The beautiful part of writing is that you dont't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. -Robert Cormier (p. 319)

Thanks for taking a closer look at writing with us this semester.

Paula Miller

What Students Must Be Able to Do:
Chapters 45-66
I hope these last chapters will help you meet the writing goals of your content. If you would like my help in implementing any of the things Burke has suggested in this book, let me know. I will be happy to work with you to design something "Burkeish" that will work for you in your content area. I will also be happy to come and work with you and your students if you would like to try some of Burke's ideas out in your class.

Evaluate Your Teaching and Students' Progress
Chapters 33-44
"Teachers have too often feared data, and for understandable reasons: the information has too often been used in counterproductive ways to judge or otherwise criticize them."(p. 157)
I have never really understood how or why we fear data. We must take the time to analyze our students' mistakes so we can correct our own teaching mistakes.

Make sure you notice the Academic Vocabulary on pages 179 and 180. Oftentimes our students could do better on tests, in class and on assignments if we just teach them the language of the tests.

Let us here what you think about these chapters.

Teach and Support Students continued...
Chapters 22-32
There are so many insightful ideas and thoughts throughout this book that I am having a hard time limiting my comments and letting you all say what is important to you. It has been interesting reading your comments. I find myself responding to you as I read your blog. I'll say, "That's right. That's exactly what I thought too!" or "I didn't think about it like that, but it makes so much sense."

Throughout this book I am noticing the prevalence of two words: modeling and support. As Burke so often points out, these two important words apply to all aspects of learning.
"Improvement in any domain-singing, skiing, writing-requires guidance and support as the individual masters the skills and, over time, the craft they are learning." However, "we can have five large classes and just barely enough time to get to the bathroom or steal a quick drink of water." (page 117) I have always scheduled writing conferences with my students, but I had never thought of giving students my email address for them to send me their writing. (Duh!) Great idea! That would have allowed me time to get that much needed drink of water. I am also eager to use the "Quotations Clarified handout" on page 129.

What are you thinking?

Teach and Support Students
Chapters 11-21
"...independence is a misleading term, implying that the student learns to work alone, in isolation; the truth is that effective writers turn to others for help and feedback all the time. This is not a measure of their dependence, but instead a mark of their independence..." p. 61

These chapters are such an important reminder to me of how much support students continually need. I must admit that I have fallen into the "You are in tenth grade. You should know how to do this" mode before. It is so important that we give students the support they need to become independent. Whether it be teaching students to ask useful questions or using groups, Burke has jumpstarted the way I plan to support students.

What do you think about these chapters?
If you use any of these strategies with your students, tell us about it. What did you try and how did it go?

What Teachers Must Do

Create a Community of Writers: Chapters 1-10

I love the Tsujimoto quote Burke uses on page 5 which reads, "There must be a sense that something is going on, that something is always about to happen, that each day is an occasion to which every member of that class community must rise, for the work is important, the time is short, and the stakes are high." If there is always that feeling in my classroom, then what student would not want to learn?

Is there a part that really speaks to you as a teacher?
What did this portion of Writing Reminders teach you or make you think about?
How will this change or reinforce the way you teach writing or think about writing?
Did you try out any of the strategies with your students? If so, how did it go?

Please post your comments, refections, or responses to Create a Community of Writers under this comment thread.

WELCOME!

This spring we will be studying Writing Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techniques by Jim Burke. This book, as its title suggests, will give you many helpful strategies for helping your students with writing. So let's get started!

Please respond to this thread by clicking on the blue "comments" below and posting a test comment, so I will know that everyone is ready to begin.