I really wish I would have read this during my fresh man
year in college or even in high school.
If there’s one comment that I can remember resurfacing essay after essay
after essay is “please be more specific.”
I think it would be simple to show two pieces of writing to
my fifth graders and have them see the difference between a paper that is
specific and one that is vague. It would be easy for them to notice how
specificity changes the entire delivery of a piece. Students may encounter
issues though when it comes time to address their own writing. The plan would
then be to focus on one aspect of specificity at a time. I think the first part
should be to identify vague words, discuss why that word is ambiguous, and how
can we narrow it down? After that, students should revise and edit the same
piece a couple of times, each time focusing on a different strategy to narrow
their writing.
I think generalities
are one of the main issues with student writing, besides repetition. The
example given under “Generalities and Specifics” (ex: Hudson/Rivers/bodies of
water/geographical features) would be a great homework assignment. This way the
kids can get practice in narrowing and expanding concepts. Chapter three also suggests that students
should become mindful of using the word “it.” Students should refrain from
using “IT” when they speak too because the reason they use it so much in their writing
is because it’s dominant in their everyday speech.
I also thought it was such a great idea that she not only told us what to do but showed specific comparison examples. Too often children are given directions that they don’t understand or are too vague to them and therefore are hard to put into practice. By exemplifying the differences it is easy to see how we can do this in our own writing. I will definitely incorporate examples in my teaching. I also think you’re right about focusing on one aspect of specificity at a time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea of children providing multiple revisions. I don’t remember doing much revising of work that I had to submit and I think this is a great way to see that a child truly is understanding the lesson and applying it to their own work.
P.S. You must have an amazing memory. In every class we’ve shared you give such detailed memories of when you were in school. I hardly remember anything before college-not sure if that’s because I’m old or because I have a terrible memory or a little of both!
Nice job- but perhaps you can draw a little more from the reading?
ReplyDelete