Thursday, July 9, 2009

Topic: Teaching Writing, When?

10-second review: Teaching writing is a complex task, involving teachable moments while the children are writing—assessing what the children already know and determining what they now need to know.


Title: “Teachable Moments: Linking Assessment and Teaching in Talk-Around Writing.” K Glasswell and JM Parr. Language Arts (May 2009), 352-361. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).


Summary/Quote: “Examining children’s texts for evidence of learning and as a source for thinking about what to teach next is a long-standing and worthwhile tradition in early years classrooms.”


Comment: In this article’s first- and second-grade classroom, the teacher must make quick decisions on what children know and what they need to know about writing as she converses with children while they write.


But the principle is the same at every age level. The high school teacher needs to assess what each student knows and each student needs to know about writing before marking the paper or while engaging in a writing conference. Worth thinking about. RayS.

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