Year 2 ALL - We're on! It's all go!

Student voice at the end of 2014.

How did you feel about writing before we starting meeting as a group?

How do you feel about writing now?  Have your feelings about writing changed?

What is one thing you have learned over the last 10 weeks?

What was your favourite piece of writing?  Why was it your favourite?

Do you think you are a good writer? Why/why not?

Do you think your teacher and parents think you are a good writer?  Why/Why not?

Yay!  We have just been approved for our 2nd year of ALL.  After a successful board report and a lot of support and excitement from staff we are on our way!  Bring on 2015 - a year of new beginnings for Literacy at Mokoia Intermediate!

Teaching the Spelling Rules

 We are looking at the spelling rules today.  Students are choosing a rule, rewriting it in a way that they understand it and then practicing using it in their writing.  They are really enjoying this activity and the discussion is really interesting.  "Did you know...?", "I didn't realise this..." "I get it now.."

Spelling.

My boys have very little confidence when it comes to spelling.  They are actually really embarrassed about their abilities with spelling words correctly.  It is so bad that they will chose easier words in their writing because they are know how to spell it, rather than try a word they might get wrong.  Over the last few weeks I have stressed to them, that spelling is not something they need to worry about.  I just want them to try and then we can correct things together.

These boys love to use wonderful language and when I sent them out around the school on a "treasure hunt" the other day they came back with some excellent descriptive phrases and words to describe areas of our school on a cold and foggy morning.

When they got back to class, they highlighted the words they think they spelled wrong.  Then I typed up the list and we read through it together.  We noticed that we could tell what all the words were suppose to be, they had been sounded out really well.  They were just missing the knowledge of some of the spelling rules, so that is our next little goal.

The list:

Sliprey/Slipry

Concret/Concreat

Hops (basket ball)

Derw

Wavey

Unstraight parking

Intelgent

Drity

Slimmy

Senice fare

Red and witie

Suppoing

Mokoai

Murel

Artafichil

Steers

Shriveld / serveled/sreviled

Prikley

Sogey

stabel

Story writing

Boys were given pictures to choose from and a story planning sheet.  They could choose whether they worked by themselves or with a partner and they could choose to either type or hand-write their stories.

Poihipi and Douglas chose a picture of a rugby tackle and decided to write a story about the Rugby World Cup.  They planned and wrote their story together on a Google Doc.

What the boys have to say about Writing...

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Interesting to hear the boys love writing when it is on their terms.  If they can write about what they want to write about, then they are keen.  If they are told what they are to write about and how, then the ideas and passion don't flow so freely.

All of my boys prefer to type, rather than hand write.

And all but one, like being given the time to plan their writing first.

Some boys prefer to write on their own and some prefer to write with others.  I let my boys choose for this task.

I am definitely learning!!!!

I have made new discoveries this week, about boys and writing.

Boys don't listen.  They like to see and do.  I should have known this before, from my own experience with my husband and 2 boys :)

Keep things short, sharp and simple (achievable).

Roller Coaster!

So up and down we go.  Everyday is a mission to try and engage these boys in their writing.  Sometimes it works and they love it and so do I.  But it is so hit and miss.

The writing challenge at the  moment is the boys are writing what is "around the corner....".

I took them over to a corner of our school and told them they couldn't look around the corner because the scariest thing they have ever seen is around there.  I said they needed to plan story of about 5 paragraphs telling me what is around the corner and how they were going to get past.

They were so excited about this at the beginning and their imaginations were flowing, but when it comes to putting the words as a brainstorm they are struggling to stay focused and I am hearing "this is boring!"

I feel like I can't win.  I put a lot of my time into thinking up creative lessons for them.  It's really hard when they don't buy into it.

I have given them options to put their brainstorm on the computer via cube creator which will turn their story into a 3D cube.  Still not focused.  The lack of listening and focus is driving me crazy and then the repeating instructions etc.  I am feeling frustrated!