TOG users - read-think-write

[Sarah CB]

I'm jumping back into TOG after a bit of a break and I'd like to get this read-think-write thing down. What we've done in the past is have dd do her reading and preparing and part of that preparing usually involves turning one of the "thinking questions" into a written assignment. Sometimes they ask her to "summarize" something or sometimes I'll just ask her to turn that question into a one page written answer.

 

However, she's usually finished that assignment before we have our discussion so it's more like read-write-think around here.

 

There aren't explicit directions for what to write (except if you're doing TOG writing which doesn't really go with the history for the week anyway) in the read-think-write sequence.

 

So, for D and R students, do you just assign one of the more indepth thinking questions and have them do a written response *after* you have your discussion? Or do you assign something totally different? And what does your schedule look like? If we read on Mon and Tues and then discussed on Wednesday that would leave only two days to work on (draft, edit, final) a piece of writing.

 

Thanks,

Sarah

[Sarah CB]

*bump*

 

Help, please.

[mamato4]

from someone who's BTDT............

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I am in my third year of teaching the Rhetoric level in our co-op for history, composition, and literature. I realize that TOG offers a "buffet" and I feel that we have finally balanced our requirements rather than trying to do everything.

 

1) I think the writing portion of TOG offers a lot of excellent assignments, but I am often frustrated that we are moving on to a new assignment each week. I feel it is more helpful to have time to rewrite/revise essays, rather than move on to a new topic each week. Therefore, I have modeled the writing portion of each unit after my oldest dd's college composition class. I pick 4 assignments for each unit and assign a "writing portfolio". Each student has the opportunity to revise and refine the assignments until they are satisfied with their grade. Final revisions on all assignments are due at the end of the unit.

 

2) I usually pull two essay topics from the Thinking Questions and two additional writing assignments from the "red pages" in the Tapestry manual. For example, last unit the four assignements were: a)Compare& Contrast essay (the students had two choices from two different Thinking Questions), b) Persuasive Essay (the whole class did the same one which was pulled from the red pages, and closely related to a Thinking Question) c) a sonnet d) a personal commentary (students were allowed to pick the topic)

 

3) I used to require written answers to the AQs and TQs each week. Now, I just require the charts to be completed, and I grade on class participation. I feel like the answers to the TQ's were not well developed before we had our class discussion. I was much more satisfied with requiring 2 well developed essays, rather than grading poorly thought-out Thinking Questions. I also felt like this mirrored what my eldest dd was experiencing in college. (A few big assignments and less emphasis on "homework" grades)

 

In short, our co-op model is : Read/Think/Discuss/Write/Revise OR (sometimes) Read/Think/Write/Discuss/Revise.

 

Clear as mud?:)

I can try to clarify if you have any questions.

~Leanna

[Sarah CB]

I am in my third year of teaching the Rhetoric level in our co-op for history, composition, and literature. I realize that TOG offers a "buffet" and I feel that we have finally balanced our requirements rather than trying to do everything.

 

1) I think the writing portion of TOG offers a lot of excellent assignments, but I am often frustrated that we are moving on to a new assignment each week. I feel it is more helpful to have time to rewrite/revise essays, rather than move on to a new topic each week. Therefore, I have modeled the writing portion of each unit after my oldest dd's college composition class. I pick 4 assignments for each unit and assign a "writing portfolio". Each student has the opportunity to revise and refine the assignments until they are satisfied with their grade. Final revisions on all assignments are due at the end of the unit.

 

2) I usually pull two essay topics from the Thinking Questions and two additional writing assignments from the "red pages" in the Tapestry manual. For example, last unit the four assignements were: a)Compare& Contrast essay (the students had two choices from two different Thinking Questions), b) Persuasive Essay (the whole class did the same one which was pulled from the red pages, and closely related to a Thinking Question) c) a sonnet d) a personal commentary (students were allowed to pick the topic)

 

3) I used to require written answers to the AQs and TQs each week. Now, I just require the charts to be completed, and I grade on class participation. I feel like the answers to the TQ's were not well developed before we had our class discussion. I was much more satisfied with requiring 2 well developed essays, rather than grading poorly thought-out Thinking Questions. I also felt like this mirrored what my eldest dd was experiencing in college. (A few big assignments and less emphasis on "homework" grades)

 

In short, our co-op model is : Read/Think/Discuss/Write/Revise OR (sometimes) Read/Think/Write/Discuss/Revise.

 

Clear as mud?:)

I can try to clarify if you have any questions.

~Leanna

 

This has actually been really helpful. I was hoping to get past the "poorly thought-out Thinking Questions" and really embrace the read-think-write concept but I couldn't figure out how to do it without trying to cram writing into too short a time frame. I really like the idea of having four writing assignments per unit and I think my dd will appreciate having time to really make each assignment great instead of always feeling like she is behind.

 

If we plan it out this way then I can also schedule in times for us to edit together and discuss how her paper is going and she'll still have time to go back and refine it.

 

I think that not only will this be more manageable, but we'll also be able to work to a much higher quality of writing and thinking.

 

Thanks!

 

Sarah