Ticking Some Boxes

Making a Deal

I'm home with a runny nose, itchy eyes and irritating cough.  Sleep has been beckoning, but my mind is going crazy because I'm here with an opportunity to catch up on some reading of blogs and watching of videos.  So I've made a deal with myself - to look a little closer at the work by Murray Gadd first, then have a rest.

Earlier in the year I had the opportunity to attend a workshop run by Murray and I've been wanting to follow this up with further research into his ideas and practice.

Identifying the Audience

The video that I chose was just a smidgen over 40 minutes.  I'm adding to this blog as I watch; adding some notes as I go.  What I noticed in the first 10 minutes of the video was how Murray kept referring to the learners as his readers - he had 'think alouds' and questioned the learners about what was needed to be a 'good writer'.  He also told them that his goal when writing would be to use sentences of different lengths and what was important when writing this recount.  This was a great way to help the learners understand the thinking process needed before writing starts.

Building on Vocab

Instead of writing, Murray provided the kids with an oral recount of his story with Baxter (the naughty dog), extending vocabulary along the way. This was another cool way to engage the learners and have them think how a writer chooses better words when writing.  At times, Murray sounded the initial letter sound of words and the learners helped him out.  He did this again later when writing 'focus' words on the board (to ensure that his ideas were sequenced) which modelled to the learners how to sound out unfamiliar words.

Scaffolding

Together, Murray and the learners wrote the beginning of his story, 'Baxter nudged the door open with his slobbery nose', and asked them if it had enough detail - "Will my reader know?" This resulted in the opening sentence to change to, "Baxter, the spoodle dog, nudged Murray's bedroom door open with his wet, slobbery nose." to describe what Baxter did and elicited from them that these were verbs.  He also asked them about the use of commas when providing extra detail (which a learner later used in his own writing) and an apostrophe. 

Engagement

I noticed that the learners were sitting for a lengthy period, but Murray's technique kept them engaged by sharing a funny story about Baxter the dog (a familiar topic for many of them) and by having them participate in the planning for his story.  He identified learners who might not usually share their thinking and purposefully asked them questions. The learners were given a chance to share their ideas with a partner before starting to write their book.

This video illustrates the importance of learner involvement and contribution when modelling 'how to be a writer'.  These learners were ready to write because the scaffolding was there and the ideas had been generated.