Unpacking the Writing Process

One of my challenges was to unpack the Writing Process and provide resources on the blog for writers to follow.  Link

The resources have been linked and have been used in separation but the whole process needs to be embedded in daily writing.  This will require some 'free time' for students to work through the process and expectations of completed published pieces within a term.  

This will be my focus for the start of Term 3 and will support the work on Slow Writing.

The impact of blogging

The same blog from the UK that I referenced in the previous post regarding Slow Writing has made clear links between student blogging and progress in writing achievement.

http://inthetwelve.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/early-impacts-of-blogging/

Please click on the image for a closer view.

While these levels do not correspond to those we use in New Zealand, there is a significant suggestion that the greater the number of blog posts made by students, the greater the progress in writing achievement.

This perceived link between progress and post numbers might be worth tracking over time, although I still believe that quality of constructive input and personal responsibility for editing also play a role in writing progress.

Slow Writing

Amongst the blog focussed writing and editing, there still needs to be inspiring motivation and clear direct teaching.    Following a lead on using Angry Birds as a writing motivation, I have come across  something called Slow Writing.

http://inthetwelve.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/begging-borrowing-stealing/

Read about it on the blog above.  
Time is spent following this process, thinking carefully about every word used.

SLOW WRITING:
Sentence one must appeal to the senses.
Sentence two must use three adjectives.
Sentence three must start with an adverb.
Sentence four must contain a connective.
Sentence five must use exactly three words.
Sentence six must be a question.

This would require direct teaching about adjectives, adverbs, connectives and the use of the senses.  It would give regular use of these tools, short pieces of writing for easy editing and quick publication.  The motivating topic of focus could be writing within Angry Birds, eating sour worms, video clip responses and images.

Sharing my learning journey

I shared my action research learning journey at Educamp with a good response.

SMACKDOWN presentation slides

Other educators' thoughts on the value of responding to student writing

The environment needs to be supportive and non-threatening.
The teacher needs to develop a community of writers.
An audience gives purpose for writing and a wider range of next step comments.
Comments should be specific and immediate.
Students can be trained to give effective comments - taking the entire responsibility for constructive comments off the teacher.
Evidence of achieved success criteria across a range of pieces can be tracked and recorded.
Blog posts are shorter pieces to edit and comment on but still give evidence of targets achieved and editing completed.
Concrete examples of next steps helps student editing.

http://patue.teachercast.net/responding-to-student-writing-chat-archive/

Student bogs - personalised tutorials

The frequent posting of writing on personal student blogs allows for a record to be kept of student strengths, success criteria achieved and teacher conferencing.  Although the best input in a 1:1 conference, evidence is given from the text, examples given and the advice can be re-visited on multiple occasions. This can all be done any time of the day - which is good as they keep posting from home at any time of night!

While our goal is to widen writer audience to gain constructive comments, those of a teacher are also valuable and hopefully motivational to students.

Personal student blogging takes off!

On June 10th four children got their own student blogs then a further three became bloggers a couple of days later.  In four days they published 42 posts, received and made 110 comments and started 13 further drafts.  While this keeps me on my toes with checking and moderating, it is a phenomenal effort of self motivation within student writing.

Kidblog - please link here.

Every post needs to be moderated by the teacher and rather than proceeding through the editing process behind the scene, I am posting work before it is of publishing level.  This is to allow comments of the readers to suggest the next steps for editing.

Points to celebrate:
More writing is being done - even from home.
Children are actively supporting the next steps suggestions for editing through comments.
I am just waiting for the bloggers to go back an make the suggested changes!

Click on the images for a closer view.

This is the final edited copy of Lachie's writing.

The whistle blew.  We’re off.

Josh passed me the ball. I was running like a leopard. There was a mud puddle as big as a swimming pool.  I went right through it and then I slipped. The ball went into outer space.  I got back up and then the ball came down as fast as an asteroid. Luckily I caught  it,  then I ran off as fast as I could.  Suddenly another puddle was right in front of the try line  and I was thinking should I pass it. No don’t pass it just score it. So I ran,  I skidded and scored!