N.ForfarMT J/IMarch 27th, 2012

Write Beside Them: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing, by Penny Kittle

VIDEO

Strategies to Take Away1. Notebook

One for each of themOne for mePersonalize, personalize, personalize

2. Write Beside Them, Right Beside Them:Write during their quick writes, and SHARE IT

3. Never cease (or perhaps, begin to learn) to view yourself as a writer Join your OWN writing group, even if you have

to form it

DVD -Conferring – Sara: From Storyboard to Writing (Review with Penny)

Quick Write (on the back of your strategies):“Writing is an Endurance Sport”

Storyboarding grants flexibility to review different arrangements before the investment of pen to paper has been made

“Such weights they carry”

“All day they write about subjects they don’t fully understand yet we expect them to write with authority. Storytelling allows them to begin where they are an expert.”

Quick Write – Input in Teacher Example

Quick Write – Nikki ExampleHis voice breaks the library silence.“May I take a seat”?She looks up, startled, and nods. Of course. There is a slight angle to her head that indicates regret

thatof all the four-seater-tables with only one person, he had chosen hers to approach. She cannot

protest;it is only fair that he take a seat somewhere. However, there is a collective eye narrowing as people

inthe library raise their heads from their stupor and realize he has sat directly across from her in thenarrow library table with its wobbly legs and its width too narrow for “fully comfortable” laptop

access. He has broken the rules.The elevator rules.The unspoken rule that indicates one ought always take the kittle corner seat when approaching astranger.I am working on another assignment for my psychology course, analysing an incident with a studentwho just didn’t have a sense of normal boundaries.I look back down at it, and wonder. Did he not sense her awkwardness, the way her body shifted (notso very subtly) away from his as he sat down? I think he did.I think PerhapsThat’s why he did it.

Sample: My Struggles/Your Comments (time dependant; in an actual class would take more time)

Difficult to NOT correct errors I saw!Topic – mmmm... Descriptive Language (mini lesson material)Paragraphs (Indentation? Not? Just one big

text?)Punctuation (how could I emphasise that last

thought?)To Elaborate, or Omit?: A follow up, when I

saw him later that evening

Practicum – Q: Have I ever experienced this before?

A: ...kinda (biographies)

Document Camera – (Jury-Rig)Why How

Review each other’s work

Easily share amongst each other

Avoids the need for extensive prep/photocopying

Allows for easy class sharing

ProgramsSkypeCrossLoop

Other “Apps” (iPhone, iPad, probably for Androids)

The Tool That Makes “Writing Beside Them” Possible (or at least, simple)

As an MT JI Science candidate, was this useful Even for Non-English Majors?

Yes.The only real weakness was it’s lack of clear numbering, or strategy cards (something to make it more easily referenced)

Question the Author: What about younger writers?

Another book!Inside Writing: How to Teach the Details of Craft

With Donald H.Graves Large body of research behind them:

The “National Council of Teachers of English” award in the US named its writing award after her mentor, the “Donald H.Graves Writing Award”