'A surpassing moment'

Grab me a pen and I start to fiddle,

Pass me some paper so I can start to scribble.

Thinking hard, pondering deep- wondering,

'What should I write or should I go to sleep?'

Dark outside, yes! It should be,

Yet a bright light through my curtains, I see.

Heave on some clothes and grabbed my blanket,

For a moment like this there's no way I'll miss it.

Ran out the door, oh a moment to capture.

A lovely phenomena, I'm definitely gonna write a chapter.

So many stars, with skies so clear, 

Clouds all white bouncing every where.

Where do I start for my thought was mere.
As I stared in amazement and enjoyed the glare.
The minutes rolled by and I did not know why
Because I was fast asleep right beneath the sky.

Written by: Sabina Edwards

Digital Podcast: the Bougainvillea

Poem:                                  The Bougainvillea

Bright red, light pink, even orange I see.

Showcasing its beauty, for the birds and the bees.

Decorating the garden, full of radiance and life

Oh, what a great surprise! I would be, to a wife.

Thinned skin, papery touch, feeling like a gem.

Growing in clusters, loaded with leaves and stems.

Oh be careful! For my thorns may prick your finger,

But even with that spike, the afflicted pain won't linger.

Wind blows, rain falls, yet firm I stand

Through the toughest of times, I still join the band.

Mixed with others, bundled to stay

To share sentimental value, in an ornamental way.

Broad smiles, happy faces, accepted with cheer

Then you placed me in a corner, as if you didn’t care.

Now I feel hard done for my welcome was short lived.

A few more minutes of your time, was all you had to give.

I wished I was an aloe, or an ugly cactus tree

So your husband wouldn’t picked me, he would live me let me be.

You should have put me in some water, or placed me back in soil

But instead you placed me on a dresser, to suffer and toil.

Slowly fading, crimping away, lost in despair

As I count my days wondering, “Why should I even care?”

With edification and beautification, I served my purpose,

But with neglect, hate and rejection, you treated me unjust.

This poem was written and narrated by Sabina Edwards
Video done by Mr. Nevion Cox
Pictures in the video: Google and YouTube

Poem: On the Jolly School Bus

 Happy feet, smiling faces,

Jolly campers going places.

Up and down they prance around,

Carrying on without abound.

Singing songs, reciting jingles,

Playing with friends, enjoying mingles.

Riding along the bumpy road,

Round and round the big wheels goes.

All excited, having fun,

Looking outside I see the glaring sun.

Just around the corner and I must drop,

Ding! Ding! The bus bell goes, as I reach my stop. 

Honking horn, they waved goodbye,

My face drew for I could not smile.

So long bye bye I’ll see you again,

To ride and have fun along this plane.

Written by: Sabina Edwards

Four Corners - Digital Poem (Podcast)

The poem, Four Corners, was written with the purpose of using it as a fun activity for children ages 10 - 12, Grades Five and Six. The poem engages students in a riddle like atmosphere, having them guess what object is being described in it. It is especially suited for a Geometry lesson on the polygon Quadrilateral. 

The writer and narrator is Jason Parke; a teacher trainee at the T.A. Marryshow Community College, Grenada.

Stages of Spelling Development

       As students undergo and develop through the stages of reading and writing, they simultaneously develop their skills in spelling. Consequently, spelling skills are also developed in stages, and learners have specific characteristics at each stage, similar to the reading and writing stages. There are five stages of spelling development, and success at each stage in dependent on the previous.
       The table above shows the different stages and learner characteristics/abilities as students develop. It also shows that stages can overlap; meaning gifted students can achieve success at an early age and enter the next stage, while students with needs and challenges may take much longer than average to gain success.
       To ensure that students are successful at each stage, it is important that they are given an abundant amount of practice in writing and reading to develop their spelling skills, and are also exposed to a print rich environment with site words and words that they commonly use and can relate to. This exposure builds their vocabulary and memory, and also makes the abstract word more concrete to them.

Developmental Stages of Writing

       The act of writing in itself is a developmental process; one which takes most over a decade to become  fluent in. As a teacher, it is my duty to understand the developmental stages of writing in order to facilitate the learners in my care. Each stage is important, and to be aware of their implications should be of the utmost priority. The implications are guidelines and provide frameworks to assist students in success in each stage. By exposing students to a variety of materials for them to see how language is used, and providing practice using language on their own, is a great way for them to develop their writing and become successful in each stage. 

       Along with the provided exposure and practice, abundant reading activities should also be done simultaneously. Reading and writing should be done hand in hand, so students can see the relation between them, and understand that one cannot exist without the other. Through careful planning, teachers ensure that students will benefit greatly as they learn through developmentally appropriate writing and reading activities; aiding in their success through the developmental stages.

Workshop: Developmental stages of writing linked with students spelling

What are the development writing and spelling stages that an early writer goes through?

These include:

ü  Pre- Literate Stage of Writing (3-5 years)

ü  Emergent Stage of Writing (5 – 7years)

ü  Transitional/Developing Stage of Writing (6- 8 years)

ü  Fluent Stage of Writing (8-10years)

The stage of spelling linked to each writing stage includes:

ü  Pre-communicative Spelling Stage 

                                                          

ü  Semi phonetic Spelling Stage

                      

ü  Phonetic Spelling Stage

                          

ü  Transitional Spelling Stage

                          

  

As teachers, deriving from the walls of our classroom should be the product of progressive writers. Writers, who we take from where they are at to where we want them to be. Our classroom should produce writers who understand that writing is important and the art of writing should be valued. In addition, our classroom should be one where the writing experience for our students is fun filled and exciting. Hence, our classrooms should be one forging towards 'building a community of writers'. 

In summary, to assist students in writing, the classroom environment should be one where writing is encouraged. Therefore, the teacher must encourage and do daily writing as well as modeling the expected writing to be obtained from the students. The environment must be print rich with word wall and labels of classroom materials that can be used to aid students in their writing. In addition, if and when a student provides a piece of writing that contains spelling error, that student should not be turned away with the markings of a red pen. However, their attention should be drawn to a text where the correct spelling is written for clarification allowing the student to make the necessary adjustment. Also, the teacher can ask the student if the word can be spelt another way. Both of these cases of occurrences can happen due to the language interference that generally occurs within our classrooms affecting our students writing. Hence, it is imperative as teachers that we don’t create an avenue where students are pushed away from writing because of simple errors but we should encourage and foster writing based on the developmental stage in which the child is at.

The Writing Process

    It cannot be stressed enough just how important the process of writing is. Without it, in almost all cases, writing pieces never capture the true meaning they were intended to. Writing is not a one shot affair, and should not be treated as such. Each stage of the writing process provides a guide for writing pieces that are as close to perfection as possible through consistent brainstorming, writing and rewriting, until the final product is published. Added to that, throughout the process, implementation of the 6+1 Traits of Writing occurs, which is the vehicle that drives and enhances your writing piece. To conclude, as teachers, we should ensure that the writing process is one that should never be overlooked in any classroom; and it is imperative that all beginning writers be exposed to this process to ensure that all writing pieces produced are of high standard that the young writers can take pride in.

6+1 Traits of Writing

    The 6+1 Traits of Writing can be compared to a fully operational vehicle. The first trait is the ideas, which can be represented by the engine of the vehicle. Without the engine, the vehicle cannot start; the same goes for writing without ideas. Ideas start and guide the writing process and continues throughout until the process has ended. The second trait is that of organization, which is represented by the chassis. Just as the chassis provides a proper foundation for the frame of the vehicle and gives it structure, so too does organization provide structure to writing. Organization structures ideas in a clear and sequential manner; beginning to end. It also assists in transitioning from one idea to another while still showing a clear link or connection.

    The third trait is sentence fluency, represented by the wheels of the vehicle. The wheels allow the vehicle to cruise or race over distances. Likewise, sentence fluency provides sentences within writing to vary in length and structure, which aids in naturally portraying and conveying the intended meaning of the writer. The fourth trait is that of word choice, which is represented by the frame of the vehicle. The frame provides design and durability to the vehicle, and word choice does the same within writing. Using strategic word choices creates a vivid and interesting writing piece, while still maintaining a natural flow which does not feel forced, and suits the intended audience. Word choice brings elegance to writing, whether the language is literal or figurative.

    The fifth trait of writing is the voice, represented by the fuel tank. Just as the tank pushes fuel to power the vehicle, the voice provides a tone which propels the writing to help the audience capture meaning by being clear, confident, convincing and consistent. Additionally, voice brings a personalized aspect to ones writing piece . The sixth trait is that of the conventions, which is represented by all things used to protect everything and everyone within the vehicle. The conventions help protect the writing from errors through correct spelling, punctuation and grammar, providing clear meaning and understanding for all readers.

    The final trait, plus one, is that of presentation, represented by the design of the vehicle. Apart from its performance and safety, a vehicle's design is a key factor in its appeal to customers; this is also true with a writing piece's presentation. Presentation provides an engaging appeal to the intended audience through its layout, ensuring that it is pleasing to their eyes.

    With the knowledge and application of the 6+1 Traits of Writing, writers can produce exquisite and captivating pieces for all to enjoy. It is a must know if you are producing any pieces of writing, whether leisurely or other.

Writing as a Process and not a Product

An American author known as Stephen King (n.d.), once stated "the scariest moment is always just before you start". This quote in its entirety speaks deeply to the fear that writers face just before attempting to write. It is often felt that making a mistake, not producing excellent work, or making errors during writing, would hinder writers from generating a good piece of writing. However, what must not be given a blind eye is that writing is a process and not a product. It can be fun, interactive and expressive using a wide range of genre that can be developed with repeated practice overtime. Hence, writers must understand that there is no ‘one shot’ in writing and they must go through and complete each stage before moving to the next stage.

Furthermore, writing can be defined as a process of using symbols to communicate thoughts and ideas in a readable form (Englishclub.com). It is the avenue to which expressive speech is captured on paper. Hence, it is in no doubt that writing is time-consuming and may be challenging; however, with constant practice, it can be an art developed into mastery. Teachers must therefore find creative and innovative ways to stimulate students into developing a love for writing; but it does not stop there. Moreover, to become a better writer, one must understand that writing does not stand alone. It goes hand-in-hand with speaking and reading. For example, individuals engaged in active reading can jot down ideas as they read which enhances their ability to write. In another instance, reading builds writers’ vocabulary as they encounter new words that can be used in their writing. Also, writers are able to view different writing patterns and structures presented by other writers which they can use within their writing.

In another view, teachers must provide students with a step-by-step guide as they move from one stage to another during the writing process. The process of writing starts with the prewriting stage. In this stage, students and teachers can work together to build ideas and thoughts through brainstorming to create the foundation from which writing begins. This can be done through use of prompts such as musicals, poetry, storytelling, dramatization and so much more, all in an effort to stimulate ideas and thoughts that can be useful when writing. In addition, prompts can be beneficial to students in providing them with background knowledge about a specific topic. For instance, a student given a story title “The Storm” who has never experienced such an event can look at a video presented by the teacher to gain background knowledge on what a storm is.

The second stage however, is called drafting and this is where students start putting their ideas together. At this stage, students can scrap their first draft to do another as they acquire more thoughts to develop their writing. This is certainly not a problem and should be encouraged among the writers. Furthermore, the third stage is revising and this is the stage where students can give the teacher their piece to review and obtain feedback. At this point, writers can revise and look over their piece, making the necessary adjustments by tweaking their words, adjusting sentence structure and ensuring that paragraphs are connected. The fourth stage however, is called editing and this is the stage where grammar, mechanics and spelling are checked. Finally, the publishing stage is where students are able to post and share their final piece with others.  As writers follow the path of this process, each stage can be revisited a number of times to ensure that all thoughts and ideas are captured and the final piece of writing to be published is perfected.

In conclusion, as an educator forging forward to develop better writers within my classroom, I must first model the writing process to my students. Also, I must engage my students in writing on a daily basis by using creative strategies to prompt writing. In addition, I must provide a rich literature environment to promote reading, thus fostering better writing products in my classroom.

Poetry

Boy am I fascinated with this literature genre

Expressing ideas and feelings in a compact manner

Evoking senses through language used to appeal 

Hungry readers delve into my words like a meal

Beauty radiates from each line and stanza

Magnificence emits from its simplistic structure 

My mind gives birth to an authentic design

On paper I record, like a scribe divine

Filled with devices I flaunt my poetic license 

Breaking the rules of language while adding my spices

Flavouring my creation with much needed prosody

Restructuring each line as it pleases me

Composing on scores, building a symphony of imagery
Of the heart and the mind, I ignite my poetry
To construct stories of this telling nature
Is why I am fascinated with this literature genre

Rising above the challenges

The art of writing for me began emerging  at a young age when I was introduced to journal writing. This medium of writing provided an avenue where I was able to write on a daily basis. I was mainly engaged in free writing; where I was able to express my thoughts, feelings and often times research on topics of interest. My passion for writing soon deteriorated and became less and less apparent in my life and to this day I am yet to recover from such a tragedy. This, brings me to this juncture where I was given the opportunity to learn about other challenges faced by writers and also accept the ones I face today that is preventing me in becoming a fluent writer. 

I learned of a few of the reasons hindering the teaching of writing within our classrooms. Among them are the language situation in Grenada. This is one of the major challenges since we are speakers of a native dialect yet our formal mode of speaking and writing is with the use of standard English. Another reason is students interest and exposure to materials. It is said that the best writers are the one who reads often from a wide variety of genre, this inturn would be demonstrated in the students writing as they would have a better edge on the play of words.  Lastly, the know-how on the part of the teacher. Not knowing how to write can affect the way in which you as the teacher engage your students in writing. 

How to combat these challenges were key to me since the implementation of such will be practiced with immediate effect. For starters, learning and adapting the writing process while engaging in daily writing is imperative. Another is becoming an active reader as to get more acquainted with different writing styles and also to increase my vocabulary. Finally, acceptance of the fact that immediate change is necessary and despite the challenges I may face, it should not be used as a short coming in producing fluent writers within my classroom and even becoming a fluent writer myself. 

Engaging Student Writers with Prompts

The past week has been a new experience for me. Throughout my years of teaching I have covered the writing process and all that it entails; even building upon the skills utilized in writing with my students. However, I have learnt that although I had the knowledge of the writing process, my approach to teaching it hindered their motivation to write.

After being engaged in writing prompt activities throughout the past week’s sessions, I quickly realized that how beneficial these activities are to beginning writers and the writing process. It engages young writers in fun and interesting ways to express their ideas on paper, while also challenging their creativity and exposing them to different writing styles. Prompts are also introduced in small blocks of time, which then increase incrementally over a period, so that students do not get frustrated while writing.

When the writing process starts with topics students are interested in, their motivation and creativity increases, which leads to a better writing experience for them. With the exposure of prompts, young writers will feel more accomplished as they start going through their writing process, simply because they will take ownership and pride in what they are expressing in their writing pieces.