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Trish: When I agreed to take on the Transitional Reading and Writing classes this year, I knew I would spend a great deal of time building the students' self esteem, but I didn't know the students would feel such hostility at being placed in "the losers' class" or "the failures class." At the beginning of the semester last fall, we discussed the purpose of the Transitional Reading and Writing class and why they were in there. Some of the students declared they had failed the Exit Exam only because they filled in the dots without reading the material. Some claimed they didn't want to be left behind when their friends finished and just quit the test way before finishing. Others have documented disabilities. A tenth grade honors English student failed the Exit Exam Writing Test because he cannot spell. Even now, after using a handheld spell checker, he still misspells about a third of the words in an essay. For most of the students, the hostility has abated through the successful writing experiences they have had. Solid planning and implementation of quality lessons has improved our success rates.
Alishia: When I learned as a senior that I would be working with at-risk students instead of college prep students, I considered foregoing my education certification. The thought of working with these "unsavory" students frightened and overwhelmed me; the thought of working with Trish was my only consolation. I hoped that her experience and my energy would make my student teaching experience successful for me as well as for them. In retrospect, I learned that teaching at-risk students requires an abundance of patience and compassion. I could not outline patience or describe compassion in a lesson plan, but I learned them along the way.
Large classes decreased our chances of success, but we both gave each student as much individual attention as possible. Each of the late afternoon classes had twenty-four students enrolled because they had failed the reading and/or writing portion of the Exit Exam or scored in the lowest national percentile on the reading comprehension of the MAT-7 in ninth grade. A mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores representing ages fifteen through nineteen created more complications. What stories or worksheets had they already seen? What would interest all of them? How could we work with so many students at once? How could we accommodate both those needing help with writing and those needing reading comprehension skills. These are all familiar problems we face as English teachers every day but with the added dimension of the Exit Exam. I have used writing as a learning tool for years in honors classes, so I knew writing to learn worked. Students would write in response to reading interesting literature.
Four computers were set up in the back of my room for students to practice basic skills. If we had unlimited time and a computer for each child, perhaps these programs could help students to supplement their learning. But we want these students to interact with the text in writing and oral discussions. We want them to gain an appreciation for literature in order to prepare them for their English classes and for the Exit Exam. We feel more comfortable seeing students reading, responding in writing, proofreading, and interacting with the text. So, except for a few students who finish early and enjoy working with basic skills programs, we use the computers for word processing, Internet, and e-mailing mentors.
Word processing offered students ease in revising. Students with barely legible writing benefited from seeing their words in print. They almost wore out the spell check and grammar check on the computers. The students enjoyed making technology work for them as they sharpened their writing skills. They posed questions about their writing while revising using the computers. These students usually hated writing and refused to even read their own writing, but with the help of the computers, they couldn't get enough.
We have developed units that allow students scaffolding to reach their goals of coherent writing and accurate reading. Louise Rosenblatt's model of student and text interaction makes more sense than just worksheets in a transitional class for reading skills. We also utilize James Moffett's modeling process to build writing skills. Good reading and writing skills demand interaction with the text. How could we devise a lesson plan that allowed those interactions to take place when students are frightened by their failures with the written word? We worked together to build the first steps of that scaffolding. We will discuss how one unit, "Writing to Be Read," worked using scaffolding.
Scaffold #1: Free Writing on the Topic of the Day
On most days, as soon as the bell rings, we direct students to freewrite for five to seven minutes on the day's topic. We teach them that freewriting allows them to get their thoughts, questions, experiences, and feelings down on paper without concern for grammar or spelling. The kitchen timer loudly ticks the minutes away. Most of the students take the time to write. Freewriting increases students' writing fluency and coherence. They also explore their ideas on the subject. Reading aloud validates each student's experiences, questions and feelings. We encourage each student to read his or her freewrite. This leads to laughter, agreement, more shared experiences—a rich environment to begin the lesson. For the "Writing to Be Read" unit, Cory wrote on a childhood memory during the seven minutes just as it appears here:
Even though Cory has made some basic mechanical errors, he writes with a candor and feeling that we want of all of our students. The freewriting allows him to rid himself of the strictures and dangers inherent in writing. Other students may write only five lines during the five minutes or so, but they are practicing those valuable writing skills of getting something on paper. This exercise allows a student to practice, much as an athlete might throw hoops to warm up before a game. Their muscles in their arms and fingers become accustomed to writing their ideas—a new feeling for most of them. They personally relate to the topic before tackling it in a reading assignment. Students draw on these initial ideas for their responses to literature just as Cory did for the short story he created later.I remember when I was growing up, staying with my grandmother. My uncle (Malcolm) use to get drunk and fight every Body in the neiborhood. It was the same old thing every weekend get drunk & fight. But it was not just my uncle fighting all the time it was my cousin (Freddie) and my next door neighbors also (Cowboo) (Me-Me) & (Jeff). They use to all ways fight. It was not all ways fighting every once in a while they would just get drunk and chill out. But all of the fighting smell to just stop after jeff got shot in the leg for trying to fight when he was drunk. It may sound funny but I use to enjoy seeing them fight almost every weekend, be back friends that next Monday, just in time to get on the concrete O's truck to go to work.
We embrace South Carolina English Language Arts Frameworks goals as we develop our unit objectives. We create units that address both the writing and reading skills necessary. We have at least one objective to learn each day which we write on the board so the students understand the lesson's purpose. Our unit plan guides us to reach particular goals, so we accomplish objectives day-by-day. Sometimes, the simplest lessons take more time than scheduled, but we monitor and adjust for delays. We relish the opportunities to work individually with students as they struggle for understanding. For the Writing to be Read unit, we have listed the South Carolina goals in bold print followed by our objectives:
Just as they need to understand the importance of revising and rewriting, they need to read and reread for important details. With every student, we reinforce the idea of writing down the evidence from the text as proof. This carries over into their personal writing. The freewriting offers the students a brainstorming session before they even know what their assignment is. This section of the scaffold begins and ends with writing. As they learn to recognize characterization or plot in the literary selections, they also begin to write their own literary works with a similar plot or theme. The text models for them as they attempt to model the text. When I first read James Moffett's Active Voice, I angrily exclaimed to anyone who would listen that only the brightest students could be expected to model literature. Of course, I was wrong. I began using modeling with my honors tenth graders as a method to understanding a difficult poem or play. The Transitional students have also profited from writing poems modeled after Adrienne Rich and scenes based on Carson McCullers' play Member of the Wedding. In many ways their work shows a freshness with rich dialect and picturesque language. Meaningful reading and writing leads students to understanding and comprehension.
Procedures:
Brainstorm ideas.Results:
Organize ideas into a reader-friendly format.
Add vivid details and honest voice.
Express ideas about literature orally in class discussions and in writing.
Discover opportunities for real audiences through reading children's stories.
Use a variety of readings.
Use Encarta, the Internet, and the library for more information.
Compose and revise at the computer.
Print out drafts to revise again.
Edit peers' works.
Read their works aloud in class.
The students use language in a variety of ways to communicate their thoughts and feelings. The students understand the writer's use of language to reveal ideas, thoughts, and feelings. We see Cory thinking and writing about his own composition process as he reflects on his children's story and its moral:
I figure my writing was more of a lesson. I mean it just showed you what would happen if you did drink. and what could happen if you got drunk and mess wit the wrong person.Josh, another one of our students, also began with a freewrite about a memorable childhood experience, and with the help of peer and teacher conferencing, developed it into a children's story. The trouble began in the freewrite with the first sentence, a run-on with two misspelled words:
I rember my very first Jurney it took place when I was three years old.Through revision Josh produced these two sentences:
I Remember my very first Journey. It took place when I was about three years old.
Various run-ons, fragments, misspellings and problems with subject and verb agreement exist throughout Josh's original paper. Editing Josh's work, David caught several of the errors and offered this suggestion:
Josh you had a good paper all in all. But work on your periods. (Don't forget them)After a craft lesson on voice and audience, Josh made decisions about his audience and worked to simplify his story for a very young audience, and at the same time entertain them. His final product flowed more smoothly and resembled a children's story rather than a battleground for subjects, verbs and punctuation. With patience and hard work, Josh experienced a success.
check spelling
Scaffold #4: Cooperative Learning
We use Johnson and Johnson's cooperative learning skills to teach students how to work with peers to share ideas and solve problems. Because these students are sometimes immature, they relate to their peers by hitting, insulting, and disparaging them. We teach them appropriate methods of staying on task, respecting others, encouraging participation, contributing ideas from group members, summarizing those ideas, and checking with the other group members for understanding.
After rating survival items individually on a "Lost on the Moon" exercise designed to encourage group discussion, the students then decided on ratings reached through consensus within the group. They did not see an improved score in groups. Generally, the group scores were lower than the individual scores because the students lacked confidence in their individual answers. That is not how the exercise is supposed to turn out. The students learned their weaknesses in group dynamics. They would have to learn how to speak up and defend their answers without arguing. We began to see more group interaction and fewer silences.
Procedures:
Instruct students on how to behave in a group using a "Moon Survival" lesson.Results:
Role play possible scenarios within a group setting.
Remember: knee-to-knee, eye-to-eye.
Create posters reminding students of the skills necessary for good group work.
Keep count of positive group behavior.
Share the observations with group members.
Students learn to appreciate others' ideas and to value their own. Their behavior improved because they had guidelines to follow. The teacher must patrol like a lifeguard, diving in when a group is drowning. Here is what Kenya wrote when asked to explain the importance of working in groups:
Working in groups is important because it makes things a whole lot easier to do. In groups you can compare thoughts. Have a discussion about certain things. There always someone who can help you with a problem.Teachers can foster productive groups with modeling, observation and patience. The teacher should direct students to answer questions within the group. If they seem stuck on questions, we give them hints. We try to pair less able students with the more able. We wear comfortable shoes so we can circulate among the groups, eavesdropping, observing, and praising appropriate responses.
Scaffold # 5: Expecting More
Students who have failed the basic skills test feel disheartened and expect little from themselves. Teachers need to maintain high standards for these students just as they do for others. If the teacher has high expectations for them, they will expect more of themselves. We work hard to praise their successes while planning more ways for them to succeed. With real audiences, students found it more satisfying to revise and edit until their stories sounded just right. When they were writing their children's stories, they shared their efforts with their classmates voluntarily. We would bring the work up on the computer to view before we printed it. Then we would ask if they thought their work looked correct after printing. They seemed to enjoy the revising process when they could retype section by section. This carried over into their hand-written work. Students who normally would not want to reread their work quickly read over even their freewrites and corrected their papers. No, they did not all turn into perfect writers. They still made mistakes, but they became more responsible for correcting their mistakes.
Procedures:
Let them know that their ideas work.Results:
Encourage them to experiment with their ideas to develop their stories.
Expect them to write and rewrite until they get their ideas down clearly.
Require students to read their work aloud continually to correct their mistakes.
Publish in class and at the elementary school.
Students experience increased productivity. They had a purpose and worked longer at improving their skills. Even the most reluctant student added more detail, used spell check on the computer, and truly revised confusing sections.
Scaffold # 6: Celebrating Success
Students continued to build self-esteem and realize their accomplishments through small victories. The seniors facing the Exit Exam for the third year in a row were especially anxious to pass it. We wanted them to know we empathized with them. We chose special cards of encouragement to send to their homes before the test. In class, we gave out special treats to celebrate their success.
As a lasting tribute to their hard work, we created illustrated children's books. For the children's story they wrote for the "Writing to Be Read" unit, students cut out pictures, sketched their own original pictures, or used stencils to decorate their stories. They used colored paper to bind their pictures and words together.
Procedures:
Send cards of encouragement before the big test to students' homes.Results:
Send notes to parents to acknowledge their achievements.
Create children's books of their original stories.
Perform original scenes for an elementary school audience.
Students found learning less threatening. All of the seniors passed the exam. They came back to give us hugs and to thank us. We let them know that their hard work paid off.
Conclusion
Trish:The best teachers in the world are those who teach remedial students--I mean really TEACH, not throw handouts at them. We were not always successful with every student every day, but we tried our best.
Alishia: After much gnashing of teeth and banging of heads, Trish and I reached some grounds for satisfaction when students produced meaningful works that showed what they had learned, like this paper by Justin about his life in the future:
My Future
I am 300 miles off the coast of Antarctica. I am welding on a pipe underneath an old oil rig 200 feet below the surface, in low 30 degrees water. I am cold but the money is good. I have to make the money to support my wife and feed my two sons. Sidney Sean is 14 years old. Eli is 10 years old.I have a wonderful family that I love very much. My wife is blond, smart, and beautiful her name is Shae. She is about 5'4". She is a good wife and a wonderful mom. Sidney is about 4 inches shorter that I. He has black hair, green eyes, and short hair. He is in the ninth grade. Eli is about 4'7". He has a great sense of humor. He has brown hair with his brown eyes. Right now he has a broken arm from wrestling with his brother Sidney.
Today is my last day working on the oil rig. I am going home to be there in time for Christmas. I rode a boat back to the coast of South America. I got on a plane.
Now I am sitting here on the plane thinking to myself that I have been here forever. I got to my truck safely. As soon as I got into my truck, I went shopping. I got two tickets for a cruise, one for Shae and one for me. so Shae and I can spend time together and relax. Eli and Sidney both got a dirt bike a piece. Along with other little things. It drained the money out of my secret savings account, but its worth it for the family I love.
My job pays well but not enough to buy all of that. I had that savings account before we got married. I make about 35,000 dollars a year. I had to take a year course at Under Water Works Incorporated. I had 6 months of testing in water.
I set these goals a long time ago, and now I have reached them. A few of them are to get married, to have kids, and to travel the world. Last it would be to became an under water welder.
Alishia Sullivan was a student teacher at D. W. Daniel High School.