Nicole Dickison
Writing Conference
Writing in general has a sad reputation among students of all ages. This is because of the
student’s experiences with writing in school and its effects on the students throughout their lives.
Many people including myself hate writing for many reasons. Many teachers use spelling tests,
prompts, group writing activities, and tedious techniques in their classroom. When I was a child I
remember all of these things being implemented during writing time throughout grade levels.
The worst memory I have is practicing neat handwriting. The whole class had to write the
sample sentence over and over until it was approved by our teacher. Memories such as this one
have had an effect on my writing and my view of writing. I was always so worried about my
handwriting and spelling that it overshadowed the actual writing process. Donald H. Graves
states that writers are always writing to impress their teachers and not focusing on the process or
meaning of their writing (Graves, p. 31). Good writers are instead viewed as individuals with
neat handwriting and perfect grammar (Graves, p. 32). The history of writing has therefore
remained negative.
The future generations of writers will surely have a great outlook on writing and its
process if teachers chose to teach their students differently than those have in the past. I have
learned a lot of techniques and tools from Donald Graves. Some of the best ways to teach writing
include using the 6-trait model, implementing writing workshops, and incorporating choice into a
child’s writing. If a teacher does not use these techniques in the writing process they are teaching
students that the product of their writing is more important. When students internalize this idea
about product writing their enjoyment of writing fades.
The most important thing I learned was to introduce writing to children with one phrase,
“read your world” (Graves, p. 36). Children need choice in their writing in order to relate to
their lives and the environment around them. Writing in such a way generates ideas, thoughts,
and reflections about the child’s world as well as how they view themselves as a writer. Children
learn their voice in the writing process and internalize that what they have to say is important and
worthwhile. Writers will be interested and excited about the writing process and be encouraged
to write more than they would if they were assigned writing prompts. Writing prompts force the
writer to write about a certain topic. If a child has not had any experience with the topic how can
they be expected to produce a piece of writing they are proud of? Not only does this hinder a
child’s process but it hinders the chance for teachers to ask questions about the child's writing.
When a child chooses the topic the teacher can ask, “What did you set out to do here? Did you
have an audience in mind for this?” (Graves, 107). It invites the child to interact with their own
writing. Writing prompts also produce dishonest writing which is not good writing (Graves,
107). This means that a writer will simply make up or add in thoughts that are not true in order to
satisfy the topic at hand (Graves, 107). This is no way to teach the students how the purpose for
writing is to share thoughts and express feelings (Graves, 108).
The 6-Trait model is also important in the teaching of good process writing in the
classroom. This model explains all the qualities of good writing (not to get confused with neat
handwriting and grammar)! It encourages ideas, word choice, organization, sentence fluency,
voice, and conventions in writing (Notes). All of these important components of writing focus on
the process of writing instead of the product. It shows children many ways to improve their
writing. Voice happens to be the most important when engaging in writing. “Voice underlies
every part of the process. To ignore voice is to present the process as a lifeless, mechanical act.
Teachers who attend to voice listen to the person in the piece and observe how that person uses
process components” (Graves, 81). It tells the reader who’s writing it is. A writer’s voice can be
very obvious in their piece of writing if they continuously engage in this force. It is not merely
words followed by more words on the paper (Graves, 81). Having a strong force of voice in
one’s writing is what encourages the writer to improve their writing (Graves, 82). Overall this
model emphasizes the positive guidance of a student’s writing. For example, a teacher should not
engrave “more details!” into students but instead ask students, “What’s another way we can
explain your furry dog?” They learn to write in a way that instead creates illustrations for the
audience almost like they were there at the time of the writer’s experience.
Making time for writing workshops is essential in the classroom when students are
learning to write. Writing workshop’s steps include a five minute power lesson, thirty minutes of
writing with the teacher writing for five minutes, and five minutes of sharing (Notes). The
process involves reading your world, choosing a topic, sloppy copy writing, teacher/peer
conference, sharing, revising, and lastly editing (Notes). It is once again a part of writing which
is all about the process instead of the product. It is a time for teachers to model good writing and
writing techniques in the beginning before the students begin working. It involves both direct
instruction from the teacher and independent writing by the student (Notes).
Writing conferences are the most important part of a writing workshop because it helps
the student become the best writer they can be (Notes). They are able to talk and discuss their
piece enabling them to edit and improve parts of their work. It is also a great time for the teacher
to model the 6-Trait model and help the child incorporate these great qualities of writing. For
example, Harwanyne asked a student to tell her about the dog she was writing a poem about.
After the student discussed her dog, Harwanyne commented on all the great descriptive words
she used and asked her how she could include those in her poem. After the student thought about
what Harwanyne said she agreed to make her poem better by adding in what they talked about.
Therefore it encourages writers to become involved in the editing process of their work and
study it critically in order to make corrections. Writing conferences are all about the positive
aspects of the student’s writing. It’s for complementing the great things the student did and then
building upon the weak areas in a constructive way. A teacher can either leave the student to fix
the suggestion or scaffold if the student finds it necessary. Students have an active role in a
writing conference. They are never left to feel like their writing is inadequate or filled with
errors.
Before I began my writing conference with three first graders at Lebanon Elementary I
reminded myself to be a good listener. Listening to children means we want to learn about what
they know and about their world. We can listen in order to learn their strengths and weaknesses
so we can help guide them to success. If we listen to what they have to say we can use it to plan
or instruct ways to help them grow. For instance when I asked the three first graders whether
they liked writing at home or in school they all responded home. When I asked them why they
liked to write at home they said because they can write whatever they want. One student said her
favorite thing to write about was music and she enjoyed writing her own songs the most and
sharing them with her sister. The other student liked to write about gym class at home because it
was his favorite part of the school week. Another student shared how she enjoys writing at home
because she can take her time and write a lot! As a teacher after listening to these students I
would ask them to write about the same topics they shared with me the next writing workshop
and I would find extra time in the day for them to write. This is being a good listener. The
classroom should be focused on the student’s interests and needs.
Sadly enough the students did not like writing in school because the teacher uses writing
prompts. One student said that it takes them a long time to finish the one sentence they have to
write because they can never think of something to write about. This is why choice is so
important. If a student has no idea what to write about they will either engage in dishonest
writing or write the minimum amount possible. They are not thinking about the writing process
at all. Students who conform to prompts are worried about making the teacher happy and
fulfilling the assignment just to get it done. There is no uniqueness in their writing. I also found
that the student’s chose their favorite piece of writing by its illustration or the neatness of the
writing. Clearly these choices have nothing to do with the writing. It is not a shock to me that the
students answered in such a way because how can they choose their favorite piece of writing
when they were forced to write a prompt.
Time is also very limited when the students write. Like I mentioned above a student
commented on how she can write a lot at home. The other two students told me how they always
feel rushed to finish or have to go back and finish it later. When looking through their writing
folders I found many unfinished pieces of writing. One student had a worksheet with a picture
but no writing. This tells me that they weren’t interested in the writing prompt so they chose to
start with the picture and had no time to write anything. When I asked him about it he said that
many times he began drawing something he made up as he went along because he had no idea
what to write. After drawing a random picture then he would decide what it looked like and
would fill in a sentence. Clearly this student has lost his enjoyment in writing. There is no
relativity or creativity involved in his work. He cannot write about something in which he has no
interest or knowledge. He is not the author in his writing.
The first grade classroom also does not share their writing. When they finish a worksheet
involving a writing prompt they put it in their writing folder to be collected. Their peers are not
able to share their thoughts and ideas about their writing. The teacher also does not look over the
writing to give feedback or help the student in the editing process. Their writing is simply used
as an assessment tool for the teacher to look over later in the year. These first graders are not
grasping the importance of writing. The students in which I interviewed did not have a good
attitude about their writing or the writing process. They think of it as just another thing they have
to do in school. They do not enjoy writing in school and are certainly not excited about it. The
negative history of writing stated in the beginning of this paper is what they have become
accustomed to.
When asked about their least favorite piece of writing and why it was chosen the first
graders discussed their messy handwriting, bad spelling, or the fact that they didn’t write
something good enough about the question they were asked to write about. This expresses how
the teacher spends no time showing students the important components of writing like their
thoughts, feelings, ideas, sharing, and editing. A student’s least favorite piece of writing should
be the piece in which they did not use voice or didn’t explain their thoughts fully. A piece where
they lost track of what they were trying to express to their audience or one in which they figured
out wasn’t of interest to them. Writers should be taught how to pick out areas of weakness in
their own writing and should be excited to improve these weaknesses. The focus should not be
placed on spelling or handwriting.
Teachers should share their own writing and ways in which their writing is important and
meaningful. Expression about what is going on in their life as well as getting their own unique
voice across will tell students how sharing and embracing their writing is the most important
part. Through sharing writing students can see the editing process and the usage of peer ideas.
“How you demonstrate values, how you knowledgeably show the meaning of writing as a craft,
will have a profound effect on their learning” (Graves, 109). Class time should be about
experimenting and learning (Graves, 109). If teachers do not show or express a high expectation
over their own writing they cannot expect their students to do the same.
I have learned a lot from Graves as well as from my own experience of writing
conferences. In the future I will set up the perfect environment for active and meaningful writing.
My students will be authors as well as editors of their writing. I will make time every day for
students to write and share with their peers. I will share my own writing as well as ways to edit
and make my writing better in many ways. I will listen to my student’s ideas and interests in
order to make writing fun and exciting. I also want to make time for students to publish their
work in order to feel accomplished and important as a writer. My students will have a great
foundation of what makes a good writer. I don’t want my future students to have the same
negative view of writing as I do.
References
Graves, D.H. (1994). A Fresh Look at Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Harwanyne Video
Notes
Interviews
1. Do you like to write at school or at home better?
Child A: I like to write at my house because I can draw pictures to go with my writing
Child B: Home because I can write in my notebook and show my mom
Child C: School because I always write next to my friend
2. Do you get to write about what you want or does the teacher tell you what to write?
All children responded with the teacher telling them what to write except when they have
free time to write about whatever they want in their journals (doesn’t happen often).
3. What piece of writing in your folder is you favorite and why?
Child A: I like this one because the picture is really good. I didn’t know what to write so I
started drawing a picture and then I thought the picture looked like a brain so that’s what
I wrote about. The brain is cool.
Child B: I like the one that says I feel happy when. I like it because I finished it with I
play with my dad because its fun. I love my dad that’s why its my favorite. I also have
really neat handwriting in this one.
Child C: I like the when I grow up one because I always knew I wanted to be a teacher so
I liked writing that. My spelling was really good too. I can read what I wrote.
4. What would you write about if you could write right now?
Child A: Gym class because it is my favorite class in school and I get to play basketball
with my friends. I love sports. I’m really good at scoring. I could write a lot about gym!
Child B: I would write about my friends and what I do with them when they come to my
house. I could write about the fun things we do together and what my mom does with us.
We always have lots of fun.
Child C: I would write songs and things about music. My sister writes things like that.
She’s older than me and I like telling her about my songs. She usually really likes them.
One time I wrote a song and sang it for my family. It was cool.
5. Do you ever have times when you don’t like to write?
All children responded when they don’t know what to write about or when their teacher
tells them to write about something that they don’t like.
6. Do you get to bring your writing home?
All children said the teacher keeps them in the room by her desk until it is time to write in
class.
7. Do you often finish your writing assignment or do you have to go back and finish it later?
Why?
All children expressed that they sometime finish and sometimes do not. If they don’t
finish it was because they made too many spelling mistakes or they didn’t have enough
time (from reviewing their writing they only had to write one or two sentences)
8. What is your least favorite piece of writing in this folder? Why?
All children said that they didn’t like the picture and they didn’t know what to write
about it so they didn’t finish it.
Comments:
The students have a set time to write
The folder is all writing prompts in which they have to write about or fill in the rest of the
sentence
The students do not take writing home
Their favorite writing seems to be the neatest or best picture or something they can relate
to or are interested in
All students like to write at home better because they can write about things they want or
are interested in
They sometimes have a hard time finishing writing prompts or thinking about what to
write
They cannot read their own handwriting sometimes when looking through their work in
the writing folders
Teachers keep the folders out of reach of the students