Teaching+of+Writing+Process+Work

Writing Autobiography
Since I was little, I can always remember reading and writing being a part of my life. It may not be cause for surprise from an outsider now, but being an English teacher – well anything English related – was the farthest thing from my mind fifteen years ago. However, as I look back over those fifteen years, it’s difficult not to see the importance, joy, hope, and strength that writing gave to me and continues to give to me.

My sophomore year of high school was pretty tough on me. I was shy and insecure, but more than anything I was depressed. I felt like a black hole had swallowed me and I could not find the end or the opening. Gravity did not exist, nor did time. I lived in limbo – between the moments where I was safe in the confines of my bedroom and my books and the black hole feeling. But then, in November, my best friend Harry came along and became the sunshine I so desperately wanted – and consequently needed – in my life. The first time we “talked” was through letter – I still have it. After that, we were practically inseparable. One day, I had one of my bad days, and Harry brought me a present – a journal. When he gave it to me, I had no idea what I needed it for. Then, he explained it to me: “There may be days when you need someone to listen and I’m not here. But this will be. Write in it. If you want me to read it, mark it, and I will. Let your pen and paper become best friends like you and I have.” That year, Harry – and my new journal – really helped me find the peace I wanted to find for myself and for my life. And once I started writing, I never stopped. Writing in this way – communicating with others and myself – has been one of the most significant things in my life.

Before I left for college two years later, my mom and dad bought me a new journal – black leather, sewn binding, thick paper – to travel to North Carolina and beyond to chronicle this new part of my life. Instead of my journal simply becoming my own safe haven, it also became the place where I talked to God. I figured writing my prayers made them more concrete – more solid – than words that can just seem to get lost in the chaotic mess that life can sometimes be. Writing moved from being selfish to selfless – I no longer wrote just for me, but for others and to bring glory to God in one of the best ways I knew how. It wasn’t always easy – admitting my faults, mistakes, and failures on paper – but I believe it’s part of what made me stronger. Stronger as a person, a Christian, a student, a teammate, a woman. When I messed up, I could admit it, and not only did God know, but it continually glared at me from the page like a bright neon sign:  DO NOT EVER THINK ABOUT DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS EVER AGAIN!!!

Perhaps it was this simplicity – this honesty – that I cherished with writing. Not just the concreteness, but the feeling of peace that overcame me when I wrote.

 I’ve been teaching for almost six years now, and one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten was this: Devote one of your desk drawers as your “feel good” drawer. This drawer is used in case of burn out, emotional emergencies, or “the wretched, terrible, awful, no-good, very bad day.” Put everything you get from students or colleagues into this drawer. Pull one or two (or ten) “feel goods” out when you need a little boost and encouragement.

Almost all of my “feel goods” are notes and letters.

Stickies. Postcards. Letters of looseleaf. Christmas cards. “Thinking of you” notes. These things fill my drawer. These written treasures have become my keepsakes – my most valued possessions – in my classroom. School on fire? I’m grabbing my kids, my daybooks, and my drawer. These treasures encapsulate some precious memories of students I rarely see any more, but seeing their swoopy cursive or blocked capital letters or scratchy print brings back the times I got to share with each of them. Their faces full of wonder and curiosity, innocence and joy, are just one pull and pick away from unfolding into my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The first semester I started teaching, I met my husband, David. We went to Gardner-Webb together and had mutual friends, but we never really met. To make a long story short, he had me at Tolkien. After we were together for about four months, he changed shifts and started working the midnight shift from 4:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. I never saw him. I was on my way home from work, he was on his way there. I was asleep when he came home. So, one day, he wrote me a note on a yellow legal pad when he got home from work. He told me about his day and signed it “LYF.” After that day, we continued the note writing. I would write one before I left for school every morning doing the same – and telling him what was in the refrigerator for lunch. He would write back before he left for work - I would write back before I went to bed. Except for weekends, this is how we communicated for almost six months. It was difficult not being able to spend time with him like all of our other couple-friends did, but those letters were our encouragement – our hope – in one another. No matter how tired either of us was or how rushed we were, not one day went by that we didn’t write. If it wasn’t for his willingness, and his keen sense of surprise, I doubt we’d be together. Those letters literally were the glue that held us together through his grandmother’s death, buying a house, adopting a dog, and getting married.  With our notes that are now in a box, high up on the shelf, we wrote our own love story.

This past November, I received some of the most devastating news I had gotten in years. On November 1st, my mom called me at 9:37 a.m. – inbetween 1st and 2nd period. She left me a voicemail. She told me to call her when I had some time. This never happens. So, I called.  “Your grandfather had a stroke this morning. He’s in Pittsburgh. Your aunt and I are on the way now.”  I walked into the courtyard outside of my classroom door. I was sobbing.  “How bad is it?”  “Not sure yet. Luckily he was at home and not at the farm – the ambulance took an hour to get there.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “Mom. I don’t know what to do.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> So I wrote. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I wrote down everything I could, needed, to purge what I was feeling. But that didn’t touch the anguish I felt so deeply in my heart. My Pump – the healthiest eighty-seven year old I know – had a stroke. While I was writing, I hemmed and hawed about packing and driving up to Pennsylvania. When I mentioned it to my mom, she told me not to come up – she would keep me updated as much as possible. However, I knew that if he didn’t make it and I didn’t go, I would regret it as long as I lived.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">So, against my mother’s wishes, I went. I found out the real reason why my mom didn’t want me to go. It was so much worse than my mom told me. Walking into the Continuous Care Unit at UMPC-Mercy was humbling and frightening – my Pump was lying in the bed unable to move his entire right side. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “Hey, Dad. Look who I found in the parking garage.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “Hey, doll. How is my Lorelei?” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> I tried so hard not to cry in front of him. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “I’m good Pump, how are you?” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “Well, I’m not dead. I guess I’m pretty good.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> I left the room in shock and sat on the hospital floor and cried in my mom’s shoulder. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">After we talked him tired, we moved into the family waiting room. Mom encouraged me to write Pump a note in his notebook they started for him – amidst his vital signs, medications, progress notes and information. I felt like I was writing his eulogy. I told him about all of the things he taught me and how proud I was to be his granddaughter. I told him at the end that I wanted him walking by Christmas.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Over the four days I was able to spend with Pump, Mimi, Mom, Monica, and Pete, I saw Pump progress and improve dramatically. The day I left, I wrote him another note in his book, and I told him all about his progress. Then I said goodbye.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The day I left, he was transferred to the assisted living care center to start his rehabilitation therapy. For the first few weeks he was there, I sent him a card every fifth day, including some pictures that I took of the farm while I was there in November and some from Thanksgiving at my in-laws. When David and I got home from his parents’ house after Thanksgiving, I was met with one of the greatest piece of mail I’ve ever gotten – a note from my Pump.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">But this wasn’t just any note. Pump and Mimi have always sent me cards and notes. This was special. It was his first note to anyone. I will treasure that card the rest of my life.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Sometimes, I believe, we forget the miracle that writing can be. It can heal, bring peace, grow love, remember, and fortify hope. The notes, letters, journals, and prayers that I have written, or that others have written to me, will always fill me with a special kind of joy. Joy that will never wane, but will only flourish whenever I sit down with a pen and paper and let my soul and heart fly.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">Philosophy of Teaching Writing – WD #1
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What does it mean to be a writer? Many of us ask this question about our favorite authors, bloggers and/or teachers. We often are in awe and wonder about how certain people can just seem to make magic out of words that we can’t put together if we were told it would dictate whether we lived to see another day dawning. But how many of us consider ourselves writers? Probably not many. In a conversation with my students about what makes a writer a writer, many said that they could just “write better than anyone” or “had a way with words that not everyone else has.” I asked then what the definition of a writer was, and one of my students tactfully replied, “one who writes.” I asked the entire class why they didn’t consider themselves writers. All I heard was the whir and rattle of the heating unit in my classroom rage back to life.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Why is it that many students will not or choose not to classify themselves as writers? I believe that much of this comes from being stifled as writers in general throughout school. From the time students can remember, they are “tested” on their ability to “write well” in high-stakes arenas where they are graded and evaluated on one isolated writing act. While I could sit here and argue the pedagogical fallacy in that kind of standardized testing, I do not wish to digress into matters that I cannot control. Rather, I would like to go into the things that I believe foster, grow and nurture writing in students that help them take ownership of their writing, and incidentally, themselves, for any purpose or process.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Most of my memories in life have centered around writing in some way, shape or form, but none of those things deal directly with school; rather they perform a different role – to learn about ourselves – as students, writers, people, humans. Therefore, I’ve placed an emphasis on this type of writing – to celebrate our humanness – in my classroom. Each day, my students write on a topic that I recommend or on a topic of their choosing for at least five minutes, sometimes more when we are participating in a free write. During this time, I’m asking my “students to use them [daybooks] to write about their lives, to keep track of their thinking, and to notice all the world around them with open eyes and ears and hearts” (Brannon, et. al, 2008, 3). Students are challenged and encouraged during this time to write about what comes from within that allows them to express the experience of self, something that focuses on themselves as writers rather than what they are writing. Because it’s important for my students to see this modeled, I also write with my students each day. This allows me to build “trust and community in the classroom” (Urbanski, 2006, 27) by allowing my students to see me work and write and sometimes struggle with them along the way.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">While writing to simply write is important, it’s also important for students to see their writing as a tool for them to discover knowledge and to learn at the same time. I utilize a daybook approach to all writing in my classroom, something made popular by the National Writing Project. The daybook is a way to “capture students’ thinking, making it visible to them” (Brannon et al, 2008, 13) and to focus on writing expressively in order to encourage “making sense of their world and communicating that understanding to themselves and others” (Brannon et all, 2008, 13). Writing for this purpose, unlike writing as an inherent part of being human, allows students to make connections with their inner speech and other ideas that present themselves within and outside of the classroom. A daybook allows myself and my students to find and foster their voice while also giving their thoughts a permanent home where they can reference and reflect on them at later dates.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[Would this be a good place to put modeling or should I include it with the next section on the collaborative nature of writing??]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">When students can learn to harness their inner voices and put ideas and thoughts down on paper and then learn from those thoughts, writing what many students term “the essay” can begin. Writing in my classroom begins and ends with reflection – how did we get to where we are? What steps did we take to reach this point? Before starting any “formal” writing assignment, students are asked to look back at their daybook writing, class notes, reading notes, etc. and find something that interests them. For a specified amount of time, students are asked to brainstorm some ideas that are associated with the initial topic of their choice. After this time, I share my ideas with my students and get their input while marking in my daybook along the way. Then, students are asked to get into their writings groups (which are student chosen for comfort and/or trust that are semester-long groups) and share their ideas and/or bounce ideas back and forth between each other. Writing groups are an important step in the writing process because writing does not happen in a vacuum. While many of us have illusions of great writers like Hemingway sitting at the bar in Spain writing away on paper while drinking a few gimlets, most writers share and collaborate with others throughout the writing process. After discussing ideas with their respective writing groups, students are given time in class to work on their writing while I write with them. We write until everyone, including myself, as a resemblance of a “full” first working draft. Then, we workshop my draft before students move into writing groups to do some focused workshop strategies. Then, the writing process, for everyone – myself included – begins all over again. [ I feel like I might want to make this look like a calendar more than a description because it’s SO long!! I also need to add in writing conferences one-on-one with students in here somewhere. I’m also going to put some quotes from Nancie Atwell and Carol Booth Olson in here, too.]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[I was going to start a new section about process being more important than product, but I wonder if I could possibly incorporate that into that whole section above, or just do a revamp and model the entire process in some way shape or form. I definitely need to mention the daybook, conferences, writing groups, portfolios & how this models the social epistemic idea behind rhetoric and composition and some quotes from UWA I already have picked out from pgs. 40, 59 & 68. Before I get going with this section, I really need to get some feedback from my writing group about what to do about the section above and see how I can rework that to reflect my philosophy a little bit more clearly with less gobbly-gook.]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Philosophy of Teaching Writing WD #2
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What does it mean to be a writer? Many of us have favorite authors – the ones that we find ourselves in awe and wonder over. We ask ourselves how certain people can just seem to make magic out of words that we can’t put together if we were told it would dictate whether we lived to see another dawning day. But how many of us would consider ourselves writers? Probably not many. In a conversation with my students about what makes a writer a writer, many said that they could just “write better than anyone” or “had a way with words that not everyone else has.” I asked then what the definition of a writer was, and one of my students tactfully replied, “one who writes.” I asked the entire class why they didn’t consider themselves writers. All I heard was the whir and rattle of the heating unit in my classroom rage back to life.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Why is it that many students will not or choose not to classify themselves as writers? I believe that much of this comes from being stifled as writers in general throughout school. From the time students can remember, they are tested and assessed on their ability to “write well” in high-stakes arenas where they are graded and evaluated on one isolated writing act. While I could sit here and argue the pedagogical fallacy in that kind of standardized testing, I do not wish to digress into matters that I cannot control. Rather, I would like to go into the concepts and strategies that I believe can foster, grow, and nurture writing in students that help them take ownership of their writing, and incidentally, themselves, for any purpose or process.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Most of my memories in life have centered around writing in some way, shape or form, but none of those things deal directly with school; rather they perform a different role – to learn about ourselves – as students, writers, people, humans. Therefore, I’ve placed an emphasis on this type of writing – to celebrate our humanness – in my classroom. Each day at the beginning of class, my students write on a topic in their daybooks that I recommend or on a topic of their choosing for at least five minutes, sometimes more when we are participating in a free write. During this time, I’m asking my “students to use them [daybooks] to write about their lives, to keep track of their thinking, and to notice all the world around them with open eyes and ears and hearts” (Brannon, et. al, 2008, 3). Students are challenged and encouraged during this time to write about what comes from within that allows them to express the experience of self, something that focuses on themselves as writers rather than what they are writing. Because it’s important for my students to see this modeled, I also write with my students each day. This allows me to build “trust and community in the classroom” (Urbanski, 2006, 27) by allowing my students to see me work and write and sometimes struggle with them along the way.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">While writing to simply write is important, it’s also important for students to see their writing as a tool for them to discover knowledge and to learn at the same time. I utilize a daybook approach to all writing in my classroom. While also housing all of my students’ writing at the beginning of the class period, the daybook is a way to “capture students’ thinking, making it visible to them” (Brannon et al, 2008, 13) and to focus on writing expressively in order to encourage “making sense of their world and communicating that understanding to themselves and others” (Brannon et al, 2008, 13). Writing for this purpose, unlike writing as an inherent part of being human, allows students to make connections with their inner speech and other ideas that present themselves within and outside of the classroom. While reading any text, I encourage my students to take double-journal entry notes or write down golden lines. When we participate in whole-class discussion, students take brief notes/ideas about the topics that were discussed. A daybook allows my students and myself to find our voices while also giving our thoughts from many different areas of the class a permanent home where we can reference and reflect on them at later dates.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">When students can learn to harness their inner voices and put ideas and thoughts down on paper and then learn from those thoughts, writing what many students term “the essay” can begin. Writing in my classroom begins and ends with reflection – how did we get to where we are? What steps did we take to reach this point? There are several steps that happen during any “essay” construction time in my classroom.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">First, before starting any “formal” writing assignment, students are asked to look back at their daybook writing, class notes, reading notes, etc. and find something that interests them or that they can connect with. For a specified amount of time, students are asked to brainstorm some ideas that are associated with the initial topic of their choice in their daybook in a way that they deem fit while I look back through my own daybook and do the same. After this time, I share my ideas with my students and get their input while marking in my daybook along the way.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Once I have shared my ideas and gotten student feedback, students are then asked to get into their writings groups (semester- long groups that are student chosen for trust and/or comfort) and share their ideas and/or bounce ideas back and forth between each other, much like we did with my own writing. Writing groups are an important step in the writing process because writing does not happen in a vacuum. While many of us have illusions of great writers like Hemingway sitting at the bar in Spain writing away on paper while drinking a few gimlets, most writers share and collaborate with others throughout the writing process.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">After discussing ideas with their respective writing groups, students are given time in class to work on their writing while I write with them. We write until everyone, including myself, as a resemblance of a “full” first working draft – even if this takes more than one class period. As a whole class, we workshop my draft according to strategies/points I want student writing groups to focus on during their writing group time. Once students are done workshopping a first draft, I may decide to take them up and comment on them before students and I move to our second draft. If I do collect student first drafts, I will then meet with students one-on-one for writing conferences the day after I hand back essays. Students are asked to prepare for their individual conferences by targeting specific concerns and/or questions about their essay.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The writing process then begins again with revising the first draft by “making a big mess…and then straightening it out again” (Urbaniski, 2006, 40) with the creation of a second draft that eventually moves to writing group work again. The revision/rewriting/revisiting part of the writing process may be many drafts in length and may or may not conclude with a formal assessment of their writing. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Because students do multiple types of writing in their daybook – much of which I do not see on a daily basis – I utilize the portfolio process in order to assess student work. Portfolios fall under a social epistemic view of writing, focusing on writers writing not writer’s writing. Portfolios allow me to see the “process and development of writers” (Brannon et al, 2008, 97) by allowing students to highlight some of their own learning and growth using their daybooks and some of their other work, specifically some of their “formal” writing assignments. After choosing daybook entries and other writing pieces to show, students are also asked to craft a reflective letter to me where I ask them to make connections and/or show evidence of growth as writers.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Through the utilization of daybooks, modeling & writing workshops, it is my hope that the students that come into my classroom who do not recognize themselves as writers can see how much they have grown and changed in the course of a semester. There is nothing more rewarding than hearing students proclaim that they have to start a new daybook or watch them flip back through their work and say, “Hey! Look at how much we’ve done already! It’s only the third week of school!” When students have ownership and entitlement to the words they have written on a page, a magical thing can start to happen – students write what they truly hear going on inside their heads. No longer are they restrained and held back by meaningless assignments or writing prompts. They discover the beauty that lies within writing – whether that writing is for writing’s sake, writing to learn and/or writing to craft an essay.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> I need some help formatting this section. There is SO much I want to say and I feel it’s all so important. But it’s SO long!!!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Assignment Design WD #1
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I am going to “re-design” (indicated by ***) the writing section of the instructional plan I did for Reading/Writing Connection over the summer. With that said, here are some significant “contextual” things that happen BEFORE the writing assignment begins:


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Focused Free Write in reaction to The Who’s “Who Are You” based on the line, Tell me who you are ‘cause I really wanna know.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Body Biography (student style) – students use Tony I’s body biography assignment but I revamped it in order for students to be reflective about themselves
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Body Biography presentations – students present their body biographies to each other using the document camera and point out significant parts of their biographies

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Here are the objectives for JUST the writing section
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences (Writing Standards, p. 47)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Explore the sense of identity in a creative manner
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact (Reading Standards for Literature, p. 38)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience (Writing Standards, p. 46)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners…building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively (Speaking and Listening Standards, p. 50)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing as a process, including invention, arrangement, drafting, collaborating with peers/teacher, revising, editing, and reflecting (AP Writing Objective)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Developing a mature and sophisticated style of writing through the use of applying effective strategies and techniques (not limited to audience, voice, style, diction, tone, and syntax) (AP Writing Objective)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In order to prepare for the actual writing assignment, students and I will be reading parts of Tuesdays with Morrie in order to discover what a memoir is. Here is what happens during/post-reading of those sections. For things in bold, there is a daybook-sized sheet to accompany that part of the writing process that is intended for the students as audience – those are attached at the end of the plan itself. **There will be a daybook-sized handout that outlines the purpose, audience & writing aim for the students along with a copy of the rubric that will be used for assessment.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Mini-lesson on memoirs – complete with a description and brainstorming exactly what makes a memoir a memoir and how they are effective by composing a list together to keep posted in the classroom while students write – I will also be making handouts for this…
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Murray Cards Students will complete Murray card activity to brainstorm some ideas/for their memoir – students will pair/share with a group (3-4) students that they are comfortable with (this group will become their writing group for the semester)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Focused Free Write – after completing murray cards, students will begin by taking the idea(s) they considered during murray cards and start free writing. Students will have 45 minutes to complete the free write – this includes multiple ideas
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Groups – after completing the focused free write, students will get back into their groups from Murray card pair/share and complete preliminary writing group workshop (MINI LESSON FOR THIS) – daybook sized sheet of expectations (Olson) & workshop strategies (Elbow)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Working Draft #1 w/ one-on-one conferences; on looseleaf – bring to class for workshop next class period
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Group Workshop– focused response – Sharing, Center of Gravity, Summary & Sayback
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Working Draft #2 (looseleaf) w/ one-on-one conferences; turn in with student “sticky” comments where changes were made for feedback/response
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Working Draft #3 (looseleaf) with reflection (for teacher)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Group Workshop – compare draft #2/#3; focused response – Reply, Voice, Criterion-Based Feedback (style, memoir strategies, development, organization, “showing not telling”)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Final Draft – typed with ALL working drafts/reflections** & an overall reflection

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Assessment

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is REDESIGNED from my initial “rubric” for this assignment. My goal is to make sure the rubric is better suited for the idea behind the assignment as well to make sure it correlates with the objectives. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(5 points) || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Proficient <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(4.5 points) || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Developing <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(4 points) || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Insufficient <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(3.5 points) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Criteria || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Exemplary
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing encompasses the definition of memoir – to tell a truth as a writer in order to connect with the audience ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing is appropriate to audience ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Narrative is honest; it clearly reflects an important moment/instance in the writer’s life ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Text creates meaning for writer and audience through well-chosen details ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writer utilizes effective writing strategies for memoirs wisely (imagery, figurative language, dialogue, showing not telling, etc.) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Grammar or conventional mistakes, if any, do not take away from the reading of the text ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writer participated in the composition process – drafting, workshop, conferences & reflections. ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Assignment Design WD #2
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Rationale

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is going to be a “letter” to my students that I’m going to give to them on a daybook sized sheet (it will be at end of this – the first part of the “appendix”) in terms of what this assignment is about and why I feel it’s important for them to participate not only in the writing process but in the writing of a memoir itself.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Context <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I am going to “re-design” (indicated by ***) the writing section of the instructional plan I did for Reading/Writing Connection over the summer. I attempted to complete the entire unit this past year with my AP students and found that several things needed to be reworked and retooled, especially since this unit is essentially the beginning of the semester. With that said, here are some significant “contextual” things that happen BEFORE the writing assignment begins:


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Mini-lesson on daybooks as well as expectations for student use; how to organize a daybook, WID entries, etc.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Focused Free Write in reaction to The Who’s “Who Are You” based on the line, Tell me who you are ‘cause I really wanna know.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Body Biography (student style) – students use Tony I’s body biography assignment but I revamped it in order for students to be reflective about themselves
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Body Biography presentations – students present their body biographies to each other using the document camera and point out significant parts of their biographies

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Here are the objectives for JUST the writing section
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences (Writing Standards, p. 47)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Explore the sense of identity in a creative manner
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact (Reading Standards for Literature, p. 38)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience (Writing Standards, p. 46)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners…building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively (Speaking and Listening Standards, p. 50)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing as a process, including invention, arrangement, drafting, collaborating with peers/teacher, revising, editing, and reflecting (AP Writing Objective)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Developing a mature and sophisticated style of writing through the use of applying effective strategies and techniques (not limited to audience, voice, style, diction, tone, and syntax) (AP Writing Objective)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In order to prepare for the actual writing assignment, students and I will be reading parts of Tuesdays with Morrie in order to discover what a memoir is. (I cater these to the class dynamics that I observe the first couple days while we are doing the “before” writing things from above, so not all classes may read the same sections.) Here is what happens during/post-reading of those sections. For things in bold, there is a daybook-sized sheet to accompany that part of the writing process that is intended for the students as audience – those are attached at the end of the plan itself. **There will be a daybook-sized handout that outlines the purpose, audience & writing aim for the students along with a copy of the rubric that will be used for assessment that will be given out the day we do the mini-lesson on memoirs.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Mini-lesson on memoirs – complete with a description and brainstorming exactly what makes a memoir a memoir and how they are effective by composing a list together to keep posted in the classroom while students write – I will also be making handouts for this…
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Murray Cards Students will complete the Murray card activity to brainstorm some ideas/for their memoir – students will share with a group (3-4) of students that they are comfortable with (this group will become their writing group for the semester)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Focused Free Write – after completing murray cards, students will begin by taking the idea(s) they considered during murray cards and start free writing. Students will have 30 minutes to complete the free write – this includes multiple ideas
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Groups – after completing the focused free write, students will get back into their groups from Murray card pair/share and complete preliminary writing group workshop (MINI LESSON FOR THIS) – daybook sized sheet of expectations (Olson) & workshop strategies (from Dr. Hartman’s worksheet on Elbow strategies)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Working Draft #1 w/ one-on-one conferences; on looseleaf – bring to class for workshop next class period
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Group Workshop– focused response – Sharing, Center of Gravity, Summary & Sayback
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Working Draft #2 (looseleaf) w/ one-on-one conferences; turn in with reflection letter for teacher; formative assessment using rubric
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Group Workshop – Focused response – Sharing, Voice, Criterion-Based Feedback (style, memoir strategies, development, organization, “showing not telling”)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Final Draft – typed with ALL working drafts/reflections & an overall reflection

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Appendices

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Daybook Sheet #1 - Tuesdays with Morrie excerpt with Dialogue Journals

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In preparation for writing a memoir, I will read an excerpt from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom aloud. While I’m reading, I would like you to start the beginnings of a dialogue journal using the following columns: Quotes, Means to Me, Means to Others, and Things I’m Thinking Now in your daybooks. In order to make this successful, I will model the format & thought process behind this while we’re reading. I will stop periodically and I will tell you what I’m writing down in my daybook and why I’m doing so. I would like you to follow suit by filling in the two columns during reading. Once I am through reading a section, you will pass your daybook to their right and the next person will write in the third column (Means to Others) what you thought in the second column (Means to Me). We will continue to rotate until I call time or a daybook is finished. The original owner will receive his/her daybook back and will then fill in the fourth column based on what other readers said about the quotes. After I’ve given you time to reflect on your original thoughts, we will discuss our findings. I will be continuing to read excerpts from Tuesdays with Morrie aloud to throughout the unit at the end of each day to further our discussion, understanding, and honing of effective traits of memoir writing.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">For homework tonight: On the Ning discussion board, come up with some qualifiers based on the section of Tuesdays with Morrie we read in class for what makes Albom’s writing effective and why those qualifiers are effective. Please respond to at least two other classmates’ responses. I will be using your discussion as a springboard for our discussion tomorrow.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Sheet #2 - Mini-Lesson – What is a memoir?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A memoir is an account of one specific event/moment in your life that helps create meaning. Nancie Atwell (1998) describes memoir as “how writers look for the past and make sense of it…a memoir puts the events of a life into perspective for the writer and for those who read it. It is a way to validate to others the events of our lives –our choices, perspectives, decisions, responses” (p. 372). At times, this type of writing becomes a catharsis – a healing – an opportunity for us to look back as writers and reflect about what we know best – ourselves. Regardless of how short your life has been, there are many moments that help define us. Through memoir, we’re going to “discover and tell our own truths as writers” (Atwell, 1998, p. 372.). Tuesdays with Morrie is a memoir about Mitch Albom’s time with his former professor Morrie Schwartz, and in the process, Mitch discovers pieces of himself as well as challenges his views about life in general. So, since you’ve read a piece of memoir, now we’re going to write our own. (Yes, I am going to write with you.)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">First, based on your discussions last night on Ning, make a list of some of the most effective traits of memoir writing that you gleaned from Mitch Albom’s writing yesterday in class. We’re going to discuss these and put them up in the classroom for us to remember while we write.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Daybook Sheet #3 – Memoir Assignment

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As we’ve discussed, we are going to be writing a memoir. Since we have discussed the rhetorical triangle in some depth at this point, I am going to start discussing your writing assignments in that type of language. You will receive one of these each time you receive an essay assignment, even if it is your choice of topic.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Purpose: Create an account of a specific moment/event from life that helps create meaning for you and can create meaning for your audience. A memoir attempts to uncover some sort of “truth” about life that we have discovered through an experience – a memoir helps do that through personal thoughts, actions, speech and/or encounters with others. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Audience: This is your choice. However, I do want you to keep in mind that I am no longer your only “audience”. Your writing group, and any other person that you give this to read, is your audience. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Writing Aim: Expressive - specifically in the style of memoir. Remember expressive focuses on the writer, so it is valid and necessary at times to use first-person pronouns. Also, keep in mind some of the effective writing strategies Albom uses within his memoir. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Style: This is going to depend on the purpose & audience that you choose for this piece of writing – make sure that your style caters to both your purpose and audience. Remember all of these things are working together to create your writing.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Assessment** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is the rubric I will be utilizing to assess your writing – once during the drafting process as well as your “final” draft. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(5 points) || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Proficient <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(4.5 points) || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Developing <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(4 points) || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Insufficient <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(3.5 points) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Criteria || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Exemplary
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing encompasses the definition of memoir – to tell a personal truth as a writer in order to create an identity and connect with the audience ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing is appropriate to audience ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Narrative is honest; it clearly reflects an important moment/instance in the writer’s life ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writer is aware of how to structure specific parts of a text in order to contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writer utilizes effective writing strategies for memoirs wisely (imagery, figurative language, dialogue, showing not telling, etc.) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Grammar or conventional mistakes, if any, do not take away from the reading of the text ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writer participated in the composition process – drafting, workshop, conferences & reflections. ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Sheet #4 – Murray Cards (adapted from Dr. Hartman’s “General Murray Card Instructions”) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Murray cards are based off of some central maxims of Donald Murray, a journalist, teacher, and writer. I will be modeling these for you on the document camera; however, keep in mind that these are my personal ideas and they may not reflect anything you’re thinking of – they need to be original and organic from YOU.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Blue Card: Finding topics - List things/events/ideas that you are wondering/thinking about <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Pink Card: Purpose - Pick one of the things/events/ideas from your blue card and write about why answering that question or exploring that idea matters this is an essential part of memoir <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Green Card: Initial content - Staying with the same thing/event/idea (from your Pink card) or choosing another one (from your Blue card), write down some things you know you already want to delve deeper into about that particular choice <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Purple Card: Develop content - Again, thinking of the thing/event/idea from your Green or Pink Card, write down what questions you need to answer and/or ideas you need to clarify <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Yellow Card: Compose - Tell a story about your idea/event/thing, real or fiction, go with it!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Once you’ve completed your Murray cards, please form up into groups of 4s – people that you feel comfortable sharing these things with – and share around what some of your ideas are. Try to help each other hammer out some definite possibilities. These people in this group will become your writing group for the rest of the semester. I’ll be giving you about 10 minutes to do this, then we’re going to move on to actually getting some “words down on the page.”

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Sheet #5 – Focused Free Writing

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What is free writing? Some of your past English teachers may have thrown this term around and used it as an opportunity for you to simply write about whatever your heart desires. In some instances, that is true. Cynthia Urbanski says free writing is “writing as such a rate of speed that the voice in my head takes over and starts to express itself through my fingers” (Urbanski, 2006, p. 54-55). Essentially, I want you to do this by honing in on one (or how ever many you choose) of the ideas you completed your Murray cards on. I am going to give you 30 minutes to do your focused free write. During this time, your pen/pencil does NOT stop moving, even if you have to squiggle in the lines between thoughts. I also do not want you to censor yourself – don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, finding the “right word”, etc. Just get your ideas down on paper. I don’t care if it’s the worst “crap” you’ve ever written. There isn’t anything that can’t go unused or stems other thoughts later on. When we’re through free writing (told you I was writing with you, didn’t I?), we’re going to get into writing groups and do some workshopping. (I am going to need some volunteers to help me model workshop expectations and etiquette, so be forewarned…) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Sheet #6 – Writing Workshop Expectations & Initial Workshop Responses (adapted from Dr. Hartman’s “Responding to Writing: Using Peter Elbow’s Kind of Responses)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Expectations <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Maintain positive/inviting body language <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a listener… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a reader….
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Be a fantastic listener – pay attention to not only what is being said, but what might not be being said
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Participate in each response type for that day with respect, cordiality and honesty
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Be thorough in your response to the writer
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Give feedback to the writer when its requested
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Be a fantastic reader – read slowly and accurately. But most importantly, DON’T APOLOGIZE OR EXPLAIN your writing. Let it speak for itself.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Encourage each of your group members to respond to types for that day
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Ask questions of your group if you do not understand
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Ask for more feedback if you’re not getting the help you need

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Today’s Response Type

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Sharing: We will always start with this, no matter what part of the writing process we are in. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a writer, read your writing slowly and accurately. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a listener, receive the reading without any sort of response except for a polite and respectful, “thank you.” See this sharing as a gift. When the writer has finished reading, listeners may ONLY discuss the TOPIC of what was written. No other feedback should be given at this point.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Sheet #7 – Writing Conference Guidelines for Students

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">You are going to be starting on your first draft of your memoir today. This is a perfect opportunity for me to come around and talk to you about any issues/questions/comments you have while you’re writing. With that said, there are some expectations I have about one-on-one conferences with you that I would like you to not only be aware of, but remember each time we do this (at least once during each essay) so that this may go smoothly.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Conference Guidelines for Students (adapted from Atwell, 1998, p. 224-6)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. I will be coming to you, and I will get to most, if not all, of you every time we have writing workshop time in class. I will approach you and probably ask you how it’s coming or what you need help with to start the conversation. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. When I get to you, tell me about your writing – what it’s about, what’s happening with it. I may ask you to read parts of your work – I will not be focusing on conventions, but content. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. Our conferences will be like conversations – just you and me, so please whisper. This way we aren’t a distraction to the other people around us working and concentrating. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4. I’m going to get involved in your writing and I will react in a supportive matter. I will attempt to help you as much as I possibly can using the knowledge I have as a reader and a writer. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">5. I may ask you to explain certain things to me, like if I don’t understand something or I want you tell me more about another thing. Be prepared to talk to me about these things if I ask you. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">6. Come prepared to workshop. If I expect you to have a part of a piece done, it’s expected. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">7. I will be taking notes during our conversations so that I can better help you and so I can keep record of what you’re working on during our workshop time. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">8. I will not tell you how to “fix” your essay or re-write portions for you. Instead, I will “ask permission to draft on the draft” (Atwell, 1998, p. 226) and lead you toward a solution to your problem/issue. I will simply show you one way how to do something. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">9. Be patient. Trust yourself and your instincts. We are all writers in this room, and we’re all going to learn from each other. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">10. If I am working with another writer and you want some advice or help from another writer, you may do so, but you must not interrupt their work and cause them to loose concentration on their writing. If you are going to conference with a peer, you may go to the front of the room in front of the classroom and follow rule #3 to a T!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Handout #8 – Writing Workshop Day 2 (adapted from Dr. Hartman’s “Responding to Writing: Using Peter Elbow’s Kind of Responses)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Today’s Writing Workshop Responses

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Sharing: We will always start with this, no matter what part of the writing process we are in. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a writer, read your writing slowly and accurately. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a listener, receive the reading without any sort of response except for a polite and respectful, “thank you.” See this sharing as a gift. When the writer has finished reading, listeners may ONLY discuss the TOPIC of what was written. No other feedback should be given at this point.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Center of Gravity: This is always a great place to start, not only because it’s gratifying as a writer, but it also helps train a listener’s ear and eye for things that really “stick out.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> As a listener, locate phrases/sentences that seem the most important – the ones that create a “source o of energy” in the writing. This helps the writer know what the strongest parts of the writing are and where they exist. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> As a writer, use these insights to help you gain confidence and insight into what IS working in your writing. Use this as an opportunity to shed some light on where you’d like to see some more of these “centers of gravity” happening in your writing.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Summary & Sayback: This response type allows the writer to make sure the message he/she wants to be sent is being heard by the audience. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> As a listener, provide a one-sentence summary of what YOU believe the writing is saying. Then, attempt to use your summary as a question (sayback) that allows the writer to respond to you. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> As a writer, respond honestly to the sayback of each of your writing group members. This will ensure that your message is being conveyed accurately in your writing.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Daybook Handout #9 – Reflective Letter for Working Draft #2

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Field Research Project WD #1
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">INTRODUCTION

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Over the course of the spring semester, I have been collecting data from several sources in my second period Advanced Placement – Language & Composition class in order to address my main research question along with my sub-questions:


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What happens, if anything, within students’ language in multiple rhetorical situations in a high school English classroom setting?
 * How, if at all, do students change their language according to different rhetorical purposes (daybook writing, Ning posts, reflections, essays, class discussions)?
 * How, if at all, do students change their language according to different audiences (face-to-face encounters [small groups, student-teacher, round table discussion], online discussion boards)?
 * How, if at all, do students conceptualize rhetorical concepts such as audience and purpose?
 * How, if at all, do students conceptualize their knowledge of rhetorical concepts, such as audience and purpose, and utilize that knowledge to gain awareness of their own responses?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Since I had so many data collection points, I decided I needed to figure out a process

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">concerning the one that was going to be the most logistically challenging – class discussions. As I began collecting data, I realized that I was going to have some difficulty

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">catching certain nuances in that data type, so I implemented the use of an app on my iPad called QuickVoice that allowed me to record, save, and name the conversations and/or discussions that I was recording in my classroom. I found out that this was much more fruitful for me as it allowed me to not have to worry about picking up on subtlety and it allowed me to be an observer and a researcher rather than a participant in those types of discussions.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> One element of research that I found extremely beneficial for me was to be reflective during and directly after collecting any data. This allowed me to look at the direct implications of some of the decisions I made as a teacher and a researcher without losing the initial or gut reactions I had. Along with making initial observations and reflections, I went back through those notes once a week and completed a mini-reflection on what I saw happening either in the data or in my own process as a researcher.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> About halfway through my data collection, I realized some important things about myself as a teacher through my research, and those realizations affected my processes and my practices in my classroom as a teacher-researcher even after I was officially done collecting data for this research.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">OVERVIEW OF DATA

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As I started collecting data, I realized that I was going to be saturated if I included some of the data points from which I initially thought I would collect. Instead of focusing on a broad range of collection points, I focused on four major sources for data: Ning assigments, writing group discussions, whole-class discussions, and individual teacher-student discussions/assignments. These four types of assignments allowed me to gather a focused type of data that I needed in order to prevent my data from becoming jumbled and inconsistent with my research questions.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Ning assignments included student responses that were completed via directed prompts that I gave to students on different discussion threads in order to complete the assignment. I collected a total of five different Ning assignments – three asked students to respond to reading assignments, one asked students to reflect on an essay that was formally assessed, one asked students to reflect on a group activity that was completed in class. I collected this data via our class’s Ning discussion board by copying and pasting the entire discussion thread to a Word document. (Do I need to get this specific, or should I just talk about the basic process? Do I also need to go into detail for EACH of the assignments or give a brief summary like this? This applies to the other paragraphs – I have done the same for all of the rest below.)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Small group discussions, whole class discussions and student-teacher conferences were recorded via the above mentioned method and then transcribed to Word documents. This process allowed me to not only review the discussions and/or conversations but it also allowed me to pick up on the small parts of discussion that I may have missed as an observer on that particular day. I collected two different types of small group discussions – writing groups based on responding to student writing and discussions based on a text that students were asked to read. For each type, I collected data from at least two different small groups in order to vary my data. For whole class discussions, I recorded and transcribed five different whole discussions that students participated in during class. These discussions focused on reading students were asked to complete outside of class be prepared to discuss the next class period. For student-teacher conferences, I recorded and transcribed one day of conferences with all of my students from the beginning of the data collection period.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> In order to effectively collect and utilize student work in forms of daybook writing and essays, I decided to collect the student-created portfolios that students completed after the first six-week grading period of the semester. These portfolios include student-chosen daybook entries, several required daybook entries of varying type, a draft of an essay and an overall reflection. Students submitted these portfolios electronically via Google Documents using the presentation tool. Students were given time in class to plan and prepare their portfolios for an assessment using a rubric that I designed with students at the beginning of the school year in October.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Because of the amount and the variety of data that I have collected, I have decided to complete case studies on five different students – three females and two males. Each student’s individual data will be compiled and analyzed separately to discover if there are any individual patterns between collection points and/or between students. I have chosen these students based on some observations that I have made post-data collection.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">OBSERVATIONS

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Reviewing my data has been eye opening to how many things are going on in my classroom at a given time, specifically concerning student language and the choices students make during the time I have them in my classroom. After reviewing one Ning assignment, I could not be helped but startled by the first post that one of the students wrote in response to the prompt for the assignment. The prompt I gave them is below:

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Reflect/react to the essay written by Susan B. Anthony about women's suffrage by discussing 2-4 "take aways" from the text and discussing their importance OR discussing some commonalities between this and Wollstonecraft's "Vindication..." Remember to use specific quotes from the text to support your ideas/opinions. Reply to at least 2 classmates - remember to spread the love!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Megan* was the first student to respond to this assignment on the Ning discussion board.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Pardon me, but I must say both Susan B. Anthony and Wollstonecraft are pretty bad ass! Both of them weren't afraid to address the men in charge. SBA really got to the point that the ones who run the government go against the constitution and everything their government SHOULD stand for. I loved where she said, "It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union." Both her and Wollstonecraft craft point out to their audience that there are indeed other people besides men in the country and they should all be treated the same. They both also had this "sassy" tone about them, a tone that is just kind of like 'look, here are the facts as I see them, and how everyone else should see them.'

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Typically I can't stand women's rights stuff, but these gals put a twist on it. I have new respect for them.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> There are some interesting language choices going on in this response, the one that really stuck out to me was Megan’s decision to use the term “bad ass” in her response to describe Susan B. Anthony. While her response supported this claim of Susan B. Anthony’s unrelenting persistence, what was interesting was the response that came from another one of her classmates. In response to Megan’s original reply, Clay* posted the following: “I completely agree with you Marla! Ya girl goes hella hard!” It seems that because Megan made the rhetorical choice to use the language choice she did, she indirectly gave other students permission to use off-color language in their responses as Clay did in his response. Megan also chose to bold the quote from the text that she utilized to support her response, something that had not been done in her past responses.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Later on in the discussion thread, Clay also seems to mimic several of Megan’s rhetorical decisions in his reply:

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> So Susan B. Anthony is harajuku legit! I love how she uses the constitution/preamble, whatever you call it, as almost like a, "baha, got you there!" It's like she's just throwing blows at this country founding text, and dissing it in a classy manner. Like she goes line for line and just tells them how their wrong each time. "It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people - women as well as men."** This whole baby sentence just throws up a big F you to the founding fathers! Hate that! I feel as though she had to be so straight forward to get attention. No one wants to hear some quaint garbage. You got to be reckless to get the attention she was seeking, just take me for example. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Peace, love and sophisticated black woman.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Not only does Clay seem to mimic the tone of Megan’s reply, but he also made the decision to bold the quote that he used from the text to support his claim – one that firmly roots his argument and point. He also makes the choice to talk about Anthony throwing “up a big F you” – a rhetorical decision that seems to be based not only on Megan’s initial post but also on his own reply to Megan’s post. As I looked back at this particular discussion, I noted that I did not insert myself into this conversation at all – rather, I simply observed; I also had a similar experience during a whole-class discussion about Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio. Instead of prompting students or responding to students, I simply observed and reflected on what was going on during the discussion. It seemed that students did not see me as a member of the audience since I was not involved in the actual conversation up until the end when Clay asked, “Are we done, Mrs. Futrelle?”

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Along with these two observations, I have noticed four patterns coming up across my data. These four patterns have to deal with my subquestions concerning audience and rhetorical situations. It seems that there is difference between way students talk about their own writing versus the way students talk about the writing of others. Consequently, there also seems to be changes in the way students write about their own writing versus writing about the writing of others.