Writing

Introduction

Writing provides students with powerful opportunities to learn about themselves and their connections to the world. Through writing, students organize their thoughts, remember important information, solve problems, reflect on a widening range of perspectives, and learn how to communicate effectively for specific purposes and audiences. They find their voice and have opportunities to explore other voices. (Ontario Language Arts Curriculum, pg.12-13).

As in any subject matter, it is important to create a meaningful and engaging activity for students to express their learning. I find this especially so in writing, to make an essential skill such as writing a fun and engaging activity rather than a chore.

Brown, David. (2017).The Importance of Words. [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://www.dlbrown-inc.com/?page_id=94

Create Meaning

If students are writing about something that has no relevance to them or does not interest them in any way, then the work produced by them may not be their best. The task may be more of a chore to them and learning skills may not be met. When you relate a task to the students, it becomes more engaging and the students become aware of the relevance it pertains to them. The example of creating a poem about an animal on a totem pole that represents the individual student is a great method to get students engaged in their writing. Students are writing about an animal that they can relate to while also learning about form and word choice while writing the poem. Coupling a writing activity such as a poem with a visual representation is another way that students can connect their thoughts and ideas visually, furthering their understanding of what they are writing about. In class we used Pic Collage to type out our poem about our animal and then also find visuals that represent what we wrote. I found the activity to be very engaging and creative. Students not only learn about a writing form such as a poem and furthering their vocabulary, but they also get to express themselves and share what is important about them. 

Charland, Jessica. (October 23, 2017). Pic Collage. [Online Image]. Retrieved from https://lms.brocku.ca/portal/site/482e241b-adb5-42e4-97c3-de945c93cb9f/tool/90800724-91f7-4ceb-a932-78cba14b4412

Variety of Forms

In addition to creating meaning to foster kids to get inspired with writing, providing them with a variety of writing forms can also spark interest in the strand. Different forms of writing inspire students to write different pieces with varieties of topics. Our last professional reading we focused on “Fostering Good Writers-Practical Application Response/ Curriculum Connections for the Real World Writing”. In this response I thought of an activity that would enable students to choose a form of writing that interested them with a topic that they were all familiar with. The object of the activity was for students to write for the school newspaper, reflecting on a topic such as habitat and communities of the school.  Forms of writing that students could choose from could be examples of narrative writing for stories, descriptive writing for a travel section, expository writing to explain an issue, recount writing to retell an interesting event, persuasive writing to argue a point of view and many more. 

Pradel. (June 14, 2016). Forms of Writing. [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://englishcohr.global2.vic.edu.au/2016/06/14/different-forms-of-writing/

 Students will be able to become immersed in the writing process because they are being put into a role of a reporter in order to create a newspaper about the school grounds. The topic is one that all students will be familiar with since they all know about and have been on the school grounds. To fully engage students, you can explain to them that their article will be published in an edition of the school newspaper that the class creates and be placed in the office and the library for the whole school to read. The fact that students work will be displayed for all to read in an official manner such as a newspaper will want to ensure that the students put their best writing forward. Students’ voices and opinions also get to be heard through their thoughts on their school. There is also the potential that some of their ideas come to life!

Conclusion 

Writing may not be a task that every student likes, but by making it more accessible and engaging to students, it can still be fun and insightful. Providing a variety of topics, writing forms and incentives can aid in student success in writing.