Chapter 11: Developing Content Area Writers

I cannot express the importance of preparation and variety when giving writing assignments. I liked how Conley gives a variety of organization techniques throughout the chapter. I kept thinking of how useful many of those would have been when I was in high school.

The teacher would give the class a writing assignment, and she would expect us to immediately jump into writing the rough draft. The teacher never taught us how to organize our thoughts and prepare to write. The teacher never set aside time for quickwrites or brainstorming, which have proven throughout my college career to be helpful and necessary.

Another thought that came to mind when reading the chapter was how my teacher always "stuck with" that same writing formula and never allowed us as students to deviate from it. I can remember thinking to myself, "There has to be another way; one that does not put this much pressure on us." I know that I felt hindered with no writing style options, and I know now that it hurt me when I began writing in college because different content areas may require different styles and formats.

It is important as a classroom teacher to expose students to variety and teach them how to organize their writing as well. That is the one promise that I have made to myself as a teacher because I feel like that is what should have been done for me.

Chapter 7: Activating Prior Knowledge and Increasing Motivation

(p. 192) “Motivation can be deeply connected to students’ prior experiences with success and failure.”

The ability to motivate a student is an essential skill for all teachers. If a student is motivated, he/she will make an honest effort on the task that the teacher has assigned. If a student is bored and unmotivated, the student will not want to make that effort. For a teacher to be able to successfully motivate students, he/she must know the students and show care and concern for the students. Sadly, the classroom is the only source of positive structure for many students, and the teacher is the only positive role model. Effective motivation is the backbone of the most successful classrooms.

(p. 203) “Not every student will be motivated in quite the same way.”

Every student enters the classroom with a broad range of knowledge and experiences. They have different interests and different ways of learning. The motivation that is so key to classroom success needs to be applied in a way so as to work for the class as a whole. The teacher can find a general area of interest related to the lesson to be taught and use that to motivate the students and activate prior knowledge. One of the most successful ways to motivate all students is for the teacher to show enthusiasm his or herself.

(p. 201) KWL Charts

KWL charts are simple ways in which teachers can activate prior knowledge. I personally like KWL charts because they can be used for any subject area and for any topic. They can also be used in any grade level.