In shared writing, the teacher and students compose collaboratively, the teacher acting as expert and scribe for her apprentices as she demonstrates, guides, and negotiates the creation of meaningful text, focusing on the craft of writing as well as the conventions. Texts can be short and completed in one session or long and written over several weeks.
I wish I knew this a few years ago. I remember attempting shared writing with my students, but as I read this chapter I realized I was doing so many things wrong, it's no wonder the experience was a disaster!
I love the teaching tips on page 89:
- Choose a meaningful topic
- Say the words as you go
- Shape the students' language
- Move along quickly <----I think this was a huge problem for me...I was too slow, tried to do too much at once.
- Look for opportunites for all students to participate
- Stop and reread as you go
This chapter basically said share, share, share. Do more shared writing, link it with reading, get the students to dig deeper for meaning and creativeness. The shared writing gives the students the scaffolding they need to be able to write better on their own.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI was able to relate to your post about shared writing. I, too, have tried shared writing a LONG time ago, and it was a flop! Then after reading chapter 5, I realized that I wasn't even doing it right! I gave up after trying it the first time and didn't think there was a point to it. However, after reading chapter 5, I definitely stand corrected! As I read, I was able to generate several ideas of how to use shared writing in 5th grade. I plan to use it as a transition into each of our projects.
Girls we must all be on the same page because I have tried many times but just feel like I am going about it all wrong! I was also going to type up that list and post it by my SMART board and back by my large chart paper so that I would remember what to say and do!
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