Writing and Math

One ideas that has struck me most through the nature of this course is the questions of how we can make connections between writing and math. Throughout my own educational career, I have struggled with math. I can easily say that I can call it my “worst subject” and it has felt that way for as long as I can remember. English, however, I have always enjoyed. Looking at the contrast between my experiences with both of these very different subjects I find myself wishing a more cross-curricular approach had been assumed. If writing had been incorporated into some of my past math classes I feel as though I would have found the subject more enjoyable as a whole. Reflecting back on my own experiences truly highlights the importance of incorporating writing tasks into a variety of different courses. If this approach is taken, we can increase the opportunity for success amongst many of our students. 

The Literary Essay - A New Approach

            As an English teacher, there are numerous forms of writing applied in the classroom. However, the most commonly associated format in the English classroom is the literary essay. The literary essay is formal, structured piece of writing that provides insight, interpretation and analysis to a given work of literature. The author of a literary essay provides his or her interpretation of the given work through an argument or opinion that is referred to as a thesis. Through the course of the essay, he or she is tasked with defending this thesis through an exploration of literary content that backs up their position. Because the literary essay is such an integral part of the English course, it is essential that students are given the opportunity to succeed when writing in this format. The chart below details the main components of the literary essay and strategies that can be used to teach students about this format.

Component	Qualities	Teaching Strategies
Thesis/Argument	-          Often a declarative statement -          Determines what the author will be arguing throughout the course of the essay -          Should be controversial in nature -          Tells the reader what to expect	-          Before beginning the writing process have students complete activities where they simply have to read a short piece of writing and develop an opinion on that piece à students will learn to develop arguments in a less formal manner -          Class debates à this activity also helps students develop skills in which they have to form arguments and support those arguments using evidence, completing activities orally may help with the writing process later on -          Thesis activities à have students complete writing activities where the sole focus is writing a thesis statement. By breaking down the writing process and having students look at one aspect of the essay may make the process more approachable as a whole.
Introduction	-          Introduces the author’s thesis and how he or she will defend the argument presented -          Essentially an outline for what is to follow -          Should capture the reader’s interest -          Often the most difficult part of writing a literary essay	-          Class debates à have students complete an oral debate where they have to form an argument and support this argument with evidence. Turn this activity into a written activity by having students take notes during the debate. They can later turn these notes into an introductory paragraph -          Break down the process à Have students break down their introductory paragraph into steps. ie:  Step #1: Broad opening statement Step #2: Thesis Step #3: Argument #1 Step #4: Argument #2 Step #5: Argument #3 Step #6: Concluding Sentence Breaking down the process makes writing the introduction more approachable.
The Body	-          Discusses the evidence that supports the thesis provided in the introduction -          Students use examples from the text to support their argument	-          Graphic Organizers à The use of graphic organizers can help students break down and organize their ideas. Providing students with different options can help each find an organizer that works best for them. -          Fishbone outline, word web, flow charts, essay breakdown chart, etc.
Topic Sentence	-          Used to describe the ideas presented within each body paragraph -          Connects the paragraph back to the thesis	-          Have students look at short paragraphs and provide a one sentence “summary”. The sentence should outline the main idea in the paragraph.
Textual Evidence	-          The use of examples, paraphrasing, and direct quotations to support the author’s argument	-          Give students an already developed thesis and have students draw evidence from the given text -          Research activities -          Scavenger Hunt activity à students have to find specific literary elements within a text (ie. Find a simile, determine the thesis, etc.) This will help students identify important parts of the text
Conclusion	-          Thesis is restated -          Wraps up the arguments outlined throughout the course of the essay -          Provides a sense of completeness	-          Summary activity à have students read a short article and summarize its arguments -          Thesis activity à provide students with a thesis. Have them reword the thesis so that the argument remains the same yet the approach is different

            As the literary essay is such an integral part of the English course, it is important, as in all subjects, to ensure that students are given the opportunity to learn its elements. As such, differentiation comes into play. Differentiation refers to the process of tailoring our teaching strategies to fit the needs of all students in the classroom. As each student learns in a different way, it is important to assume a differentiated approach in order to maximize learning opportunities for all students. The teaching strategies outlined in the chart above, while simplistic can be used to assume a differentiated approach. 

Poetry in History

Poetry in History

During the course of my undergraduate degree, I had the unique opportunity to take a course that directly made connections between my subjects of interest; History and English. As a result, I was exposed to numerous works of writing related to historical content, many of these works being poetry. In fact, I have a whole book dedicated to the poetry of Siegfried Sassoon, an English poet who fought in the First World War and wrote about these experiences. In his poetry, Sassoon describes the experiences of war; the horror in the trenches, the relationships between soldiers, and the tragedies of wartime. One poem I found particularly engaging, was “A Letter Home (To Robert Graves).”

A Letter Home (To Robert Graves)

I

Here I'm sitting in the gloom
Of my quiet attic room.
France goes rolling all around,
Fledged with forest May has crowned.
And I puff my pipe, calm-hearted,
Thinking how the fighting started,
Wondering when we'll ever end it,
Back to hell with Kaiser sent it,
Gag the noise, pack up and go,
Clockwork soldiers in a row.
I've got better things to do
Than to waste my time on you.

II

Robert, when I drowse to-night,
Skirting lawns of sleep to chase
Shifting dreams in mazy light,
Somewhere then I'll see your face
Turning back to bid me follow
Where I wag my arms and hollo,
Over hedges hasting after
Crooked smile and baffling laughter,
Running tireless, floating, leaping,
Down your web-hung woods and valleys,
Where the glowworm stars are peeping,
Till I find you, quiet as stone
On a hill-top all alone,
Staring outward, gravely pondering
Jumbled leagues of hillock-wandering.

III

You and I have walked together
In the starving winter weather.
We've been glad because we knew
Time's too short and friends are few.
We've been sad because we missed
One whose yellow head was kissed
By the gods, who thought about him
Till they couldn't do without him.
Now he's here again; I've been
Soldier David dressed in green,
Standing in a wood that swings
To the madrigal he sings.
He's come back, all mirth and glory,
Like the prince in a fairy tory.
Winter called him far away;
Blossoms bring him home with May.

IV

Well, I know you'll swear it's true
That you found him decked in blue
Striding up through morning-land
With a cloud on either hand.
Out in Wales, you'll say, he marches
Arm-in-arm with aoks and larches;
Hides all night in hilly nooks,
Laughs at dawn in tumbling brooks.
Yet, it's certain, here he teaches
Outpost-schemes to groups of beeches.
And I'm sure, as here I stand,
That he shines through every land,
That he sings in every place
Where we're thinking of his face.

V

Robert, there's a war in France;
Everywhere men bang and blunder,
Sweat and swear and worship Chance,
Creep and blink through cannon thunder.
Rifles crack and bullets flick,
Sing and hum like hornet-swarms.
Bones are smashed and buried quick.
Yet, through stunning battle storms,
All the while I watch the spark
Lit to guide me; for I know
Dreams will triumph, though the dark
Scowls above me where I go.
You can hear me; you can mingle
Radiant folly with my jingle.
War's a joke for me and you
While we know such dreams are true!

The poem is touching through its discussion of the nature of war because of its personal nature. The descriptions of the tragedies and terrors associated with war are explicit and emotion shines through. To me, poetry is all about emotion. By bringing emotion into the study of history, especially life during wartime, this history can come alive for the students in the classroom. As this particular poem was written by an actual soldier fighting in the First World War, students can truly gain an understanding of the nature of life during wartime. The use of poetry can not only increase understanding of historical content but also improve engagement amongst students. By giving our students the opportunity to connect to content on a more personal level the opportunity for learning is amplified and the study of history becomes a more enjoyable process for all involved. 

The Ducks in the Woods

One of my own first personal experiences with writing occurred in my second grade year. At this point in life, I had little previous experience with writing. My experience beforehand had been limited to small journal entries, the classics of elementary writing; Explain what you did this weekend, Who is you best friend and why?, etc. This assignment, however, differed from anything we had done previously. This specific activity involved writing a short story surrounding our topic of choice. There were very few limits to the activity, we simply had to come up with an idea and write about it. We were encouraged to be creative with our stories, coming up with our own characters, settings, and conflicts. As this was only a grade 2 class, I believe the required length was approximately one page hand-written, and you know how big a child’s writing can be at the ripe young age of seven. Although this was many years ago, I can remember with great detail the story I had written. This memory now stands out as one of the moments in which I discovered my own passions for reading and writing. My story began with a tale of three ducks. I remember describing each of their characteristics and the nature of the relationships between the three. What stood out most about this experience however, was the fact that I could not stop writing. What was supposed to be a one page story ended up much longer. I began dividing it into chapters after the ideas continued to spring forth in my head. My finished product ended up being approximately five chapters and about ten pages. Not long ago, I found this story, hidden away in an old basement cupboard. I laughed when reading it, shaking my head at how eager I was as a young child. Reading this story reminded me of the pleasure that comes from writing. Our students, even at a young age, are incredibly capable of creativity and worth. If we expose them to writing early on, we can instill a passion for writing, literature, and create life-long learners.    

Non-Narrative Non-Fiction

Non-narrative non-fiction works take a variety of formats. In her work, Writing Across the Curriculum: All Teachers Teach Writing, Shelley Peterson discusses the nature of non-narrative non-fiction works and the formats that they may take. Non-narrative non-fiction often takes one of three forms, according to their function: forms that persuade, forms that inform or explain, and forms that instruct of direct. Non-narrative works have numerous benefits in the learning process. Utilizing these works have a variety of purposes that can help students in their drive to improve their writing. Examples of non-narrative non-fiction include summaries, book reviews, blogs, recipes, posters, etc. The one format that stood out most to myself was the use of recipes and how they could be applied to a number of different subject matters. As cooking is one of my own favorite pastimes I challenged myself to come up with ways in which I could apply recipes in my own future English classroom. One activity I felt would be beneficial was using recipes to teach the various forms of writing that appear in the typical English classroom. In small groups, students could look at a variety of different recipes. Through collaboration, students would identify the main components of a recipe, ie, title, instructions, measurements, etc. To further extend this activity and make connections to course relevant material, students could then create recipes of their own. These recipes, however, would not be for food, but for various writing formats. For example, a student could create a recipe for the perfect literary essay. The recipe could include, ½ cup of introduction, 2 cups of supporting evidence, a strong dash of thesis, 1 tablespoon of creativity, etc. The same could be done for other writing formats: epic poems, newspaper articles, scientific reports, etc. This activity would not only allow students to be creative with their work, but would also promote a greater understanding of the features involved in common forms of writing.  Taking a student-centered approach could create an environment where students are eager to learn, participate, and collaborate with their peers. By assigning different students a variety of formats, the entire class could create a “cookbook” of writing formats. Students could then refer back to these recipes to ensure they have included all necessary elements when completing a variety of assignments. 

Atwell and Peterson - What it means to me!

I found Nancie Atwell’s story of her journey in becoming a Teacher with a capital T incredibly relatable and relevant to my future practice as an educator. What struck me most about the narrative was the importance of growth that is emphasized throughout the reading. When Atwell describes her evolution as a teacher, she promotes the idea that we must always work to improve ourselves if we hope to reach our students in the best, most effective way possible. By trying out new ideas or concepts in education, we are more likely to develop an array of tactics to employ successfully in the classroom. Another striking element that emerged from Atwell’s narrative was her account of a past student, Jeff, and his struggles in the classroom, specifically with writing. By including a specific, personal story, Atwell makes her narrative that much more relatable. Jeff’s story really struck a chord with me. Although I personally did not struggle in school, I have seen those close to me have a difficult time in the classroom. Jeff represents the fact that each and every student within the four walls of a classroom will learn in a different way. Each student will have different tactics and strategies that will work best for them specifically. By drawing before composing a piece of writing, Jeff was able to complete a task through which he otherwise struggled. By writing in his own way, Jeff was able to achieve a certain level of success. This behaviour, while not conventional, is what needs to be encouraged. If a student discovers a way in which they can successfully complete a task, they should be encouraged to do so. Therefore, as teacher’s, we must be open to a variety of possibilities when it comes to learning. By tailoring our ideas to fit the needs of our students, the classroom will be a healthier, more productive environment.

Chapters 1-2 of Peterson’s Writing Across the Curriculum: All Teachers Teach Writing discusses the importance of making writing a cross-curricular skill to be learned and applied in a variety of subject matter. Further, Peterson discusses how we can find a place for writing in different subject areas. My teachables, being History and English, are often associated with writing. As such, writing has been incorporated within these subjects a great deal at this point in time. This being said, there is always room for improvement, and the writing process can be more fully integrated. Not only can the process be more integrated it can also be approach from a variety of different perspectives. For example, in English writing is typically more structured, often taking the form of essays or opinion pieces. Through my own experiences in school, I feel as though some of the creativity in English has been forgotten. If we incorporate different forms of writing in our English classes, poetry, stories, journaling, perhaps we can bring a more diverse, approachable nature to the English classroom. 

The Meaning Behind Writing

Writing; its meanings, purposes, and implications, has different meaning to each and every person. To me, writing is all about communication. As human beings, we communicate in a number of different ways. We communicate orally, visually, emotionally, and through writing amongst many other mediums. Writing serves as a way to communicate ideas, thoughts, feelings, and opinions. In education, writing as communication is demonstrated. Students often write to demonstrate their knowledge on a provided topic. Although the communication factor remains, writing can serve different purposes in terms of the content area through which it is being applied My teaching areas, History and English, are more commonly associated with writing as writing is often emphasized in these courses, especially English. In English, writing is often more focused on the fundamentals. English courses question how grammar, spelling, and structure can create a foundation for improving one’s skills in written communication. History, while less focused on the fundamentals, also demonstrates how the written word is used to communicate. In History, students often use the fundamental skills learned in English to express ideas surrounding important historical events. In History, interpretation and opinion are essential. History is always changing as our interpretation of events is constantly evolving. Through writing in history, ideas can be communicated, expressed, and supported. Writing provides students with an opportunity to reflect on their own beliefs and opinions surrounding specified topics.