Just got home & wanted to share that I am happy I signed up for the ASI. I told a couple of you that I feel like a new bass player coming into an already well-established tour...but I am excited to feel that renewed sense of excitement that I felt those many 6 years ago. Again, I would appreciate any/all ideas about how to create a connection with the kids I have once or twice a week & form routines and guidelines for writing communities to flourish and grow. :) Enjoy your evening & I will check back later!
On my inkshed, I wrote that it took me some time to return to the NWP mentality yesterday. My mind has been thinking about the Lang and Comp class that I will be teaching, and now I want to think more about how I can help all of my writers--even the most basic ones. I'm excited to discuss our many issues with how to keep NWP principles at the foundation of everything that we do while still maintaining the state standards and state demands held over the heads of our student writers.
Greta, I was thinking about your unique position on the way home. This may sound quirky but what do you think about a theme? Something that others will associate to you? Just a thought.
I was also wondering if you could have a multi-age, multi-reason writing group that you could invite students you come in contact with to be a part of. If you bought a bunch of 10-cent one subject notebooks during back to school days, they could become conversational journals between you and those students and then maybe it could grow into something larger? It might be co-opting other teachers kids, but it would be to improve their literacy, and you could just be a HUMAN in responding to them, which could be fun.
Nikki - love the idea of a theme...but what? Can we chat more about it tomorrow? Teri - I had also thought of having "traveling interest journals"...kind of the same notion Nikki has of using the same ones year after year & the kids would get to see what the older students wrote about given topics. I have a ton of siblings within my 3rd-8th grade population ~ so, it would be fun to use the journals throughout. Would you be willing to expand upon the "conversation journal" idea with me?
Greta--I like the idea of "Traveling Interest Journals". There is another third grade teacher with whom I do a lot of brainstorming and planning. We could share a set of interest journals. We'd just need 25 journals instead of 50; 25 titles which we think would interest our students. It would be a great way to break out of our classroom islands and make connections with others. Kate
Greta, An eighth grade house at my school was the House Y "Wild Things"--maybe you could have a wild things theme, and you're "wild" about reading or something like that.
Just got home & wanted to share that I am happy I signed up for the ASI. I told a couple of you that I feel like a new bass player coming into an already well-established tour...but I am excited to feel that renewed sense of excitement that I felt those many 6 years ago. Again, I would appreciate any/all ideas about how to create a connection with the kids I have once or twice a week & form routines and guidelines for writing communities to flourish and grow. :) Enjoy your evening & I will check back later!
ReplyDeleteOn my inkshed, I wrote that it took me some time to return to the NWP mentality yesterday. My mind has been thinking about the Lang and Comp class that I will be teaching, and now I want to think more about how I can help all of my writers--even the most basic ones. I'm excited to discuss our many issues with how to keep NWP principles at the foundation of everything that we do while still maintaining the state standards and state demands held over the heads of our student writers.
ReplyDeleteGreta, I was thinking about your unique position on the way home. This may sound quirky but what do you think about a theme? Something that others will associate to you? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteGreta,
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering if you could have a multi-age, multi-reason writing group that you could invite students you come in contact with to be a part of. If you bought a bunch of 10-cent one subject notebooks during back to school days, they could become conversational journals between you and those students and then maybe it could grow into something larger? It might be co-opting other teachers kids, but it would be to improve their literacy, and you could just be a HUMAN in responding to them, which could be fun.
Teri
Nikki - love the idea of a theme...but what? Can we chat more about it tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteTeri - I had also thought of having "traveling interest journals"...kind of the same notion Nikki has of using the same ones year after year & the kids would get to see what the older students wrote about given topics. I have a ton of siblings within my 3rd-8th grade population ~ so, it would be fun to use the journals throughout. Would you be willing to expand upon the "conversation journal" idea with me?
Greta--I like the idea of "Traveling Interest Journals". There is another third grade teacher with whom I do a lot of brainstorming and planning. We could share a set of interest journals. We'd just need 25 journals instead of 50; 25 titles which we think would interest our students. It would be a great way to break out of our classroom islands and make connections with others.
ReplyDeleteKate
Greta, I am still thinking. I was trying to associate with a picture book of some sort so you could start somewhere. I'll keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteGreta,
ReplyDeleteAn eighth grade house at my school was the House Y "Wild Things"--maybe you could have a wild things theme, and you're "wild" about reading or something like that.