Entry #9: The Power of Descriptive Writing

Growing up, descriptive writing was always something I thought I was pretty lousy at. In elementary school, my least favorite subject was definitely writing because I felt like I never had anything to say. I remember learning about descriptive writing and I never understood how to add details. I had trouble understanding the concept of allowing my readers "to paint a memorable picture and evoke a distinctive mood" (Tompkins, 2011). I thought I could just tell a story or write about an event that had happened in my life and my readers would have the full picture of what happened. It is hard as a young writer to really recognize the importance of making your writing engaging and meaningful. It is difficult to know how to provide the appropriate descriptions to your audience. For me, the best stories I have heard are the ones where I am able to make a 'movie in my mind' while also feeling like I am apart of the story, transporting myself to the experience that the characters are experiencing. While keeping that in mind, it is important to study the most useful and most transferable writing skills for students to truly understand what descriptive writing is all about.  

http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/descriptive_writing

I loved reading Tompkins (2011) chapter on Descriptive Writing. She provided me with 5 different techniques I could use to allow myself to make the 'shift from telling to showing' in my own writing but also helping my students improve in their own writing (p. 136). These techniques include: adding specific information, choosing words carefully, creating sensory images, using figurative language and writing dialogue (p. 136). In my opinion, the best way to learn how to do anything is to see it modeled or to view a demonstration. This is why I found it so beneficial that I was able to have the opportunity to read some descriptive mentor texts which highlighted the various techniques listed above but could also be used for a wide range of grade levels. This gave me a clearer idea of what descriptive writing should look like skill-wise but also what is expected a each grade level. For example, Skippyjon Jones is a picture book for a younger audience about a Siamese cat whose has a wild imagination and has a super-hero alter ego. There is also The Stranger which is meant to be used with 3-5 graders. This book discusses deeper themes and provides meaningful life lessons. This would be a great resource for teaching students about how to use and implement figurative language within their writing pieces (p. 137). 

The most beneficial technique to me was incorporating sensory images within your writing. I think this is such a powerful way to improve your writing. These senses can really allow the reader to feel like they are apart of the story. Tompkins (2011) states "too often, students' writing is limited to one sense- sight: they describe something as though their writing were a home movie without sound" (p. 139). This quote was so true for me as a young writer but also true for so many students I encounter in classrooms today. It would be helpful to provide my students with opportunities where they are required to try to use at least 3 of the senses with their descriptive writing pieces. I feel like there are so many hands-on activities or games that could be developed to support students' sensory writing experiences. 

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-descriptive-writing/

Lastly, I really enjoyed the guided practice activities Tompkins (2011) offers to use within a writer's workshop. The activities provided were all so engaging and could be differentiated to fit the needs of all of your students. My favorite activity listed was the adding words to wordless picture books (p. 149). In these stories, the pictures need to be so detailed that the reader/viewer is able to develop their own storyline or create their own stories by inventing dialogue and adding other details to describe what is happening on each page. This would be a wonderful way to allow my students to practice their vivid descriptions. 

References 

Tompkins, G. E.  (2011).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (6^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Entry 8: 'Address' That Feedback

Over the past couple of days, I have spent some time looking at my peers' blog posts. It has been a wonderful experience to see how my classmates react and respond to different educational research and readings. I have found a number of similarities and differences within the professional opinions shared my peers. This is what is so great about the field of teaching, I am always being exposed to opportunities where I am able to collaborate, receive feedback and acquire new skills/strategies that can be applied to my own classroom. On the other hand, it is also important to know how to appropriately provide feedback to others. Hicks (2009) provides his audience with the National Writing Project's model for giving peer feedback. Within this feedback, it important: to bless, to address, and to press a given text you would like to respond to. 

www.ssgt.nsw.edu.au/documents/2practices_feedback.pdf

To Bless: While these keeping these feedback points in mind, I would like to dedicate this post to respond and expand upon one of my classmates specific posts. Anna Jackson's 'Blog 4: Instructional Strategies' entry really stuck out to me (https://jacksonsp18writing.blogspot.com/ ). Anna offers a number of great ideas and insight on the importance of instructional strategies to help improve own learning experiences. Within this post, she discusses how she uses the headings, subtitles and explanations to inform and organize her thinking for a given text. She also turns the headings into questions to reflect on later in the reading. This is a reading strategy that I had never considered before but I am definitely going to try this to see if it helps me get more out of the texts I am reading. I agree that this strategy would help me to become a more active reader. I love how Anna discussed the importance of making connections while engaging in reading or writing activity. In my own personal experiences, I am also making different types of connections to clarify my understanding of a particular text. Lastly, I really enjoyed Anna's discussion on the importance of reflecting on her work (NCT, 2011). I am still learning how to appropriately critique my own work through the process of writing lesson reflections and evaluations. Especially in the world of teaching, it is critical to reflect in order to improve my daily lessons and instructional experiences for my students.    

To Address: As I was reading this blog entry, I also had some questions I would like to ask Anna. When you were discussing your habits of mind, you said you wanted to become more sensitive to the texts you are reading. Can you define what you mean by that? In what ways, do you plan on becoming more sensitive while engaging in reading and writing tasks? You also stated that you wanted to 'take risks by exploring questions that are unfamiliar to you'. What would be an example of a risk taking question? 

To Press: Overall, I really enjoyed reading Anna's post blog! She offered a lot of wonderful ways that has learned to improve her reading and writing skills. There is just one critical question I would offer Anna as a way to 'move toward a stronger version or a clearer explanation of her opinion' (Hicks, 2013, p. 83). This question would be: How do all of these instructional strategies you offered in your blog post #4 inform your classroom instruction? In what ways can you make these strategies accessible for all of your students? 

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/peer-feedback-tips

References

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project. (2011). Framework for success in postsecondary writing.  Retrieved from http://wpacouncil.org/framework/

Entry #7: Biographical Writing

Throughout this class, I have been learning about a number of different genres. Not only have I been exposed to learning how to write in these different genres, I have also been learning concepts and instructional methods that could be used to teach students how to write in these genres. More specifically, I have been assigned a project where I am required to become an expert on the biographical genre. I am responsible for developing and delivering a professional workshop that will help my classmates become more confident in teaching their students how to read and write all types of life stories. 

Throughout this process, I am gathering a number of resources that will deepen my knowledge on this specific genre. For example, I have collected a few research articles that exposed me to other aspects on teaching biographies that I had never considered before. I stumbled upon an article that provided three clues individuals can look for while they are reading or writing biographical pieces. The three clues are: looking for repetition within an author's perspective, looking to find any similarities or/and differences about the same subjects discussed from different perspectives and taking a look at the author's note to see if any additional information is provided about why the author wrote their biographies from that particular point of view (Zarnowski, 2019). I think these clues are great guidelines for readers to look for because it challenges them to take a deeper look into why an author would make certain decisions throughout their writing process. These same clues can be applied when I am teaching my students how to write their own biographies. All of these clues are great tips on how to make your biographical writing more meaningful and engaging for your given audience. 

https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/nonfiction/tips-writing-biography/

I also found another useful article where Marshall (2019) discusses the importance of incorporating biographies in today's classrooms that highlight multiple identities, languages, modes and histories. The author believes that these biographies should be powerful enough to promote some sort of social activism within our students. Biographies should raise ethical questions (Marshall, 2019). I couldn't agree more with the author's point that biographies should provide our students with more personal details and provoke deeper emotions than textbooks do. These biographies also shine a light on the biases and the lack of representation for minority groups found in modern-day social studies textbooks. Reading and writing biographies allow students to engage in learning about real-world experiences which in return will allow students to recall the information long-term. Marshall (2019) also offered an eye-opening activity for me to try in my classroom. Students would be required to find a story that includes a stereotype, excludes or misrepresents them as a way to show others how misleading stories can be sometimes. I believe it is important to teach my students to be critical readers by looking for any misrepresentations found in the stories they are reading. 

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/biograph/index.htm

Marshall (2019) also states: "autobiography allows writers the opportunity to reckon with their own past and historical time period and to provide a critique of the present." This was a very powerful quote because autobiographies are more than just writing a story about yourself. They allow writers to consider how they have developed into the person they are today. They can discuss how their prior experiences have shaped the morals and values they hold within today's society. I have found that my students enjoy the process of writing autobiographies because they get to share their own personal stories, interests and beliefs with their peers. Tompkins (2019) also offered numerous activities that I would love to try in my classroom as a way to introduce autobiographies including: "All About Me" Books, Life Books and Bio Bags. I believe all of these activities would very engaging and an easy way to teach my students about what autobiographies need to entail. 

References 

Marshall, E. (2019). Life Writing and the Language Arts. Language Arts, 96(3), 167-178.

Tompkins, G. E. (2019). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. 

Zarnowski, M. (2019). "How One Person Sees Another Person": Focusing on the Author's Perspective in Picturebook Biographies. Language Arts, 96(3), 145-152.