Saturday, May 31, 2008

On The Move...

Last week for Writing Workshop we wrote genres of choice. That is I gave them the option of writing narratives, fairy tales, All About books, poetry, or How -To pieces. I was thrilled to see my pumpkins grab their materials and go off and do their magic. I suppose giving them the choice I had the hesitation that someone would say, "Mrs. Amick I don't know what to write today!" or, "I don't want to write!" My students were thrilled to have the option of any kind of genre they wanted. They were ready! I couldn't believe those people who chose All About pieces, we haven't done those in a long while. While some popped right into a fairy tale mode, we have researched those in Reading workshop and I saw a transfer of knowledge from reading to writing! Wow!
I am taking my current first graders to second grade, we get to spend another year together. One of my "all boy, 100% genuine boys" said, "Mrs. Amick will we be writing more next year?"
I hesitated, what were his thoughts on this? Was he asking so that he could reevaluate if he wanted to be in my classroom next year? I plunged forward with enthusiasm, "Why yes we are and I can't wait to see our growth!"
He beamed, yes, my 100% genuine boy beamed, "I can't wait to write some more, I think we will become even better writers!" I'm so glad someone didn't push me over because I would have fallen flat! My students love this crazy world of writing!
I have so many plans for them, the one I am most excited about is the introduction of: A Writer's Notebook! My students are ready, I just have a lot to prepare myself for this summer. I have Ralph Fletcher's book to read, and Notebook Know How too! I am planning an unveiling at the beginning of the year. Time to stock up on stickers and what not to decorate our notebooks. It will be an exciting ride!
My community is on the move!

3 comments:

Jen Barney said...

Can't wait to see your WNB celebration! Decoration time is sooo much fun!

Jenny said...

Two of my favorite books on writers' notebooks. Enjoy!

Cathy said...

Hey there...this year I waited just a bit before introducing writer's notebooks, simply because it's a huge concept to have a notebook where you can catch ideas and write them down to use for later.

But...you know your class and what will work well for them. How exciting you get to loop. I cried on Friday (it was our last day) and some of my students cried too.