Saturday, April 11, 2015

Saturday Sayings: Literacy Success for All



Poetry is in full swing in my room.  We're exactly six days in, and my writers are officially poets now, more or less.  A few of them blew my mind on day one, especially Carson, who wrote, "A crayon is like a magical stick of a rainbow.  So pretty."  This guy is a natural.  Not every poem he writes is a magical-stick-of-a-rainbow kind of poem of course, but there's no doubt he's feeling satisfied with himself most days.  I wish that for all my writers.  If only I could surgically implant his poetic way with words into all their smart parts. Fortunately, under the right conditions, many Carson-like poets have emerged, but there are still those who are simply going through the motions.  They have yet to find their way.

I believe many of my writers are catching on because they've heard great poems by poets of all ages repeatedly celebrated and investigated.  They've watched me model (and muddle) my own way through the poetic process. They've "shared the pen" with me as we've written poems together during shared writing.  They've been part of daily mini-lessons and literally spent hours simply practicing their new-found skills.  

After all this hard work though, the question still remains.  How do I ensure they all experience the satisfaction that Carson feels when he finds a powerful poem at his fingertips?  I refuse to abandon any of the above strategies, but the one I know I need more of is shared writing. Routman grabs my attention when she says "literacy success for all." That certainly includes those who are just going through the motions.  The benefits of writing together is so lengthy I won't take time to elaborate here, but after several repeated shared writing experiences, the evidence of transfer should be apparent in each writers' personal writing in some way or another.  

When we've penned a poem together that's a magical-stick-of-a-rainbow kind of poem, the group's reaction is priceless.  The air of satisfaction is palpable.  That's how I imagine Carson feels most days, and that's what I want for everyone.  It will take more shared writing experiences to ensure that kind of successful feeling for all.


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8 comments:

  1. Beautifully written, as ever, my dear. And you have once again hit on a topic that has been on my mind all week. Raising the bar--that's something you do so well.

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    1. Thanks Laur. I've wondered what shared writing looks like at your level.

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  2. I love when something really poetic comes out of them! I have one who starts everything with "O" now-O my red tomato, O my beautiful mom. As much as I'd like to see a little more variety-I know she's applying something from our poetry. Shared writing is something I need to incorporate more of-thanks again for the reminder! :)

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    1. Miss Trayers, I can imagine the O poems. I bet they're sweet and a great starting place for future wonderful poems.

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  3. "I wish that for all my writers." ... And readers, and mathematicians, and, and, and.
    I love how excited you'd like them to be!! Sara

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    1. Sara, yes we have lots of wishes for them don't we? To se them come true sure is rewarding and then awfully frustrating when the don't.

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  4. You stretch your writers to do their best and I always enjoy reading what they have written!
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

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    1. Lori, thank you. I enjoy sharing what they've written with you.

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