Final Reflection

(1) Lesson Sequence Reflection. Explain at least 3 ways in which Penny Kittle would be proud of or impressed by your pedagogical decisions. (Hint: I'm asking you to connect your practice to research/professional learning texts. Cite page numbers, if possible, and name concepts like modeling writing. Also, cite specific moves you make in your lesson.) [2-3 paragraphs]

I chose to begin my lesson sequence with a poetry and literary device analysis for a few reasons.  First, I wanted the amount of actual reading to seem manageable for my class within a 43-minute class period.  Also, I wanted to engage the students in a genre for which they have, at best, mixed feelings.  On page 36, Kittle says that the "first quick write of my (her) classroom is usually a response to a poem,"  and that she hopes this "daily exposure will shift that (students' hatred of poetry) a little at the end."  I am a big believer in multiple exposures in language for ELLs, so they I appreciated Kittle's belief in it for poetry.  It is amazing how much students can glean from so few lines of quality poetry, and what a sense of accomplishment they feel afterwards.  In my lesson sequence, the poems get slightly more difficult, but I feel that I have designed effective instructional scaffolds so students are able to meet the learning objectives as we move along.

My lesson sequence contains the genres of poetry and memoir.  While both include use of figurative language, the memoir is considerably longer and more dense.  In the analysis of the language, I hope for students to "read like a writer," (74).  When they write their own version of Elie Wiesel's reunion on the train, I want them to consider the richness of the mentor texts and be able to "show not tell" (42) what happened.  I feel that all of the reading they will do before the writing will help them to think "outside the box". 

Finally, I feel that my unit has Kittle's goal of "rigor in process," (154).  I have often thought of the word rigor as being a dirty word in education.  What I have come to realize is that Kittle's idea of rigor in process is in sharp contrast to the 'edu-babble' idea of rigor in the product.  It is often considered rigorous to assign students an essay with a twenty-box-criteria rubric; this is not what Kittle suggests.   She wants students to be "studying writing and creating something original and meaningful," and for writing to be "more than an activity," (154).  The twenty-box criteria rubric essay is not designed for students to be successful, nor is it designed for students to think deeply about what they have read.  There are likely countless students who have been turned off to writing by these types of assignments.  When we make the process gentle, scaffolded, realistic, relevant, and constructive, students can think of writing as a bridge between reading- rather than a wall in front of them.

(2) Sum it up. In one succinct sentence or poem, explain the most important task of writing teacher.

The writing teacher shows the students the plot of land for the garden.  The students do the weeding and the tilling.  The writing teacher buys the fertilizer and the plants.  The students put them in the ground and water them.  As the vegetables grow and ripen, the teacher and students eat them together in a salad.

(3) Personal Reflection. What is/will be your greatest challenge as a writing teacher? (i.e., fear of writing, building scaffolds, not having time for feedback, etc.) How will you work on this? What's your plan for overcoming the challenges you might face as a writer teacher -- personally and professionally?

As a writing teacher, my biggest challenge is having my students overcome their challenges with the English language and being able to effectively respond to feedback in editing their work.   Too often, by the time my students have written a draft of something, their brains are so exhausted from thinking and writing in English, that they have tremendous difficulty in editing.  After all, they 'fought' this hard to get the idea on the page- how can they possibly make it better?  This is all the more reason for me to provide them with rich reading experiences, build writing stamina,  and enhance their academic vocabulary.  My plan is to continue to focus on making the process of writing as varied, engaging, and rich as possible.  I also plan to lay out my units for the year in a similar way as Kittle lays out her sample curriculum in the book in chapter 6.  Kittle has given me a lot to think about in terms of what I will teach during the first two weeks of school.

(4) Feedback to Tiffany. What was your favorite writing activity we did in class this semester? Why?

My favorite activity was the Found Poem that we did early in the semester.  I liked reflecting on myself as a writer.  It helped me to better align myself with Kittle and her philosophy of showing herself as a writer to her students, and not just their teacher.  The activity of the Found Poem can be adapted and taught in so many ways,  and is very appropriate for ELLs.  I had a great experience pairing it with the short movie as well! This is something I hope to do every year at the beginning of the year with my own students and gives me great insight into how I can begin the school year with more of a "bang" in the classroom.

Blog Post #8: Kittle Chapters 12 & 13- Assessment

Kittle makes it quite clear in these chapters that she has been "burned" before as a writer being inappropriately assessed and critiqued.  She speaks of the shame she feels when her work is "corrected" and how she, as an adult, loses the motivation and desire to revise and improve her work.  "Writers should be heard before they are corrected," should be posted on the workroom walls in schools.  As teachers we are required to give feedback, make comments, give grades, and, in many cases, post grades on portals online.  There is a tremendous expectation of product in a "timely" manner, and this can sometimes force us to lose our ear for the students' voices and move to correct their work and end the writing process by giving them a grade.

It is helpful the way Kittle makes the distinction between content and craft.  I sometimes think of it as content versus form.  As an ELL teacher (I feel like I've written this like 100 times this semester and you all know that I am by now and I'm sorry for the repetition), it is crucial for me to recognize and help students find their fluent voice in writing English.  The craft, or form, is usually a mess.  The reality is that academic English is full of rules that don't make sense, exceptions to rules that don't make sense, random ways to spell words, homonyms, and about 100 other things that make English difficult.  As English teachers, we could mark up an entire page with corrections on form alone- without ever recognizing a student's voice or message. 

I try and pick a focus of form to assess with certain writing assignments.  I try to refer (in feedback) to rules and topics we have studied in grammar and punctuation previously so that students can master concepts they have already been taught.  The purpose is to make the students' voices be heard through the thick curtain of the English language.  Kittle is correct in her assertion that "The mechanics of writing are currency in the world."  Not everyone will read through certain repeated errors (He walk his dog.  / We studyed English) the way an ELL teacher can.  We have to provide the students with this structure, but not be punitive about it. 

I love, love, love, love that Kittle doesn't like rubrics.  Rubrics are very popular in my school. Some colleagues spend hours and hours crafting these tiny rules into these tiny boxes that no student will ever willingly read.  Rather than modeling tasks, building background, or teaching vocabulary, some of my colleagues are creating artificial assessment tools before students have even begun their process.  I hate rubrics too.  I just don't understand them. 

I hope that one day I can have a curriculum as full and thorough as Kittle describes having in her writing classes.  The self-assessment of one's portfolio is incredibly valuable and reflective for students.  I hope that one day my students can write with as much depth and volume as the students whose work that Kittle has allowed us to read.  Her classes truly seem to be like a family, and it is amazing what students will produce when they feel comfortable, safe, and willing to take risks. 

This book as a whole has contributed greatly to my knowledge of what it truly means to teach writing.  I just looked back at all the Post-It notes I stuck into the book as I read.  There are many things that I plan to do or have tried with my students including quick writes, place narratives, using mentor texts, heart maps of songs, decorating one's writer's notebook, blending genres, and ranking of favorite activities. I hope to be able to adapt these techniques for my students and expand their writing toolboxes, and my teaching toolbox as well. 

Blog Post # 7- Translanguaging and Fan-Fiction

A common theme that I found in both of these articles was the experiences of a student learning English who has very developed literacy in their first language (L1).  Knobel and Lankshear speak of students able to "co-design a social and learning-based space where native and non-native English speakers alike are able to display expertise and build on their different forms of personal, cultural, and linguistic capital," (9).  In differentiating between translanguaging and code-switching, Cruz and Seltzer assert that a bilingual person has "complex language and cultural practices that are fluid and changing depending on the particular situation and the local practice," (9).  While Cruz and Seltzer see people as not being "two monolinguals in one,"  (9), they see the student as having a depth of skills that can be transferred, depending on the home or school situation, and on the appropriate way in which the student must express himself.

The practices mentioned in the Fan-fiction article seemed good, in theory, but not appropriate for my students.  The Mandarin and English - speaking student mentioned is clearly educated, and able to utilize multiple genre knowledge to create his writing piece, and to read and respond to feedback from readers.  It is clear that this student has been inspired, and it excited about the writing process.
This has not been my experience in any of the populations I have taught as an ESL (ENL) teacher.  I sometimes say it would be "easy if he/ she just had to learn English."  Often times, my ESL students arrive with interrupted education, being several levels below grade-level in their L1 reading, traumatized, separated and/ or reunited from family, and with an uncertain immigration status.  All of these factors, combined with socio-economic status, make the "learning English" almost seem secondary at times. 

The idea of translanguaging is empowering to students who have weak literacy in the "native language".  In fact, it "disrupts" the notion of "native language" and sees language acquisition as not having a "hierarchy" (10).  I often tell my emerging and transitional students that they speak two languages, even if they don't think they speak English.  They do.  There isn't a "percentage" of English that they need to know in order to be considered a "speaker" of English (though New York State may disagree...)  .  The idea that translanguaging "facilitates comprehension and allows emergent bilinguals to tackle academically challenging tasks" (11) is quite empowering and gives the students credit for being successful academically, regardless of their state-determined English language level. 

Blog Post #6 "Shifting Perspectives about Grammar: Changing What and How We Teach"

Ms. Dean, on page 20, says that grammar instruction "neglects meaning and meaning relationships."  This is true, as students often have trouble transferring rules for decontextualized words and phrases into what they read in literature and non-fiction works.  Students love to sit and do worksheets, both in class and for homework, but the love of grammar often ends there - in a blank space on a cloze exercise.

Many of my students are SIFE (students with interrupted formal education) and have had limited exposure to different genres of text. I appreciate the idea of educating students as to which types of grammar are appropriate for a certain genre and then having them transfer this knowledge out of class. The problem I run into is that my SIFE students struggle with even the most basic academic language - period.  They have a limited view of what is academically appropriate, especially for something done on a computer or online (like Google or a blog).  How can I provide them the structures they need, while still making the writing experience difference than it is with pen and paper? 

I will try to teach the "common terms- subject, verb, clause, phrase, modifier, and completer."  (24)  Many times, the old-school way of teaching noun, verb, adjective, and adverb can be limiting.  If I teach that "ing" indicates an action "happening now," then how do I explain "This show is exciting" when 'exciting' describes the show?  I will try to teach these terms as parts of a sentence, to have the students view their language in a more holistic manner.

The theme of this article reminded me of Kylene Beers' talk about redefining our definition of non-fiction.  It is no longer "something that is true," but rather, "something that enters our world and purports to tell a truth." (Beers, 2016). We must redefine how we teach grammar, or we will have a generation of worksheet doers, rather than students with a full appreciation of the English language.

"The Skin We Speak" by Joanne Kilgour Dowdy

At the Teacher-to-Teacher NYC Writing project conference, Kylene Beers spoke about literacy being more about power and privilege rather than reading and writing.  Joanne Kilgour Dowdy shares this sentiment, as she writes about her learning Standard English being a form of oppression for her and her family from Trinidad.  This feeling runs deep, and goes back to her Trinidadian people being enslaved by their British colonizers.  Despite this, her mother was insistent that she learn Standard English.  Her reaction was raw, "If it means forgetting that the language of everyone else around you bears witness to two hundred years of cross-pollination, so be it." As Ms. Dowdy grew up, she found her own voice, and stopped hiding behind a language she felt didn't represent her, "The chains fell from around my tongue, and my brain began to feel as if it were oiled and moving along without hiccups."  By growing up, becoming her own person, being in the public eye, and being able to express herself in a way that felt natural, Ms. Dowdy was able to feel empowered by the language.  The chains of oppression, from her language, her family, and her history, have loosened slightly, and she has come into her own.  

Blog Post # 5- Kittle Chapters 9 & 10; Burke, Milner and Milner

I connect with the Burke reading in my own use of essential questions and learning objectives.  In thinking of the instructional needs of my English language learners, I use the SIOP  (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) model that includes a content and language objective for each lesson within a unit.  Burke asks teachers to "establish a clear rationale." This is crucial in determining not only what students will be able to do, but also how they will use language to show that they have met this objective. Ralph Tyler says that clarifying objectives is an "essential first step" in planning any lesson.  It is quite necessary to streamline ideas and activities to fit the time constraints and curriculum.  Without objectives, the classroom becomes a sea of disconnected activities.  There is a huge danger of students doing "busy work".

Burke also wants the lesson to be connected to students' prior knowledge.  This is crucial for ELLs (and also part of the SIOP model) because it gives them the "starting place" in their writing to which Kittle refers.  Kittle wants us to scaffold the narrative writing process by having students write about a moment, then many moments, then a place narrative in order to create a more complete story.  This process is helpful for ELLs because, as Burke says, the students are building on their own prior knowledge and experience.  While they may have to work harder on literature analysis (that is sometimes introduced by the narrative), they are coming at it with a bit of momentum from writing their narratives.

I had questions about the blending of genres.  Kittle's example, of her friend's obituary and her own response to it, was fascinating and moving.  As many of my students don't have a lot of knowledge of different genres, I wonder how I, in planning the curriculum over the course of a year, can appropriately introduce different genres. If I were to give students a choice in which genres they wish to blend, how can I build their background so they can make an informed decision?  I wonder if this blending genres unit is too much for the ELLs in my classes.  I found Kittle's goal of "rigor in progress" to fit in well with ELLs because there is much to be gained by working in multiple genres for an assignment, even if they haven't yet mastered them individually.  For my classroom, I would have to adapt the genres to an appropriate reading level and also be mindful of the specific vocabulary required to navigate (for example, the language used in writing an obituary ) in case I needed to pre-teach anything. 

The most important theme that I took away was Kittle's assertion that "good writing rests on the writer in command of a subject".  Students are empowered by being the expert on anything, but many of my students have not felt this empowerment or success in school.  The struggle rests on helping them to feel like experts on something, and keeping everything in the academic realm. The language objectives have always helped me to focus on exactly how I want to see students show their expertise in a structured way.  I have many students who start out writing about soccer and how much they love their families; it is my job to take them to the next level and direct this passion toward interacting with different genres of text.

Blog Post #4- Kittle 6 and Podcast- Risk, Voice, and Clarity in Teaching

  I connected with Kittle's commentary on teenagers and knowing our students.  Both on the podcast and in the story about Kelsey, Kittle discusses the real "stories" of some of her teenagers.  She goes behind the cliche of boyfriend /girlfriend drama and having too much homework into students' stories of loss, trauma, dropping-out, and such.  It is so important to keep this perspective so, when we are splitting hairs about a homework deadline or a perfect five paragraph essay, we can remember that there are so many other crucially important things that we do for students.  We can't take this for granted. There are many times when students tell us, and write about, things that are difficult to hear.  They do it because we have, in some way, made them feel safe enough to open up to us and their peers.  While we may not be able to fit this into the box of a "perfect essay" or "final draft", it can be life changing for students and teachers alike. Kittle's call for art and analysis being as crucial to classrooms as any of the other academic tasks students are asked to do is absolutely correct.  As we approach testing season, I need to remember to incorporate as much of this as possible into the non-testing time.  The students will yearn for it.  They are, at the end of the day, people, and not test-taking machines. 

Kittle had so many valuable things to say about the writer's workshop.  "A writer's workshop must serve writers, not a teacher's need for order." This is crucial for the middle school classroom, as it can be a challenge to engage these young writers in any task.  The need to choose from authentic tasks can really hook students in to a genre or area where they feel uncomfortable.  The mentor text posters can be great resources and help redirect students from constantly asking the teacher (who may be conferencing with another student) for help. I'm going to try and create these references in my room.  I will try the colored pencils and notating of mentor texts.  My expanding and commanding students may find that particularly engaging. I also found it helpful for Kittle to discuss the actual physical space that she teaches in, as I too have to share space and travel to different rooms.  There are many non-negotiable items in the space, and it's nice to hear what hers are. 

Creating a model of "thinking" for my ELLs to follow is a challenge for some of my students.  Depending on students' home countries and previous school models, the concept of free-thinking and analysis is unfamiliar for many students- not to mention doing this deep thinking in a second language.  Many of my students, say on the intermediate (transitional) level, became accustomed to using sentence starters in their writing as beginner (entering/ emerging) ESL students.  We do this for good reason- we try to provide them with prompts to express their thoughts and understanding.  Now, as they become intermediate and advanced (commanding), we remove the sentence starters, and expect students to craft their own frames and matrices to express themselves in writing English.  This can be a daunting task, and very scary for some.  It's a tough balance between providing a written model and modeling "thinking" for intermediate and advanced ELLs.