Thursday, March 7, 2013

Writing Delight

Day 7 of 31 at Two Writing Teachers!
A week ago at this time, I was jittery with anxious excitement, wondering what the classroom challenge would be like.  Would my students enjoy slicing as much as I do?  Would they find that true community of writers that I've found, and would it give them the confidence, enthusiasm, and hunger for writing that it's given me?

On Day 7 of the challenge, I'm delighted to say that's exactly what has happened.  My students are writing, and they are loving it!  When I was hoping for delight in my classroom, this is just what I was hoping for.

What does it look like?  Kids are typing away in the computer lab, so engrossed in their writing that they aren't flirting or joking around or checking their phones or checking the clock.  Kids who hardly get excited about anything are pointing out their comments to each other, asking me who the commenters are, and replying to the comments they've received.  Kids are delighting in writing.


Kids ARE WRITING!

8 comments:

  1. Perfect! I'm enjoying reading and watching them develop their voices in writing!

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    1. A writing voice is so hard for ELLs to cultivate, because even the advanced ones have spent so long struggling just to get their meaning across. However, they are slowly finding those voices, and they are also learning that their stories are important and writing connects people. It's exciting to watch!

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  2. Yes, your kids are getting the fever and it's contagious. Well done Jennifer! I am delighted that they are talking about their comments and posts.

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  3. Jennifer, thanks for an inspirational post! I love that you included links and I hope you don't mind if I leave some comments.

    This is my first year slicing, and I am finding it energizes me. My students are about to start their state standardized writing tests. Your work with your students makes me want to try to challenge with them next year. I wonder if it will help them find other purposes for their writing than just the test.

    Thank you for this post!

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    1. Comments would be wonderful, Chris! Thank you! I think you would love doing the challenge with your students next year! I love it so much that I'm contemplating a mini-challenge in the late fall to get them going with their blogs earlier in the year. We are about to have our state tests too (all next week!) and this definitely puts a little fun in the month! :-)

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  4. Jennifer, isn't it exciting that our ELL students are writing and publishing their writing! I love getting e-mails asking me to check a piece that someone is working on! Kudos for you for all the work that you do with your students!

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    1. It's so exciting, Jaana! My ELLs are usually so unsure of themselves that they won't let me hang their work in the hallway, and here they are publishing for the whole world to see! :-)

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  5. What a great post to read. Keep up your inspiring work! I am smiling with you!

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Comments make me happy and I'd love to hear from YOU! :-)