Amanda Addison's Blog (15)

So we've been typing on and off for . . . ever. I'm down to just one student who has not typed her piece. But I've learned a LOT about differentiation. Differentiating instruction has always been something that I thought sounded really cool, but too hard for my classroom. I didn't know how this would work, but I realized that by setting up clear expectations for my students where they understood that not everyone would be doing the same thing. I thought my students would be a little resistant,… Continue

Entering Activities: Students will have directions on screen. They will read a sample ORQ and identify the power verbs in part A and B. They will fill out the sections labled “DO” and “WHAT” on their ORQ graphic organizer.

Teaching and Learning: Students who have three revised drafts will begin typing their pieces today. I will teach them the appropriate way to use the laptops and direct them as they work. Students who do not have three drafts completed will be finishing… Continue

Entering Activities : As today’s sponge, we will watch a BrainPop video called “Show, Not Tell.”

Anticipatory Set: I will go over today’s agenda with students, explaining that we will be looking at an example of a reflective piece and identifying strengths of the piece and areas for growth.

Teaching and Learning: Students I will read aloud the sample reflective letter. I will teach students how to make a chart where they will identify some strengths and some areas… Continue

Entering Activities: Students will come in and start on a sponge that asks them to write their controlling idea of their piece.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over that today we will spend time writing our reflective pieces. I will ask student to take out their homework and I will have them share with one another, as I check it. This may give them an idea that they did not have before.

Teaching and Learning: I will read aloud to students three examples of writers… Continue

Entering Activity: Students will write down a prediction of what a piece titled “Taking the Trip” will be about.

Anticipatory Set: Students will write down today’s agenda and go over what we will be doing today.

Teaching and Learning: Students and I will read “Taking the Trip.” We will discuss what the controlling idea of this reflective essay is.

Guided Practice: I will have students make a Write to the Point Organizer. We will go over the… Continue

Entering Activity: Students will answer a sponge question asking them to identify who the audience of their reflective piece is going to be and what format the piece will take.

Anticipatory Set: Students will copy the agenda and I will collect homework.

Teaching and Learning: I will go over with students the importance of making your audience clear and ways we can do this (letter format, essay format). We will discuss what audiences need to know in the reflective… Continue

Entering Activity: Students will make a list of three possible audiences they are considering for their reflective piece.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over with students today’s agenda – that we will be having a discussion about possible audiences for our pieces and we will be doing some reflective writing in response to the yellow sheet questions.

Teaching and Learning: I will teach students that the Letter to the Reviewer that used to be included in the… Continue

Entering Activity: Students will make a list of three possible audiences they are considering for their reflective piece.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over with students today’s agenda – that we will be having a discussion about possible audiences for our pieces and we will be doing some reflective writing in response to the yellow sheet questions.

Teaching and Learning: I will teach students that the Letter to the Reviewer that used to be included in the… Continue

Entering Activity: As students enter, they will get either a green or pink sheet. This sheet has 10 multiple choice questions over a selection in the procedural readings we are doing this six weeks. I will assign three rows to do the first five and three rows to do the second five.

Anticipatory Set: Students will copy today’s agenda and we will go over the answers to the sponge to review with the students the selection we read.

Teaching and Learning: I will go… Continue

Entering Activity: Students will respond to sponge question that asks them to identify one way in which they have grown as a reader, writer, listener, or speaker.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over today’s agenda and tell students that we will be sharing our sponge activities so that we can give each other ideas.

Teaching and Learning: During today’s class, I will teach student the five areas of literacy. I will also teach them what it means to… Continue

During this six weeks, I will also be covering procedural readings with my students. This lesson today falls under that category.

Entering Activities: Students will read a section entitled “Reading For Life” in the Elements of Literature textbook. Students will make a list of they type of informational reading that is in the text that they have done.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over with students that we will also this six weeks be reading informational texts. We will… Continue

Entering Activities: Students will get their folders, take out their personal or transactive piece and count the number of words in each sentence.

Anticipatory Set: I will explain to students that we are going to work on combing short, choppy sentences in our pieces. I will also ask them to take out their homework (reading/writing inventory) and I will check homework and sponges.

Teaching and Learning: I will go over with students Revision Station 14 – combining… Continue

Entering Activities: Today, students will continue revising their transactive pieces to find evidence. As a sponge, we will do the third step – creating one more piece of evidence to put in the piece.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over today’s lesson with the students and explain to them that we will be looking today at our personal or literary writing piece and making some revisions.

Teaching and Learning: I will review with students, using a graphic organizer, the… Continue

Entering Activities: Students will enter and copy today’s agenda and begin the sponge, which will read:



According to Ralph Keyes, author of The Courage to Write, many famous authors have followed unusual rituals like the ones below whenever they wrote:

• Ernest Hemingway did not write anything until he had sharpened twenty pencils.

• Mark Twain wrote only while in bed.

• John McPhee always wrote in his bathrobe and used the belt to strap himself in his chair so… Continue

My students and I are beginning a unit on reflective writing as well as working on revisions to their portfolio pieces. I plan to use this blog as a media for posting what we did during this unit and reflecting on it. It is my hope that as I begin to teach what I'm concerned will be the hardest thing my students have done this year, I can learn how I can improve this.

The problem with asking my students to reflect on themselves as writers is that many of them do not see themselves as… Continue