Re: Teaching Organization -- Six Traits

["Nancy Patterson" <patterna@gvsu.edu>]

There is no magic formulas for teaching organization.  A writer's sense of organization develops over time.  But certainly, has Marji pointed out, modeling can certainly get you further down the road.  I would also look at other pieces of writing as "mentor texts."

But also understand that students will know how to organize before they can demonstrate how to organize.

But honestly and truly, giving students time to peer conference, focus lessons that show how another author developed an idea and moved from one point to another will help a lot.  Also, you might check out Gretchen Bernarbie's book Reviving the Essay.  It is wonderful!!!!  In fact, I highly highly highly recommend it.  You'll find it on Barry Lane's website at http://www.discover-writing.com/

Nancy

Nancy Patterson, PhD
Literacy Studies Program Chair
College of Education
Grand Valley State University 
920 Eberhard Center
301 W. Fulton
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
616-331-6226
patterna@gvsu.edu
http://faculty.gvsu.edu/patterna
>>> Marji Morris <mmorris@salemschools.com> 05/11/07 10:23 AM >>>
model, model, model.
write something in class on an overhead or whiteboard using a graphic 
organizer. show them how it's done. then show them again next week. my 
kids still chafe at not being able to go from idea to turning in the 
first draft as a final copy, but i keep drilling.
marji


Melody Frese wrote:
> What are some resources you all know of for teaching organization to middle
> school writers other than graphic organizers? I can see my students' eyes
> glazing over as I hand them out, but teachers in my district feel they are
> essential to teaching organization. My students treat them as mildly
> disguised fill-in-the-blank worksheets. They rarely make the connection
> between a Venn diagram and a real-world piece of writing. I think I get
> overall better writing without them. Maybe I'm using them poorly, or maybe
> there are other ways to teach kids to organize their writing. It probably
> doesn't help that in my own writing, I have never used a graphic organizer
> to produce a piece of writing I would be proud of. I'm thinking that
> articulating my own process would be helpful, but it honestly mostly is just
> a matter of reading and rereading as I go, learning to "hear" when something
> sounds logical. I analyze later, after I've written, moving ideas around in
> a logical order. I guess it seems to me that graphic organizers ask students
> to use analytical thinking before they've gotten a chance to feel their way
> through their ideas, using writing to figure out what they have to say. It
> strikes me as backwards to organize first, but no teacher I know agrees with
> me, so I could be totally wrong. What are your thoughts?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Melody
>
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