Thank you Laura Robb! (Video, Final Thoughts and the pledge)

Check out the link below and  begin to learn about "Herding Teen Writers! (http://s3.amazonaws.com/dv_assets/plot_template.swf?movie_id=594347)

Final Thoughts on Teaching Middle School Writers by Laura Robb

        Laura Robb reminds me of the uniqueness that makes up middle school students. They are moody, crafty, creative, hopeful, resilient and sneaky. Many  of them write outside of school and never share the work or ideas with anyone in the school building. My role as a middle school teacher of writing is to figure out ways to encourage my students to share their work with me and write for me at school.  They blog, text, e-mail, and create all manner of poetry and prose that never sees the light of the school building.  

     Since reading Robb's book, I will be a lot more open to the needs of my student writers. I will be on the look-out for opportunities to engage their minds, writing hands and texting fingers to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas at school and beyond the building. Her book has reminded me that choice and time key in developing student readers and writers.

      Her book has inspired the creation of the Middle School Writing Teacher's Pledge. This pledge spells out the kind of writing, and reading, teacher that I aspire to be. I will use the ideas that I found in Robb's book about using mentor text to teach writing, facilitating writing workshops and lessons and working collaboratively with students and colleagues to create an English/Language Arts classroom that students enjoy coming to and participating in each day.  

I have learned about from you, Laura Robb! I look forward to sharing what I have learned with my students!

Middle School Writing Teacher's Pledge

As your English/Language Arts teacher,  I promise to do the following things on my quest to help make you a better reader and writer:

1.     Give you choices, within parameters, about what to write and how to write the piece.

2.    Allow you time each day to write on the things that I want you to write about and the things that YOU want to write about.

3.    Utilize real-world texts that you enjoy to teach my mini-lessons on writers' craft.

4.    Create reading and writing activities together so that you can make the connections that will help you to become better in both areas.

5.    Use a variety of media, genre and technology to teach your reading and writing lessons and share your work.  

Lastly, I promise to remember that writing is a personal journey with a process that is different for everyone. I will work to help everyone progress along the journey that they have begun.