E U R O P E A N L E A G U E F O R M I D D L E L E V E L E D U C A T I O N
work but the intrinsic motivating factors that move students forward with enthusiasm for the project.
It Starts with Reading
The best writers seem to agree: Good writing starts with good reading. Thus, in my class, a writing project begins with reading great models in the same genre. If we ' re writing short stories, we ' ll read and analyze Hemingway, Chekov, and Shirley Jackson; if memoirs, we look at excerpts of Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Malala, and Malcolm X. I also bring out former student work and something I ' ve written for the students to critique and practice giving feedback. This portion of the prewriting process could last a few days or a few weeks. During this time, we ask questions about story elements, the author ' s voice, intention, audience, theme, characters, organization— all of the Common Core reading standards can be covered. Of course, all language arts teachers hit these standards throughout the year, but the difference is that the students are engaging these standards with a greater sense of purpose within the larger publishing project. They begin to ask: How will reading this make my writing better? Which author will I use as a model for my writing? What will my voice, theme, and organization be? How will it come across to the audience? These questions are not posted on my classroom wall. They emerge organically because all of the students know that their stories will be in a printed book that ' s sold on Amazon. It becomes a big deal, and some students even begin to see stars and dream of dollar signs! In most cases, the letter grade( extrinsic motivation) becomes secondary, and their pride in publishing a quality story( intrinsic) becomes the primary goal.
Bad First Drafts and Good Feedback
It ' s difficult to write and perhaps even harder to share your writing with a group of peers. So there has to be a protocol for giving feedback. I recommend dedicating a full class period to discussing bad first drafts. I begin with a warm up asking " What is difficult about writing?" After " pair-sharing," or however you prefer to spark discussion, we read and discuss Anne Lamott ' s Shitty First Drafts. If you teach young or sheltered kids, this brief excerpt can be photocopied and censored, but it usually initiates great conversations and reinforces the idea that good writing is crafted through revision and editing, not some mysterious inherent talent. Lamott ' s mindset gives students the courage to write and the idea that their first drafts will improve; they just need to stop thinking about it and write!
After students have had time to write their first draft, the writing workshops begin. Based on a common workshop seating arrangement, we move the desks into a large circle so all the students are facing each other. To relieve any tension or stress that students may have in sharing their work, I make anonymity an option, where I( or other volunteers) can read the work of other students. But before anyone starts sharing, I try to establish what Ron Berger calls the " Culture of Critique." I explain that writers don ' t want just any feedback; they want specific, quality feedback. While I encourage starting off with a positive comment, I clarify that saying " Good story, I liked it " might momentarily boost the writer ' s ego, but is not very helpful. On the other hand, commenting that a writing piece was " boring " or " sucked " isn ' t a critique; it ' s rude and hurtful. The emphasis is on giving helpful and specific
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