Color Analysis of Rough Draft Week

Like I mentioned in several comments throughout this week's discussion, I happened upon a coincidence of scheduling rough draft writing/conferencing for my students during the same time frame. So I am going to use this blog posting to kind of talk my way through my week and give you a play-by-play of what my thought processes and experiences were. (For a better frame of reference, my students' assignment is to write a scholarship essay, which parallels a personal statement, based on a prompt for a scholarship contest of their choosing.)

MONDAY:
I had read the articles by this point and was delighted that I could try some new things right away. By this day, students had chosen scholarship prompts and had outlined what they wanted to say. They were drafting today, so I gave them free reign to start typing from their outlines. Free reign, as I have learned, often scares students. So I spent most of my time talking through the prompts with students and trying to get them to come up with unique ways to answer them. I tried to employ some of Murray's techniques and just sit and listen as they posed their problems to me. This worked okay, but they really needed an adult to explain the expectations of a scholarship review committee. I wasn't completely sure, since I've never been on such a committee, but I think I lessened their confusion somewhat.

TUESDAY:
Still drafting. They were less nervous and spent more time just typing. I had to stop halfway through the first class period and make a quick announcement after addressing four or five students to not get hung up on creating some extraordinary hook intro right away. It made me think about how Kittle explained she doesn't give them a rubric right away...this might be a perfect opportunity, in the future, to make this part of a checklist that students help to create. (Vision: "Class, we are going to make a checklist and I'll keep a running tab of important things we talk about during our drafting week. We'll write ideas on the board in a list and by the time we finish the drafts, we'll have the framework of a rubric ready to go." Am I on the right track here?)

WEDNESDAY:
Last day to type before a printed rough draft is due tomorrow. Nothing exciting happens except for the paper jamming in the printer every other time.

THURSDAY:
No computer lab today; we are in the regular classroom, and about 95% of them roll up with a printed copy of their drafts. Not bad for second semester seniors. (The other 5% mysteriously all forgot their flash drives at home.) I think about the readings from this week and the discussion we've already been involved in, and I ask them, "Ok, be honest, who could tell me right now what is wrong with their draft and how they would like to fix it." Slowly, most of the hands are raised. They look a little satisfied with themselves. This is good. I go on: "Exactly. Just remember: every piece of writing is a draft. I bet if you put one of Stephen King's novels in front of him and asked him what he'd like to fix, he could tell you right away." They smile. They get it. On the editing sheet I give them, it asks them to read their own essay backwards, sentence by sentence, and they do this, reluctantly and quipping, "This is sooo weeeeird!" once in awhile. But success!!! They find "soooo many" more comma errors and flow inconsistencies. Cool. I also had them answer six of Murray's questions from page 151 of the article. The one that stumped them? "Where is this piece of writing taking you?" (most said "to pick up a check once it wins me the scholarship." Funny stuff.)

Then they all had to do a teacher conference ("I've never had to do a teacher conference before!" one student exclaimed. She seemed nervous. NERVOUS! To get one-on-one help from an English teacher. I was a little taken aback on this one...)

It was strange...they all seemed bored by the peer conferencing idea, but then so many of them said they were glad to get another pair of eyes on their essays. Kids. Can't figure that one out. 

I also started a few teacher conferences today. Like I said, this was intimidating for the first ones on the (voluntary) list. But I was determined to try to be like Murray and Kittle and focus on the fact that they KNOW what's wrong with their drafts already...it's just about talking though the issues and guiding them in the right direction. But anyway, it went like this:

• Me: "Ok, tell me what you think about your draft."
• Student A: "Um...well............(pause)......I really don't like how I went from the intro to the first body paragraph."
• Me: "Why?"
• Student A: "Um....well...........(less of a pause this time) It's just, it goes right into why I should get the scholarship but I don't really talk about it up here much. What should I do?"
• Me: "What do you think you should do?"
• Student A: "Welllll maybe fix the introduction. I guess it doesn't really make sense. Does it?"
• Me: "I like the meaning behind it; I like that you are telling a story, but you're right, you could work on cleaning up the wording."
• Student A: "Yeah! Ok!" (Scribbles down some quick changes)

....and so it goes on for about five more minutes. He leaves and says, "This is the best help I've ever gotten on an essay."  I can't make that stuff up. Class ends and I feel victorious. They're actually improving using their own knowledge! Wheee!

FRIDAY:

Despite yesterday's successes, and probably due to shortened periods, students aren't as excited about teacher conferencing as I am. They wait...and wait...to sign up. Blank sign up sheet. Blank. I'm offended! C'mon, didn't you talk to Student A yesterday about how rewarding the experience was?! I reiterate that the teacher conference is required. One saunters up. 

• Me: "Hi, so, what do you think needs work?"
• Student B: "Idunno, you tell me (nervous laughter)! I don't like it...I'm confused."
• Me: "Ok, show me specifically what you don't like."
• Student B: "Ok, ok...I don't think I'm answering the prompt, but I really like how I told the story about what inspires me, and I don't want to lose that part."
• Me: "So how can you incorporate the answer to the prompt within the story? A sentence maybe?"
• Student B: "Ummmmm.........idunno, what do you think?

It was clear he wasn't going to respond like Murray's students did. He needed more guidance. He wanted me to just tell him how to fix it. I knew how to...and I told him that arguably, I could go around and "fix" everyone's essay and win them all. I mean, I should be able to: I have an English writing degree, journalism degree, and English teaching certificate. I remember reading about that this week. But that's not the point, I tell him; the point is for him to identify and learn how to improve his own writing. I don't want to take from his "voice," I say. I want his own style to shine through. 

Aha! He likes this! He smiles. "Thanks. yeah..imean, I worked really hard to tell this story...ilikeit, ido. So yeah." And he goes to work. "Mayyyybeee....I need to add this sentence and move this over here...." and he's off. It took a little longer, but he gets it.

Success. 

OVERALL...

I like this method so much and saw so much success in just a few days. I highly recommend you all give it a try. Students want to do it themselves. It's the generation of "gimme it. now" and this allows them to own their education, not just borrow what I tell them and forget it again by tomorrow. Kudos to the authors this week, Gardner, Kittle, and Murray, for instilling some great theories in my mind and allowing my students to benefit from them.