AChristian

Pages 30-43 of Craft Lessons continues with more aspects of writing that can be taught to K-2 students through teacher examples, student examples and good literature.  I have not mentioned up until that each lesson also includes a resource material box where the materials needed for each lesson are listed.  This is a great help and expedites preparation.  I was really fascinated at some of the aspects of writing that are introduced at this level.  Some of them, for example cause and effect and personification, seem very advanced to be taught to K-2 students but the writiers present the craft lesson on a level this age child will be able to grasp.  The craft lessons in this section of the book have been very good.  I am looking to forward to seeing what aspects of writing are taught at 3-4.

This book was written to be a resource book for classroom teachers that could be used to give them ideas for writing workshops that are age-specific.  Teachers have a difficult time knowing what to expect in a child's writing as well as what editing skills should be taught.  This book explains that there is no fixed scope and sequence to writing development but that teachers that are knowledgeable about writing will have a sense of how writers grow toward proficiency.  This book states that the most important part of the writing process, crafting and recrafting, or drafting and revising, is the part teachers assist with the least.  If students are going to learn how to write and write well, teachers much teach them the skills that are need.

The writing skills in this book are referred to as "crafts."  The crafts are broken down by grade level and prior to each there is justification for teaching the craft.  There are also resources listed to be used to teach the craft to students.  Suggestions for extending the crafts are given at the end of each craft lesson.  The writers of the book point out that teachers should focus on a few crafts or issues concerning their students' writing each year and not bombard students with a lot of issues that they are not ready for and can't master in a year anyway.

In order to learn to write and write well, students must be given the opportunity to write daily. Practicing writing and understanding what the students do well and don't do well in their writing should be the basis for what is taught to the students in terms of their writing.  Students that play sports practice playing and coaches teach their players the skills they lack to play well.  Teachers should do the same when it comes to writing.

As a pull-out resource teacher, writing daily is impossible since I only see my students once  week.  However, developing a set of writing skills that I will focus on at each grade level and expect students to demonstrate in their writing is a great idea.  I have taught second through fifth grade in the regular classroom setting, so I have some idea about what should be expected in children's writing.  I have also learned from the first part of this book that students cannot and should not be left to do the drafting on their own.  Teachers should keep a close watch and assist students during the drafting phase and help them make decisions about their writing.  In order for my student to become good writers, I will have to give them time to write, respond to their writing in a positive way, teach them the skills need to be a good writer and use literature as much as possible to illustrate good writing.