This week my coaching has taken me into middle school classrooms. In one class, the teacher has asked me to launch notebooks and move into a personal narrative study. As we’ve gotten into notebooks this week and have shared bits of our lives, I’m struck by the way building a community, establishing procedures, creating opportunities for independent reading, and teaching writing all weave together.
I keep in mind, when launching workshop that until students know I genuinely care about them as people, they will have little desire in learning content. Since I expect them to write about the things that really matter to them, I’ve opened my notebook and my heart to them. I’ve shared bits of my life, partly as a model for how I’d like them to use their notebooks to collect bits of their lives, but mostly because this is the way to build a community.
I trust them with pieces of my life. I believe in the power of story to bind people; build relationships; and erase walls. I expect they will accept my invitation to write about the things that matter most in their lives. When these things happen, then I can forge into serious teaching about writing. Until then, I simply want to earn their trust and build relationships.
What are some ways you build a community of writers in your classroom. How do you know when this community is formed and functional?
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I think it’s formed in my room when the students start talking to each other as readers and writers…helping them make decisions and giving them advice. When they stop looking at me in sharing circle and talk with each other…that’s when I know we’re getting there!
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I think the most powerful element in building a community of writers in my class is the simplest one: our shared experience of books including sharing our connections with the stories. I often begin a writing session with a book that reminds me of something from my life and I share that with the class who in turn tell us about how it reminds them of their lives. Also, whenever a student publishes a book, the book goes into our classroom library (in a special box). These books become the most beloved books in our library. I have even had students write book reports on books published by their fellow students!
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This year my two classes have moved at such different paces. My first class is no longer afraid to share and will talk to anyone about there writing and their conferences are going quite well. I believe they really formed a community the last few weeks as we have progressed into our second writing piece (book 2 of Lucy’s work). For me it is when I no longer have to run the sharing sessions of the writing time. When it runs without me and they look to one another instead of me.
My second class is still not quite sure about this whole writer’s workshop experiences. Some still hold back, but this week I started a new conferring schedule that I hope will help them see themselves as writers.
http://lys-awriterslife.blogspot.com/2009/09/literacy-workshop-is-up-and-running.html
If it was my first time to do this I would think I some how messed up with my second class, but I know each class runs differently and the writers have different experiences and sometimes it just takes time.
For me, I make sure to build in the sharing time so we can come together as writers. Sharing time is something they love. No judgments take place and they have an opportunity to show off. Many times community building has to effect all aspects of the curriculum.
At the beginning of the year when a young lady was sharing the experience of finding her grandmother had passed away in the night and she was now alone in the world. Another student went and got her a kleenex and said I’m so sorry this happened. Several others were crying too and echoed their sorrow.
I spend extra time at the beginning of the year getting to know each other through TRIBES activities or Community Building activities. For me literacy workshop truly cannot work unless a true community has been formed.
Lynnelle
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