Using Authorship to promote better writers – Part 21

WHAT?

I asked Verity for some help. I had thought about writing letters to Santa but the time frame doesn’t work, that will work better later in the term. Verity was quick to offer help and suggested that Santa letters need a range of genre. I put this to one side and investigated the other plan she gave me on writing letters to influence others.

This was just what I needed as it used a letter written to Mr Cunliffe, our Deputy Principal) on the options for wet days. Not quite the letter I was looking for so I wrote a letter to Mrs Taylor on the inclusion of the Year 3s in the Senior School Athletics event. Thinking about what Verity had said in her PD, that it is essential that the children connect to the text, I thought that this would work.

I began the lesson by reading the letter out to the class and asking what we learning to do, as a class, we analysed the letter and reverting back to the old technique of highlighting the structure of the argument.

The next lesson started with the the children watching a video on youtube on plastic pollution and the effects that it was having on animal and bird life in the oceans. I asked the children if they thought plastic pollution was a problem at school. After discussing this, I asked the children to go outside, only for 1 minute, and find a piece of plastic. It was very scary to see that all 25 children retrieved a piece of plastic from just outside our class. We used this to form our rhetorical question and begin our introduction. During this I emphasised what a paragraph needs in the way of sentences and facts.

We continued the next lesson by reviewing what a paragraph needed. That a paragraph needs beginning (topic sentence), middle (2 sentences with facts) and an end (topic sentence). We crafted 3 paragraphs for our letter to the school that we will make iMovies on to get the message out to a wider audience. Using the idea of making an iMovie has motivated the children to write more.

SO WHAT?

By using the highlighters, the ’buy-in’ was much better and our authorship lesson was completed well within time. I think this was because that the children saw this as an easy option rather than writing. But this was what I needed to do to get the children back on board to write an argument, they had been very confused with the stop start of the previous lessons.

I used a shared writing approach as I know this enables my less able writers. During this 2nd lesson, I had the RTLB working and observing the lesson. She wrote, “The writing session brought out some interesting and thoughtful ideas in the brainstorm. Some really thoughtful and individualised ideas were developing.  A lot of students completed 2 or 3 paragraphs and used persuasive techniques; questions, evidence. Useful sentences starters for paragraphs were brainstormed and written up on small whiteboard.” She also wrote, “Target students appear to need the follow up group time as soon as teacher can be available - as they are finding it hard to concentrate and think carefully where they are at, with the others being taught ahead of them, and them needing a slower pace and more support. It seemed the higher students were ready to go to desks to work independently, after the instructions and teacher modelling. This would allow for the lower ones to get their follow up group time.”

NOW WHAT?

I need to change it up for these struggling writers as my more capable writers ‘get it’. I wonder if the desks were rearranged would work so that I can rove around the class and give those who need more support. The RTLB teachers have provided files for these children that have spelling booklets, prompt cards and buddy feedback cards that they plan to teach ‘buddies’ in the class with.

I am still keen to work with the idea of an iMovie to support and motivate the children to write for an audience. I have given them storyboards to plan their recordings so I am looking forward to how this develops.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

- Thomas A. Edison

Using Authorship to promote better writers – Part 20

WHAT?

My next step was to find the perfect genre that adds detail and makes connections to the audience. Thinking about this made me gravititate towards persuasive writing. I searched numerous lesson plans on the internet and I found a blog from a teacher in America who had used an internet platform to give her students a voice. I read the pieces from the site and copied one for an exemplar and began to plan the lesson.

I used the planning template and looked into what my students needed to learn. I knew that my focus was going to be more about the structure of a piece of persuasive writing, in the analysis phase, I planned for the children to be focussed on a rhetorical question and the setting of the piece. This would help the children to add details and to connect with their audience.

To connect with their lives, I planned for the children to think of something that they wanted from their parents – a new iPad, going to a friend’s place, staying up late. During this part, the children would THINK-PAIR-SHARE, what they would say to convince their parents to get what they wanted. My plan required the class to make a list of things that they wanted change in the school and who we needed to persuade.

SO WHAT?

I had carefully planned this part of the lesson but unfortunately I didn’t take this lesson, my release teacher did. She was very enthusiastic and created a list of things that they wanted to change in the school. But for the following lesson I felt that the children were missing to the point of the lesson and I needed to change/ respond to their needs.

My next step involved using more of a scaffolding for the text and use bare bones boxes to help the children see what they needed to do. Because the point of the lesson was lost I needed to refresh my ideas and look for another way to achieve what the needs of the children.

NOW WHAT?

How can I find a scaffolding that works for my class, especially my priority learners? Who can help me to help me get on the right track again? I know that an argument will create success for my learners so I need persevere with this genre and find purpose for the writing.

Back to the drawing board…

“Failing doesn't make us a failure. But not trying to do better, to be better, does make us fools.” 
― Wes Moore