Sneak Peek #3 Into Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing
Sneak peek #3 into Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing is available now! The focus of this week is on instruction.
This book is organized within five chapters, so for five weeks, I will provide sneak peeks into each chapter. Last week’s post focused on Chapter 2 and was all about curriculum in response to the unique groups of writers in classrooms. The week before that was my first post, with a focus on getting to know and building writing identities.
Each chapter has guiding questions, and you can preview those questions here:
This list of questions appears on p. 66 of Answers to Your Biggest Question About Teaching Elementary Writing (Meehan, 2022).
This chapter begins with the all-important principle around the Zone of Proximal Development, a principle Lev Vygotsky introduced to the educational world. The ZPD emphasizes the relationship of what people are able to do on their own, with a little scaffolding or assistance, and with heavy guidance. Whenever I work with writers, my goal is to find that spot where they are brave enough to be trying something new, but safe enough not to become overwhelmed. Sometimes that’s a tricky balance!
Another important concept is one that my daughter, Larkin helped me develop with her drawing, and that has to do with the recursive nature of confidence, curiosity, and competence. Leading with what writers can do almost always leads to the highest rates of learning!
This picture, created by Larkin Meehan and appearing on p. 69, illustrates how confidence inspires curiosity and leads to confidence.
Chapter 3 continues by delving into the various choices teachers have for whole group instruction, small group instruction, and individualized conferences. What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of a student? How can we make sure that both teachers and students understand their roles and contribute to high-impact instruction.
I offer many examples of skills and plans for teaching them, and readers are welcome not only to use those examples as written, but also to use those examples as inspiration. Instructional practices exist within an architecture, and once you understand the components and structures, it becomes easier and easier to design your own lessons.
One of my favorite templates for instruction is a conference card. I share both types I’ve created, one designed for teachers to fill out and the other designed for students to fill out themselves. You can create your own, or run them off, using this link for teacher- driven conference cards and this one for student-driven ones.
Conference cards help teachers remember a compliment and maintain a focus. This picture is found on p. 80 of Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing.
The chapter has many other tips and resources for improving efficiency, clarity, record-keeping, student engagement, and having the right tool at the right time. Effective instruction is critical for high learning rates!
I love working with teachers and anyone else who is passionate about teaching students to write! I’m available for virtual or on-site professional development during the summer and during the school year. Feel free to reach out to meehanmelanie@gmail.com with questions and ideas.