Slice of Life: Leaving the Writer Motivated to Write #SOL21
I am noticing they get frustrated when editing.
I agree they don’t want to go back to edit and revise.
Look – see how they wind up crossing things out and trying to squeeze the new writing in.
I don’t like the flaps.
The carets seem hard for their fine motor.
Editing is making them not want to write anymore.
Even though we are meeting virtually, I can tell these teachers have more evidence ready to go. I decide to find space in the conversation to ask a question.
Can you explain to me what you mean by editing and revision?
One teacher begins, They go back and use the checklist to fix up their writing.
Colleagues nod in agreement.
So, are you having them go back and use the checklist for every piece of writing? I probe.
Yes, they cannot begin a new piece without using the checklist to edit. You know… when you are done …
It’s like their ticket to the next piece.
… or a ticket to somewhere you don’t want to go? I suggest, trying to add some levity to the conversation.
All eyes are now on me awaiting an explanation, asking me, am I doing it wrong?
I don’t think there is a right or wrong way when it comes to creating a community of writers. I truly never have had one vision of how to achieve an authentic, purposeful writing environment, and after this past year, I definitely do not! I do believe, however, that the ultimate goal of whatever we do is to motivate the writer. Everything we do must propel them into writing, leave them wanting for more. If something is causing them not to want to write, even if I suggest it or the curriculum suggests it, I think we must stop doing it, reevaluate, and try something else.
I think it is difficult to infuse the writing process into any curriculum. Process is dynamic, responsive and personal. Whenever I am asked a process question I tend to reflect on my own journey as a writer. I think about what works for me and how I deal with difficulties within the process. When it comes to revision and editing checklists, it helps me think about what I authentically do and not do as a writer.
Let’s take this March Challenge, as I think it mirrors what students do in workshop over the course of a month. I have over twenty drafts of ideas that will most likely go nowhere or at least not be used this month. I write a lot of things that I never go public with in the written form. When I am in the process of drafting a piece I naturally revise and edit on the go as I have an idea or notice an error. For me, this is a natural part of the process. I do NOT, however, go back and revise or edit a piece of my writing formally unless I intend to share it with an audience in a written form.
I think my engagement and motivation would plummet if I had to use an editing checklist on every piece I drafted before I could begin a new piece. Even if there is room for revision or editing in a piece, if I am not committed to sharing it in a written form then I am not invested in fixing it up. There is not an authentic reason for editing a piece I don’t plan to publish.
I want students to have this same sense of ownership over their process. I want them to draft so they can find meaning and discover what they really want to say. I want them to experience many drafts before they land on the one that matters to them. I understand that, as teachers, we feel the obligation to lift the quality of the writing and to leave the writer with new tools and strategies, but how do we also honor process?
Here are a few moves that work for me with young writers:
1) Revise in the Air – If I am conferring and see an opportunity to teach a young writer, I do it. I explain my thinking, I model it, and then I ask them to give it a go by revising in the air (talking it out). I may even ask them to try revising it in more than one way. If they can talk the revision, then I know they are one step closer to making it a part of their process. I then walk away. The writer chooses if they want to make the revision in their writing.
2) Aspire to the Next Piece – If I am conferring and I notice an opportunity to teach something to a young writer, but they are well into the piece at that point, I simply write it in my notes. I ask the writer to come see me for a conference before they start a new piece. It is easier sometimes to learn a strategy or craft move and then give it go on a new piece of writing.
3) Be an Editor – It is always easier to fix someone else’s writing. I confer with a notebook filled with my own writing. Many of these pieces have errors and opportunities I have purposefully created to use in conferences. If the student is in the midst of their own writing it can be developmentally too much to apply new learning in the moment. They literally can’t envision how to change it once it is on the paper. In these cases, I use my writing to model and actively engage the writer. If our focus in on the writer, not the writing it doesn’t matter whose writing they use to try a new strategy or craft move.
There are a lot of moving parts in an elementary writing workshop - especially this year! It is impossible to avoid every bump or to find one way that will work for all students. The one thing I always keep in mind and try to keep at the forefront of all my instructional decisions is to leave the writer motivated to write more.
(This post was drafted using speech to text!)
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