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Using a Class Newspaper to Improve Writing Skills in a ... - GSE

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4<br />

Although students had many excellent goals for the year <strong>in</strong> Spanish,<br />

<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the desire <strong>to</strong> learn <strong>to</strong> improve writ<strong>in</strong>g skills, I still found that they did not<br />

like <strong>to</strong> write. In order <strong>to</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d out exactly what it was that students did not like<br />

about writ<strong>in</strong>g, I surveyed the class. When asked why they do not like <strong>to</strong> write, the<br />

comments I got from the students varied:<br />

• I don’t know how <strong>to</strong> beg<strong>in</strong><br />

• I don’t know how <strong>to</strong> beg<strong>in</strong> a paragraph<br />

• I don’t know how <strong>to</strong> express myself<br />

• I don’t like accents<br />

• I don’t know how <strong>to</strong> give details<br />

• I don’t write well <strong>in</strong> Spanish<br />

• My hand hurts<br />

• It’s bor<strong>in</strong>g<br />

• I have <strong>to</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k a lot and sometimes I don’t know the word<br />

In the survey, I also asked students <strong>to</strong> tell me what they would prefer<br />

writ<strong>in</strong>g about if they were required <strong>to</strong> write <strong>in</strong> class. They <strong>to</strong>ld me that they like <strong>to</strong><br />

write journals and do projects. I was also <strong>to</strong>ld that they like <strong>to</strong> write e-mails,<br />

cards, and letters because they th<strong>in</strong>k it is more casual and they don’t have <strong>to</strong><br />

write the way teachers expect you <strong>to</strong> write <strong>in</strong> class (you don’t have <strong>to</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k so<br />

much). A few students also <strong>to</strong>ld me that they like <strong>to</strong> write about th<strong>in</strong>gs that they<br />

are <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong>, such as sports and music. With this <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, I realized that if I<br />

wanted <strong>to</strong> get my students excited about writ<strong>in</strong>g, I needed <strong>to</strong> have them choose<br />

<strong>to</strong>pics that <strong>in</strong>terest them.<br />

I got the idea of us<strong>in</strong>g a class newspaper <strong>to</strong> motivate students from an<br />

article I read by Sheila Alber (1999). It worked for reluctant writers <strong>in</strong> her<br />

classroom, so I decided that I would give it a try with my Spanish-speak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

students. But first I had <strong>to</strong> solve the blank page problem. I decided <strong>to</strong> start the<br />

writ<strong>in</strong>g process from scratch and try some different strategies <strong>in</strong> class <strong>to</strong> re<strong>in</strong>force<br />

good writ<strong>in</strong>g skills. We began by analyz<strong>in</strong>g good writ<strong>in</strong>g, then experimented with<br />

different bra<strong>in</strong>s<strong>to</strong>rm<strong>in</strong>g activities, learned how <strong>to</strong> write perfect paragraphs and<br />

f<strong>in</strong>ally, we tried different types of writ<strong>in</strong>g assignments <strong>in</strong> class, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g writ<strong>in</strong>g<br />

an article for a class newspaper.<br />

First, we analyzed good writ<strong>in</strong>g. We do not have a textbook <strong>in</strong> this<br />

Spanish for Fluent Speakers class, but I do get supplemental read<strong>in</strong>g magaz<strong>in</strong>es<br />

<strong>in</strong> Spanish from Scholastic News. I also picked up some local newspapers <strong>in</strong><br />

Spanish. I modeled some good examples of writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> each. We <strong>to</strong>ok a closer<br />

look at one of the articles about Colombia. Together students helped me cluster<br />

the ideas <strong>in</strong> the article on<strong>to</strong> a word web graphic organizer on the overhead (see<br />

Appendix C). I wanted this bra<strong>in</strong>s<strong>to</strong>rm<strong>in</strong>g activity <strong>to</strong> allow students <strong>to</strong> exam<strong>in</strong>e<br />

what the writer may have mapped out before writ<strong>in</strong>g the article. We started with<br />

the ma<strong>in</strong> idea or <strong>to</strong>pic <strong>in</strong> the middle circle and students helped me write the<br />

support<strong>in</strong>g ideas and details from the article <strong>in</strong> the surround<strong>in</strong>g areas.<br />

Next, we bra<strong>in</strong>s<strong>to</strong>rmed <strong>in</strong>formation for a <strong>to</strong>pic of the students’ choice.<br />

They picked El Salvador, where the majority of my students are from. After

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