TDavenport

THe importance of teaching a student to extend his/her writing is highlighted in this section.  Students are encouraged to go beyond what they usually put down on paper.  Going beyond the basic "I like ..." and "Flowers are pretty." will help the student grow.

Some important points to remember are:

Good writing must have a Beginning, Middle, and End. Encouraging a child to really think about this will improve writing skills.  SOme children are very good oral story tellers and usually include BME to their stories.  however, writing stories on paper is a whole different form.  This is where many children have problems.

MAtching words to pictures, moving beyond "list" stories, talk bubbles(encourage dialogue), story webs, and using details are other points to remember.  Specific details help a child extend thier thoughts to give a more enriched story.  Teachers should also help by creating vivid pictures in the minds of students when telling stories.  Learn to tell a story orally first, then write it down.  This helps with u sing dialogue in the story.

Reading the pictures is a great way to understand a story.  Elaborate on the story through the use of details in the pictures.  Make sure the picures give enough detail so that the setting of the story is evident.

As teachers, we should make the writing experience seem less threatening and more manageable. THink of writing as talking on paper.

This book begins with the idea that young writers have to begin as readers.  Children need to be surrounded by books.  THis will help them to develop vocabulary and eventually become writers.   Young children need to especially be exposed to many types of literature, including stories, songs, and poetry.  The writing you get from students is only as good as the literature that surrounds them in the classroom.  Once a good piece of literature is found, it is expected to be visited over and over again.

SOme practical tips for a writing conference include:

Respond first as a reader.  Reading and responding first to a child's writing gives a teacher some sense of what the story is about.  It's okay to not fully understand what is written at first. This is the first step.

Be positive.  Offer help as needed, but also keep expectations high and grade appropriate.

Try to understand the writer's intention.   This involves listening closely so you will understand what the writer is trying to say.  THis helps the teacher gain a deeper understanding of the work.

Lower your ambitions.  Point out one or two things for each piece to teach or reteach.  Don't mark every little error and teach all at once.  This way, the student doesn't have to worry about so many mistakes.

Finally, young writers need to talk about books as much as possible.  Our role as teachers is to create classroom environments that encourage talk rich enough to spark a student's thoughts so that they can understand their own writing.  THe importance of reading should be stressed daily!