Multigenre Project Presentations April 8, 2009

Wow! Words can not describe how awesome the projects were tonight.  I am so excited about these projects.  It was so awesome to see what each person created in the entire class.  It reminded me of when I crop with my fellow scrapbooking friends.  When I scrapbook with friends we often pause and walk around to view each others creations. In my writing  circle we each took an opportunity to share several of the artifacts from our multigenre projects.  There were five projects shared in our writing circle. 

Lydia focused on sea turtles.  Her genres were put together in a scrapbook.  She gave many interesting facts about sea turtles.  She explained to our group that sea turtles are endanger from FP that comes from our sewers.  My favorite genre that Lydia created was the sea turtle X-ray. 

Sara focused on butterflies.  I really liked how that she included her defenses for each genre in her table of contents page.  I wish that I had of thought of doing that.  I really liked Sara’s creativity with her scrapbook.  She created a page with an acrostic poem between each stage that the butterfly goes through.

Kim created a scrapbook about Earth Day.  My favorite genre from Kim was her sarcastic brochure focusing on the earth and areas of the earth that are endanger.  I would like to share the brochure with others on earth day.  The brocure would leave a lasting impression with anyone.  It really did with me.

Crystal created a “CD” case in honor of Celine Dion.  I thought this was an awesome idea.  I loved how that Crystal created a label for a “bottle of wine” in honor of the restaurant that Celine Dion and her husband opened.  It was awesome to see how much passion Crystal has about a great performer.

It empowered me as an educator to see how much effort my classmates put into their projects.  I look forward to completing this type of projects with my class this year or next year.

Owly a Graphic Novel April 7, 2009

I truly enjoyed reading Owly.  When I first looked at the book I remember thinking well that won’t take long to read.  Whew! was I wrong.  The story took just as long as a regular novel.  Graphic Novels such as Owly force children to come up with the words in their head themselves using only the pictures as clues.  I have several students who struggle with language issues not because they are ESL but just because they need to retell things more and explain what they see.  Like Meredith I would like to copy several pages of the book and ask these children to tell me what they see happening.  I would also like to complete a whole group writing assignment using sections from Owly.  I would love to see how creative some of my students could be.

Story Development Using Wordless Picture Books by Colleen Reese April 7, 2009

In first grade we teach children to read from left to right.  We teach them different strategies to read.  One of those strategies is called taking a picture walk.  I would like to take a set of wordless picture books at the beginning of the year and really allow students to tune in and pay attention to the pictures telling about the pictures before giving them books with text.  I can see how that this activitiy would really strengthen the skill of paying attention to the pictures and connecting those pictures with the words in the text.

 

I really liked how the article suggested that teachers begin with the entire class by allowing the children to take part in the writing process.  Mrs. Reese allowed her students to work through 8 picture books as a class before allowing them to stem out individually.  I thought it was a great idea how that she typed their books and put them together for them to share with each other and to read to the principal.  I hope that I can get my hands on 24 different copies of wordless picture books to provide my students with as much choice in their individual projects as Mrs. Reese did. 

 

The second article at the bottom of the page suggested that students write while listening to music.  I have found this to be very successful.  I allow my students to write while listening to classical music daily.  I have done this now for 3 years and my students love it! The room becomes silent and students are working away while I conference with them.

Wordless Picture Books/ Graphic Novels for (Really) Young Readers/ Why Should Kids Read Comics? April 7, 2009

After reading the articles about wordless picture books I am excited and enlightened.  I never thought about using wordless picture books in my classroom.  As I read the articles I began seeing endless possibiblities.  I have several struggling readers that would love to use books such as the Red book or Pancakes.  I also have several boys that are not interested in reading.  I look forward to finding them some comics and presenting these for them to read.  I can see how that teachers and parents would disagree with wordless picture books and comics as not being an appropriate book for school.  However, like the author of Graphic Novels teachers and parents who disagree with such texts should be handed a graphic novel themselves such as Owly and asked to read it. Owly was difficult for me to read and was not an easy slow process.  Graphic Novels really allow children to use higher level thinking skills such as synthesis and evaluation.  Readers are forced to create the story themselves with their own intepretation.  I loved how the child stated that when she looked at the pictures she thought about the words the characters were saying and then visualized the words in her head. 

I have several wordless picture books but would like to purchase multiple copies of Pancakes and the Redbook for my students for next year.  I would love to provide students with a copy of the book and allow them to create the story line.  I really like how one teacher asked the student to tape record as he read the wordless picture book and then the teacher typed what he said so that he could create his own book.  What a great idea.  My kids would love to do this.  I have already begun ordering these books.  I just need multiple copies. 

A Study of Memoir March 22, 2009

I really liked this article.  I enjoyed how she explained to her students that a snippet could last different amounts of time.  I can use this explanation in the classroom with my students by explaining that a Memoir is not someones entire life but a moment in their life. 

The children’s understanding was broadened when she allowed them to bring in books that they thought were memoirs and how they worked together to “sift”  through these texts to find the ones that were memoirs.  It was important for Amy to take her students on this journey as she allowed them to discover for themselves.  It was also a great idea for her to allow her students to choose their own mentor texts.  I really like how she led into this by allowing them to choose books they thought to be memoirs. 

I feel that a memoir for any student or teacher would be a great way to express a moment in time.  Maybe a hurtful one that needs to be dealt with or a happy one that wants to be kept forever.

Finding Memorable Moments March 22, 2009

Currently I am conducting research in my class on ways to keep students engaged and motivated during writing.  This article fits right in with my action research.  On page 137 the article quotes Christian Faltis who says “it is the teacher’s responsibility to create opportunities for their students to engage actively through meaningful activities that build on their prior knowledge.”  How true is this! Children have to experience something in order to write about it!    This article reminded me so much of Lucy Calkins “Small Moments”.   How that we share literature with students and ask them to think of their own small moments in time and share through their writing.   Students who are allowed to write about their own moments in time portray their own authentic voice.  This article really made me think when the author said….”We went beyond the exclusive use of transparencies, charts, or just talk as tools to create learning opportunities for the children.  Instead we engaged the children physically, emotionally and linguistically. ”   This is what  teaching is all about.  This form of writing allows students to take their own experiences and use them as a tool for learning which helps to shape who they are.

Multigenre Project March 14, 2009

There are so many things that I would love to do a multigenre project on.  However after much consideration I have decided to focus on rocks.  I know it sounds pretty boring.  But I want to be able to use this project in my classroom.  I am already thinking of how I can invite my students to complete their own project and letting them choose between living and non-living things to focus on.  I want to create a scrapbook with various genres inside about rocks, soils, etc.  I am still researching and thinking…and I am not set in stone about which genre’s to include.  Any suggestions or ideas for my topic would be so helpful!

I am excited to get this up and running my poetry project is going pretty well so far.  I am just trying to balance action research poetry and now multigenre. Whew!

Moulton Article and Writing Without Boundaries March 4, 2009

Multigenre projects are different genres that enable students to dig deep to write from a variety of perspectives.  They force students to think creatively and “out of the box” while putting themselves into history with the character that they are researching.

I am excited about creating my own Multigenre project and allowing students to do so as well.  I feel that this will excite them while they are learning.  I would have loved to have been able to create a multigenre project rather than a research paper when I was in school.  Just like the Moulton article says multigenre projects allow students to “know both their software and hardware far better than before” Mulitgenre writing allows students to use “real life” writings that they see and use in real life rather in school.  Multigenre writing also allows students to have choice in their writing.  They can choose not only who they may write about but what genre they will use….personally this excites me! To have a choice of a poster, theater ticket, journal entry, newspaper article, play, receipt, poem……the possibilities are endless. 

I am a little nervous about beginning a mutigenre project with my class and the process to do so.  I haven’t decided yet on a topic or a plan to introduce to my class……I am still pondering

 

Persona or “I” Poems February 25, 2009

Like Langer and Applebee (1987) I believe instructional scaffolding is important and vital in all areas of teaching.  I plan to use scaffolding through reading books to my first graders such as Atlantic, Rainbow Soup (Brian Cleary).  I want to compose these poems together as a class and then allow students to work cooperatively to compose their own.  Persona poems allow students to write through another person, object or animals perspective.  They force students to dig so deep into a character, animal, person in history or world that the character becomes a part of the student.  This is truly where learning takes place.  When students connect and relate to the character they are using higher order thinking skills taking information and creating something so out of the box. 

I am so excited about this unit and introducing it to my students.  I have so many ideas from black history month to living and non-living things.  I can’t wait to begin.

Found Poem February 20, 2009

Winter is…

Snow

Good food   Dry Skin.

Frozen

Hot Chocolate Mix

Frosty Living

January

Cabin Fever

1 Dish Dinners

Beating a Cold.

Button Up time

Reading a good book

Just what the world needs.