Writing Video Response

1)  The three main components of a successful writing program are personal connections, writing conventions, and inventions.  Personal connections are extremely important for student writing.  Students are more apt to write about their own stories, experiences, or how their thoughts and experiences relate to the writing subject.  This becomes key when students are asked to write about something in a specific content area.  When students are encouraged to write about the topic with reference to their own prior knowledge, experience, and ideas, the more interesting their writing will be and they will also learn about the different writing types.  The writing type in this example would be formal or expository writing, or could be considered as a report.  Students who have writing journals will know that this writing is much more informal.

2)  I would encourage students to write in their writing journal, not only for particular assignments, but whenever the spirit moves them.  I, myself will carry around my own journal and take a few minutes every day or every few days to share an excerpt from my own journal.  This modeling could show them that writing in this informal format can be helpful for the expression of their own ideas.  I will also remind them that they live in New York City (assuming this is where I stay to teach) and that silly or odd things happen around us all the time, but we become a bit desensitized to all of it.  Writing can help us get in touch will own human thoughts and feelings.  

I would also try to incorporate short writing assignments during content learning such as history.  During this time I would try to help students to incorporate their own personal experiences.

3)  There are many ways to incorporate personal connections with different subject areas.  It science, asking students if they've come in contact with similar things or if they or anyone else they know have experienced or seen a phenomenon.  History and social studies could easily link English Language Learners from those particular countries or students who have traveled with their families.

4)  Observing the writing conventions that students use can help a teacher know the order in which to teach these conventions.  If a majority of the class as issues with capitalizing words correctly like for a proper noun or at the beginning of a sentence, then a teacher could focus on that.  If students have issues with knowing when to begin a new paragraph, the teacher would focus on this convention.  One to two conventions at a time would be best.

During a previous observation during a collaborative team teaching class,  students were expected to edit their writing assignments by referring to a color coded editing chart located in the writing folder.  They were to go through the writing with the indicated colored marker (green for spelling, red for paragraph, blue for punctuation, etc.).  They were to circle or mark in some way any mistakes or anything they were unsure of before they begin their final drafts.  I'm sure that throughout the year, the teachers went over each of these conventions and this was part of the application and culmination of what they have learned.

5)  Students should be encouraged to use invention and creative writing in their writing journals, during language arts assignments, and even through some (select) content writing assignments.  I was always encouraged when writing reports to use interesting facts, create a narrative, or use fun quotations to lure the reader into my expository writing as long as it related to the topic at hand.  Students should be encourage to try out different styles of writing or blend these styles.