Week of 4th & 5th November, 2020.

 On Wednesday 4th November, 2020 the class took the form of yet another PowerPoint presentation on the genre of writing...poetry. One the presenters began by saying poetry is one of the least taught genres of writing but, one of the most funniest and creative genre. It was highlighted that the presenter love this genre and incorporated much it in instruction whether as an introduction to a lesson or a composition minilesson on poetry. As the presenter continued it was encouraged that teachers line the forms and types of poems to get students interested in this very under utilized genre. Some of poetic devices mentioned were:

1. Alliteration- the repetition of an initial consonant sound in consecutive words or nearby words. E.g. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

2. Repetition- the repeating of a word or phrase which adds both structure and enjoyment. For example, the refrain in the gingerbread boy...you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread boy. 

3. Rhyme- the use of rhyming words. E.g. 

The coolness of the night, Refreshes my skin.       The stars shine so bright, Causing me to grin.

In addition, the lecturer emphasized that at the primary level students MUST BE TAUGHT SIMILES, METAPHORS, PERSONIFICATION AND ONOMATOPOEIA.

Similes are comparisons made between two things using the words 'like' or 'as'. E.g. she is as tall as a tree or he is brave like a lion.

Metaphors are comparisons of two things without the use of the words 'like' or 'as'. E.g. your room is a pig sty.

Personification- giving human attributes to inanimate objects, plants, and animals. E.g. the earth shivers during an earthquake. 

Onomatopeia- words that when are said the sound is heard. E.g. crash, buzz, me-e-e-ow.

Further discussion was lead by the lecturer who invited the class to research examples on the following forms of poems that can be incorporated in primary classes. Such includes: 

- Colour poems such as "I am", "If i were", "I used to....but now...", "___ is.....", Preposition and wish poems.

- Free Verse poems include acrostic, bilingual, concrete, found, list, and odes poems.

- Syllable- and Word- Count Poems include cinquains and haikus.

The presenters then wrapped up the presentation with ways to teach poetry in the primary classes. It was outlined that students must first be introduced to the genre. Then be taught to use the different devices and forms in minilessons. Finally, students are given the opportunity to practice writing poems using guided practice activities. Teachers provide checklist to help guide students as they write. A rubric is used to assess students pieces having followed the checklist to complete their pieces. 

Thursday's class was led by the lecturer who began by eliciting the stages of the writing process. The writing process is a way of looking at what writers think and do as they write. The stages include:

Stage 1: Prewriting

- choose a topic.      - gather and organize ideas.        - consider the potential audience.

Stage 2: Drafting 

- write a rough draft.      -craft leads to grab reader's attention.      - emphasize content rather than conventions.

Stage 3: Revising 

- share drafts in revising groups.                                   - participate constructively in discussions about classmates' drafts.                                                             - make changes to reflect comments of classmates and teacher.

Stage 4: Editing

- set drafts aside for a few days.                                     - proofread compositions to locate errors.                  - correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar errors.

Stage 5: Publishing 

- publish writing in an appropriate form.                    - share completed writing with an appropriate audience.

The lecturer further explained that we as teachers have to aim to develop strategic writers. She defined writing strategies as "deliberate thinking procedures writers use to solve problems that they encountered while writing". Also, stated was writing is a constructive process, and writers make deliberate choices as they construct meaning. They apply strategies purposefully as they plan, revise, and edit their compositions. There are twelve (12) strategies that writers use to develop their pieces. Most of the strategies are considered cognitive strategies because they involve thought processes, but four (4) are meta cognitive strategies because they regulate thought processes.

1. Elaborating - writers expand their ideas by adding vivid details through brainstorming for ideas, researching, explore the moment (writer chooses a moment and provide vivid details to describe the sights, sounds, thoughts, and feelings of that moment), and complete the snapshots activity (use of descriptive language to create a written picture of a moment in time).

*2. Evaluating - writers review and evaluate their compositions and judge how well they met the goals they set by using checklists and rubrics, and or write self-reflections.

3. Formatting - writers design the layout for their copies ensure that their writing is legible and their illustrations enhance the text by deciding on a title, and making final copies.

4. Generating - writers collect words, sentences, and ideas for writing, often using their background knowledge, information they've collected through research, or other classroom resources such as making a list, drawing pictures, creating clusters (graphic organizer), reading or rereading bookings, searching the internet and talking with classmates.

*5. Monitoring- writers monitor their progress and coordinate writing strategies by rereading rough drafts, asking self-questions and getting feedback from classmates and teacher.

6. Narrowing - writers limit their topics so they're specific and manageable by using the five "W" questions (how, why, what, where and when), creating clusters, and examining books and internet articles.

7. Organizing - writers group, sequence, and prioritize ideas for their compositions through graphic organizer, making an outline (2 or 3 tier outline).

8. Proofreading - writers carefully reread their writing to identify errors in spelling and other conventions by rereading rough drafts, proofreading with a classmate, working at editing centers, and using a red pen to edit.

*9. Questioning - writers ask themselves questions as they develop their compositions through a question and answer conversation with themselves. 

10. Rereading- writers review their writing to check the flow of ideas and determine whether they're meeting their goals by reading parts or all of rough drafts. 

11. Revising - writers add words and sentences, make sub-situations and deletions, and move text around to communicate more effectively through participating in a revising group, working at revisions centers,  and using a blue pen to revise. 

*12. Setting goals - writers set action-oriented goals to direct their writing by making a list of goals. 

* metacognitive strategies 

The table below depicts how the writing strategies fit into the writing process.