| SEARCH OnWEAC |
|---|
By Doug Buehl
r u k? sry 4gt 2 cal u lst nyt
Can you decipher this message? Chances are, if you have become a devoted “text messager,” this is a quick read, which mandates an instant reply: im gr8.
The electronic age has updated the age-old practice of passing notes by combining modern equivalents of telegraphic brevity with a desire for immediate response. Computerized communication, such as text messaging, email, chat rooms, and instant messenger, have made it easier to carry on a written conversation over a distance, whether it is a school desk away, or across the continent.
Classroom activities which capitalize on students’ desire to talk to each other represent promising strategies for focused discussions around reading assignments. Daniels, Zemelman, and Steineke (2007) suggest planning “written conversations,” which engage students in shared writing with their classmates to pursue their thinking about classroom texts.
Written conversations are a variation of dialogue journaling and can be applied to both fiction and nonfiction texts. Unlike class discussions that feature one person talking with the rest of the students waiting for a possible turn to add their comments, written conversations are silent but ongoing discussions that involve every student in the entire process as a communicator.
The Strategy
Written conversations can be configured in a number of ways, depending on the nature of the material and course objectives.
Step 1: Students complete reading a passage from the textbook, an article, a chapter, or a story. Next, inform students that they will be participants in a silent conversation about topics and ideas in their reading. Outline the ground rules for a written conversation:
Step 2: Decide upon an organization for the written conversation. For example, students can be assigned a partner and their conversation will represent thoughts that pass back and forth between the two of them.
In addition, the format of the conversation can vary. Each student can begin by writing the initial entry on a sheet of paper or on a page in their class journals. These papers are then swapped, and partners write their thoughts in response to these first entries. The papers move back and forth for continued conversation.
Another method is to use large sticky notes, which are affixed to the text students are responding to. One partner may be using yellow notes, the other green. The text with the sticky note comments is then passed between partners.
Step 3: Provide a focus for the written conversation. Of course, students can be instructed to write about anything in the text that they want to talk about. But many students will benefit from a prompt that offers some specific directions for targeting their thinking.
Possible writing prompts for fiction include:
I made a connection to . . .
I know the feeling . . .
I love the way . . .
I don’t really understand . . .
I can’t believe . . .
I realized . . .
I wonder why . . .
I noticed . . .
I was surprised . . .
I think . . .
If I were . . .
I’m not sure . . .
Possible writing prompts for nonfiction include:
I learned . . .
I was surprised to learn . . .
I already knew that . . .
I was wrong to think . . .
I wonder why . . .
I still don’t know . . .
I found it interesting that . . .
I thought it was especially important . . .
I would tell someone . . .
I found it confusing when . . .
This helped me explain . . .
Step 4: Decide upon an appropriate time length for each individual written entry. A range of one to three minutes per round will provide students with just enough time to record some of their thoughts before passing the conversation on.
Then start the written conversations. Emphasize that these are simultaneous responses; all students are writing. When the allotted writing time has expired, say, “Pass.” Provide students with a brief period to read their partner’s response. Then say, “Start” to cue students to comment on their partner’s thoughts.
With partners, allow opportunities for three to four exchanges, pausing each time to grant some reading time before continuing with the written conversation.
Another variation is the “Write Around,” which expands the conversation to groups of four. In this format, every student responds to ideas initiated by three classmates. The fourth exchange lands the conversation back to where it started, so the final entry features feedback from three classmates, and allows each student the “final word” on that series of comments.
Step 5: After students have gone through all the exchanges, end the conversation on an oral note. “What would you like to talk about now with your partner or group?” Now for the first time, students can converse out loud about their thinking. You will likely notice many of your students eager to elaborate on their written thoughts and to follow-up some of their comments.
Finally, ask partners to share some of their conversation with the entire class, and use this invitation to continue a large-group discussion about the topic and ideas from the text.
Advantages
Written conversations provide students with valuable practice in verbalizing their thoughts about written texts.
Further Resources:
Daniels, H., Zemelman, S. & Steineke, N. (2007). Content-Area Writing: Every Teacher’s Guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Doug Buehl, teacher, Madison East High School
Wisconsin State Reading Association.
dbuehl@madison.k12.wi.us
Posted May 2, 2007