One of the best things about the whole UIWP experience has been the demos. They have shown me so many different approaches to engaging students in writing and analyzing that I hadn't thought of before.
As an ELL teacher, I may not be able to use every strategy exactly as it was presented with my students, but I have always seen pieces that I can take to improve my process.
The story maps presented by Mikel could be very helpful for my reluctant writers. It forces them to really plot out the relationships between the characters and settings before they write. It also allows them to get excited and invested in characters before they start their stories.
I also love the way it forces the students to be intentional about their writing choices because they see how everything needs to fit together.
Further, it demystifies the writing process. While I do believe there are times where ideas just strike us, a huge part of being creative is working hard and thinking carefully. This allows students to see that all the work has a larger goal.
As an ELL teacher, I may not be able to use every strategy exactly as it was presented with my students, but I have always seen pieces that I can take to improve my process.
The story maps presented by Mikel could be very helpful for my reluctant writers. It forces them to really plot out the relationships between the characters and settings before they write. It also allows them to get excited and invested in characters before they start their stories.
I also love the way it forces the students to be intentional about their writing choices because they see how everything needs to fit together.
Further, it demystifies the writing process. While I do believe there are times where ideas just strike us, a huge part of being creative is working hard and thinking carefully. This allows students to see that all the work has a larger goal.