Implementation Paper/Final Draft

Next year I will…

…work harder to start the year off with a truly new attitude about me writing as an example/model for my students. I read every chance I get and I think that shows my students that I have learned to enjoy reading and that it might be fun, too. Now, I need to show them I’m writing, too. I used to pen pal friends all over the world when I was younger maybe I need to start that again. Emails are not the same as a letter you get in the mail and can hold in your hand as you read someone’s hand.

…use several tools that were introduced to me through the sharing we did early in the class. I loved the poetry sights I was told about and used them with my ninth graders. I will do it again and spend a little more time playing with my students creating some of my own poems, too.

…revisit using more peer-editing. I shied away from peer-editing because I felt it wasn’t accomplishing all that much but after reading chapter five in our text, “peer response can be another effective means for participation and engagement, so long as students are given the necessary skills and knowledge to responds critically…” I think I need to try it again. This time giving better instruction and modeling it more first.

…also try Six Traits again. I forgot how it helped my reluctant writers find themselves. It was a lot of work to get started and I failed a few times so I let others talk me out of trying it again but after hearing some of you talk about your successes with it I think I need to dust it off and try it again.

…continue to use Turnitin.com as a learning/teaching tool for the major tenth grade research paper, but also the ninth grade mini-research paper and the several informative and position papers my junior do over the school year. I like the idea that it shows the students where they have “cheated” and by letting them rewrite before they submit their final draft, it works for all involved.

…try to again go outside of my comfort zone and get brave enough to go “paper-free”. You know, have my students submit their papers through FILE’ or like we are here on this site. Others in my school have started to do this and I keep thinking “why not?” However, I’m still a little afraid of this new computer world I’m forced to be a part of because I’m an old dog, etc.

…not think as often about how much we have to cover and relax a little. Let time be our friendly enemy if not our friend. I’m tired of running through things to get to the next. Not slowing down when we find something we want to explore more is a big problem. Too often I think after the fact, it would have helped if I would have just spent a few more hours, a day or two, maybe a week so we all could feel successful.

…or would like to try to set some individual reading and writing goals for my ninth grader (especially if I have another small class). I’ll give them some ideas and prompts and ask them where and what they’d like to go with them. Like, ask one of them, “If you read this required novel what would you like to do to show me you read and understood it.” Or I could ask, “I need to see you understand what this author wanted to get you to feel can you tell me by writing down three things you understand now that you didn’t before you read the novel.” Personalize my instruction and get away from these long essay tests I insist on giving and make myself crazy correcting. I’ll start with one small class and see how it goes.

…work at getting more comfortable with technology. I will learn to use things like noodletools.com, bibme.com and other bibliography assistance programs, blogger.com and goggle.com as teaching tools to assist me in teaching communication skills and fostering writing as an exercise we can use to get better as writers. Again, “writing to learn and learning to write”.

…write, write, and write some more. I need someone to check in on me down the road a piece to see if I am faithfully writing more. I think I’ll try to continue or start a new blog. I hope to write this summer and then keep at it at least every other week after I’m back home and back to school. I agree with dc (I think it was dc) that we kind of stagnant when we stop writing, we forget how to express ourselves, and even dry up a little. How can you teach if you don’t do?

…focus on improving the writing skills of my students but also help them see (if I can) how rewarding it is to finish something. Something that you have spent time improving after others have helped you look at it and where it could be improved. Helping them see that it is possible to improve something by revising it a little or a lot.

…have on-going dialogues with my students using blogger.com or another internet source outside of the classroom. I already use the internet to email my students and their parents and hope to expand that next year.

…remember the closing comments in our text Because Writing Matters, “Writing helps students become better readers and thinkers. It supports their growth as adult independent thinkers. Writing is a gateway to students’ emerging role in our nation’s future as participants and decision makers in a democratic society.” Boo rah!!!

This is a list of my thirteen impulsive aims that I'd like to put into action. A lot of what I've learned this semester could be part of my plans for next year. Thanks to you all for all the encouragement and support. I needed it to get my otherwise, lazy butt in gear and take some chances. I hope I will reread this before school starts and actually do several of these "high in the sky" goals. It would definitely make me a better example and a teacher. Bye for now, JJ