Writing for teens

As I think about all these great stories on different sites I keep having the same thought - WRITING - Reading is the skill that will let our youth learn how to express themselves through the written word. Often times we are inspired to do what others have experienced.

Guys Lit Wire

What an exciting time. A time of a personal growth and defining moments. Adolescent literature does a pretty good job of offering selections that can truly speak to kids. The bigger problem is accepting that reading isn’t cool and we need to find another way to reach students. The same person that is facilitating any kind of academic experience can also play a role in not being able to share great literature with our future leaders. An idea that has to be at the front of our experience as, literally, tomorrow’s teachers should focus heavily on carrying these amazing things we’ve literature classes and figure out a fun way to do this with students.
I am an avid reader, now, 10 years later. I did not like to read as an adolescent. The computer and internet are revolutionizing the way literature has to be taught. As I was exploring the different websites I found that not only are these good places for teachers and students to use, but a place where they can do this together. A major challenge in my current academic graduate university career is being able to focus on what a teacher is trying to tell me without ever hearing a voice. The current separation between the virtual teacher and student put too much weight on the student. All students need to have a physical relationship with an open and practical educator in order to ensure academic success.
Current programs that are successful with virtual high-school classrooms incorporate a mentorship type of relationship with the teacher and partner relationships among peers. In addition, taking the “high-stakes” out of enjoying a story makes it much more palatable to anyone, especially a 13-year old may be a key step towards teaching another generation to be life-long people that read for pleasure. A great way to accomplish this goal is through literature circles. However, there cannot be a penalty for not having the “right” answer or having not read the piece at all.
When reviewing http://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/ I, as a guy was immediately drawn to both the name and the visuals including a logo. I was surprised and entertained to find The Holy Goof: A Biography of Neal Cassady as a choice on the site. Additionally, giving an accurate synopsis makes the difference between a student choosing to read or not. The true learning begins to take place as kids read this type of true life story and start to think “Wow this is pretty cool”. This isn’t math or science, literature is art. Using this site as a teaching tool may be very effective in reaching out to current readers as well as those have not begun their reading journey. This particular website appears to be geared toward middle-class white kids, which are a huge demographic of our schools. I would not use this website in a demographically diverse classroom due to the lack of representation on the cover page of any other cultures. Where the site does a good job of is covering different genres that interest teens including comedy and alternative reality books that are generally not on the curriculum at Suburban High USA.
The blog format is current and hip. I will definitely show my sixth grader this site and see if he can pick out a book that he wants to read and then read it. We’ll see…

The Giver

In the not to distant future Jonas brings us into his reality. Drugs, Suicide, Fighter Planes, could this be our future? In THE GIVER you have the oppurtunity to look into and become immersed in a society where breaking "rules" can have life-changing consequences.

The Civil War, World Wars 1 & 2, Sabre tooth tigers, the Vietnam conflict, George W. Bush and energy concerns would be a few of the things you would not know about. They would have all been a part of your community's history, yet only a few would experience the memories of the past or learn about them. Memory is in the eye of the beholder. What are crystals of all different shapes falling from the sky? How about a PA system that would tell the whole community about your snack hoarding?

As I read this book my mind wondered toward the deep questions surrounding our society and personal human experience. Is right and wrong, fundamental good or evil, defined universally or by your experience, environment and spiritual awareness?

Jonas is starting to have "stirrings" towards Fiona. These two young people embark upon a quest of truth and knowledge. Any more and I would ruin the surprises.

Rating
9 out of 10
Some content may be innapropriate for immature students
Suggested Grade 8
Additional Note** Highly Recommend as a book to read with your adolescent. Now that I have read it I plan to read it with my 6th grader. You may want to read the book to prepare yourself for some serious questions.

Initial Course Analysis - Adolescent Literature

Adolescent literature may be the key to ensuring the future of reading for pleasure and being able to read all levels of the written word. This class has immediately begun to identify the cause of symptoms (Teenage Behavior) in adolesents. Talking about the solution rather than the problem is a strategy that I personally agree with. The Front Line investigation was truly intriguing. I learned more about adolescents in the few hours I spent reviewing websites, watching the program and reviewing the Power Point than I have in three years of working in schools amd attending The Urban Teacher Program.

SLEEP! - As a society we do not value this aspect of our lives as we should. This process we spend 1/3 of our lives doing is crucially, especially for the evolving adolescent brain. Patterns and behaviors established during the teen years can have life-long consequences. I learned a lot about myself last night. As a 30 year-old college student I can personally testify to this being true. My teenage behaviors established me a a young adult that behaved in ways that were not always inside the rules. This pattern of behavior does not work as an adult. From the parents perspective it is very challenging to have a positive, productive, and personal relationship with teens. For a matter of 2 or 3 years parents often may feel like they do not know thier own child.

So far so good! Today I will embark upon some remarkeable and hopefully inspiring literature. It is 20 degrees outside, 75 inside and the coffee is ready to go.

As a teacher, former teenager and parent of an 11 year, I am excited to learn and write about my experience in this course.

"You can not dream yourself into character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."

Henry David Thoreau

Grammar Alive! A Student's Handbook

“Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over IBM versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers versus briefs (Jack Lynch).”

Like most things, when trying to define grammar I turn to the internet. Wikipedia defines grammar in the following way. “In linguistics, grammar refers to the logical and structural rules that govern the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology and syntax, often complemented by phonetics, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics. Each language has its own distinct grammar (singular). "English grammar" is the set of rules within the English language itself. "

Well, so what? What does that mean to me as a student? Students today are a mix of talented individuals that will need to know at least two English dialects in order to be successful in the 21st century. That’s right; you need to be taught bidialecticalism! Where else other than the English classroom is it wrong to ask, “Can I go to the bathroom?” Only in an English classroom will the answer be, “I don’t know, can you?” I agree that the language of our neighborhoods is what will get us through life, but it is “Standard English” that will catapult you into the next income bracket.

There is a lot of discussion surrounding the teaching of grammar. If you are anything like me, you may wonder how to use and apply grammar that you were never formally taught. In today’s diverse classrooms we are taking an innovative approach. That is to say, let’s look at the connection between grammar and being able to read and write in a way that will help to get a job or run a business. Let’s apply grammar to the real world. In addition, lets look at dialects the students are bringing into the classroom and their connection to “Standard English”. Absolutely every dialect is perfect at serving the community that uses it. Yes, I am saying that how you speak is perfect! Ya feel me? However, in a society dominated by one dialect, that dialect needs to be mastered in order to increase your ability for successful interactions with those who have the power. I proclaim that “Standard English” is your money language! Unless you have a guaranteed career are in the athletics or the entertainment industry, you will need to be able to conform to the rules of “Standard English”. There can be no argument to the fact that there is power in being able to speak “Standard English”. It is time that you ensure that you can fluently communicate in a way that will not put you at risk of being perceived as ignorant or unsophisticated. This is not something to learn and forget. As you leave school and embark on the career that will define your professional life, the ability to talk the talk will separate you from the pack. You may not be asked to solve an algebraic equation, but you will be asked to speak.

At the same time, you need to know that there is also a time and place to speak the language of the neighborhood. This is where the idea of being bidialectical comes into play. The goals and solutions this book proposes aims to teach grammar, as well to provide information about grammar. Now is the time to grab a hold of grammar. This insightful and culturally inclusive book will inspire you to bring the excitement of grammar and the richness of language into your life. It is time to embrace, and use to your advantage, “Standard English.” It is my hope that this book will teach you how to manipulate the English language in a way that will get you an advantage in life.

Three Quotes

1. "Students are learning how to think for themselves and how to educate themselves over the course of their lives. When given ownership over the direction of their learning, they will work at their greatest capacity and in a creative fashion." Page 105

I feel that when students, or anyone for that matter, feels like they have control over what is happening to them, they are able to function at a much higher level. The goals they set for themselves, and the progress they make are because of the effort put in. They learn how to succeed through planning, follow-through, and hard-work.

2. "Portfolios place just as much importance on process an on product." Page 106

Wrting is a process. Often times learning how to learn a process is just as important, or more important, than the final product produced. One of my top priorities with students is to teach them how to learn on thier own. This is something that I live and model by being a life-long learner.

3. "Portfolios will not produce tidy scores that are conductive to the kind of quick comparisons that the public likes to make." Page 108

I think that teaching in a way that created portfolios over weekly test scored may be a challenge. I think that assessment is important. I think that incorporating some type of assessment into most lessons is a necessary component to me being successful as a teacher. This assessment will come in varied forms, but it will be there.

Burke Ch 7

This chapter is the best thing since sliced bread. Thoe more I read Burke the more intrigued and appreciative I am about his book and his insight into teaching English. This chapter focusues in teaching writing, no not doing writing, but teaching writing. Often times I have thought of writing as an activity that students will do and acquire mostly on thier own. While this may be tru for some students, all students will benefit from a planned out format in which teaching specific strategies for different modes is outlined.

"The second thing that makes certain teachers great is something that isn't taught. It is sending out a feeling of their own aspiration and love for writing that their students will pick up on." To me this is very similar to telling a kid that they shouldn't smoke while sending them to the store to pick you up a pack. We must teach through example.

Error as an invitation to improve. We must always do our best to help students correct mistakes they are making. Coming from an athletic background, I lean on those skills whenever I am trying to teach or improve a skill without killing confidence. As I have said before, a way that works well for me in the sandwich approach, followed by clear instructions on how to fix the problem. Finally, I ask students or athletes to tell me what they heard so that we are all on the same page.

Several traits distinguish effective journals in the English class. These traits need to be shared with your students so they understand the purpose behind the jourmaling activities. The quote on 187 regarding confidentiality is a must when having students write about potentially risky subjects. PAge 99 lists several interesting ways to jumpstart journal writing. I feel as if there should be a mix in journal entries, both personal and non-personal. Using prompts that are not personal in nature can be a great way for students to write creatively. For example, inventing new words, describing them and using them is a journal entry.

Creating "real-world" applications for writing have to be included. These are the skills that may end up putting food on studets' tables, or atleast getting them an interview.While all of the smape assignments on 207-209 are great, I particularly like studetsn to be effective writers of the e-mail, resumes, letters, as well as confidence with the interview.

There is so much useful inofrmation in this chapter. My final topic that I will respond to is the advice on handling "the paper load." A few of th key ideas I got out of this section are:
1. Focus on no mre than three items in a paper (ex. nouns, verbs, and spelling)
2. Have students seek other sources for input
3.Use rubric scoring
4. Have a time limit
5. Conference with students
6. Share with each other
7. Use the "check"system