Week 8 Term 2 - Let's get it WRITE (Year 10 Writing Program) - The Launch

The Purpose

At the beginning of Term 2 the English Department discussed our goals for the 12 week term. One of our goals was to design a writing program for our Year 10 cohort. The initial focus of the writing program was to prepare our students for a E Asttle Writing re-test. This focus was influenced by the Term 1 results from the Year 10 E Asttle Writing test. The results were concerning as we found that many of the Year 10 students were graded well below the National average. Different factors were considered when we investigated the poor results, we explored and discussed the different reasons that contributed to the results. A mutual concern for the quality of the writing prompt from the test was something that we as a department believe is a reason why the student's did not take the test seriously. The more we discussed the issue the more we realized that the focus and goal needed to shift from resitting the test to engaging with writing. The underlying issue is that our students do not engage with writing and we wanted to design a program that enabled them to explore the art of writing - in all of it's complexity.

Who & Why?

The Year 10 cohort for 2020 are the focus group for the writing program. Their E Asttle Writing results for Term 1 raised a few concerns and the English Department wanted to collaborate on how we can help improve their writing. Our Year 10 students will be offered NCEA Level 1 English credits in Term 3 and will start Level 1 in Term 4 as part of our Jump Start program. In preparation for this, we know that we have to invest our time in focusing on writing. Writing is an integral part of our English program and it is important that the students are given the tools to know how to write well. Their transition into Level 1 will begin soon and as a department we know that it is vital that we engage them with writing, whether they are reluctant writers or not, we want them to know what the art of writing entails and that they are more than capable of crafting a text. Motivation is another key factor with why our students can show reluctance towards writing. The beauty of writing is more than 'writing to be assessed' - it is an art form that is important for our young people to understand and practice. It is an art form that can be lost in the age of technology, but it is a needed and essential skill.

What?

The Year 10 Writing program 'Let's get it WRITE' is made up of three phases that runs over a period of three to four weeks. The direction of the program is based on engaging students with writing.  Dr Jannie Van Hees has been instrumental in helping the English Department design the program. She is a wealth of knowledge and has a passion for writing in particular teaching writing. She has provided some great resources to use with our students. The English Department members have shared resources for the program which has been a highlight. It has been interesting to see other teaching practice and methods when it comes to writing. The three phases are Phase 1 'The Launch', Phase 2 'Setting Sail' and Phase 3 'Striking Out'. We have used the analogy of 'journeys' as the theme approach for the unit, as learning in general but learning about and how to write is a journey. The journey is one where there will be some challenges but with motivation and support, anyone can reach their destination. This post will highlight Phase 1 'The Launch' and what this part of the journey is about. 

Phase 1: The Launch

The focus of Phase 1 is to firstly get the 'student buy in' and secondly introduce (or re-introduce) the fundamental elements for writing - simply getting 'back to the basics'. 'Student buy in' is important in order for the program to function. Our students are our key stakeholders and getting them on board, understanding what the purpose is and their place in it, is essential because this is for them. Before any teaching starts we will use the first part of Phase 1 to launch the program by showing students a mosaic of clips of teachers and others explaining why they like to write. 

From here the student's are asked to reflect on why do they write. They can either write their reflection or record their reflection as a video log or audio recording. Here are the focus questions that the students are to reflect. 

1. What does writing mean to you?
2. What were some of the reasons why they write? (referring to the clip) 
3. Do you write?
4. When and why do you write?
5. What do you like and/or dislike about writing?
6. What is easy about writing?
7. What is hard about writing?
8. Why write?
9. What do you want to learn?

The reflection is a great way for our students to see what writing means to others and then reflect on what it means to them. We do expect our entire class to be avid writers however we do believe that all student's can write if they apply what they know and what they have been taught well. 

From here the remainder of Phase 1 is dedicated to introducing (or re-introducing) two keep components in writing - understanding what a text is, word groups and sentence structure. Dr Jannie Van Hees has provided some amazing resources for us to use with our Year 10 students. 

Dr Jannie's 'TEXT SAVVY' presentation highlights what a text is. For many of our students, their idea is usually associated with written or print text. This presentation introduces the definition of a text and the discussion around this will encourage students to understand that a text is not just print but also a sign or symbol that creates meaning. 

For some the information about texts and sentence is nothing new, for others while they may know this intuitively they do not understand the function or purpose. Regardless of where the students pre writing knowledge sits, the purpose of Phase 1 'The Launch - is to ENGAGE the learner. We are grateful to have Dr Jannie work with us and share her knowledge and expertise. I will post about Phase 2 'Setting Sail' in the coming week.