home



=Welcome to our class Wiki=

I'm so excited that you've viewed the wiki and I can't wait until our participants publish their writing on our site. I'm hoping that the wiki will be both a motivating and useful tool for our young writers, as well as an open invitation for you to become an active audience for your children. In first grade in particular, children gain knowledge about a host of early literacy concepts including:
 * the English alphabet system which includes letter/sound knowledge
 * letter/sound relationships
 * spelling patterns
 * high frequency words
 * word meaning
 * word structure (adding endings such as -es, -ing, contractions, syllables)
 * telling a story over time
 * reading like a writer

The Project
The writers : Several first grade students from Mrs. Gable's class.

The audience: Parents, teachers, and administrators from the Curley K-8, along with my fellow researchers from Lesley University.

The purpose: To motivate, engage and support young writers. The first grade students have developed personal narrative stories which tell about events, both big and small, in their lives. Using the traditional pen and paper method of writing, they have worked in booklets to develop and create a story about their lives, in which they are the experts. They've shared their stories with their peers, their teachers, and returned again and again to further develop their story. However, I've found that many young writers lack motivation and clear purpose when writing. Researchers believe that using wiki technology can enhance student's ability to complete the writing process, become aware of their audience, and motivate students by providing a purpose for writing.

The task: Students will develop and publish their writing to the wiki during school. The adults will respond with constructive comments and questions that encourage elaboration.

= Guidelines for student and adult wiki participants =

//**The writers have all published a personal narrative which they’ve spent a lot of time planning, writing, revising, and publishing. Each written piece has been edited for spelling and mechanics by me. However, the ideas are entirely their own.**//


 * ===**Students' writing will be personal and original. **===
 * ===**Students will return to their writing to revise, elaborate and edit. **===
 * **Students will provide feedback on their peers' writing. Some suggestions for feedback include: **


 * 1) **Using question words (How, Why, Where)**
 * 2) **Giving suggestions (You might think about.... You could include....)**
 * 3) **Sharing what you understand (On page___ I understood that....)**
 * **Students will respond, at least once, to feedback from a fellow participant (student or adult).**

1. **I wonder if you…** 2. **How did…** 3. **Are you…** 4. **I’m curious about…** 5. **I wish you would tell more about…**
 * Adult participants will read at least 3 students' writing and post feedback to each. Some suggestions for feedback include:**

Please do not leave comments such as:


 * You should…**
 * I didn’t like…**

= =