Reading like Writers

Reading Like A Writer

Daniels and Steineke--Mini-Lessons for Lit Circles (188-210)

Ray—“Another Invitation to My Library”

Ray—“The Craft of Writing”

Ray—“Organized Inquiry: Teaching Students to Read Like Writers”

Ray—“Reading Like a Writer”

Calkins, Ehrenworth, Lehman—Pathways to the Common Core (58-62)

 

SAY:

            Teaching students to read like writers will simultaneously help their reading and writing skills at the same time.  Also, students who are reading like a writer are going to invest more in what they are reading. It is a great skill to teach students because writing and reading become more personal.  After reading a few chapters from Katie Ray’s Wondrous Words, we given great explanations of why reading like a writer is a great skills to teach.  Additionally, the chapters for today’s reading in Daniels and Steineke Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles also shows us how teaching students to read carefully like a writer can reflect in literary circles.  Furthermore, Pathways to the Common Core gives evidence of how these strategies can align with the common core standards.  Altogether, each of the texts give evidence that shows how teaching students to read like a writer will help them with their reading and writing skills.

             In Ray’s chapters, she discusses many different aspects of teaching students to read like writers.  In the chapter “Reading like Writers,” Ray discusses some of the basics of introducing readings that students can in turn use to better their writing.  For example, she discussed how one of her students wrote the poem “Something Dead” after they read exotic poems.  Ray then discusses the idea of how reading different types of literature can influence student’s creativity when writing.  The student who wrote “Something Dead” would not have had any way of writing that even an hour earlier.  She then goes into how writers learn to write from other writers.  This reminded me of what Dr. Oglan has said before about students imitating writing before they can create their own; they have to start from somewhere. 

            From the philosophy on writing like writers, reading like writers is beneficial too.   I love how Ray explains reading like writers with the metaphor of studying “the techniques of others who practice the same craft as you” (12).  If you want to get better at a particular skill, you will observe others to see how they do it.  Even if you do not particularly like the way they do it, by observing them you are still learning something about the craft.  The same applies to reading.  If we teach students to read like writers, they will see reading through many different ways.  Just like writing is unique to each person, reading needs to be treated the same way.  Everyone can interpret texts differently, and we need to value that (17).

            In the few chapters, we learn about particular needs when reading and writing.  In the chapter “The Craft of Writing,” Ray gives specific examples of how we need show students to “attend to the craft of writing, learning to do the sophisticated work of separating what it’s about from how it is written” (25). Essentially, students need to see what to look for as they are learning to write from other writers.  Some of the aspects Ray discusses are: intentional vagueness, grammar needs, sentence structure, and closings.  Additionally, something in particular that I liked in this chapter was when Ray discussed connecting to other text because students need to connect multiple outlets of literature together to strengthen their writing (38).  Altogether, studying the craft of writing will help students strengthen their own writing and improve their analytical skills when studying literature. 

            My favorite chapter from today’s reading was “Organized Inquiry: Teaching Students to Read Like Writers” because it explicitly shows teachers how to use this method in the classroom.  Ray does not expect students to just do this over night.  First, we need to let students read like readers.  Students need to feel comfortable with the text; this can be done by a read aloud.  Next, students need to be explicitly told what reading like a writer means.  Also, I think that modeling this would be helpful for students.  Ray even gives five major parts of reading like a writer that students need to be made aware of:

1.    Notice something about the craft of the text.

2.    Talk about it and make a theory about why a writer might use this craft.

3.    Give the craft a name.

4.    Think of other texts you know.  Have you seen this before?

5.    Try and envision using this craft in your own writing.

(120)

These parts will help students learn to how read like writers. Another chapter we read from Wondrous Word was “Another Invitation to My Library.”  This chapter gives many great text ideas when teaching specific writing and reading skills.    This is definitely a reference that I will turn back to in the future.  Altogether, Ray gives a great deal of information about teaching students to read like writers.

            For today’s chapter in Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles, Daniels and Steineke’s discuss how studying the author’s craft that can be used when studying books in literature circles.  This chapter teaches us to savor powerful language, take note of strong verbs, examine the setting with research, predicting plot, and looking at characterization.  All of these can be done in book club groups to study the text even further.  Essentially, Daniels and Steineke’s are wanting students to read texts through different scopes like Ray wants. 

            Additionally, a quote from this chapter really stuck out to me.  Daniels and Steineke’s state, “We think American students spend too much time dissecting books they don’t want to read, and not enough time enjoying books they choose themselves”
(188).  Even though it does not necessarily have to do with reader like a writer, I think read this after reading Ray’s chapters made it really resonated with me.  An important part of getting students to want to read in the first place is allowing them to choose texts they want to read.  If we can give them the choice to choose, then making the connection between reading and writing (or author’s craft) will already be more appealing to students. 

            Pathways to Common Core also gives evidence that explains how reading like a writer can be incorporated into the common core standards.  The standards want us to study crafting and structuring writing (59).  By incorporating reading and writing together, we are taking care of these standards while also interrelating two major aspects of the English Classroom.

            Altogether, all of the readings from this week argue how reading like a writer can improve reading and writing skills.  If we study different literary texts through the lens of a writer, we are gaining insight that we would not have picked up on before.  Teaching students to read as writers also supports common core standards because students are learning how to study the craft and structure of written texts.  Altogether teaching students to read like writers will simultaneously make them better readers and writers. 

 

DO:       **I want this to count as one of the internship artifacts.**

To find artifacts for this lesson, please go to:

https://sites.google.com/site/saydodocuments/home

Daily Lesson Plan 4

 

Instructor And Room #:   Kim Tiedemann 521A	Date & Start-Stop Times:    8:35-9:25 (repeat from 9:25 to 10:15)	Subject and Block/Period:   English I 1st and 2nd Period		Unit and Topic:   Understanding Cornell Notes and how The Great Depression correlates with “Marigolds”
Student Objectives:   Create understanding of Cornell Notes Apply Cornell Notes strategy to “The Great Depression” article Understanding how the article connects with “Marigolds” Comprehension of fewer and less in bell ringer			Common Core:   RL.9-10.2 W.9-10.8 SL.9-10.1
Items to Display as Agenda:  (Activities)   ·         Practicing the Difference between “Fewer” and “Less” Going Over Cornell Notes PowerPoint Independent reading with Great Depression Article
Purpose: Opening Statement of Value for Day’s Lesson—the WHY   The purpose of this lesson is to engage students with specific note taking skills and non-fiction text.  This lesson will help students make connections with the real world and the short story “Marigolds.”  Additionally, students will be able to practice take sufficient notes through the “Cornell Way” note taking strategy.  Altogether, this lesson will help students in the future by showing them how narrative texts can connect with informative articles and students will learn how to take better notes for all classes.
Lesson Procedures: (Introduction, Development, Conclusion)   Before: (10 minutes) ·         While students are coming into the classroom, there will be a slide up on the board that prompts them to take out there earbuds and put away their phones.  Additionally, the note will ask students to put away their Chromebooks for this portion of class. There will be a bell ringer on the board that introduces them to the difference between fewer and less. After we discuss the differences between fewer and less, students will engage in a small online assessment.  (5 minutes) SEGUE: I will tell students, “When you finish your bell ringer assignment, talk to your groups about the PowerPoint you viewed last night on Cornell Notes.” NOTE: The Cornell PowerPoint was found online previously. (Woods 2001) During: (35 minutes) ·         As I enter into the formal analysis section, I will ask students to talk to their groups for a few minutes and discuss the PowerPoint they viewed for homework that night on Cornell Notes. This will help student remember what they worked on. o   NOTE: This lesson has some “Flipped Classroom” elements.  For homework the night before, students had to view a PowerPoint on how Cornell Notes work.  After students have discussed the major points of Cornell Notes with their groups, we will engage in a whole class discussion on the elements of Cornell Notes.  This will help get everyone on the same page. ·         Next, I will give students a New York Times article on “The Great Depression.”  Independently, students will take Cornell Notes on the article.  ·         I will walk around the room and help students individually.  This will allow for one on one instruction with students.  (15 minutes) ·         Once students have finished reading the text individually, they will discuss the text together.  In this discussion, they will be required to talk about the style and structure of the article, savoring powerful language, taking note of strong verbs, and unpacking any research that may have been conducted in the article.  All of these requirements will be written on the white board for them to refer back to. At this time, I will be walking around to make sure students are on task.  (15 minutes) ·         The class will engage in a brief whole group discussion about what they found in small groups. (5 minutes) **NOTE: Blythewood is a one to one school.  Therefore, every component of this lesson (the PowerPoint and worksheet) are done online.**   Closing: (5 minutes) After students discuss the article, they will then be asked to write an article that could be submitted to the New York Times about African American life during the Great Depression that mirrors the structure and style of the Great Depression article.  Students will start this at the end of class.  If they do not finish (which is unlikely), they will work on it for homework, and they will have class time tomorrow to do it.  This assignment must be submitted on Google Classroom.
Materials and Resources:   SMART board PowerPoint on “Fewer/Less” PowerPoint on Cornell Notes Cornell Notes Template New York Times Article on “The Great Depression”
Assessments and Assignment:   For this lesson, students will be assessed on their bell ringer, participation, exit slip, and Cornell Notes worksheet.  The online bell ringer assessment will count for accuracy.  This will be counted as Bell Ringer/Exit Slip/Homework grade.  The exit slip also be a classwork grade, but it will count as an effort grade.  Bell Ringer/Exit Slip/Homework grades will count as 15% of overall grade.  For students to gain full participation points, they will have to engage in small group and large group discussion, at the appropriate time.  Additionally, they will have to work diligently and quietly during the independent work time of this lesson.  If students meet all expectations, they will receive a 100%.  If they meet most, but not all requirements, they will receive an 80%.  If students hardly meet any requirements, they will make a 60%.  Participation will count at 20% of overall grade. Students will also be assessed on their ability to take Cornell Notes.  This grade will count for accuracy.  It will fall under the classwork assignments category; this category will count as 20% of overall grade.  The writing assignment will count as another classwork grade.  This will not count as a major writing assignment, so it will not be graded like an essay.  If the student puts in substantial effort and include the majority of the discussed structures, the student will receive a 100%.  If they incorporate mediocre effort, they will receive an 80%.  If they do minimal work, they will receive a 60%.  This assignment is just to immerse them in a new writing style.    REFERENCES: Woods, Lonny.  “Cornell Notes PowerPoint.” 2001.