Chapter 9 THE RIGHT TO FIND YOUR VOICE

Saving the best for last…this chapter sums up the main purpose of many authors, captivate the reader’s attention through voice. Our overall goal as writers is not the five paragraph structure, the number of transitional words used, nor the word count. A writer’s goal is to move the reader in such a way that triggers emotion.
Often times, students with several teachers can accurately identify a piece of their teacher's writing based on the true voice it portrays. This would be a neat activity to try with students who have multiple teachers.
As Spandel noted, voice is like an individual’s personality, we simply have to teach students to recognize and value this quality in their own writing as well as others.
What makes us read a five hundred page (or more) novel in one day, forget about our daily chores and escape to a new world, or get up an extra three hours early on a Saturday just to read- VOICE. In contrast, what causes us to read the first paragraph of a book and never pick it up again, continuously procrastinate reading an assigned book or text, attempt to read a book yet our thoughts consistently wonders as we painfully try to pick up where we left off- THE LACK OF VOICE.

The 9 Rights of Every Writer, encourage teachers to instruct and model for prospective young authors, not future prompt responders. We are to promote writing daily. Respond whole-heartedly to our students’ writing. Concentrate more on the flow of words as in the rhythm of music. And most importantly, teach students how to seek voice as they read. Consequently they will discover their own.

Ch.8 THE RIGHT TO GO BEYOND FORMULA

All together now--“Main idea, supporting details, conclusion….repeat…."Main idea….” This is how I was taught to write. Consequently, when I became a teacher, I taught this way as well. What was that called-- the five paragraph rule- The Famous Hamburger, Give me Five, etc. In essence, our writing formula was introduction, three supporting paragraphs plus the conclusion. Although this was the “appropriate” way to teach writing years ago, it is not something readers anticipate reading for pleasure. As I read this chapter, I could not help but wonder what if novels were written this way? Would a romantic novel fanatic read it with great anticipation? Of course not.
A writing formula provides a since of false security. Students are apt to concentrate more on the method of writing, rather than on voice, or even content. Spandel is not suggesting that teachers should avoid organization. Instead “writing needs to do a kind of dance.” (pg. 118) It’s like adding seasoning to a bland bowl of green beans. A little dash of facts, a sprinkle of emotion, a pinch of humor (who doesn’t like to laugh), and let’s not forget a can of cream of voice. Writers must expand on every concept to invoke the reader’s mind with images, sounds, and feelings.
Chapter Eight confirms that reading and writing intertwined. Better readers inevitably produce better writers. Therefore, we must encourage our students to READ.

April 18th UWP Conference

It was beyond a doubt, refreshing to collaborate with other educators on Saturday. The “Drawing Your Way to Writing” presentation provided us the opportunity to make and take strategies back to our school. The calm music really helped me to concentrate on my scenic Forty Acre Rock illustration and writing. I am convinced that children need a relaxing tune to alleviate the pressure of writing.
During our mentoring section with Dawn, I was able to brainstorm various ideas about my demo writing lesson. Hopefully, I will have a plan in place for our next gathering.
The Reading a Book in an Hour strategy was a great way for us to review valuable information through several group presentations. Gratefully, we will be using this approach again this summer.

Ch. 7 THE RIGHT TO BE ASSESSED WELL

I can recall when my favorite English teacher in sixth grade scored my writing assessments. She would always write a passionate response in the far corner of my paper. Consistently, I would search for the comment, not the grade. Her recorded reaction meant more to me than a number or even a rubric (My teachers did not use rubrics in the 80s). When I entered the teaching profession in 1997, I thoroughly enjoyed reading my students’ writing. I anticipated hearing their voice through their work. It defines who they are. I have learned more about my students in their writing than any other subject. When assessing their published piece, I used a rubric along with a honest and heart-felt response.
Many teachers feel the same way as I. Writing is such a unique, yet intimate part of our being. It would be detrimental to simply record a grade and not a comment. In a perfect world we could record a comment on every piece of our student’s writing. But that’s unrealistic. In chapter seven, Spandel encourage teachers to evaluate writing with passion and compassion. Everyone needs encouragement, especially in writing. Confidence is such an enormous piece in promoting effective writing.
Yes, our nation is becoming more and more data driven. Unfortunately, we may experience less prominent authors in the future due to our statistic frenzy. If we all could heed to the words of Samantha Abeel (pg.112): “Look for me in my writing. You will know if my written voice matches my outer voice. It’s not eloquence or beauty; it’s about honesty”. We need to see our student through their writing, and respond appropriately. Fortunately, I work with many teachers who demonstrate the ability to look beyond the words and acknowledge the voice of their students’ writing.

The Right to See Others Write

Chapter 6

It is amazing how this chapter has confirmed what many educators have learned through their teaching experiences. Effective teachers of writing must model writing on an ongoing basis to promote productive writers. Students need to observe our thoughts, methods, and even struggles as we attempt to write. How do teachers choose or personalize a topic? Their inquiring minds have to know. Our style of writings is apart of who we are. It’s okay to allow our students to see our struggles. Then, they may not be as hesitant to leap into the writing process with us. Let’s try this short version of a fable: There was this commander who gave his soldiers a series of checklists, rubrics, and even samples on how to win a battle. Then tells his troops “Okay soldiers, go out there and fight-defeat the enemy!” What are the chances of that commander’s regime winning? Slim to none… exactly. Why? Without knowledge, experience or some form of modeling, the soldiers are bound to perish. Students are no different. They are more prone to write, take risks, and revise their writing if they see their teacher exhibiting these same skills.
What does an environment that is conducive to writing look like? Will it possess the soft lighting from a lamp, calm music, or a large clean area to write? Chapter six described various writing atmospheres to aid students and teachers during writing time. Other techniques writers use during the writing/revision stage is using post-it notes, marginal writings, symbols, or bubble responses to remind them when and where to revise their work. Several authors stress the importance of students seeing this in action. Often times it is extremely rare for us to have published authors in our classroom daily demonstrating their unique system. Yet, we (the teachers of writing) can transform our students into prospective published authors by showing them how writing truly works. Spandel suggests a fifteen minute demonstration before each writing lesson to enhance students’ performance. Furthermore, Donald Graves recommends writing being taught four to five days a week. Any less than that is ineffective. Writing requires time to gather, reflect, and access a higher level of thinking.
From my experience, students dislike revision mainly because they think of it as destroying their original work. What we must teach our children is that modification is the best part! Seeing how a teacher had to revise his/her personal writing several times before arriving at the final copy is more valuable than providing a student with a sample of a before and after piece. We want our future authors to be comfortable in their own writing and believe that revision is not a stage of criticism, but a stage of sharing, advising, and best of all, polishing what is already there.

The Right to Write Badly

Chapter 5


Allowing students the right to write badly is what we do when we encourage daily journal writing. We simply want students to write without the fear of having their writing assessed. Honestly, I do not prefer the term “badly”. “Write badly” sounds somewhat misleading. I do understand Vicki’s point, though. I would much rather call it “writing in progress”, because that’s what it really is. The same way my six year old son, Grant was a potential soccer player “in progress”. During the first few games, his soccer skills were hilarious! Grant kicked the ball in the opposing teams’ goal. He became extremely agitated when another player managed to get the ball from him. Grant even appeared to be performing a relay race instead of playing soccer! I knew (believed) as he continued to practice his attitude and skills would improve. Although, his father and I had to constantly remind him that it was okay not to win all the time, he still became adamant about winning. Eventually, Grant became the star of his team. They started winning game after game. He was very serious about winning. Although, Grant’s coach did an exceptional job explaining to the entire team the importance of just having fun! That’s what writing is all about….allowing students the opportunity to just have fun while writing. As Spandel suggest, teachers may promote “fun” writing when they rid themselves of the “dreadful red pen” overview. After reading this chapter, I am encouraged more than ever to insist that our students not only have journals, but to optimistically write in them daily. Please keep in mind that the author does not suggest we not teach the mechanics of writing. She simply stresses the importance of getting–it-out-on paper first. Allow students to create more than one draft, maybe more than two. Students need to find their voice, identity, and style of writing. By reading Chapter 5, I have learned that true writers have several rough drafts before their final masterpiece is created. I never thought of the writing as a spider spinning its unique web-intriguing comparison for sure!
As I reminisce on the “Mrs. O’Neill” I had as a writing teacher, I can’t help but to cringe. I had to focus on writing in such a way to please the assessor. I wanted to write with her voice (not my own) to receive a good grade. And yes we were all encouraged to utilize various sentence structures we had learned in our English 101, of course. Fortunately, this did not limit my desire to write. I’ve always enjoyed writing mostly poetry to express my thoughts/feelings. I still have several pieces in my 5th grade poetry notebook that I still read from time to time.
What is still amazing to me is that I became a better writing teacher not after teaching fifth grade for five years, but after teaching Kindergarten for three years. What I realized is that the same ongoing fun, energetic, and innocuous environment needed to motivate five year olds to write was pertinent no matter how old a child was. Students need to feel comfortable, encouraged, and most of all anxious to write like Jason Kelleher (pg.73). As I read his writing, I could experience his voice too. I could feel his pain as he discovered his beloved cow dead the next morning. We want our students to experience this kind of writing. Writing that truly matters to the writer not necessarily to the reader. The reader who seeks to identify voice will appreciate this kind of writing.