Don’t you just love when your kids come home and answer the question: “What did you learn today?” with the word: nothing? I remember those days. Of course, our children and students are learning new skills every day, but were they meaningful enough to be valued and saved in their heads?
FCAT Writes is right around the corner. In order for students to do well on this required state assessment, they need to acquire a significant amount of tools in their strategy tool belt. As a teacher, I attempt to illustrate the importance of good writing skills all year. I use a variety of teaching strategies to engage them in organizing and editing their essays. I talk about and allow them to do real world writing.
I even instituted an Author Spot for kids to share their writing. It is so important that we build their confidence and also allow for opportunities for students to hear good writing. It is not enough to just see good writing modeled on the board by the teacher. Students receive better from their peers!
Yesterday, we began working on partner editing, while editing our most recent District Writing Prompt. They found these conferences extremely helpful. After this session, they were able to improve their essays. The final step will be to meet with them one-on-one to discuss their challenges and growth. Most of my students have worked eagerly and painstakingly all year. I can only hope that they do their best on March 1st. I teach all year; most of them learn and practice. But on test day, what happens happens.
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