Series of Blogs on

How Love Shows up in Writing Workshop & Interactive Read Aloud

Seriously Love?!  You show love every day to your kids…just showing up is showing love. So true.  Recently I was asked about achievement vs. emotional health.  I feel like there is discomfort around the two. We want kids to achieve but we know they have a lot on their plate. And research shows how difficult it is to focus when our emotions take over. Yet, we have so much to teach. Especially now when some of our kids may be an entire school year behind in their achievement.  That said, emotions are at its height for everyone. I think we can do both—help kids identify and manage their emotions and achieve at high levels.  So loving is about achievement and learning and preparedness for what the world throws you, and it is also about emotions and how to handle those. With the opportunities that come our way also will come failures, sadness, anxiety, tension, disappointments, worry, shock, and on and on. How do we embrace these feelings, accept them and manage them? As teachers, part of loving our kids is supporting their emotional lives. I also define love as a deep knowing of all of your kids, and expecting greatness from all. 

Each week (I’m hoping on Monday), I will publish a blog around literacy love. I will alternate each week from writing work to read aloud work, and those blogs for both weeks will have a theme.  Some themes may last longer than two weeks. 

Whatever the theme, I will be addressing the literacy content/craft and how to weave the love/confidence building/emotional lives throughout.

Here goes…

Identity

Who are you, really?

Writing Workshop

I have always loved the idea of knowing kids’ writing identity. Why they write? Where they write? When is it easy/hard? What part of the process do they like? What do they wish for in writing partner? I love the idea of honoring their writing selves without judgement.  And naming that writing is hard. For everyone. 

Here is a sample of identity work for grades 3-5 grade:

Writing Identity Survey

Name__________________________________

Reading Identity Survey

Please answer each question honestly. You answers will help me to know you and support you in your journey as a writer….

I enjoy writing.

I can think of lots to write about.

I like writing about my life.

I like writing about my feelings.

I like writing stories.

I like writing nonfiction.

The handout has three columns with not yet, starting to, yes. Writers answer where they think they are. These are just a sample.

After the death of George Floyd, I started studying how to be an antiracist teacher with some colleagues.  The first book we read was We want to do More Than Survive by Bettina Love. In that book she discusses the importance of knowing the WHOLE child. Every inch that you could find out about.  That made so much sense to me.  And I decided that it shouldn’t be just the writer’s writing identity, but it should be bigger. 

Here is a sample of my notebook, a writer’s notebook and some categories in which you can get writers to think about and put in their writer’s notebook:

 Some categories to give to your writers might be:

• What makes YOU, you (culture, religion, favorite food, traditions)

• Family Make - up (who is in your family? What is your birth order?)

• Matters most to you (what do you value—friendship, honesty, hard work)

• Turning Points (events/experiences that have shaped or changed you)

• What others see as a weakness (being sensitive, loud, shy…)

Some Identity Tips:

·      You can do this work tomorrow.  We always feel as if this should happen at the beginning of the year.  And it should.  But you might want to start it immediately especially for this year.

·      This could be a mini lesson using your notebook to show how. If you teach 3-5  you might have your own writer’s notebook and try to share as openly and honestly as you can.  If you do it, your writers will feel safe in doing it as well.

·      Create long term writing partnerships from this identity work.  Really looking at personalities.  I like to partner up a quieter writer with a writer a little more outgoing.  They can support each other in being strong listeners and speakers. 

·      Once partnerships are created, it is their responsibility to really get to know their partner. You might do a partner share learning about each other. You might ask partners to share something fascinating about their partner with the entire class. You might have this be an ongoing thing.  Throughout the first month of school and even throughout the school year. 

Getting to know your kids—often it is hard to find the time. Sometimes we find out things that scare us. Always we can gain trust and a deeper understanding so we can love each child with our whole heart.

 Much Literacy Love~

Christy