Living Life Twice

Getting Started With Writers As Mentors For some, the realization that we really do learn to write from writers might be new. For others, the idea of introducing children to mentor authors might also be new. Either way, a whole new raft of possibilities suddenly opens to us as educators. Possibilities that are simultaneously exciting and challenging. Katie Wood Ray, “Wondrous Words” (1999) reminds us, "Now that I know what I know, I have asked, How do I plan and present lessons, confer, assess, and respond differently? How do I teach in ways that cause my students to directly apprentice themselves to other writers?” (p. 208). A logical starting point might be to think about your own favorite authors, those who have influenced your writing. Bring these books into your classroom and share your love of these authors and the impact they have had on your own writing. Provide students with access to lots of books along with time to read and share their thoughts with each other. Then, wa...

I am currently reading Michael Morpurgo’s book, “Singing for Mrs Pettigrew in which the author outlines the journey he has taken as a story-maker. Morpurgo uses the text of various stories and essays to explain how and why he does things as a writer. He writes in the hope that this in-depth examination of his personal writing process will increase understanding of the storyteller’s craft. He writes about being a story maker: “I am a grower of stories. I farm them as surely as a farmer does his corn. I am a weaver of dreams, a teller of tales. I have through my mother reading to me, through my own reading, through inspired teachers, through my great mentors, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ted Hughes and Sean Rafferty, through years of practice, discovered my way of doing it. Every writer’s way is unique, I am sure, though perhaps we all have much more in common than we believe.” Singing For Mrs Pettigrew- A Story-maker’s Journey, Michael Morpurgo Morpurgo weaves his stories and essays though-o...

It has concerned me for some period that too many students approach the task of writing lacking any sense of freedom to explore and manipulate ideas. They experience emotional blocks when it comes to making decisions. A distinct lack of confidence is evident. They ask questions such as: How much should I write? Should I use paragraphs? What should I write about? -And yet, in other classrooms I gain a sense that the writers are reflective and self directed. They think, they solve problems, they articulate their writing intentions, they take risks and display a strong sense of ownership for the development of the text. The question arises, -What is the root cause of this difference in attitude? The answer appears to lie in the classroom climate that exists. Frequently, when we dig a little deeper, it becomes apparent that a number of emotional blocks exist. -Blocks inhibiting thinking and prohibiting the growth of independence. I invite teachers to ask themselves the following questions:...

When I think about this question, I immediately recall the teachers who influenced my reading... In grade two, Miss Edwards read to us from Dorothy Wall's classic, " The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill. " We loved it so much we pestered our parents to buy us our very own copies. In grade three, Mr Murphy, who took over from the wonderful Miss Warren read Rudyard Kipling's inspiring story of " Rikki Tikki Tavi " -a brave little mongoose who struggles with the menacing cobra snakes in India. We listened entranced as Mr Murphy skillfully built the tension for his young audience. We craved the next reading installment. The art of the serial story was the spell he wove over us. In my final year of primary school, Mr Harris, my grade six teacher introduced me to poetry, especially the lyrical ballads of Henry Lawson and A.B "Banjo" Paterson. He shared the vision splendid. We all rleished the opportunity to bellow those famous words- "Murder, bl...

Students need to be encouraged to talk about their personal stories, either to the whole class or a partner. It has been said that in any classroom, reading and writing “floats on a sea of talk.” We must begin by accepting the premise that there is more than one teacher of writing in every classroom and thus promote quality conversations. Articulating their writing intention, clarifying thoughts and ideas, and practising how they will commence the piece of writing are most valuable undertakings for developing writers. Talk as a pre-writing exercise should not be undervalued. Teachers who rush towards 'silence' do their writers a disservice. Meaningful, focused discussion is exceedingly valuable as a writing lead up activity. This activation of prior knowledge connects the writer to ideas- and ideas are the lifeline every writer needs for survival. The average student can speak at a rate approximating two to three hundred words per minute. When students tell their stories, they ...

Writing with voice is writing into which someone has breathed. It has that fluency, rhythm and liveliness that exists naturally in the speech of most people when they are enjoying a conversation………. Writing with real voice has the power to make you pay attention and understand - the words go deep. Source: Peter Elbow Writing With Power Ralph Fletcher says that writing with voice has the same quirky cadence that makes human speech so impossible to resist listening to. It includes dark humor, cryptic asides, and terrific endings. Such writing has energy. It occurs when the writer's personality is captured on the page. Fletcher further reminds us that when writing has real voice, "You can sense the author pulling in close, cozying up to the subject." Frequently people who are charming in person find it difficult to sound natural on the page. Developing voice in your writing requires awareness and diligence. It also requires a supportive mentor or writing teacher. When workin...

Writing is frequently perceived as the poor relation in the family of literacy skills- neglected, forgotten, and frequently misunderstood. Teacher attitudes are frequently coloured by bad personal experiences when learning to write. As a result, writing is taught, but there is no fond embrace. It's a bit like the way my father always told me when I was a child, 'Eat your vegetables, they're good for you." -He had to say that, didn't he? He did not fully embrace his own words. Time and observation proved that he was a somewhat restricted consumer of the good for you green stuff. Too many classrooms still adopt a perfunctory 'eat your vegies' approach to teaching writing. The writing program never quite gets going and this may well have its roots in a distinct lack of confidence or knowledge about the needs of writers. It may well be that the students know that their teacher is not totally credible as a writer. If a teacher is a non risk taker with writing, ...

Writing Territories Nancie Atwell taught me that the range of things we do as writers define our writing territories. They include genres in which we write, or would like to write, or would like to try, subjects we have written about or would like to, and real or potential audiences for our writing. Our writing territories should be packed full of ideas, obsessions, experiences, itches, aversions, and feelings. The writing about these territorial issues may take many forms –poems, memoirs, novels, reviews, literary criticisms, essays, articles, letters, speeches, lists. My Personal Territories inlcude: Poetry Problems Music and Memory Travel adventures Childhood adventures My parents Being an educator Misadventures, mistakes and places beginning with “M” Family matters/history Learning about myself Collecting –books, music, photography Simple pleasures, tranquil places Politics Newspapers The writing that my territories generate is therefore directed to many differen...

As an educator and a life long reader I have always been interested in how and why we become readers. How do we develop into readers with rich, personal reading lives? I find myself reflecting on those earlier years of my life and the journey I have taken to become the reader I am today. Think for a moment about your own reading experiences and see where your reflections take you. Do they inform what you do as a teacher of reading? Thinking about my reading process helps me better understand the teachers and students I work with and provides many teachable moments to share. This reflection has helped me determine what I want students to discover about reading I have become more acutely aware of my reading persona in recent years. I know that I read for different purposes and therefore the quality and range of my books vary greatly. When I have extended time for reading I choose more challenging texts. The extra time enables me to savor the beauty of the author’s words, and to ...

As a teacher of writing I want my students to come to the realization that there is a real purpose to the writing we all do. I want them to understand that through writing they can gain a greater understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. I want them to understand that through writing they can communicate with a specific audience across time and space. I want them to understand that through writing they can find a voice for their thoughts and ideas and that their writing efforts are valued. To achieve these goals I accept that my students need adequate time and space to develop as writers. Available research data shows that when children are provided with opportunities to write every day they begin to compose even when they are not actually writing. In other words they begin to think about their writing beyond the confines of the classroom. As a teacher I have always gained immense satisfaction from hearing students, who upon entering the classroom first thing in t...