Crafting Writer's Chapter 10-12; Dilemmas & Discourses

The information provided in the text in regards to how to set up, run, and successfully complete a conference is great. I am not quite sure I understand the "teaching a next step" part though. It seemed like the "teaching a strength" and "teaching a next step" were the same thing in some of the tables. Actually, the the example where it writes out the teacher's voice and the student's voice helps make it more clear. Are documented conferences required as a teacher? or just encouraged for the benefit of the student?

My biggest concern is not being able to have enough time to do individual conferences all the time, so I liked reading about the concept of group conferring. It seems like this would be similar to doing a mini lesson with the whole class.

The two ideas I loved from Hale is having students decorate their notebooks as well as having a special spot students can go to during writing time. I just think students can associate writing as a positive experience by doing little things like this.

As far as assessment goes, are rubrics included sometimes in textbooks being used or does the teacher make-up a rubric for everything?

Crafting Writer's Chap 7-9, Appendix F

While doing my field experience on Monday, I was giving a 2nd grade student an assessment. It required me to tell the student to "write down as many words as you know," and I was to stop him after it had been 3 minutes. Although he knew words, it was hard for him to just do it on the spot like that without being given some kind of prompt. I eventually had to be like "do you know how to spell any types of animals, colors, etc..." Chapter 7 mentions this same concept with writing. It can't usually just happen on its own if telling a child to write. The child will have to know something about actually writing. I like that the idea of mini lessons were also introduced...that helped answer some questions I had after reading some previous chapters in this book.

Additionally, I liked reading the story about Jonathon in Chapter 8. I know as a future teacher I will make it a point to point out the strengths in the children's writing. I just feel like if teachers at the primary level are constantly wanting to make corrections to the students writings, that the kids will dislike writing and shy away from it more.

I think this book is a great resource to hold on to when I have my own classroom.

Crafting Writers Chap. 4 & 5

Personal experience has shown me that having a love for reading, or reading for enjoyment not just for school, improves writing. My sister is 8 years older than me and has loved reading since she began school. She began to love writing just as much and always said "it came easy to her." She actually went on to become a journalism major in college and writes for a living now, as well as having an entire library room in her house.

Then there is me.

I never read outside of school and still do not now. Writing is still something I 100% dread doing as well.

I do not feel like it necessarily affects how well one does in assessments and grades in school though.

All the specific crafts listed in the reading are great dealing with adding detail and punctuation. My only concern I had when reading it is when and how do you introduce these crafts in class? Is it best to only work with one or two crafts at a time or to let the students see many of them at once?