Chapter 4

After reading this chapter, I feel confident in saying that my students do not dislike writing. I don't believe that they see writing as a "school thing for the teacher."
I know that using peer models has a positive effect on students, and we often discuss that our focus when we are writing is for an audience.
I liked the tips in "What Makes Our Writing Interesting?" on page 58. When my students write, we often use the 5 W's (who, what, where, when and why) and we incorporate how. I plan to use this phrase with my class. "Tell more to make it BETTER (not just longer)!"
I am a firm believer that kids need to write every day. Past experiences with students have proven to me that some of my students' best writing has come from freewrites. I know their fluency and endurance improves as the year progresses, and I completely agree with Regi
Routman that quantity matters.
The author reminds us in this chapter that conventions and handwriting do matter. She encourages teachers to raise their expectations for students.

I left this chapter pondering the last paragraph on page 81.

"In teaching writing, remember that you as a caring, knowledgeable teacher are responding to a live, sensitive person. Don't rely on formulas, checklists, traits of writing, a plodding sequence of steps in a book on writing. Listen with your heart as well as your mind, and you will know what to say and do. "Our decisions must be guided by 'What might help this writer?' rather than 'What might help this writing?'"