial 6+1 Writing Traits. 😌

                                            (images retrieved from www.literacysolutions.com.au; www.northeastrangeschool.net) 

16th -20th /10/23- Introduction to The Writer’s Workshop

              

                                                                       (image retrieved from www.bestanimations.com)

           One would term this week as the Writer’s Workshop week because that was what the main focus was on in LIT 102: Promoting Writing in Primary Grades. My classmates and I were introduced to how one goes about conducting writing workshops. Based on the information presented by our lecturer, Mrs Lazarus, one has ciphered that Writer’s Workshops involve a specific time slot in one’s classroom where students can write. Specifically, the ownership is on the students regarding their intention for writing specifics about their writing pieces. In this regard, one also realises that it is essential to guide my students through this process correctly.

                Ideally, the Writer’s Workshop should take place throughout the week, which may be daunting. However, as teachers, we should set this as a goal because, just as anything else, the more one practices it, the more competent one will become at it. For this purpose, we were placed into small groups and were given the task of how one would go about planning a Narrative Writer’s Workshop for a week.

           The first step is known as teaching time. This is where the teacher targets a critical skill and delivers it through instructing a mini-lesson to the students. During this time, the teacher would define the craft as well as model the skill, which will act as a guide for students. Next comes writing time, where students will practice what was taught and demonstrated by the teacher. Specifically, the students will start creating and editing their writing pieces. The next phase of the writer’s workshop is conferencing. During this time, the teacher will be going around to check up on and conferring with writers. This may also include answering specific student questions. It is a form of  ‘checking in’ on the progress the students are making during the Writer’s Workshop and may also provide feedback concerning their writing pieces to aid them in further revising their writing.

                Finally, in the sharing stage, this can be done using a gallery walk or the author’s chair strategy. Admittedly, one realises that this Writer’s Workshop will only come to fruition in my classroom if I routinely practice it. Unfortunately, I am not in the classroom at the moment to implement it. However, I must be sure that once I return to my classroom, I will not waste time implementing this writing strategy.

16th – 20th /10/23- Explode the Moment in Narrative Writing

               In our Lit 102 course, we were challenged to zoom in on something of interest in narrative writing so that it becomes more apparent to you and your readers. This is also known as ‘explode a moment’. In narrative writing, this strategy requires one to look carefully at one’s writing, decide on one aspect of the writing which requires more detail and interest and then ‘spice’ it up by exploding that aspect in that particular piece of writing.

                To be honest, I do not think I am very good at writing narrative pieces. This is so because they require so much creativity and detail. So, when we were introduced to zooming in on narrative writing pieces, my heart 'sank’ a bit because I felt that this would cause narrative writing to be more challenging for me than it already is. Zooming in requires one to ‘slow down’ their piece of writing. To expound on this fact, Mrs. Lazarus showed us an example writing piece that uses this strategy entitled ‘A Fabulous Exploded Moment’. This causes me to ponder how I will know if aspects of my narrative writing are ‘slowed down’ sufficiently to deem my writing piece satisfactory. I would have to, therefore, rely on my colleagues to assist me with this if they are willing. The following picture further explains how one can ‘explode the moment’ in narrative writing. 

(picture retrieved from www.pinterest.com)

9th– 13th/10/13- Creativity in Narrative Writing

                       Wow! What an informative week we had to learn about how one writes an effective narrative writing piece. My colleagues and I shockingly learned that we could make use of descriptive writing when we are doing narrative writing. This was surprising to me because previously, I never thought about narrative writing pieces including descriptive pieces. How when I heard this it caused me to recall the times that I used figurative language to describe characters and the setting when composing a narrative piece.  

                      I had previously known that narrative writing is a form of writing that contains interesting events based on different elements such as the characters, the setting, and the plot, just to name a few, of writing. However, after this week’s lectures, I am more cognizant that a good narrative piece must be so engaging to the point where it makes the reader transported into another world or era and feel as if he or she is directly a part of the story. Furthermore, Mrs. Lazarus used a creative an innovative strategy of getting my classmates and I more comfortable to write an excellent narrative writing piece by giving us the topic ‘Johnathan Learns His Lesson’ and having us brainstorm and describe how we would go about creating a plot structure for this narrative writing piece. I loved this strategy, and I will definitely be ‘copying’ this tactic to use in my classroom.😉

(image retrieved from www.giphy.com)

2nd - 6th/10/23- The Writing Process: A Closer Look at the Pre-Writing Stage

                We ‘dived’ back into another session involving the writing process in our LIT102: Promoting Writing in the Primary Grades. I was fascinated by the way in which our lecturer Mrs. Lazarus, demonstrated how one can use a cluster, which is a graphic organizer, to effectively generate ideas in the pre-writing stage. We were further informed by Mrs. Lazarus that one can generate ideas using this tool. This class further gave me the realization and understanding that the purpose of the pre-writing stage is to gather ideas pertaining to a specific topic.

                  Additionally, we were also notified that the ‘key’ area that should be focused on during the pre-writing stage is one’s audience. The understanding that audiences can vary makes me reflect that my students can write composition pieces with the intended audience to be not just me as the teacher but also their peers, parents, principal and even the general public. I am now more intent on making my students aware that they are not specifically writing to please me as the teacher because this may put intense pressure on them mentally and, as such, diminish their love for writing.

                As a teacher, more aware of the importance of the pre-writing stage, I will encourage my students to select topics that interest them based on their own experiences. I will, however, provide a series of topics that they can choose from as well. This knowledge that it is recommended that I do so encourages me to provide them with activities such as drawings that may even lead to picture discussions, brainstorming exercises, and a video that comes out of a story or read-aloud activity that can enhance their writing abilities. I will also introduce my students to different formats of writing, such as brochures, letters and even posters, to get them excited and interested in writing.

                  The following video portrays how effective brainstorming can be used in the prewriting stage of the writing process when students are given the option of choosing a topic of their interests and based on the choices given by the teacher. 

25th - 29th/09/23- Understanding the Writing Process

                In my LIT 102 class, one of the week's main focuses was the writing process. At first, I was not as enthused as my other colleagues were. I thought I already knew everything there was to know about the writing process. Boy, was I wrong!😲 It never occurred to me that within the prewriting stage, the focus is to generate different ideas, which include the topic, purpose, and audience. I already had an incite that one should focus on writing the content in the drafting stage and take another look at one's writing for refinement in the revising stage. However, regarding the editing stage, I had never given much thought until my classmates and I were informed that it may be wise to take a 'step back', meaning to leave one's writing for a while and come back to analyse the mechanics. 🤔 

             My colleagues and I were also informed that when the students finally publish their work, they can do it by reading to their classmates or the school assembly. This new knowledge of the writing process gives me a unique perspective as a teacher because I can now see myself being more cognizant of informing my students that in the prewriting stage, they should consider both the audience and the goal of their writing. When choosing a topic, a writer must also identify the writing piece they will produce, such as narrative, descriptive, persuasive, or expository. They should also consider writing everything that comes to mind on the chosen topic. Write continuously for several minutes. When finished, go through the freewriting and highlight words, phrases, and sentences useful in the writing.

               Overall, and upon reflection, I am now more mindful that the writing process is essential to take the ideas and information gathered during the prewriting process and organise it into a logical format, which makes one's writing more organised. This can take the form of an outline, but it could also be a story map, a series of pictures, or a list, and the information should be ordered to support the thesis statement in the best way. The images below illustrates the steps required in each stage of the writing process. 

(pictures retrieved from: www.buzzingwithmsb.com.;www.i.pinimg.com.)

11th – 15th /09/23 -The Fundamentals of Descriptive Writing (Showing and Telling Sentences)

                      Throughout the week, the focus in LIT 102: Promoting Writing in Primary Grades, was on the explanation of descriptive writing. My colleagues and I were exposed to various aspects of descriptive writing. We were informed that a good descriptive writing piece creates a mental image in one’s mind. Specifically, this form of writing shows the reader vivid events as they unfold rather than simply telling what is taking place. This is primarily done using the five (5) senses (the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing). We call these sentences showing sentences.

                         From the lessons taught throughout the week, what stood out the most to me was the activity that my lecturer Mrs. Lazarus gave my colleagues and I. We were given Three (3) sentences (John was angry, a storm was approaching, and it was a hot day.) and were asked to transform these sentences into showing sentences using a sensory approach. This activity stood out to me because it challenged me to think more creatively when writing simple descriptive sentences. Additionally, we were further tasked with identifying the dominant impressions in our peers’ sentences. For instance, the showing sentence that I created for a storm was approaching was, ‘dark grey clouds gathered, lightning raced across the sky, and heavy rain began to pound the roof.’  My classmates and I identified that this sentence portrayed an eerie, tumultuous feeling aligned with the impending storm that was approaching. The following video depicts my descriptive sentence. 

                        I would have liked, however, to be shown a descriptive paragraph where all 5 senses were used in vivid detail to give me a better understanding of how one can go about writing excellent sentences. Nevertheless, I thought this week was an informative week learning how one can go about differentiating showing and telling sentences as well as being able to write a good descriptive (showing) sentence.