Jessica Taylor

September
  1. Describe your approach to composition.  I have been using the four block method. This is proving to be very successful, which is due to the third grade teachers at our school. They did a very nice job teaching writing using this method last year, so it has made a very easy transition to take what they did and build on it. The students surprisingly remembered a great deal about the method.

2. How often do your students attempt to write each week?  We do journal writings 2-3 times per week. However, because of a time constraints, we do composition writing about every other week. This is very frustrating. With so many subjects to teach and objectives to cover, I feel that writing gets very low emphasis.

3. How have you integrated technology into instruction in the past?  In the past, I have used the Word and PowerPoint programs to create projects for each student. The students have “hopefully” been exposed to the programs enough to work within them independently. We have also used the internet very successfully in taking virtual field trips and looking up information on particular topics. The orchard program has been a very important technological tool in the classroom as well.

4. What do you hope to gain from participation in this project?  I hope to find ways to integrate writing in other areas so that the students are able to write as often as possible. And, I hope to become more comfortable with teaching writing. I enjoy writing myself, but I have an uneasiness when it comes to teaching it.  

October
 

1. Describe your class’ positive experience(s) with Four Square writing this past month.

The children did a great job of remembering what they had learned about the Four Square method during third grade. It has been easy to integrate the method into all subjects because the students know the “how to” process of 4 +1. I have even been able to allow my practicum students and substitute teachers to teach a Four Square writing lesson without help from me, and they went rather well. This is due to the students having the organization skills and the method of Four Square under their hats.

2. How far did your students get with the Four Square method? (4 Square, 4 Square to paper, 4+1, 4+3) Why?

Our classroom has done several Four Square to paper activities this month. The Four Square plus three was a little more difficult, and we took a lot of time on this one activity. However, the students seem to have done favorably on this activity. There seems to be potential.

3. Have you experienced any problems through your participation in this project this past month? Describe.

Grammatical issues have been the largest dilemma we have faced. I have four or five children who are still having a difficult time writing complete sentence. We have been working on complete sentence from day one this school year. I know the class is getting so tired of this activity, but it greatly concerns me that complete sentences are such a difficult concept in fourth grade. I am having a tough time keeping their interest on that particular subject. I am finding that editing is also a large issue. It is a slow and tedious process, and it is difficult to allow the students to do on their own. I am constantly regressing the urge to want to do it for them. Conferencing does help this problem. The first paragraph the students edited entirely by themselves almost drove us all insane.

4. What suggestions would you have for making this project more beneficial to you and your students?

The earlier the students begin writing in school, the easier it makes the process for them and for their future educators. The Four Square method is now being taught in the lower grades at our school. This makes me very excited, because this group of students are the first who really had an understanding of organizational writing. However, learning other types of organizational skills like sentence strips or other graphic organizers should not be dismissed altogether.

November

1. Describe positive experience(s) with Four Square writing this past month.

It has been a slow, but positive experience this month. I have noticed that having an interesting topic is one key that helps the students stay with their writing. Since Four Square can be a long process when using up to three details, there needs to be a strong interest and high experience level from the students. This gives them plenty of areas to draw from.

2. How far did your students get with the Four Square method? (4 Square, 4 Square to paper, 4+1, 4+3) Why?

Our classroom varies in where we are. We have completed two papers that are 4+3. They actually try adding more detail to all of their writing. I incorporate this into the 4+1, and I try to give them as much freedom as possible without cutting them short.

3. Discuss the Virtual Field Trip experience.

What a great experience this was! The children absolutely loved the Easter Island field trip. They wanted to share it with everyone who came into our room. We ended up showing it to all three of our practicum students. They have linked their learning to what we have been studying in science and history. It was an unforgettable activity, which I am sure they will all remember for years to come.

Their writing was great, too!

4. What problems are your students encountering?

We are still struggling with editing. However, we have made some small progressive steps to finding our own mistakes. Most children have gotten past complete sentences. Our biggest struggle as a class is that we are on so many different levels in grammar. Comma usage is the biggest problem. Being able to discern where to use commas, is going to be a huge hurdle for these children.

5. What problems are you experiencing?

Being a self-contained classroom is very difficult. I don’t seem to have time to do all the subjects. It is getting more frustrating. Trying to fit writing in with science and history just doesn’t happen some days. I find myself picking and choosing subjects. In fourth grade we have such high expectations to do more than we have time to dot it. Also, how to work with students who are on extremely different levels in their writing and reading is the main concern at this time. Having three practicum students has helped tremendously this year. However, they will be completing their time with us in the next couple of weeks. I am going to have to figure out a new system for working with all the students during this time. Commas usage will be a struggle to teach all year. Hopefully, by the time they leave fourth grade, they will have some idea where commas go!

6. What suggestions would you have for making this project more beneficial to you and your students?

The training we are receiving is tremendously beneficial. I am concerned that once I have finished this year’s write-on workshops that it will be easy to forget what I have learned. Refresher courses could possibly be offered once a semester for those who have completed the write-on training. I believe this would help us keep abreast on what is happening during those years we are not enrolled in the class. Even though we should be sharing what we are doing with our cohorts, time to share beyond what is absolutely necessary just doesn’t take place as we would like it too.

December
 

1. Describe positive experience(s) with Four Square writing this past month.

The children were excited to do a Four Square on the 13 colonies. This is a subject they have really gotten hooked on and want to learn as much as possible. It was great to see how writing in other subjects can help me teach and asses a student’s learning.

2. How far did your students get with the Four Square method this month? (4 Square, 4 Square to paper, 4+1, 4+3) Why?

We are still on 4+3. I didn’t feel we should move beyond this point because we still have trouble slowing down and making sure we are finished with each step before moving on. I had some students try to write their Four Square just on lined paper in the beginning. So, we had to do some back tracking and discuss the fact that this is a process and we have to follow each step as they come. I was glad to see the excitement about writing; however, this was the positive side of this dilemma.

3. Discuss the Sentence Stretcher experience.

The sentence stretcher exercises were wonderful. We have done them as a class together in the morning times while doing other language arts review. I don’t do them every day, and this seems to keep them interested. I will be having them do them on their own in January on paper.

4. Were you able to complete a Colonial America writing activity? Discuss the success/problems.

Yes, but we began very late. I actually was waiting to do the project with my class when we got to that point in our history lesson. That was actually this past week. The students were extremely excited about doing the 4-Square because they love the content. We did the presentation together in class, and then I had them go back over it in lab. While in lab, they were to do their 4-Square +3. This is where we encountered our inability to take our time. For the first time this year, most of them wanted to skip the 4-Square and go straight to lined paper to do their writing. I believe their excitement of learning got the best of them. We are getting ready to put the 4-Square to paper this week and edit it. They seem to have done a great job at this point.

5. Were you able to successfully download a file from the Write On site this month? Tell about any problems you encountered.

Yes, I downloaded several without any trouble.

6. What problems are your students encountering with their participation in this project?

Since several of my students had participated in 4-Square writing last year, I haven’t had seen many problems. I have a few students who are new to the school that have some difficulty. The ESL students do really well with this method because it slows them down; when they take all the necessary steps, and lets them explore their vocabulary. Once we get to paper is the most difficult time. This is the editing that none of us like to do, and it seems to be the hardest to teach.

7. What problems are you experiencing?

Time, time and time. I am so overloaded with curriculum and paperwork that I feel as though I am sinking further and further into a deep well. Having just received the time allotment for the test in April, I feel even more pressure. On top of that, the No Child Left Behind criteria that we have to meet seems to be putting more pressure on an already pressurized system. I don’t understand why someone doesn’t see how loaded down fourth and fifth grade teachers are in this state. We are held accountable for teaching 7 subjects in the same amount of time other teachers have to teach 1-4 with the same amount of children or more. I think writing is a great way to enhance their reading skills. However, I still have so much trouble fitting it in to my everyday activities. We have finally done away with recess for the most part in our room because I need the time to cover curriculum. I am beginning to feel I am loosing my creativity and being strapped into a “factory like” setting because of all the pressure. I dearly love teaching, but I am willing to admit that if someone doesn’t take some pressure off soon, several loving and caring professionals will be searching other professions for employment.

8. What suggestions would you have for making this project more beneficial to you and your students?

If we could possible focus on special education students along with ESL. These kids seem to get the least in the regular education classroom. Again, this has to do with pressure from above. I don’t feel I have the time or the resources to help these children. Also, the children in my room who are above grade level writers get little or no challenge in my room which frustrates me greatly.

January
 

1. Describe positive experience(s) with Four Square writing this past month.

Four Square is moving along quite nicely. The students are at different levels; however, it has been nice to begin a writing assignment and be able to keep everyone involved.

2. How far did your students get with the Four Square method this month? (4 Square, 4 Square to paper, 4+1, 4+3) Why?

We have gone all the way through 4+3 in the past. This month when we wrote about Colonial America, the students did 4 +3 again. But, on most other writings we have done 4+1. It really depends upon information available as to how far we go. If the students have enough information or experiences with the topic they can do 4 +3 pretty easily.

3. Discuss the Miss Take’s Challenge experience.

The children are very excited to participate in this editing activity. We are hoping to divide into teams next week. We have incorporated this activity in with the Mountain Language, hoping to do this on Fridays. But, with the change in the schedule, we haven’t been able to participate using the game format. It will be interesting to see how this will effect the amount of participation.

4. Was Mr. Indent helpful to your students? If so, in what way. If not, why?

Again, time has been a factor in knowing whether or not this has been a real help. However, the children loved Mr. Indent. If nothing else, it has been a catchy reminder for them to use as we write.

5. What problems are your students encountering with their participation in this project?

This particular group of students has been great to teach writing too. The main problems I have encountered are getting them to edit and to recognize problems. They are coming along…slowly. I believe by implementing editing skills in younger grades, this will help writing and editing in fourth grade. It was wonderful to have a group of children come in to my room who were familiar with writing and not who were not afraid to write.

6. What problems are you experiencing?

Time. I am not sure who thinks that fourth grade teachers can do what we are expected to do in the amount of time we are given with our students. Even though there are several other issues that are real problems such as having to come up with science materials on your own because our school system didn’t purchase science books this year. I would like to know who makes the decision to have fourth grade be the first year when teachers are held accountable for teaching and monitoring graded objectives in science and social studies along with reading, math, English, spelling and writing.

February
 

March
 

1. Describe your class’ experience with Four Square writing this past month.

Four Square has really become a useful tool in my classroom. It has been wonderful to be able to leave directions for a substitute to instruct the students to do a Four Square +3 and put it on paper. The students can actually do this. I could never have been able to leave a substitute with a writing assignment before and expect it to be done so well.

2. Did your students participate in a science cross curriculum writing activity? If so, describe its successes/weaknesses.

The students in my room have looked at several presentations created through the Write-on workshops pertaining to science. My class wrote some wonderful paragraphs about matter. This week we will be working on electricity. Writing has been a wonderful way to teach two subjects at one time. It is a great review as well.

3. Other than time restraints, what is your biggest problem in composition instruction?

The biggest problem in composition instruction is editing. Students are still struggling with correcting their own paper. I have began using several strategies we have discussed in the later part of the year. However, if I could have had these strategies and instructional “help” at the beginning, I believe it would have made a bigger impact. I am speaking of items such as, Miss Take’s Challenge, Mountain Language and C.U.P.S. All of these have made a difference on my students; however, I have only used these for a short amount of time.

4. What positive effects can you see in your students through the participation in the Four Square method of composition?

Their reading scores have improved. I believe that better writers make better readers. Also, looking at their writing samples at the beginning of the year and comparing them to their writing now, is amazing. Some students have made leaps of progress, while others have made small steps. However, progress is what we want. The sentence forms and lengths have become more varied, and their organizational skills have become almost second nature.

5. Have you been able to share experiences or activities addressed through this project with any other educators? What was the result?

In sharing my experiences with my cohort’s I have found that many of the ideas I have been learning have been useful to them as well. The online resources for science and social studies that have been created in our technology training have been vital to our school. This has been especially true this year since our current text book resources are fourteen years old. It has been neat to watch other educators use writing in other subjects as well.

6. What changes will you make in your approach to composition in the upcoming school year?

Many of the ideas and resources created this year will greatly help in my composition instruction next year because I can use them from the beginning of the year instead of half way through. I feel the students I have next year and I will be able to hit the ground running. This is due to my training, and the training and work of the teachers in the grades below me. Writing is becoming an extremely important part of our school systems curriculum at the elementary level.

May

This project address the following Tennessee Master Plan Goal: State of the art technology will be used to improve curriculum. Tennessee Report Card Performance Indicators Competency (Composition Skills) How do you feel this project moved toward the goal of improving student composition skills?

With more saturation of information about technology in our classrooms, our school has turned to rely greatly on technology in all content areas and grade levels. Writing and reading have been our number one focus academically at White Pine this year. Being able to integrate technology has given teachers vital resources while making learning to write fun and interesting for the students.

List ways your participation in this project has positively affected the writing skills of the students in your classroom.

In the past, students have been made to write under duress. Being able to make writing into a game or to show a presentation about a subject before writing about it, including sounds and interesting pictures, has made them more interested in writing about subjects that would have been boring before. There have been many grammar and editing skills reinforced by using technology rather than pencil and paper. The entire project has made teaching and learning much more exciting than ever before in my classroom.

How did your participation in this project positively affect your instructional strategies?

I felt I had direction in my language arts curriculum. There was much more organization and focus on the specific curriculum objectives being able to use the technological resources that were geared for that purpose.

How has your approach to writing composition changed through your participation in this project from that of previous years?

Definitely. I am much more at ease with teaching and correcting writing papers. And, the students have seemed to enjoy writing more than in previous years.

What other curriculum areas would you like to see implemented in a professional development technology integration project?

Guided Reading Strategies in PowerPoint.