{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"54844064","dateCreated":"1338992589","smartDate":"Jun 6, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jackiemiller4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jackiemiller4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1377368714\/jackiemiller4-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/bswp12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/54844064"},"dateDigested":1532390747,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Writing With Your Children","description":"Nonfiction Mentor Texts stresses the importance of writing with your children. I believe this can be one of the most beneficial things you can do in teaching writing. Whenever I am not conferencing with a student or helping them in some other way, I am writing alongside them. Often times, I will go out in the classroom and sit in an empty desk beside my students and write just as they are. I also share my writing with them during author\u2019s sharing time. However, during this time, I am sure to let some of my students share first, and I often share my very first (and very worst) draft because I want them to understand that writing is a process for all people and that I make mistakes as well.
\nI have also started to use my projector as a medium for writing with my class. Although I do not do this all of the time, sometimes I will use my projector to type in front of the class while they are writing. This allows me to model the writing process as it is actually occurring. Sometimes I find my students become distracted by what I am writing on the projector, although they quickly get back to their writing once they have read what I have written. This gives them the opportunity to gain ideas from me as well.
\nIn addition, I gain much from writing with my students. It is not only a time to model, but it is one of the few chances I actually get to write in my busy schedule. I feel honored to share this time with my students, and my modeling as a writer, thinker, and problem solver is also beneficial to my students. Furthermore, I have a better idea of what my students are feeling, whether that be success or writer\u2019s block, and I have a better idea of how long I should ask them to write. This type of experience can also open many doors for social and collaborative learning and writing.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"54843888","dateCreated":"1338992116","smartDate":"Jun 6, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jackiemiller4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jackiemiller4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1377368714\/jackiemiller4-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/bswp12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/54843888"},"dateDigested":1532390747,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Focus Lessons","description":"In Nonfiction Mentor Texts, Dorfman and Cappelli, introduce focus lessons. Prior to reading their mentor texts books, I had always heard and used the term \u201cmini lessons.\u201d I thought this was an interesting distinction. They talk about focus lessons focusing in on a particular topic, idea, or need, whereas, the term \u201cmini lessons\u201d may give the impression that it is a short, mini lesson that may or may not be related to the topic of study.
\nHonestly, I don\u2019t think we should split hairs over what they are called, but it did bring my attention to the importance of ensuring the lessons are related to the particular topic of study or writing. Lessons need to have sense and meaning, and therefore, need to be related to the writing tasks and authentic writing experiences. Otherwise, it will seem to students that they are just random, unrelated experiences they are having in school. The importance of integration and cross-content learning cannot be overstressed. We have limited time in schools to teach our students what they need to know, and the only way we are going to do this effectively is if we help students start making the connections between different aspects of learning.
\nI like and use the structure of a mini-lesson leading to guided and independent practice in my writing workshop. It has been an effective approach for me, and although I may not do a mini-lesson every day, I try to make sure each mini-lesson I do is truly an effective use of time. These mini-lessons or focus lessons are a great time to incorporate both modeling (thinking aloud) and models (mentor texts). My question is: How can we be more intentional with our mini\/focus lessons?","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"54843622","dateCreated":"1338991403","smartDate":"Jun 6, 2012","userCreated":{"username":"jackiemiller4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jackiemiller4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1377368714\/jackiemiller4-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/bswp12.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/54843622"},"dateDigested":1532390747,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Why Mentor Texts?","description":"Nonfiction Mentor Texts, by Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli is a great resource for using mentor texts for teaching informational writing. I have now read both Mentor Texts and Nonfiction Mentor Texts by these authors, and I enjoyed them both. Although neither reads were epiphanical (I think I just coined that word, but I like it) for me, they both presented some great ideas, focus lessons, and interesting choices of mentor texts to use in the classroom. Prior to reading these books I had little idea what a mentor text actually was and that I was already using many texts as mentor texts in my classroom.
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\nIn one of my literacy classes, a professor spoke of the importance of both models and modelling in the classroom, and as I reflect on that statement, I am reminded of the unique power of each. As teachers, we need to be modelling for our students what we want\/expect them to be able to do. We need to use a gradual release of responsibility and eventually lead them to independent practice. However, it is unfair to expect them to know what to do or how to accomplish it without appropriate modelling and scaffolding. In addition, actual written models in authentic pieces (literature, nonfiction writing, poetry, etc.) help students to see a final product and understand what real authors have done before. We can show students, or people in general, how to do something over and over again, but sometimes an example or model in more effective (just as a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps a model is worth many attempts at modelling). In addition, providing a variety of models allows students the opportunity to see various applications for different purposes.
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\nNonficition reading and writing can be highly challenging for many reasons. In addition, it is often particularly challenging for elementary students. I teach fourth grade, and we begin a much greater focus on both expository reading and writing. Unfortunately, my students typically have had little experience with either prior to entering my classroom, and I often feel I am starting at "square one." One of the greatest benefits to me has been using a variety of nonfiction mentor texts to help my students see the nonfiction text features and nonfiction text structures in a variety of texts. Once we have learned to identify these, we can develop greater comprehension of the texts and then begin reproducing similar features and structures in our own expository writing. Although it is a major challenge for my students, they greatly enjoy reading and writing expository texts when they are giving appropriate tools to help them be successful in these endeavors.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}