The Challenger Dispatch
Dec. 1-6, 2014, Week 1
Show - Don't Tell - Here's to writing EVERYDAY!
C.S. Lewis
December Birthdays
December
Lisa O’Bradovich 12/11
Belinda Salisbury 12/21
Vicki Jones 12/23
Beth Bowden 12/29Book Fair
Be sure to get your wish list in early in the week.
Teacher Surveys
Challenger Family Holiday Party
Tuesday, Dec 2, 2014, 05:00 PM
Buenavista Mexican Cantina, Hampton Cove, Mountain Cove Boulevard Southeast, Owens Cross Roads, AL, United States
Can Peer Review Help Johnny Write Better?
Getting Students Acting as Peer Editors of Each Others’ Writing
In this article in The Journal of Adventist Education, Susan Taylor (Andrews University, MI) says that teachers spend many, many hours reading and commenting on students’ writing assignments, trying to correct errors and help students become better readers of their own writing so they will become better writers. But all that work doesn’t seem to be paying off – many teachers have observed that students rarely make use of the comments they receive. “With so much time and energy devoted to a single activity,” asks Taylor, “why doesn’t Johnny write better?”
The solution, she believes, is getting students to read and comment on classmates’ writing. “Such opportunities for peer review can help students improve their reading and writing, as well as learn how to collaborate effectively,” she says.
Of course peer review can be an ineffective process. “I liked your story about the horse, but I think you should add a little more detail and maybe change the last two sentences,” is a typically unhelpful comment from a classmate. Here are some common problems:
- Many students feel uncomfortable passing judgment on peers’ writing, and bland comments like “I loved your story” get them off the hook.
- Friendships make some students biased, even dishonest, in the comments they give. A critical comment could sour a relationship or be taken as a hostile gesture.
- Some students give more thoughtful feedback than others, and highly proficient writers may discount comments from classmates who are less adept.
- Many students don’t know how to use the feedback to revise their writing and may react defensively to classmates’ criticisms.
- Some teachers assume their students already have the skills to give helpful feedback (which few do) and fail to give student editors the necessary guidance.
For these reasons, few teachers use peer review effectively, if they use it at all.
But Taylor says two peer-review protocols can make the process a powerful tool for improving student writing. Before each one, the teacher emphasizes the importance of peer review, provides students with detailed rubrics of effective writing, and offers guidance on giving feedback.
• PQP: Praise, Question, Polish – Groups of 2-5 students take turns reading each others’ drafts aloud as other students follow along in copies the teacher has made for them. “This oral reading helps writers hear how well the paper flows and independently identify possible changes,” says Taylor. Students then react to the piece by writing comments on their PQP form: Praise: What is good about the writing, and why is it good? Question: As a reader, what do you not understand? What would you like clarified? Polish: What specific suggestions for improvement can you make?
• Drafting – The class is divided into groups of three and students read all the essays produced by the group, commenting both in the margins and at the end of each paper. During the next class period, they share comments and reactions.
During both PQP and Drafting sessions, Taylor recommends that the teacher maintain a “hands-off” approach, monitoring the groups and keeping them focused and commenting appropriately at the end on how things went. “When students are given the proper tools,” she says, “they can function with little input from the teacher.”
Why does peer review work? First, language, thought, writing, and learning are social in nature, and working in collaborative groups helps students take advantage of a powerful instructional process. Second, peer review makes students more perceptive readers, more attuned to details in any piece of writing. Third, peer review reinforces values about the way writing should be taught – through respect, negotiation, and cooperation. Students become more aware of each other’s needs, which cultivates a spirit of mutual responsibility. Peer interaction helps young writers choose which criticisms to take seriously, and that makes them more confident writers. “Editing makes one a better writer, writing makes one a better editor, and both make one a better thinker,” says Taylor.
Fourth, students get lots of practice at formulating and communicating constructive feedback to their peers, as well as responding to comments on their own writing. Fifth, students make the transition from writing primarily for their teachers to thinking about a wider audience. Finally, peer review teaches students valuable lessons about teamwork. “Collaborative experiences are fundamental to empowering students as communicators, both in school and in their future careers,” says Taylor.
“Can Peer Review Help Johnny Write Better?” by Susan Taylor in The Journal of Adventist Education, April/May 2014 (Vol. 76, p. 42-46), no e-link available (spotted in Education Digest, October 2014 (Vol. 80, #4)
Marketplace Staff Meeting
Wednesday, Dec 3, 2014, 03:00 PM
Media Center
December Calendar
Dec. 2 Holiday Dinner at Buena Vista 5:00
Dec. 3 Market place Staff meeting
Dec. 4 Special Unit classes to St. Thomas Party
Dec. 5 PTA Luncheon for teachers
Dec. 8-12 SchoolNet Testing
Dec. 8-12 Book Fair
Dec. 8-12 Holiday Shop
Dec. 9 PTA Meeting
Dec. 9 5th grade to Grisson Play
Dec. 9-11 Collaborative meetings - DATA
Dec. 17 BLT meeting
Dec. 19 Holiday parties and PJ Day
PTA Thank you Luncheon
Friday, Dec 5, 2014, 10:30 AM
Challenger Elementary School, Chaney Thompson Road Southeast, Huntsville, AL, United States
Hope Place and Angel Tree
Please remember to collect your grade level item for Hope Place during the weeks of December 1st - 5th and December 8th - 12th.
Special Classes: Toothbrushes
Kindergarten: Toothpaste
First: Hair products
Second: Lotion and soap
Third: Gloves and Hats
Fourth: Children's socks and underwear
Fifth: Fast food gift cards ($5-$10)
During the first 2 weeks of December, I will be collecting money for the Angel Tree. Please put your money in the envelope next to the mailboxes. If you nee to write a check please make it out to me. Thanks for all your help and everything you do for our students.
Melody Ferguson
Dibels Schedule this week
5th & 1st grade- Monday
2nd grade- Tuesday
Kindergarten- Wednesday morning
3rd grade- Wednesday afternoon
4th grade- Friday
We will not be using PTA volunteers, instead helping each other cover classes. We will need the assistance of Wallace, Calloway, Bamford, Depew, Wortendyke and Graham and as many grade level teachers as possible as we set up in the classrooms and give the benchmark. Belissa will have the materials for 4 & 5 ready, as well as timers, etc. Review your protocols before the day.