Writers at Work
10/21/2017
A few weeks ago we were asked to identify a “superpower” for our fundraising display. I decided that, as a lifelong reader and writer, my superpower is "literacy." Literacy, the ability to read and write, is an indispensable skill and an unimaginably treasured gift. When we think of literacy, reading is often the first thing that comes to mind, but the flip side of that coin is writing.
In the classroom, writing serves many purposes and forms a foundational and critical part of the learning experience. Writing helps students makes sense of their own thinking, learning, and of their own lives. Telling stories of life experiences provides students a sense of ownership and empowers them to discover who they are and who they are becoming. Students worked on a personal narrative the past few weeks as they told of an experience that taught them a lesson. Throughout that process, students received feedback from several sources: their teachers, their peers, and even from on online writing program. Twain's quote above was a frequent reminder to show, not tell the reader about their experiences. Each of those avenues of feedback provided students with ideas for crafting and shaping their words: feedback that they were free to use or not as they put themselves "on the line." For writing truly requires the author to be vulnerable; to put a small part of oneself out into the world for others to see and know and judge. It was truly impressive to watch students’ drafts move through the revision process, with each draft showing more clarity, better dialogue, clearer focus. Each draft showed growth and deeper thinking. Writing is a powerful medium for learning and critical thinking. We ask students to write to analyze and explain their thinking in math; to clarify their logic and provide evidence for their claims in science and social studies; to explore themes and universal truths in the literature they are reading; and to take a stand on issues they care about as we explore current events. We ask students to write, to rewrite, and to write yet again. Wrestling with words and making one’s thinking clear is no easy task. It is our constant challenge to help students see that writing helps them understand who they are, how they think, and what they’ve learned. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” —Ernest Hemingway “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” — Anne Frank "Good writing is clear thinking made visible." --Bill Wheeler I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say. — Flannery O’Connor Image: http://cindyreed.me/show-dont-tell/ Comments are closed.
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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