Slice of Life #17

Today I turned in my first paper in my last class for my Master's Degree.  The class is titled, The Reading and Writing Connection.  As part of the class I am required to read Regie Routman's book, Writing Essentials Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching.  I thought I would share a few quotes from the book that have stood out to me so far and made me reflect on my own beliefs and practices in my classroom.  Hopefully they may make you think too.

"The question we need to be asking is, how can I teach writing so that all students become effective and joyful writers and communicators? not, what does the writing program look like? or what skills should I be teaching? Teaching the skills is crucial, certainly, but those skills need to be taught because the writer needs them to convey a message, not because they are on a checklist or in a prescribed "scope and sequence" program" (p. 12).

"All students, especially those who begin school with limited literacy skills, need to think of themselves as readers and writers, see the processes as meaningful, and have positive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices" (p. 34).

"If you're reading everything your students write, they're not writing enough.  Expect more.  Kids become writers by writing every day, not by completing exercises about writing.  Students who are excellent writers write a lot" (p. 65)