Simplify the Teaching of Writing

I agree with the comment on page five schools are "under focused on thinking, communicating, inquiring, and exploring language." Therefore teachers must establish their own beliefs, so they can focus on what is important to student learning. Otherwise, they become overwhelmed and burnt out. These are my beliefs about writing:

1. In order to become a better writer one must write.
2. Writing and Reading are connected.
3. Conferencing and modeling make a difference.
4. Becoming a good writer takes time and practice.
5. Writing for an audience is important because it attaches meaning to the work.
6. Writing is a craft to be developed.
7. Writing is work that some students embrace while others dread.

As I reflect on the comment on page 15 writing should be whole to part to whole. I thinking this is a model for writing. The whole is a picture book, advertisement, brochure, or etc. The teacher uses the piece as a model of writing by reading it aloud and writing his or her own example of the piece-this is the part. The final part is when the student writes their own example of the piece. When this happens we have gone from whole to part to whole.