Organized Chaos
“Dance above the surface of the world. Let your thoughts lift you into creativity that is not hampered by opinion.”
― Red Haircrow
How many resources can I look at before I find what I really want? How many things do I need to read and write before my mind stops and says “that’s enough!”? Why am I so scattered before I can actually get to the point? Where am I going with this you may ask? That’s what I’m hoping to find out. This is the organized chaos as I start this journey on my writing research project.
When I start a project or a paper or even a unit for a book I’m teaching in class, I gather so many ideas and resources it bogs me down. Then all of that is like a stream of consciousness with thoughts and feelings spiraling out of control in all directions. Some ideas don’t even apply to what my writing or research or my original topic. How do I wade through all the muck and weeds before I get to the clear water? I truly love the gathering of information. It is so interesting to find out what others are doing and how it applies to my teaching. The funny thing is, I do eventually end up where I want to be or find the path to getting there. Albeit stressed out. Eventually the water clears up, but it’s frustrating because it takes a lot of ruminating, time, and effort before it happens. The application part is what I struggle with.
So what did I tell you? I haven’t even talked about my research project yet. Here I am talking about everything else except for what I need to be talking about. Sometimes that’s what I feel like in my writing classroom, that it is a hodgepodge of students writing at different levels, and watching and working with them here and there, but not really having a purpose to work with them. It’s like a hot mess of taco fixings, but once you put together the taco meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream and put it together in a taco shell, it comes together nicely and tastes great. This is what I want my research project to do for my writing class. After getting all the parts together, will I have a neat little package to make my students strong, successful writers?
My action research question is: Will Writer’s Workshop strengthen my middle school students’ writing in the areas of editing, proofreading and engagement? My main resource is the book by Nancie Atwell, In the Middle, Third Edition: A Lifetime of Learning about Writing, Reading and Adolescents. The ‘why’ was the writers I had in 7th and 8th grade last year; the unmotivated, the struggling, the stubborn, the ‘I want to, but I can’t’ sitting on the periphery and just skating by.
As of right now I have a ton of resources from the internet and books, from Nancie Atwell and Lucy Calkins to ideas from teachers and schools on the internet. They pretty much all say the same thing, so I am plugging along trying to find the best fit for my students, the time I have, and the resources. Simplicity is the key. I want the writer’s workshop to run like a smooth engine (In my dreams, right?), without all the bells and whistles. I want it to include read aloud/mentor texts, mini-lessons, state of the class, writing time to include small group and individual conferences, and sharing time/author’s chair. Sounds simple, right? Add in the writing folders, notebooks, mentor texts, mini-lesson planning, conferencing time and data collection, stations or centers to work on specific skills, along with peer editing; I’m a little overwhelmed. But I believe in this process, and I am determined to make it work. I refuse to let any students slip by.
So with all that said, bring on the chaos of the middle school writing workshop!
