Web Watch:
Writing Resources
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I Made It It was a dream from two |
This poem was written by my son, age 9, on September 12, 2001, the day after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. He had obviously been affected by the tragic events and nonstop reporting and images on television and radio. He processed all that he had taken in the previous day and dealt with it the best way he knew how -- through his words. As Calkins (1994) stated, “Writing allows us to turn chaos into something beautiful, to frame selected moments, to uncover and celebrate the organizing patterns of our existing” (p. 253). Children learn that their words matter by participating in a quality writing program that is based on the understanding that writing, like reading, is a process in which language is the foundation, thinking is the essence, and feeling is the energizer (Cunningham, Moore, Cunningham, & Moore, 2000). Language, thinking, and feeling come together as students become intimately involved in the process of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The process approach to writing instruction is based on how real writers write (Tompkins, 2000): they develop and redevelop content; play with word meanings, spelling, and sentence structure; expand and clarify ideas; reread; organize their thoughts; and share their writing with others. The process is not linear, but recursive in nature. Thus, good writing takes time. Children need the opportunity to write uninterrupted for 15 to 30 minutes every day (Block, 2001; Tompkins). Teachers must model effective writing strategies and support and scaffold children as they learn to write. |
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A quality writing program is also based on the understanding that writing contributes to the development of every aspect of reading comprehension and response. According to Cunningham et al. (2000), “When students learn to control a particular aspect of writing, they are usually better able to negotiate that same aspect when reading” (p. 239). Thus, knowledge of decoding, vocabulary, grammar, language, literary patterns, and metacognition are all increased through development of writing abilities.
Writing can also bolster students’ self-images. This happens as children learn that the details of their thoughts and experiences are important and worth writing about (Calkins, 2001). As children are given the time and strategies they need to write about their own experiences, their confidence and self-worth are developed. As students’ writing is shared and appreciated by others, “their feelings of significance as people can also increase. Thus, through a well-constructed writing program, students can learn to use a tool to sculpt their initial thoughts into wise ideas that others can treasure” (Block, 2001, p. 335).
A quality writing program also recognizes that strong reading and writing skills help prepare students for their futures outside of school. According to Donna Ogle (2001, online document), president of the International Reading Association,
To become fully functional in today’s world, students must become fully skilled in the new literacies of information and communication technology (ICT) such as word processors, web editors, presentation software, and e-mail. Therefore, educators have a responsibility to effectively integrate these technologies into the literacy curriculum in order to prepare students for the literacy future they deserve.
There are many ways that ICT can provide students with opportunities to become involved in all the components of a quality writing program. Students can write to other children -- in their own schools or countries, or in other countries -- about books they are reading, regional or national culture, storytelling, or a variety of other topics. Discussion through e-mail, online discussion forums, and other Internet tools not only enables interaction and collaboration, but also promotes reflection: Reading and responding to the comments of others compels us to think and to form and articulate ideas in a meaningful way; it urges us to compare our thoughts with those of others and to examine our own understandings and interpretations (Johnson, 1999, online document).
There are also many websites that allow students to publish their writing. As Leu and Leu (1999) state,
Publishing work on the Internet provides students with opportunities to write for an audience other than the teacher. It requires students to be precise and clear in their writing so that their readers understand their meaning. It moves students to naturally seek out opportunities for drafting, revision and editing conferences as they seek to make meaning clear for their Internet audience (p. 100).
The purpose of this Web Watch is to provide educators with information about online resources that involve children in reading, writing, and publication. First I ouline professional development resources, and then I describe resources to support children’s writing and publishing.
Professional Development Resources
This website, created by A.E. Lipkewich and R. Mazurenko of the Edmonton Public Schools, Alberta, Canada, provides a plethora of ideas, tips, and additional links for each of the five steps of the writing process (prewriting, writing, revising, editing, and publishing). The site also offers the Writing Process Club, a chat room and message board hosted through the Yahoo Clubs service, for discussing the writing process.
“Alternative Models of Writing Development” and “Writing and Communication Technologies”
Two excerpts from Perspectives on Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice (edited by Roselmina Indrisano and James R. Squire; published by the International Reading Association in 2000) are online. At the U.S. Center on English Learning & Achievement website, visitors will find a reprint of Arthur N. Applebee’s “Alternative Models of Writing Development,” and in the From Years Past section of Reading Online, an excerpt from Colette Daiute’s “Writing and Communication Technologies” is available.
This commercial website designed for teachers and administrators has several articles on writing:
This online course is sponsored by the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education and Training. It provides instruction on several topics, including teaching beginning writing to young children. Each session provides an overview and instruction on the topic, printable resources, a learning task the reader can complete with a child for practice, and a discussion forum for interaction with other teachers.
Publishing: Theoretical Rationale
This article by Nicole Ellefson discusses the advantages of publishing student work on the World Wide Web. It is hosted at LETSNet, a joint Internet project of the Michigan State University and Ameritech.
Ralph Fletcher, author of such notable books as Writing Workshop, Craft Lessons, Nonfiction Craft Lessons, What a Writer Needs, and many books for children, offers tips for teachers and young writers on his website.
Revision in the Writing Process
This article by Fran Lehr is available through the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication. It asserts that revision is the heart of the writing process and should be thought of as rethinking rather than simply making cosmetic changes, and it provides information that can help change students from “correctors” to “revisers.”
This page, part of the Buddy Project website launched by the nonprofit Corporation for Educational Technology in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, provides information on each of the steps in the writing process. There are also links to downloadable posters for each step.
Write-On! The Writer’s Workshop
This page is part of the 6th Grade Treasure Trove maintained by Karen Walkowiak, a teacher in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It includes information about the basic elements of writer’s workshop: format, time frame, evaluation, and scoring rubrics.
Children’s Writing and Publishing
Created by Jamie McKenzie, Bellingham Public Schools, Washington, USA, the Biography Maker guides students through a step-by-step process that includes questioning, synthesis, and storytelling to create their own biography. The steps incorporate the use of word-processing and Internet resources.
Book Raps is a project of oz-TeacherNet in Australia. Individuals or groups of students from around the world can use the site to discuss specific books at scheduled times throughout the year. These “book raps” may include special features such as author involvement, illustrators online, access to content area experts, and live chat.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s website for children hosts a variety of fun activities. Clicking on “Words” from the main page takes you to the “Writer’s Corner” and “The Never Ending Story,” where kids can publish their writing or write a new story.
Part of the Children’s Literature Web Guide, this page offers 20 links to websites that provide children with opportunities to write and publish their work online.
CRAYON: Create Your Own Newspaper
At this unique website, students can create their own personalized online newspapers.
The Flat Stanley Project is supported by the Education Network of Ontario, Canada, and takes its name and inspiration from the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. Students make Flat Stanley characters out of paper and begin a journal with him for a few days. Then, Flat Stanley and a journal are sent to another school, where students there treat Flat Stanley as a guest, take him places, and make additional entries in the journal. Flat Stanley and the journal are then returned to the original sender. Students can plot Flat Stanley’s travels on maps and share the contents of the journal.
Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections
This free service helps teachers link with partners from other cultures and countries for e-mail classroom pen-pal and other project exchanges.
Kid Authors and KidStuff
These websites offer a place for students to publish their writing or read stories and poems written by others.
Kids’ Space provides opportunities for kids to communicate with other kids around the world through publication of pictures, stories, music, and webpages. Children can also collaborate to write a picture book, or they can find e-pals -- the online version of pen-pals.
Monster Exchange encourages the development of reading and writing skills while integrating Internet technology into the classroom curriculum. Classrooms from schools worldwide are paired; the students in each classroom are split into groups, each of which designs an original picture of a monster and writes a description of it. The partnered classes then exchange their descriptions via e-mail and the Internet. These students are then challenged to use comprehension skills to read the descriptions and translate them into a monster picture, which they compare with the original drawings made in the partner class.
This website was created by poet Roger Stevens to enable children and teenagers to publish their own poetry and reviews.
The Quill Society is a free online writing club dedicated to young writers. It gives members opportunities to expand their writing skills by providing numerous writing-based activities and exercises, along with e-mail discussion groups.
Scholastic’s Writing with Writers and Writing Workshop
The website of the book publisher Scholastic hosts the “Writing with Writers” workshop series, in which students learn from authors, illustrators, and editors to develop their skills in writing certain genres. Workshops focus on biography, fairy tales, folktales, description, mystery, myth, news, poetry, and book reviews. “Writing Workshop” focuses on writing oral history or research papers and provides step-by-step guidance through the writing process. For each topic there is are minilessons on such points as note-taking or using quotation marks, and a toolkit for printing worksheets and using a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia is available.
Created by Web designer Jerry Jindrich, Young Writers Workshop encourages creativity by providing story starters for children in preschool and primary grades. Story starters can be printed.
This online magazine publishes student poems, short stories, and essays for an international audience.
Conclusion
Lucy Calkins says that our lives are changed not by events, but by how we react to them. My son, like many other children around the world, reacted to the tragic events of September 11 by writing. He found a way to turn chaos into something beautiful. Teachers of quality writing programs understand that with instruction, support, and guidance, “students can learn to use a tool to sculpt their initial thoughts into wise ideas that others can treasure” (Block, 2001). The Internet can assist teachers in cultivating students’ writing development in a supportive environment, and students can use the online medium to relay important information to significant audiences.
References
Block, C. (2001). Teaching the language arts (3rd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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Calkins, L. (1994). The art of teaching writing (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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Calkins, L. (2001). The art of teaching reading. White Plains, NY: Longman.
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Cunningham, P., Moore, S., Cunningham, J., & Moore, D. (2000). Reading and writing in elementary classrooms: Strategies and observations (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.
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Johnson, D. (1999). Electronic collaboration: Children’s literature in the classroom. Reading Teacher, 53(1), 54-60. Available: www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=RT/9-99RT.html
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Leu, D.J., Jr., & Leu, D.D. (1999). Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the classroom. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
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Ogle, D. (2001, December 20). In The International Reading Association releases new position statement: “Integrating literacy and technology in the curriculum” [press release]. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Available: www.reading.org/media/press/press011220.html
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Tompkins, G. (2000). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
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Denise Johnson is an assistant professor of reading education at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virigina, USA. She received her Ed.D. in reading from the University of Memphis, Tennessee. She has worked as an elementary classroom teacher, a middle school reading specialist, and a Reading Recovery teacher. She now teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy education and conducts research on the integration of technology into preservice and inservice education courses and within elementary classrooms. Her articles on literacy and technology have been published in a variety of journals and she is active in several professional organizations. She enjoys traveling with her family and reading to her son, Derek. Contact her by e-mail at cdjohn@wm.edu. |
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Citation: Johnson, D. (2002, March). Web watch: Writing resources. Reading Online, 5(7). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=webwatch/writing/index.html
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted March 2002
© 2002 International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232