Reflections

  • Writing Workshop in the Classroom
    February 13, 2010

    We use the name Writing Workshop in classrooms to identify that wonderful time when students can explore their own interpretations, ideas, stories and information through writing. The term "workshop" represents just that - WORK!

    Writing in schools has come a long way since the 50's and 60's. Back then the teacher gave an assignment and students wrote. They might not have understood the genre or the purpose, but they diligently picked up a pencil or pen and wrote the designated amount of paragraphs or pages.

    Today is different. Writing workshop provides tools - instruction. One of the greatest tools a teacher can offer students is the ability to ask questions - the right questions - while they plan and write. Writing is work whether you're 9 or 59 years old. Just because a person has a good idea, doesn't mean that he will be able to write in an effective way. This is where questioning comes into play.

    An effective teacher models questioning while thinking and writing in front of the students. For instance, if I was writing a personal narrative in a third grade classroom, I might begin with:
    What emotional event or moment do I want to write about?
    What is it that I want to share about that? What is my focus?
    Why do I want to write about this? What is my purpose?
    Who was with me?
    Where was I?
    What happened first? Or what was said first?
    What details can I offer my reader so he can see and hear and feel what I did at that time?

    If I was modeling persuasive writing in a fifth grade classroom, I might ask myself:
    Who do I want to persuade? Who is my audience?
    What do I want them to do, or how do I want them to think? What is my focus?
    What are three or four different convincing points that will help me persuade them?
    Can I add some detail, or perhaps an anecdote to each convincing point?
    What is the big picture convincing point that I want to leave with my audience at the end?

    Questioning takes time. I always tell students that strong writers work long and hard before they begin the actual writing of the piece. It takes effort to decide what you want to say and how you want to say it. It's sometimes difficult to think about those specific details or examples that will make your writing pop on the page.

    We teach students about writerly questions through our own modeling, by asking them questions as they plan, and by asking more questions when we stop at a desk to help a student who is struggling with that initial idea. We do this because that's what ALL writers do. We ask questions to discover exactly what we want and need to write.

    How can I get my audience excited about my focus?
    Why would my character do that?
    How would she do that?
    Does this make sense?
    What else would my audience like to know about this?
    Why is this so important?
    Do I really need this information? Does it add meaning to what I'm writing.

    It takes practice, lots and lots of practice, to ask just the right questions, but students are savvy. The more they hear us ask questions, the more they see how questions help writers focus, organize and add development. And the more we model, the more they will experiment.

    As teachers, we recognize success when we overhear students asking one another critical questions about their writing. They are becoming independent. They are seeing a purpose for using this tool.

    Try it. The next time you model in front of your students, don't just write, think out loud. Ask yourself one question after another and then answer them. Show the process - how you select some ideas and discard others. Let the students watch you mentally sweat. Then provide time in writers workshop for your students to WORK.

    02/13/2010
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  • An Act of Discovery
    January 31, 2010

    A few weeks ago I hosted another writing workshop for people who want to publish children's books.

    I always enjoy these workshops. Each participant comes with a different idea and a respect for children and the books they read. Some want to write for the educational market. Some want to write humor. Some want to write a best seller. Some want to explore writing and find out if they have "what it takes." But they all want to write something important.

    On day one I offer an explanation of how writing is all about discovery. Authors start with an idea, refine it, write it and then through many, many revisions, they discover what it was they set out to write. Polite as they are, the workshop attendees smile and nod, then look down at their notebooks.

    I persevere. I comment on how much they will learn to love revision. Again, they smile. They nod and wait for me to say something of great value.
    But I did.

    After everyone pushes out a few pages of text, we gather. Some people read what they've written. If they only want celebrations, that's what they receive. If they want gentle nudges, I ask questions. I try to help the writer find what he/she intended to say.

    I wish I could say that this comes naturally. Not for me, it doesn't. It's always much easier to "tell" a writer how he might change what he's written.
    But would that help the writer? Not really.

    I learned how to question from editors. They're great at this. I always envisioned that this is an art form handed down from one senior or executive editor to the new assistant editor. It's gentle. Respectful. Highly effective.

    I'm not as good at it as my editors, but I keep refining the skill. Asking good questions is essential. It's also a strategy that writers soon learn to use on themselves. Writing occurs when a person asks questions - about character, motive, or plot - and answers them, actually answers them again and again and selects one of the best answers to move the writing forward. If an editor, or a teacher, only makes suggestions or tells the writer what to revise, then the author never moves deeper into craft.

    It takes time to ask questions. It also takes practice. That's where revision comes into play. Revision is all about discovery. Sometimes it begins with improving the ending of a piece. Then, a writer has to ask, Is there a connection between the beginning and the ending? Or what if a writer asks, Does my character show growth by the end of the story? If not, that means you have to ask another question, "Is there enough at stake? Did I give my character enough of a challenge for growth? One question and revision leads to another and another and before long you're looking at the writing with all new eyes. (The meaning of the word revision.) The writing starts to transform. As you revise, you go deeper into what you wanted to say. In fact, you discover the true purpose of your writing.

    This is the most exhilarating part of writing. Of course, it's always fun to have that initial idea that sets a writer in motion. It's raw energy and it's exciting. But somewhere deep in revision a writer will have not one, but quite a few ah-ha's. And then the writer knows she's onto something good.

    This past week I received an email from one of the recent workshop attendees. She had worked hard on her picture book, revising it over and over again. I could hear her excitement in every word she wrote. She knew she was onto something good, maybe even great. She had discovered the POV she wanted to use, the character's voice, the true story.

    I wish that for all of us who write. May we all take the time to ask hard questions. May we revise over and over again until we know what it is we truly want to say. May we discover who we are as writers.

    01/31/2010
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  • Good Reads
    January 17, 2010

    I know, I know, I haven't been posting here regularly. Shame on me.

    In my defense, I have been visiting schools, working with amazing children and some truly wonderful teachers. And . . . I've been reading and reading and reading. So, here are a few of the books that have grabbed my heart.

    I just completed WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead. I had seen this book mentioned on several lists, but (on purpose) had not read any kind of summary. (I like to read books cold and think about their impact as I go.) OH MY WORD, what a great read! Hmmm, how to describe this without giving away any of its charm. The style of writing is breezy and accessible. The main character is genuine, believable, flawed, yet perfect. The author's device of the game show adds humor and is a good foil for the more serious content. The storyline is intriguing, yet Rebecca provides all the clues the reader needs to put the puzzle together. This is the kind of book that I envision being passed from one kid to another to another. And, I could be wrong, but it looks like the kind of manuscript that would require a LOT of fiddling. The author juggled several story balls in the air from chapter to chapter. Read it. I love it when authors push the literary envelope. It's fun!

    A few weeks ago I read my first book in Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series - BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS. Now I know what my friends have been raving about. This is the kind of book you can read two chapters one day and three the next and keep meandering and smiling and thinking. The folk wisdoms abound. Human nature is explored to its fullest. I'm anxious to read more in this series, as well as explore Smith's other series. If nothing else, the names of these series are a hoot.

    I've read Roland Smith's books since I was a classroom teacher and my students enjoyed JAGUAR. He's written one great book after another from PEAK to ZACH'S LIE to ELEPHANT RUN to CRYPTID HUNTERS to JACK'S RUN. And now he's started a series entitled I.Q. During a week's worth of school visits last year in Spokane, Washington, a fifth grade boy approached me and told me his name was Quest. Then he smiled and shared that Roland Smith had thought his name so unusual that he was going to use it for his protagonist in his next book. He was right. I don't know which came first - Roland's use of the name, or meeting the young man in Spokane - but Quest is the protagonist of this series. I recently read Book One: INDEPENDENCE HALL and I have the next book in the series - THE WHITE HOUSE - on order.

    Practice makes perfect and Roland's books are a great example of this. He does not compromise reality or danger, but deftly balances it with believable characters who use their resources to face the current challenge, cope and move on. Each book is a healthy page-turner and so much more.

    03/09/2010
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  • Tallulah Gorge
    November 8, 2009

    If you live in or near Georgia, take a day to visit Tallulah Gorge.

    Ted and I hiked every possible trail this past Thursday. Here we are at the bottom of the gorge. BEWARE! You need to walk down many, many steps to get to this point, which means . . . you need to hike up, up, up to get to the rim. It was worth it - every huff and puff.

    01/07/2010
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  • Reading and Writing
    November 8, 2009

    I've been working in quite a few schools in Georgia these past few months and I've met so many dedicated teachers and students.

    It's amazing to me how many teachers are hungry for tools to help their students improve in the craft of writing. It is equally thrilling to watch students use the tools of writing to create beautiful poems, engaging information pieces and intriguing stories. Each day adds to my understanding about how students learn, think and synthesize. It also humbles me as I realize that girls and boys, ages 5-11, can convey so much meaning in so few words.

    At the very end of October it was my pleasure to visit St. Martin's Episcopal School in Atlanta. Their media specialist, Molly O'Brien, asked me to speak with all students (preK-grade 5) writer-to-writer. It was an author's dream. First of all Molly planned the day so students would receive as much one-on-one time with me as possible. We chatted about books, the joys of writing, the difficulties and the craft. We laughed and we posed questions that made us think. At lunch I was fortunate enough to meet with a dozen conscientious writers from all grade levels. Again we had a vibrant discussion that revolved around their writing. After school I met with teachers who wanted to know more - how to help students self-select writing topics, how to encourage revision, and how to help them stay focused on one idea. Here is the bulletin board that Molly designed to build interest before my visit.

    My day at St. Martin's was glorious. Why? The students were excited to meet the author of many books they had read. They, as writers themselves, had serious questions. Each group had an hour with me - time to build a writerly relationship. And it was organized. Ahhhhh,
    nothing pays off like the hard work done behind the scenes. I thank Molly for that. It was a seamless day of enthusiasm and inspiration.

    11/08/2009
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