Professional Reading ~ Content Area Writing

I have been reading a book called Content Area Writing: Every Teacher's Guide by Harvey Daniels, Steven Zemelman and Nancy Steineke for my professional reading group. There is also a companion book about Content Area Reading (which I will most likely get). The reason I chose this book was because I wanted to get more ideas of how to encourage my students to write more.

The authors point out a truth we all know as teachers (and thought as students)... most students HATE writing! What if as Daniels, Zemelman and Steinke suggest, students don't actually hate writing, they just "hate the kind of writing we make them do" (pg 3)? WHAT!! Why would they hate the writing we ask them to do when it's what we have so carefully planned, thought out, deliberated over and if you admit it - what we had to do as a student? Maybe it's because it's not how they think, relate or act in their non-academic lives.

The approach that these authors take (as experts in their field and with collaborative efforts with other teachers) is that you need to meet students where they are at and find ways to get at their thinking in ALL subject matters. We need to find ways to make writing a part of the learning process not just the drudgery of copying notes off the board or overhead (I'll never understand how this is useful - it sure never helped in my student career), or answering comprehension questions for a novel study, history or science textbook or completeing the obligatory dreaded research paper/essay. Some of these types of writing are necessary, but it's how and why you/they do it that's important.

Here's a little bit about the guts of the book...

It's separated into two different types of writing:

1. Writing to Learn ~ This is just as it sounds. It's the process of brainstorming ideas, jotting down notes to remember something, reflecting on what you've read or heard without the pressure of having your writing analyzed or red penned to death. This type of writing is not to be marked (unless you want to make it part of the participation mark). It's students discovering and sharing what they know with themselves, their fellow students and teachers.

2. Public Writing ~ This is the more formal aspect of writing that many of us are used to. The difference with this book is that it examines the process and looks at how we can support students during that process. I am still reading this book and haven't read this part yet, so I'll add more once I've read more.

In the meantime...

What it comes down to is that writing is an essential part of our lives and we can either make a rewarding or painful experience in our classrooms or at home with your kids.