Principles of Teaching Writing

1. One-on-one conferences benefit all writers

In Nancie Atwell’s Lessons That Change Writers xvii, she says that she meets at
student’s tables or desks and she tries to meet with them often. However, she only
spends one to five minutes per student in order to get to all of them. She is sure to ask
them more questions than the typical, “do you have any questions for me?” Atwell says
she asks questions like “how is it going? Or tell me about your writing, where are you
going with this? And she is sure to pry for more if the students do not give her adequate
answers in order for her to assess where they are are at and what they need more work
with. Judith Rowe Michaels also uses one-on-one conferences to assess grades in her
book Catching Tigers in Red Weather. Tom Romano’s Clearing the Way talks about the
importance of a one-on-one conference too. He claims the best way to get across and
make the most of a conference from a student is to allow the student to talk about their
writing instead of pressuring the student and making them feel like they are in charge of
the conversation.
The reason that comfortable one-on-one conferences are so beneficial to
budding writers is because it allows the student to share what their thoughts are and
gain insightful feedback from an instructor. Not only is insightful feedback from an
instructor beneficial, sometimes sharing ideas out loud helps to weed out the
insignificant portions or the pieces of the writing that may not fit. In my classroom I
would do a combination of both Atwell and Romano’s techniques. I like the whole idea
of checking in with them at their desks because I hope that as the school year
progresses this may aid in the students feeling more comfortable talking to me which
would make Romano’s approach much easier and much more comfortable.

2. Good Writers Keep Notebooks

In Nancie Atwell’s Lessons That Change Writers she talks a lot about writing
territories. The writing territories are an important piece of keeping a consistent
notebook because the whole category is meant to add topics to write about. This
section of a notebook prevents the question of students not having anything to write
about, and it also prevents the teacher from coming up with topics that block students
creativity. When the power of writing topics is given to the student (within reason), there
is a sense of freedom which allows the student to want to write, because they got to
choose the topic. From the Other Side of the Desk by Linda Miller Cleary also illustrates
the importance of allowing the students to choose their topic. She claims that the writing
territories is a great way to jot ideas down without the pressure of being judged. She
also claims that it is a way to avoid smashing productivity; similar to the earlier point
about students complaining they have nothing to write about.
I had a class experience where we had writing territories and I really enjoyed
them. I definitely always had things to write about and I never felt like somebody was
going to read my ideas and judge them. I also never felt like I had add that affective filter
and be concerned with what other were going to think of my topics. On days that we
were given prompts that was fun too because it allowed me to stray from my habitual
topics. In my classroom, I definitely will incorporate the writing territories in the
notebooks. I love the idea of having notebooks for my students to write about their lives
or their stories or just whatever. I also love the idea of giving them an option to write a
fun prompt given by me occasionally.

3. Good Writers Read as Writers and Write for Readers

Nancie Atwell’s Lessons that Change Writers talks the most about how this
tongue twister works. She claims that students do best when they edit other student’s
writing to prepare it for real readers. This gives them experience to perform the editing
job to make it just perfect for the future readers of the piece. All writers must write with
their audience in mind, therefore the best writers are the writers who read that way. The
students must learn to read, while also keeping in mind what the writer was thinking
when they wrote the piece. This skill set allows that same student to write, but also keep
in mind what the audience is thinking while reading their piece. It is a confusing stance,
however it is a great technique to teach students how to write to appeal to their
audience. Judith Rowe’s Catching Tigers in Red Weather claims that the students will
be unable to read as writers until they have felt like writers. So what does that mean?
Similar to what I explained about Atwell’s statement, in order to read as a writer, you
need to keep in mind what the audience is thinking while they are reading and the only
way to do so is to write for an audience. Tom Romano in Clearing the Way argues that
students need to share their work in the class and outside of the class in order to
become better writers. The more that their work is exposed to other readers, the more
that they will understand how to write for an audience which is crucial in learning how to
write for readers and in turn read as writers.
I really enjoy this principle because it is SO important in good writing. I plan to
expose students to different genres of literature and writing and media to show them
what the author/director does for the audience. I think by showing different genres,
students can learn and understand that different audiences come with different genres.
Once students learn how to differentiate between the genres and their audiences, they
will be able to write for a specific audience in the way that is necessary to attract that
audience. I also plan to give many examples of how this is done through lessons and
writing prompts.
4. All Writing is Creative Writing

Judith Rowe Michaels asks the question, “What is the opposite of creative
writing? Uncreative writing?” in her book, Catching Tigers in Red Weather. In my
opinion, Tom Romano kind of answers her question by saying that “writing is a big world
mural, not a snapshot”. Creative writing is part of the bigger picture vs that of a tiny
piece. If a student is creating a piece of creative writing, they need to keep in mind the
bigger picture of what the benefit of their piece is. What is the ultimate pay off?
Teachers on the other hand, need to keep in mind that creative writing is not pointless.
Creative writing allows students to choose their topic and to let their voice shine and
flow. Academic writing is not the only writing that matters. In Peg Tyre’s “The Writing
Revolution,” she talks about how letting students write what they choose to write about
could be hindering their writing progress. Yes, academic writing is important and should
be the primary focus of educators, but creative writings matter too. Creative writing does
not only create a voice for students, it also creates a student who is well-rounded. A
student that someday is going to be a teacher, or a parent, or a firefighter. Academic
writing prepares students for the real world, AKA the business world, but creative writing
prepares students for the world in which they are people.
I hope to add creative writing in my classroom. Similar to what Michaels says, I
want to prepare my students for the world in which they exist as people, more so than I
want to prepare them to exist as pawns in a man-eat-man world of business and
politics. I plan to incorporate creative writing in both the journals I plan on using and I
also like the idea of monthly book reports that are students choosing how they want to
write about their story. This could be changing the ending, or adding to the ending. It
could be writing a response to the story, anything that taps into their creative writing
side as long as it is appropriate for school that is.

5. Successful Peer Review Requires Structure

In Nancie Atwell’s Lessons that Change Writers, she claims that there needs to
be some scaffolding for their peer reviews. She suggests that the writer clearly lays out
what they need and their fellow students use peer response forms to suggest their edits.
This form only focuses on content and not editing. I think that with the help of the forms,
students will be able to focus on the part of the writing that truly matters. Grammar is
important, yes, however that can be caught with some editing after revisions to content
have been made. By giving students the abilities that they need to respond helpfully, to
their peer’s work, it is more efficient and a better use of their time. Judith Rowe Michaels
suggests that teachers consciously choose how to pair their students and give them
three ways to peer review; through specific questions and ways to annotate.
I would like to implement an “I’m with you” or “I’m lost” form. Students would have
a partner read their pieces and then the partner would write edits that they agreed with
in one color of pen and then edits they think need to be made in a different color pen.
This combats the typical grammar trap that most students tend to fall into while peer
reviewing. I love this technique and it keeps the students from falling back into the
grammar trap. I do think that it is important to learn how to catch grammar mistakes so
occasionally I plan to allow the students to peer review for grammar, but I found the I’m
with you”/I’m lost form to really be beneficial.

6. The writing classroom should be a safe space

Judith Rowe Michaels stresses the importance of icebreakers in the begging of

the school year to create a safe space for writing and sharing writing. The icebreakers
allow students to feel comfortable sharing while at the same time they are able to
understand boundaries and maintain privacy (keep what they heard to themselves).
Michaels also stresses the importance of making eye contact with her students and for
them to be present listeners and communicate effectively with each other as well as
their teacher. When the classroom is a safe space, students feel as though they are
able to communicate and share their feelings in a time of their lives when peers are
cruel and judgemental. Without a safe space to share writing, students may feel closed
off or unwilling to share their thoughts in fear of being judged or even wrong. Not only
does a safe space in a classroom create the willingness in students to share their
personal stories and writing, it also allows the students to share their ideas in general
about books being read, or about answers to a test. Tom Romano in Clearing the Way
also agrees that students need an environment of trust. With Romano, he is talking
about conferences which is relevant because as a teacher, there needs to be a level of
understanding and trust between them and the students in order for students to feel
supported and encouraged. When a student can predict the reactions of their peers and
teachers, they may feel more comfortable as well as more confident when it comes to
sharing their work with the class.
I love the idea of creating a safe space where my students feel comfortable
coming to me and asking questions to their peers and myself. I plan to use icebreakers
throughout the year to aid in the nurturing of the safe space. Many times, icebreakers
are used only in the beginning of a class and they work for a week or two and then the
students slip back into their private lives and their private thoughts. I think encouraging
students to participate in ice breakers the whole semester/year will be beneficial in
keeping my classroom a safe space for the entire year. I want a relationship with my
students that is comfortable and confident, but also one that maintains the respect of
student/teacher ideals. I am not there to be their friend, but I do not want them to think
of me as a teacher-robot that seems to plague the world in stereotypes.

7. It’s Worth Setting Aside Time for Writing in Class

I think that setting aside time for writing in class goes hand in hand with the idea
of keeping a consistent notebook. In Nancie Atwell’s Lessons that Change Writers, she
suggests that a quiet and predictable structure for students to write three to five times a
week for around forty-five minutes is helpful. Most high school classes only have an
allotment of around 50 minutes, so three to five times a week may be unrealistic, but at
least once a week is beneficial in some way. Penny Kittle writes in Writing Beside them
that “quick writes” in notebooks are important as well as independent writing. When
teachers write along with their students, they not only are taking the time to work on
their own writing, but it also shows the students that their teacher cares about what they
are being told to do and makes the assignment seem achievable. Related to writing with
your students is just making the time for your students to write in class. Setting aside
the time to write allows students to continue practicing their writing skills. This also
allows the students to be productive and focused in the classroom if they are used to
taking 20-45 minutes writing a couple times a week, especially when they are in a safe
and comfortable environment for writing and sharing ideas.
As I have said before, I plan to keep notebooks in my classroom, and I plan on
keeping the notebooks in my classroom so students cannot say they have left their
notebook somewhere else. On top of keeping the notebooks in my classroom, I plan to
create that safe environment feel with the use of icebreakers so students feel safe
leaving their thoughts on paper with me.

8. Mentor Texts should Include Real World Role Models

Briefly mentioned in my principle number seven, was the idea that teachers
should be working alongside students and Nancie Atwell in her article Lessons that
Change Writers says that teachers should be sharing their own processes for planning,
drafting, and revising, as well as polishing, editing, and proofreading. If teachers are
sharing their own work and their own processes in how they are doing their own writing,
it may motivate students to understand that teachers are not simply teachers. They
have done and still do the same kind of work that the students are doing. In Penny
Kittle’s article Writing Beside Them, she also argues that teachers sharing their own
progress and their own processes with students, encourages the idea that they are not
doing the assignment alone and that there is a point in doing it. Steve Graham and
Dolores Perin in Writing Next say that “Students are encouraged to analyze these
examples and to emulate the critical elements, patterns, and forms embodied in the
models in their own writing” (20). Meaning that if teachers are sharing their procedures
for writing with the students, the students should be taking into consideration how it is
done and how to emulate it within their own writing.

9. Students Should be Allowed Freedom in their Writing

Students should be allowed freedom when it comes to their writing because it is

ultimately their voice being portrayed and they should be allowed to say what they want
to say. Academic writing is an exception, however for the most part students should be
able to freely express their personal thoughts and ideas.If students care and are
passionate about their work, there is a higher chance that their performance will
increase and their end result of their work will represent their interest. A student who is
not interested in what they are talking about will not have a strong connection with the
work, preventing them from putting in the effort in the same way as they would if they
were writing about something they truly cared about. As Nancie Atwell stated in
Lessons That Change Writers, that by allowing students to “write with passion about
what they know and care about, for reasons they believe in”, helps to push students and
give them a purpose. This principle offers the possibility of learning credibility along with
the idea of why something matters. When teachers push students to think critically
about ideas that mean something to them because they are given the option to choose
the topic, it will increase the credibility in their work and as writers. Linda Miller Cleary in
From the Other Side of the Desk also mentions that by focusing on students’ identities,
it is easier to breed individuality in the classroom, providing opportunities for student’s
own voices to shine through in their work. She also claims that students should not have
to struggle with what to say versus what they think their teacher wants to hear.
I hope that in my classroom I can find a decent balance between offering the
freedom to allow students to write about what they please as well as giving and
teaching them academic writing skills and techniques.

10. It’s Important to Engage Students with Multiple Writing Genres

In Nancie Atwell’s Lessons Change Writers says that it is important to teach and
instruct a variety of genres. It is important to open up students mind to different types of
writing in order to allow them to experience and understand that the typical five
paragraph essay is not the only genre of writing out in the world. Linda Miller Cleary
also writes in From the Other Side of The Desk that letting students write what they
want to write about when it comes to choosing a genre is valuable because again, they
will feel more motivated and excited to write about something they are passionate
about. In Kelly Gallagher’s Write Like This, he argues that introducing students to real-
world/authentic purposes for writing is important because it shows students that there
are more purposes for writing than teachers can teach. It also shows students that
genres can be combined and blended to make mixed-genres.
In my classroom I plan on teaching about the many different kinds of genres
through the process of reading. I like the idea of having my students read five hundred
pages every quarter and at the end of each quarter, have them write a book report
about the kind of genre of books they read. I also like the idea of requiring a certain
genre be read each quarter. This allows them to pick a book under my supervision of a
genre.