The power of rich discussions in reading which translates to writing

I have been seeing a lot of improvement in the writing my students have been producing. The genre they have been working on is argument writing. It is wonderful when you see the confidence in students to voice their opinions and put their thoughts into writing. 

There have been a lot of discussions in Reading through the texts the group have been reading. The text Me, Me, Me by Renata Hopkins stimulated a lot of thinking about the use of devices and social media. The discussions were rich in sharing of ideas and exploring issues with social media and devices.

The supporting text was an article from Insight NZ was about the ban of phones in some schools. The supporting text discussion brought more insight into the challenges school and young people are having with devices. 

Through the rich discussions,  the students were able to brainstorm ideas to write their arguments confidently. I am really happy with the confidence the students have, to start their writing after being in reading discussions. 

The students have also been going out of the classroom to interview teachers and other students about their opinions regarding phones in schools. The joy they have in gathering views and opinions is just wonderful to see. Their use of technology in their learning is also very encouraging to their peers in other classes. 

Through rewindable learning the students were able to draft their writing using the brainstorm on the Google Slides. A lot of the students worked on their arguments from home and using the slides was essential in helping them with their writing at home.

Here are some writing samples the students in my class have produced:

Soane argument writing 

Richie argument writing

Meeting the author of our class novel

 Yesterday my class had the privilege of meeting Andrew Taafuli Fiu who is the author of a novel I am reading to my class. The novel is about Andrew's life and how he has overcome years of challenges from having rheumatic fever at a young age. 

Yesterday Andrew's message was about never giving up and always pursuing your goals. He counselled the students to work for their goals and to ensure they finish tasks they start. He also reinforced the importance of gaining an education as it is the key to success. 

He too really believes in being readers. Although he is not a trained writer, he decided to write about his life to tell his story. He had many challenges in writing the book and finding a publisher but he never gave up.

He told many stories about his life and was pleasantly surprised to learn how much the students knew about his journey as a child and adult going in and out of hospitals.

Yesterday's visit from Andrew was a powerful and meaningful experience for my class. They were just beaming with questions and excitement during and after Andrew's visit.

Watching the engagement of the students was a wonderful experience. Novel reading in my class is a time where we take a break and focus on reading for enjoyment.