Sunday, March 27, 2011

Chapter 12: Make Every Minute Count

This was a short chapter, but the title says it all: make every minute count.  You just spent an hour with lesson X and 20 kiddos- what good did it do them or you?  If we make sure everything we do has a purpose concerning the best interests of the student, taking into account the Important Time Savers, we will all be a little saner when it comes to teaching writing!

Important Time Savers (Routeman pg. 286)

  • Schedule writing time everyday
  • Limit the use of prompts that have no real audience
  • Provide more choice of writing topics
  • Integrate test preparation
  • Teach basic skills in context
  • Teach students to revise and edit as they go
  • Expect high-frequency words to be correctly spelled
  • Expect legible handwriting
  • Encoucage invented spellings within reasonable, agreed-on guidelines
  • Use parents
  • Tell students why
http://wac.colostate.edu/atd/articles/haswell2006.cfm    
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2 comments:

  1. LoretteMarch 28, 2011 at 3:46 PM

    I love the cartoon you chose! It is so true that making sure every lesson has a purpose is important! That makes logical sense until I am tired and don't want to put my best foot forward when I'm teaching. I always regret that in the end though because behavior problems pop up and I feel I've wasted everyone's time. One of these days I'll learn! :)

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  2. bdoblerMarch 31, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    I know this probably sounds weird, but I like grading papers, although it takes a huge amount of time. It's a way to make a personal connection with a student, which effective teaching hinges on. My trouble is, I feel compelled to read everything!

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