6030 Writing Activity Demonstration
Writing Activity
I did this activity when I was teaching First grade. This is a writing activity for the Spanish class. Even though this activity is for the Spanish class, it could be done for the English class. However, teachers should be aware that this activity is for first language learners. Teachers would have to adapt the activity for second language learners in terms of what they expect students to write.
For this writing activity we use literature as part of the writing prompt. I read a story with my students and then using that story as point of departure they worked on their writing pieces. Most of the time I used literature when I want to give my students writing prompts. I believe that literature is about human experiences, and how we relate to those experiences. I also use literature because students need to have models when they are asked to write. Teachers should not assume anything about what students know about writing, especially elementary teachers. Young children need space to experiment with writing, they need freedom to express themselves, but they need models as well. We should and most provide guidance in order for them to improve on their skills. Although writing is not a natural form, it is about human experiences as well as literature is. Literature then provides a good model for them when they have to write. Moreover, literature provides them modeling on form as well. As a writing teacher, it is important to focus on content, but it is important to focus on process as well. Literature gives students the opportunity to work with both, process and content. We want students to come up with ideas of their own, to speak their minds when writing, but through the use of literature we help to remove the stress of having to come up with only ideas of their own.
Connection of my writing activity with current research
Literature gives students the opportunity to learn from human experiences and to have modeling on writing. However, it is not enough for students to read a piece of literature in order for them to have something to write about. Students must have a connection; literature must be engaging to them. Literature has to be related to students’ reality. Therefore, I believe in Freire’s theory about dialogue. He believed that dialogue was an encounter between men, mediated by the world, in order to name the world. That encounter with the world could be achieved with literature if teachers find out who their students are. What are their interests? What are their concerns? What are they likes and dislikes? What is their reality? What are their aspirations? Those kinds of questions teachers should answer first in order for them to provide students with relevant or meaningful learning experiences with literature. With the appropriate instructional materials, a teacher should prompt students to write. When teachers assign a writing activity the instructions must be very clear. Teachers must not assume anything about what the students should know about the specific task they have to achieve. Moreover, teachers should provide students with several opportunities to practice writing. Those opportunities should be accompanied with good instructional materials. Morrow (1990) found in a study that adding books and writing materials resulted in more writing behaviors in their classrooms (David Coker 2007). In another study, students with access to writing materials were found to write longer descriptions in first through third grades (Cooker 2006). In my first grade classroom students had a play area with books for them to read. They had writing materials as well as the opportunity to write almost in each class. They were faced with some writing activity almost after each lesson we studied. Our books and I as a writing teacher were models for them to follow when they had to write. One of the most important things that students need to understand is that they use writing to communicate ideas. Communication is a process in which both the writer and the reader must understand each other. The writer is responsible of making the reader understand the ideas being communicated in the writing piece. Young children also need to understand the importance of the mechanical process of writing. They should know that writing is different than speaking because of the way in which we have to organize the ideas. It is evident that teaching writing is not easy but it could be done. It takes time and well prepared and committed teachers. The younger the students start to work with writing, the better they will learn to become effective writers.
Learning outcomes for this activity
For this activity the teacher wants the students to practice and experiment with some writing tasks and other skills. The students will demonstrate artistic creativity by using arts and crafts to design their party costumes. They will have to prove that they can apply what they have learned in class and in this particular lesson as well. They will have to use their imagination to recreate the scenario they have in mind. Students will have to write coherently in order for the reader to understand their piece of writing. They will have to use description in order for the reader to engage with what is happening in the short piece of the story they will produce. They will demonstrate some basic writing skills they have learned about grammar.
Writing prompt and Instructions
The teacher is going to read aloud a story with the students. The story is about a birthday party. After reading the story the students will be asked to create their gowns for their own birthday party. The teacher will ask the boys to design ties and the girls to design purses, as their party gowns. They will create the decoration for the party as well. Students will work in groups to create the artifacts they need for the party and their gowns. The teacher will provide students with paper, construction paper, crayons, scissors, glitter, and cardboard, to do their party gowns and decoration.
The students will create a paragraph of four to five sentences describing how they prepared their birthday party.
Their gowns and party decorations, as well as their writing pieces, will be shared with the group. Students will be asked to read aloud in front of the group their writing pieces.
The teacher will provide “washback” on the students’ pieces of writing. The teacher will give students the opportunity to improve their writing pieces before displaying it in the classroom.
