Who is this Jacqueline Woodson woman? This was my question before experiencing her style, poise, personality, and most importantly, her words. Now, I feel quite compelled to buy every book she has written. Ms. Woodson’s words, whether spoken or read, are so powerful. I felt that she gave a very realistic message about writing. I appreciated her earnest way of explaining her dedication to the process of writing. I had never thought about writing as being a right that each person has. The ability and freedom to express yourself is a gift that we should pay attention to. Ms. Woodson’s words were amazing. It is hard to imagine that she had so much feeling and intensity inside of her.
The next seminar I attended took a close look at the use of Literature Circles with both Reluctant Readers and Literature Lovers. I thought that this seminar was clever because it addressed both ends of the literature spectrum. The leaders began by giving techiques for bridging the gap between the cannon and “fun” reading. The presenters suggested utilizing the “fun” literature to promote engaging the students in literature, and then allowing the students to draw their own conclusions about the content and quality of their choices. She suggested using non-threatening methods of Dialogue Journaling and writing prompts specific to the ideas the teacher is trying to convey. One of these prompts could be “explain the main character of the story”. This seems to be a simple directive, but character analysis can be done on any character. The facilitator pointed out that sometimes this level of analysis will allow the student to review their choice of literature from a more critical perspective….isn’t that what we’re after?
The second part of this workshop present us with a panel of over achieving high school students. They pointed out the some of the tools that their teachers use in literature circles that seems to be effective. This part of the workshop was less organized, but I think that they conveyed the message they were after. Time and choice are key issues for students who enjoy literature.
The other workshop I attended looked at encouraging students to share their writing and giving them tools for peer editing. Christine Dawson gave LOADS of tips and strategies for developing a creative writing program. She demonstrated several of these techniques by having her audience write quick, prompt based poems, and then allowing us to share them. She explained a poetry writing device called synethesia or using a sense in an unexpected way. I have already tried this technique on my students at church. We described what Peace would taste like. She also had some great tips for students to use when peer editing in a non-threatening way. We were able to practice these techniques as well as listen and response techniques.
Overall, I feel like our journey to Lansing was well worth the trip. I was able to gain a knowledge and appreciation for both the reading and writing componet in language arts. All of the techniques and strategies offered by the speakers were realistic and practical for any classroom. I appreciated their enthusiam and excitement for their students and their learning styles, and I was greatful for the opportunity to be able to capitalize on their knowledge and experience.
