ReviewIf you are an English educator stuck or tired of your current grammar techniques then you need to check out Mechanically Inclined. Not feeling like you're the best at grammar? Don't worry! Anderson claims he is not the best either. This kind of humility and a touch of tried and true methods are sprinkled throughout the book to provide easy to understand grammar instruction. The first half of the book is a run through of the established tools Anderson uses in his classroom, including the Writer's Notebook, Wall Charts, and the Editor's Checklist. The second half of the book is sectioned off into mini grammar units with simple lessons to get your stuck-grammar-mind out of the maze and onto something great! I gave Mechanically Inclined an Exceptional rating because some of his methods and activities are great for connecting with students with grammar. Anderson is a middle school teacher, so as a high school minded teacher, it would take a bit more thought and creativity on my end to come up with a lesson or activity just as exceptional. I'm not looking for cookie cutter lesson plans to copy and implement immediately, but I do find it difficult to build some of the lessons to a high school lessons. Classroom ImplicationsI first read Mechanically Inclined during an undergraduate course titled "Crafting Teaching Practices" for English education students. We read and reviewed the rationale of the day-to-day practices of Anderson and his middle school classroom. For lesson planning and teaching practice, each of us in the class was assigned a lesson from the back of the book. We were required to modify, as needed, and teach it to our peers. This was a great way for us to plan and implement ideas in a supportive, reflective, low stakes environment. The classroom implications for preservice teachers are endless. My second read of this book was for the Red Cedar Writing Project Summer Institute. We set up our Writer's Notebooks the way Anderson suggests (see below for more information). All of our writing, if done by hand, was written in our Writer's Notebook. By doing this we were able to enact what it would be like to have Jeff Anderson's Writer's Notebook as a student. So What?"What's up with the Writer's Notebook movement? Why should students write only in a notebook? How I am going to collect that and grade it?" Nonbeliever of the Writer's Notebook Nonbelievers of the Writer's Notebook "movement" are often quick to jump to conclusions about the potential of the Writer's Notebook. Like many educational nuances, they are unable to try out and incorporate a new idea into their classroom. I am a believer of the Writer's Notebook. I was first introduced to the idea of the Writer's Notebook upon my first read of Mechanically Inclined. I kept it in my toolbox, and was introduced to another version during my internship in an Oakland County School. This "so what?" section will present these two versions of the Writer's Notebook, along with one of my RCWP colleague's version from her classroom. I will present the ideas that I think will work best in my classroom moving forward. Jeff Anderson's Writer's Notebooks are composition notebooks that need to be meticulously set up prior to use. In addition to this strict set up, rules are established regarding the use of the Writer's Notebook, such as never tear out a page of the notebook to only write on the right-hand pages (30). The sections of the Writer's Notebook are as follows:
Oakland Schools English 9 Writer's Notebook is implemented right off that bat according to the scope and sequence of the traditional English 9 curriculum. The concept of a Writer's Notebook is the be reintroduced to students, as previous grade levels have already used it. The first lesson of using the Writer's Notebook is based off of Ralph Fletcher's quote: "A writer's notebook works just like an incubator: a protective place to keep your infant idea safe and warm, a place for it to grow while it is too young, too new, to survive on its own." The Writer's Notebook is to be a "place to record observations, questions, thoughts, drafts of writing, memories, etc." In addition to this mindset, it is encouraged that teachers write alongside students and share frequently. Students and teachers are encouraged to make the notebook their own by decorating the front cover "with their own values and interests." Jessyca Mathew's Writer's Notebook is divided into five sections. Students are required to have a new notebook each semester they have her. Rather than only writing on the right-hand pages, Jessyca's students are able to write on any of the pages.
My Ideal Writer's Notebook would be divided into sections similar to Anderson's and Mathew's. I like the organization that sections affords students. I like the idea of only writing on the right-hand pages to write, record, take notes, etc. and have the left-hand side be used for edits, revisions, and/or brainstorming. I have found this sandbox space to be helpful towards my writing. Personalizing the Writer's Notebook is a great idea, too, and, if time is allotted in class to decorate, it allows students to build a community of writer's. Reviewing these formats of Writer's Notebooks have given me a solid start to designing my own use for them in the classroom. As the fall approaches and curriculum is planned out, I will look back on these set ups and develop a useful Writer's Notebook for my students and I to use. Continuing the ConversationDo you use Writer's Notebooks in your classroom? If so, what is your format? If not, why? Feel free to comment below!
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The Avalanche of Books
As an educator and avid reader, I am constantly hearing about books. I feel like I am being chased by a giant, rolling avalanche of titles and authors. Rating System
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December 2017
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