For Better Reading and Writing is a brand new class this semester, focused on "growing up" the reading and writing style and habits of middle schoolers. When kids are younger, their cheeky, playful, rambling writing is a joy to see, and their dedication to reading the same books over and over (Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Harry Potter; Warriors) is sweet, because hey, at least they're expressing themselves with gusto and at least they're reading! It feels like a good start. But...how to harness that enthusiasm and turn this buggy towards more varied and mature reading and writing, and can we do it without scaring the horses?
That's what For Better Reading and Writing is designed to do.
Every week, we read an article, essay, song, poem or book excerpt I've chosen, discuss its unique features, and then the students must write their own piece imitating its style and features.
Here's an example assignment: Write about a food you know the same way this person writes about beans on toast.
When I taught this lesson this week, it was a smash! One parent told me her daughter liked it so much, she kept working on it after class. And it's so much fun to see what kids know about. They wrote about everything from pizza and M&Ms to stinky tofu.
For the record, I write my own version while the kids are working on theirs! I've written 2 versions now: one about Fritos and one about mangoes.
And I'm taking the "better reading" part of the class title literally so far; it occurred to me that kids likely have less opportunity to use their voices lately. So, instead of reading the article silently, we read it out loud, one paragraph for each kid in a reading roundabout, so everyone can get a chance to practice their speaking and reading skills.
Also, we all write on the same online document. This way, kids can see what other writers, including me, are doing with the assignment. This ability to write communally has been the greatest gift of online teaching so far. When kids see examples, it sparks their ideas and teaches them more than I alone could. It engages their critical thinking, too, in a casual way that is so helpful because when a teacher tells them to read something, some are instantly turned off. But when they go read something thinking they are "getting away" with copping ideas from their neighbor, they're actually doing exactly what I want them to do, but there is no mental resistance. I want them to read examples, think critically about what works and what doesn't, and use what they learned!
And from my experience, kids don't really want to copy. ("Plagiarism is a form of desperation" - Lisa Walter). They just want to know what they're shooting for. This is why it's fine to have the kids all writing on the same page. Better than fine - it takes learning to the next level.
In the spring semester (starting in January), I plan to offer this class again for 6-8th graders, and also add a 2nd class for 9th and up. The difference between the two is simply the maturity level of the readings. Subscribe to my blog for updates to class schedules!
And if you would like your own private tutoring lessons in better reading and writing, Contact me!
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