Where Tanner's From

If this post's title sounds familiar, it's probably because you remember an entry from a while back, Where Malik's From.   See the original writing assignment here.

I'm just stopping by to remind all of us that writers bloom throughout the year.   I get a whole lot of flowers in September, but I also get some children who are seeds, bulbs and tubers...and planted at different times.   That's pretty normal in 8th grade.

There's a whole lot of research about boys and language arts instruction, so go ahead and read it.   Don't discount what you know to be true from firsthand experiences either.   There's not one magic key that unlocks a joy of writing for boys.   The young men who are most successful in becoming writers with my style of teaching have these commonalities:

They listen to mini-lessons on writing skills.

They practice these skills in small bits of writing.

They then work these skills into larger pieces of writing.

They welcome feedback.

They recognize that writing is a craft.

They get downright metacognitive about their use of language.

They believe that the world around them is to be examined.

They know that a final draft means edits and revisions, not simply neatness.

Before you think that I am a "my way or the highway" kind of writing teacher, I'd like to say that I don't think that I am.   I can't be certain, but I am pretty sure that if I were reviewing student writing with Stephen King, Anne Lamott and Natalie Goldberg-- we'd at least recognize and agree upon bad writing when we saw it.   And...yeah...it's totally okay to see some bad writing from 8th graders.   I mean, they're 8th graders.   Sheesh.

I center September around some of Laura Robb's mini lessons for writers and Nancie Atwell's lesson on narrative leads.   If I can get kids using specific nouns, strong verbs, a variety of sentence starters, PARAGRAPHS, effective narrative leads and a unified topic...I feel pretty ding dang good about that.

(Pardon my shouting.   I'm still teaching perfectly kind children how to paragraph narratives.   It's December.   It hurts.   My eyes are bleeding from the dreaded BIG, FAT PARAGRAPH.   I might write a song about it.   Never mind.)

Back to Tanner.   He came into class on day one with a strong work ethic, unmatched tenacity, a kind spirit and some sharp writing skills.   Even so, his mom is pretty impressed with his current interest in getting all of his words in the right spots.   I sure do wish I could just let you see all of his various writing work from this year because he's a perfect example of a talented, developing writer who fits all of the qualities I listed above.   

Check this out.   Remember the two-sentence journal assignment I borrowed from a class I took at William and Mary?  Here's one of Tanner's entries, "It's the time of year when the smell of corn chaff and diesel fuel fill the air.  Visibility soon becomes low as the farmer takes the combine for another round."   You better believe I asked his permission to write that gem down for other grasshoppers to see.   It was feng shui perfection on the white board.

Here's where Tanner's from:

I’m from sunglasses in the rearview,

From tie straps and duct tape,

I am from eggs in the nesting box,

(Dry and Warm with a surprise inside)

I’m from orchard grass,

The yellow poplar,

Whose leaves fall every year just for me to collect.

I’m from fishbites and pellet guns,

From Pride and Horton,

I’m from the bluecollars and the hardheads,

From “How ya whole family doin’?”

I’m from “American born and Southern by the grace of God.”

I’m from Genesis and Communion,

3 inch slugs and ram rods,

From the man who died for our sins,

And the 10 commandments.

From the gray uniform stained with blood,

Whose owner long gone from Earth,

Waits patiently in the Promised Land for the ones who honor him most.

Laura Robb: Your Fairy Godmother

Having studied to teach high school English, my first year at the helm in 8th grade was a real eye-opener for me.   It was the year I discovered that some 8th graders have never read a chapter book/ novel on their own-- ever.   Seriously.

I had an excellent English education at Menchville High School and Christopher Newport University to prepare me for the canon of literature that I would most likely teach as a high school English teacher.   But none of the classes really addressed the reluctant reader, the painfully slow reader, the special needs reader, the non-reader, the dependent reader, the ADHD reader, the dyslexic reader, the resentful reader, etc.   And I wasn't teaching high school.   You get the picture.  

For 11 years I have been storing up some tricks in my bag to share with you, but that could take a lot of Blogging.   I want to give you a jump start with the common sense advice of Laura Robb.

Who is Laura Robb?   First of all, she is a teacher who is still teaching.   That means a lot to me if I am going to spend time trying out someone else's lessons in my classroom.   Educational research is important, but I can't replicate a lesson that requires me to be in five places at once because I do not have an aide, college professor, graduate student and two parent volunteers with me to implement it.   I can be realistic and optimistic at the same time, but most days it's just me and the kiddos without a net.

What else does Mrs. Robb do?   Find out here: http://www.lrobb.com/web/guest/home

My favorite part about Mrs. Robb is that she has written several books for Scholastic on best practices for teaching reading and writing in the middle school.   Several are available from Amazon.com.

It's a strange place, middle school.   Most of the research out there focuses on catching reading issues early in elementary school and putting interventions in place.   Even if this is done well, some teenagers still struggle to read at grade level.   I have taught students before who have tested on a first, second, third grade level in eighth grade.    It's a frightening, exciting challenge.   There isn't a lot of magic on hand for any instant fixes, but let Mrs. Robb help you along the way.

I'm sure I'll mention her again later, but allow me to start you off with my two favorite activity books.

For reading: 50 Fabulous Discussion-Prompt Cards for Reading Groups: Snap-Apart Question Cards That Build Comprehension & Spark Great Discussions About Character, Plot, Setting, Theme & More

For writing: Brighten Up Boring Beginnings and Other Quick Writing Lessons: 10- to 15-Minute Mini-Lessons and Reproducible Activities That Sharpen Students' Writing Skills

Let me close with this.   A few years back, Mrs. Robb taught a lesson on "Harrison Bergeron" to one of my reading classes.   I can't remember why she was there in my small town, but I know that I truly enjoyed spending time in her classroom and so did my students.   (No one misbehaved, much to my relief.)   When I e-mailed her post-tornado about these two activity books that I could not find on Amazon, she mailed them to me with her good wishes.   She also mailed a few other resources and had Scholastic do the same.  

It was another reminder to me that none of us can do what we do alone.   You may have a really great day teaching, and you should pat yourself on the back, but a lot of amazing people helped you get you where you are today.   And they are still wishing you well from their little corners of the world.   Don't forget to plug into the energy of all of that goodness on those days that exhaust you.

Thanks to Laura Robb, Scholastic, Christopher Newport University's Dr. Scott Pollard and art teacher Rob Mercer for restocking my Robb resources.