Write Like This, Chapters 1, 8, and 9

I have been developing a unit plan with two of my classmates intended to examine beauty standards with 8th grade students.  The final product must be aligned with the common core standards. We decided early on that we wanted students to write a found poem as a final assessment for the unit.  However, in looking for writing standards that closely matched our assessment, we began to feel a bit of pressure around the standards.  They didn't match the types of writing that we were trying to illicit from students and we began to worry that the connections we were making between standards and actual activities felt tenuous.  A huge takeaway for me in chapter 1 was the emphasis on moving beyond the standards and pushing students to do more types of writing that are applicable to their lives.  As a teacher candidate, I sometimes feel that the standards are to be treated with what seems to be almost biblical reverence.  However, the standards leave gaps and exclude practical writing skills in particular.  Students need to know more than argument, informational, and narrative writing.  Students need to know how to deliver a solid work report, write a professional email, and understand how writing poetry can help one understand the mechanics of language and in turn read and write better.  Chapter 1 was extremely affirming, because Gallagher encourages he readers to teach the standards and then some. 

Chapter 8 discussed the art of polishing the paper.  To me, this aspect of writing is actually the most important part of the writing process.  The strongest writing comes from multiple writing sessions because once the basic ideas are on the page, the author has time to devote to actually making the content shine with style and finesse. I really loved the RADaR model for revision because it emphasizes craft and style, two aspects of writing which make an impact and an enjoyable experience for readers.

Chapter 9 focuses on showing writers how to write properly.  Modeling is always a concern because it's a huge part of showing students how you think, but it's often hard to make thinking explicit.  This is especially true with writing but also especially important.  However, teachers can use everything from the emails they write, to using mentor texts, to revising their own writing with the class to demonstrate how strong writers think.