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