Chapter 2 Start with Celebration

The idea of celebrating student writing is not a new concept. Most teachers firmly agree that all student work should be celebrated. It just seems to be too easy to loose this element within the time constraints we are under and standards we must teach.
I had recently been presented with the idea of creating "Valentines for Veterans" but put it off to the side because I wasn't really looking forward to taking time out of my curriculum to have my students make a card. Then Vicky shared with me that she was going to have her students write a poem and publish it by adding a graphic from the internet as part of creating the Valentine's card. Since I had used poetry to model my writing in the past. I decided that I would take this opportunity, but was concerned with my students' limited connection to the topic.
Routman suggests using stories as a springboard which is something my students and I both enjoy, so I shared a personal story about creating a valentine when I was in Brownies and how the Veteran's hospital had given my card to a vet with the same last name as mine and how we became pen pals.
As a class, we brainstormed vocabulary we might use in our writing. I gave my students the choice to write using any poetic format they wished, including free verse. This seemed to ease some of their concerns. I did not model my writing on this particular assignment. Most of my students conferenced with me at some point in the assignment, but none were at a loss for what to say.
Some of the topics we conferenced about were teachable moments, like: appropriate word form, tone for the chosen audience, fluency and concise writing.
I was absolutely amazed at how well my students wrote for their audience.