After reading the first two chapters of "Of Primary Importance," what ideas impacted your thinking about writing and your writing instruction?
3 comments:
Andrea
said...
I can tell I’m going to love this book! Ann Marie Corgill does what I always loved Regie Routman for- she speaks to and FOR teachers. I love what an advocate she is for real, authentic teaching. Yes- I’m a fan. (sigh)
Before I write anything about Chapters 1 or 2, can I just say that I loved the introduction? “Write the book you desperately want to read,” her friend told her. I can tell that this book is going to be full of things-we-all-desperately-want-to-read. Not only that, but it’s going to be full of things we desperately NEED to read.
In Chapter 2, I felt that her goals for her students were quite attainable, given the writer’s workshop format. I feel really good knowing that we can achieve these with the direction we are headed with writing. Although, it certainly doesn’t come easily!
My teaching has changed so much since I started at Great Valley: at the beginning, I don’t know if I could have met even ONE of those goals. The writing my kids did was so contrived and teacher-directed. At two or three years in, once I was dabbling in writer’s workshop, my students certainly “loved” writing. With young children, that’s the easy part, I think. A few years later, as writer’s workshop was really humming and I had really gotten the hang of purposeful planning, I think my kids engaged in all parts of the writing process, used writing as a tool for communication, and read then wrote in many genres. It wasn’t until my last two years that I finally feel that I’ve begun to touch the other, more intangible goals. In particular, the one that sticks out for me is “to see the world with wide-open eyes.” I think that all children do this to some extent, but I also think it can be absolutely harnessed as one of their greatest strength as a writer. A couple parents even commented to me this year about how their children were looking at the world differently.
Of course, we all have our own goals for our writers. I’m not about to simply adopt someone else’s! What about: • that children view themselves as authors • that children live every day as a writer • that children envision what they are trying to accomplish with a piece and then write purposefully towards that goal
I should stop now… I guess Chapters 1 and 2 gave me more to think about than I thought!
I absolutely LOVE this book! I think that Corgill gets it sooo right when she says to listen to the kids and to celebrate your "out of the bubble thinkers" and commit to meaningful literacy assessment for all students. In her introduction, she says she wrote this because she believes in teachers and quality writing instruction!
I love the idea in Chapter 2 of creating writing goals with the students and to ask the students their goals.
Less is more--what a concept! Also the analogy of the tortoise and the hare--slow and steady wins the race!
The fact that she applauds working at your pace,and don't worry about looking around you to see where everyone else is, helps me! I am only now accepting that I am me and can only move at my and my student's pace. I have always spent too much time comparing myself to others, and need to be okay with me! Can't wait to see her unit ideas! Plus I love the pictures!
I found myself nodding and wearing a huge grin while reading the post written by Andrea. Yes, yes, yes! I am very eager to dig deeper into Corgill's book in preparation for my upcoming school year as a Kindergarten teacher. Since this will be a new role, I have been reading and reflecting about how I will establish an engaging classroom for literacy and numeracy while integrating SS and Science. Like Ann Marie Corgill I've spent a lot of time determining what I value and believe. Let me share those statements in the first two chapters that align with my beliefs. "Although we can't change a child's experiences outside the classroom, as professionals, we must strive to support these young writeres and make a difference in their lives within the classroom." (p.7) What I do matters to and for young children. AND Ann Marie continues, "Children come with a wealth of knowledge and experience about their world and their lives in and out of the classrooms." So as a teacher I know that all children have a schema even if it is different than the majority of students. My role is to illicit that knowledge and help link it to the learning giving them a voice. Ann Marie's student vignettes are examples of the need for personalizing relationships with children and the impact that can make on a child's view of him/herself as a writer...a learner. In Chapter 2 I especially felt magnetized to the words, "It's my job to provide the experiences that will nuture and encourage students' interest in and love of writing." How exciting it will be this fall when I can watch my children develop the understanding that an author has a "message" whether children read for it OR they write it. Finally, the words on page 21 referencing the fast paced world remind me...childhood should be a journey not a race. It is my hope that I can allow my students to enjoy each step of the process and to be proud of the product! I go between being very excited and very scared! Lucy
3 comments:
I can tell I’m going to love this book! Ann Marie Corgill does what I always loved Regie Routman for- she speaks to and FOR teachers. I love what an advocate she is for real, authentic teaching. Yes- I’m a fan. (sigh)
Before I write anything about Chapters 1 or 2, can I just say that I loved the introduction? “Write the book you desperately want to read,” her friend told her. I can tell that this book is going to be full of things-we-all-desperately-want-to-read. Not only that, but it’s going to be full of things we desperately NEED to read.
In Chapter 2, I felt that her goals for her students were quite attainable, given the writer’s workshop format. I feel really good knowing that we can achieve these with the direction we are headed with writing. Although, it certainly doesn’t come easily!
My teaching has changed so much since I started at Great Valley: at the beginning, I don’t know if I could have met even ONE of those goals. The writing my kids did was so contrived and teacher-directed. At two or three years in, once I was dabbling in writer’s workshop, my students certainly “loved” writing. With young children, that’s the easy part, I think. A few years later, as writer’s workshop was really humming and I had really gotten the hang of purposeful planning, I think my kids engaged in all parts of the writing process, used writing as a tool for communication, and read then wrote in many genres. It wasn’t until my last two years that I finally feel that I’ve begun to touch the other, more intangible goals. In particular, the one that sticks out for me is “to see the world with wide-open eyes.” I think that all children do this to some extent, but I also think it can be absolutely harnessed as one of their greatest strength as a writer. A couple parents even commented to me this year about how their children were looking at the world differently.
Of course, we all have our own goals for our writers. I’m not about to simply adopt someone else’s! What about:
• that children view themselves as authors
• that children live every day as a writer
• that children envision what they are trying to accomplish with a piece and then write purposefully towards that goal
I should stop now… I guess Chapters 1 and 2 gave me more to think about than I thought!
I absolutely LOVE this book! I think that Corgill gets it sooo right when she says to listen to the kids and to celebrate your "out of the bubble thinkers" and commit to meaningful literacy assessment for all students. In her introduction, she says she wrote this because she believes in teachers and quality writing instruction!
I love the idea in Chapter 2 of creating writing goals with the students and to ask the students their goals.
Less is more--what a concept! Also the analogy of the tortoise and the hare--slow and steady wins the race!
The fact that she applauds working at your pace,and don't worry about looking around you to see where everyone else is, helps me! I am only now accepting that I am me and can only move at my and my student's pace. I have always spent too much time comparing myself to others, and need to be okay with me! Can't wait to see her unit ideas! Plus I love the pictures!
Happy Reading!
I found myself nodding and wearing a huge grin while reading the post written by Andrea. Yes, yes, yes!
I am very eager to dig deeper into Corgill's book in preparation for my upcoming school year as a Kindergarten teacher. Since this will be a new role, I have been reading and reflecting about how I will establish an engaging classroom for literacy and numeracy while integrating SS and Science.
Like Ann Marie Corgill I've spent a lot of time determining what I value and believe. Let me share those statements in the first two chapters that align with my beliefs.
"Although we can't change a child's experiences outside the classroom, as professionals, we must strive to support these young writeres and make a difference in their lives within the classroom." (p.7) What I do matters to and for young children. AND Ann Marie continues, "Children come with a wealth of knowledge and experience about their world and their lives in and out of the classrooms." So as a teacher I know that all children have a schema even if it is different than the majority of students. My role is to illicit that knowledge and help link it to the learning giving them a voice. Ann Marie's student vignettes are examples of the need for personalizing relationships with children and the impact that can make on a child's view of him/herself as a writer...a learner.
In Chapter 2 I especially felt magnetized to the words, "It's my job to provide the experiences that will nuture and encourage students' interest in and love of writing." How exciting it will be this fall when I can watch my children develop the understanding that an author has a "message" whether children read for it OR they write it.
Finally, the words on page 21 referencing the fast paced world remind me...childhood should be a journey not a race. It is my hope that I can allow my students to enjoy each step of the process and to be proud of the product! I go between being very excited and very scared! Lucy
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