TUWT: Chapter 2

The second chapter held some really useful information that I could have used years ago.  Trying to reach that student who is above the rest always has been a struggle because the idea of challenging them didn't seem to be something I felt confident in doing.  Over the last couple of years though, we have been using a checklist/continuum that also showed the fifth grade expectations,  so that really came in handy.  But besides the expectations of only a fifth grader, I was more concerned with just helping the student become a better writer altogether.  But, how am I trained to do that?  I'm not a published or professional author, so who would make me an authority? 

Colleen comes to save the day with some great ways to help ALL writers, even the ones who intimidate you.  They may not be all around outstanding authors, but I've had several students who exceeded the standard in an area of their writing ability.  She says the truth when she states, "we don't always know what to teach them...we can forget about them."  They are the kind of kid who gets praise, but not critical feedback.  They've always been told they were awesome writers and some may be hesitant to try something new or change a thing. 

She describes the kinds of writers you may encounter in your classroom, among the higher level group. 
1.  Approval Seekers--follow you around the classroom asking "Is this good?"
2.  Reject any tips that you can give them when you DO conference with them.
3.  Below the radar flyers--trying to be invisible during workshop.

One piece of research evidence that struck me was that when strong students hit a certain age, they can actually lose abilities if they are not challenged.  When I read this, I felt like a complete failure.  How many great students have I not pushed and let slip by, probably causing them not to reach their full potential because of things I didn't know how to do, or think I needed to do?  Many of these kids need different motivations, especially if they've been told how great of a writer they were in the past. 

Recognizing the Opportunity:  Raising Our Teaching and Writing Levels
Colleen does a great job here.  We know what these students can do and how helpful their work is to us.  However, have you ever thought of this?:

• If they don't get something we are trying to teach, no one is getting it.  Yep!!!
• They challenge us to move past our own best knowledge and teaching and develop the newest and strongest work we can.
• They invent and discover new things and teach them to us.

Having these kinds of students in our class, makes us better teachers.  It causes us to have to learn new things, new strategies.  Otherwise, we got nothing!  But more than that, it causes us to lift the level for all of our students.

Experiment:  Building a Better Toolbox
Teachers can act as the student's editor, just as published authors are required to be pushed to change things and make them better.  Looking at it just as a simple piece of writing that could be made even better.  The tools we use will be so helpful because we certainly don't want to walk into a conference with this kind of student empty-handed.
1.  Mentor texts at a varying level
2.  Your own writing
3.  A cheat sheet
4.  A sample of higher-level student writing

There are also ways to increase your own writing knowledge.  Reading more books on teaching writing, getting into books meant for professional writers, reading more examples of the genres you teach, working on your own examples in the genres you teach.  When conferencing, push to say, objectively as possible, the things you see the writer actually doing.  The student will feel like they have really been seen, and you will probably figure out what you can teach them, the more you describe.

Colleen has some great go-to's before walking into a meeting with them. 
Meaning and significance-  "So what?"  Before we can teach them anything, they must first be able to get to the heart of their piece.
Structure-  Have them try out more complicated and sophisticated structures. (Framing structures-outer/inner, Flash back, Flash Forward, Surprise Endings, Mixing Structures and Genres--No Monkeys, No Chocolate )
Strong Language Usage--Teach students to use adjectives and adverbs sparingly,
Metaphors and Symbolism-
Tension and Suspense--increase the characters' motivation, the danger, or create limits
Research--all genre writing requires research before they finish a project
Weight--The longest sections of the piece should be dedicated to what matters the most in the writing.

Make Independent Writing Projects a Priority
The truest writing workshop is one where the students of course, carry on with the curriculum and what the teacher is expecting them to do, but actually more dedicated to their own  personal writing project.  Maybe dedicate one day a week to strictly focusing on their individual piece?

Ongoing Work:  Plan for Acceleration
Those strong writers need a plan of action too.  It can be something long-term, over the course of the year, tailored just for the student.  Great way to show parents how you are meeting the needs of their child.