When was the last time you celebrated taking a risk? I know that as a bit of an introvert, I am not big on taking risks, especially if I know there is a high likelihood that I will fail. Our students need to take risks in order to become better and learn. Taking risks is part of the growth of knowledge. We need to create a compassionate, caring classroom that fosters and encourages risk-taking in writing. Our students need to be celebrated for the risks that they do take, no matter how tiny they might be. Most children start out thinking of themselves as writers. It is the experiences they have had with mistakes they’ve made that start making them hesitant to take risks. Teachers need to create a sincere connection with their students and have a trusting bond.
Routman says:
“It takes so little to turn a student into a writer: a human connection, teacher modeling, supportive conversations before writing begins, an appreciation of the student’s efforts, sincere affirmation, real writing for a purpose, and a reader that the student values.” (pg. 21)
Storytelling can create such a strong starting point for writing starts. Reading and telling children a story gives them exposure to rich vocabulary, enriching experiences, and connections with others. Our personal lives are shared with students when we tell them stories and they relate to us as teachers and as fellow human beings. Oral language skills and literacy are very closely linked. Most children and teachers love to talk with each other. By engaging in purposeful conversations and sharing stories, writing ideas and prompts can become clear. Children will write about what they know best.
A powerful display of sharing writing is through poetry. Encourage children to write free verse, to play around with words, and to explore books where author’s share great language in poetry. Poetry can be so powerful in demonstrating how fun it can be to play with words and make them work for us to make meaning and humor.
In all, our kids need to be celebrated writers and risk-takers. They need to know without-a-doubt that they have power to create writing that is worth reading. As teachers, we are responsible for giving our students that motivation, encouragement, and most importantly, the trust to take risks.
Some questions to ponder about this chapter:
• What stories do you tell to your students? Besides personal experience, what are some good resources?
• Do you “protect” story time in the classroom?
• How can journals be used productively in the classroom?
• Do I give my students enough time to tell stories or share their experiences with others?
• Do my students view themselves as great writers and storytellers?
No comments:
Post a Comment