the importance of writing

I think that it is important that students are able to relate what they read to themselves, in other words, to make text-to-self connections. When students are writing to express their feelings or opinions that means so much more than just meaningless writing assignments. They are able to truly express themselves. If their writing time is set up in a way where there aren't strict grading rules they feel free to experiment in their writing. I think too often classrooms take this approach. I have seen my mentor teachers use writing in this way. It can be quite frustrating because then the students don't write for anything besides an assignment. They feel constantly constrained and frustrated. They write for work, never for fun.

That is something I think i will be really important in my classroom. I don't want my students to see writing as a chore, but rather an adventure. I want them to experience and be constantly be exposed to many types of text, many types of writing. I want them to enjoy each step of writing, even if it sometimes is a challange. I cant my students to write outside of class, and learn to write to epress who they are and what they believe. One thing I loved growing up was having a writers notebook, and I think that every student should have one. Each student should feel comfortable writing without the consequences of getting a bad grade. I think tis a great way to get to know students and be able to constantly encourage them in who they are as people. They can make a difference and sometimes writing can help them realize that.

In the rush of life take time to smell the roses

I feel like too often we all rush, way too much.

Do you ever notice the sunset, it's beautiful as you drive into my apartment complex- perfect view of the horizon.

Spring time approaching brings many beautiful colors..If you live in athens, have you seen the blossoming tree on the corner of Milledge and Baxter that is so pink and vibrant? (I plan on taking a picture next week)

To ease the stress, take some time to rest in the presence of the Lord...

How about venturing to the Botans, going down the purple trail and laying on the rocks? You see a perfect view of the river, it's serene, peaceful... You could also take the white trail, walk for a bit and then find the huge rocks near the stream, perfect for reading on.

If you sit at Two Story coffeehouse on a warm day, upstairs, with the windows opened it can ease any studying.

But if its raining go to the prayer chapel , and listen to the rain fall from the secret window.

There is a bench in the founders garden near bushes full of magnificent flowers that start to bloom around this time. Take an afternoon to go there and explore.

If it's a Wednesday you should get an energy boost from Expresso Royale and enjoy a $2 latte :)

After that Tribe Issachar is another great place to go to rest, pray and just get away from things.

Take time to rest, enjoy life, dance, smile, read, pray....rejuvenate. God has so much in store for you this spring, you don't want to miss the simple blessings.

Chapter 12 WW and Field Experience

My 2nd graders have been learning about persuasive writing and about letter writing. They have gotten the opportunity to write letters to the other student teacher in Mrs. Clark's classroom while her dad was in the hospital. They also wrote persuasive letters to their parents trying to convince them of something fun they should get to do over spring break. They seem to really enjoy writing in letter form, and I have seen them grow as persuasive writers. It is interesting to see the many tactics that they use to convince their audience. They seem to realaly understand and fully grasp what it means to persuade and have gotten  many opportunities to practice being persuasive with real topics that they care about. They have also successfully learned the mechanics of letter writing through this in depth study. I think that this has been a great unit of study as it talks about in chapter 12 of the book., They get to do a lot of self selected writing while still learning major components of what good, effective writing is.

When I taught my science unit last week I had the students integrate their science knowledge and persuasive writing skills. The science unit was about temperature. The students were given the opportunity to make up a place, temperature for that place, clothing they would wear and activities that could be done there. After they had the opportunity to brainstorm those different components they then wrote a persuasive advertisement for that location. They were given the option of trying to persuade someone to come to their location. I think that they really enjoyed getting to be creative, use their science knowledge, and use their persuasive writing skills. They are almost finished with this project, and I can't wait to see how they all turn out.

My class loves to write and it's cool to see their creative ideas come to life on paper! I can't wait to continue to see them grow as writers throughout the rest of the semester! I think their teacher does a great job teaching writing and that writing is a really big focus in their classroom. It makes a difference!