No One Rises To Low Expectations

The Politics of the Paragraph, Michelle Kenney
I began to read this article and thought.. "I think I've read this before." Turns out I did... Sarah had posted it on twitter at the beginning of the semester using our hashtag .  I continued to read for a second time because it just hits home and is relevant to what we will be discussing in class.


I found the story about Erica and her writing experience extremely relatable. I also remember we briefly discussed the structuring of graphic organizers when discussing the different literacies. The graphic organizer is an example of functional literacy. Like discussed in this piece, it limits the writer to thinking they can only write a certain amount and in a certain way. The final writing piece should exceed this expectation and allow the student to express themselves and use their own creativity.

The structure of writing is often taught so intensely using different graphic organizers rather than teaching the writer or recognizing the amazing writing the student has in their work. Like Kenney says, some of the best writers get tied up in trying to fit the format they are expected to write in that they can't think creatively and write as best as they can.

I definitely think there needs to be a type of organizer as an introduction to writing, but throughout the year it should be used less and less. Like Kenney, I think that writing templates are like training wheels and they do help many students along the writing process. However, I also agree that sometimes students can write better and should be excused from writing according to a specific template. As a teacher, I am looking forward to recognizing when a student understands what should be in a paper and letting them go free to write their paper without a given direction.

Chapters 2-4, Kelly Gallagher
WOW! This reading holds a ton of information and resources as a future teacher.

To start, I love how Gallagher compares teaching writing in the classroom to coaching basketball. You cannot expect a player to go out on game day and win without plenty of practice. Students need to practice writing often and different variations in order to write well. One thing he also writes about is the writers notebook, which I full believe in. It is a place for students to practice writing, have an outlet to express themselves, and also see their own development as a writer.

I also enjoyed looking over the in class writing activities. He not only tells about them and the advantages for the students and the teacher, but also gave examples. I think it is important for students to view examples, just like I do.

This leads into the next chapter. Similar to Kenney using her own writing as a model for her students, Gallagher writes about the different ways to model for your students. Modeling can be done to show students that first drafts are just a draft. First drafts shouldn't be perfect and the best way to show this to student's is for them to see your imperfections. Modeling throughout the writing process is also important and I enjoyed this chapter.


The 4:1 Grading stuck out the most to me in this chapter. I often was graded in math on or science on the completion of my homework for effort. Then we would go over it in class to check our answers and go over any problems we had trouble with. I think this is also important in English classes. A student who has everything they write graded with notes all over it will potentially get discouraged. It is important to give credit for the effort they put into writing as well as some assignments that are assessed and gone over.

Finally, using other outlets for modeling was discussed by Gallagher. He discusses using restaurants, movies and magazines as pieces for reviews. These are important to use because students will be personally reviewing these on their own throughout their lives. I love bringing real world elements into the classroom, especially to help students become better writers and more familiar with literacy outside the classroom.