Writing

Growing up, creative writing was always something I enjoyed. My Papa, Dad and I are all massive hockey nuts and we loved reading hockey blogs and talking about the NHL, more specifically, the leafs. I was fascinated by the fact that someone was paid to watch hockey games and then write about anything they wanted from it. This was a job I would’ve paid to do and it was from that moment on, that I understood the importance of doing something you love and backing your work, in this case, writing, with something you’re passionate about, in this case, hockey. Additionally, I knew I lacked confidence in my knowledge, but always thought I was a smart person.
For this reason, in school, I always loved writing assignments because I could write down and express all my thoughts without fear of being called out for a wrong answer in front of the entire class. I remember this fear of judgment was so prevalent for me, a teacher asked to read an essay of mine aloud as an example of good writing, and I was convinced she was reading it to make fun of it, so I told her I didn’t want it to be read aloud. 

The first tool I would like to bring up as writing support is one we use for every one of these blog posts, Grammarly. Grammarly is amazing, as it a very in-depth editing software that goes above and beyond the usual spell check. It can be personalized to help with the specific audience (general, knowledgeable, expert), formality (informal, neutral, formal), domain (academic, business, general, technical, casual, creative), as well as tone and intent. This is amazing because Grammarly not only corrects spelling and punctuation, but also the type of words used as well as the flow of the words. Although it may not seem like it at first, I would argue that Grammarly could be used as early as grade 1, the overall expectations are;

1. Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience; 
2. Draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience; 
3. Use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively; 
4. Reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process. (pg. 42).

Furthermore the specific expectations for as early as grade 1 cover things such as'; purpose/audience, grammar, proof-reading, review, vocabulary, and revision(pgs.42,43). All of which are covered by Grammarly. 

After talking about a website that promotes educational reflection and review of papers as well as in-depth editing, I will move onto talking about a website that in a sense promotes the opposite. Twitter is a social media website that was founded in 2006 and is a form of blog site known as ‘microblogging’. This site is amazing because it is a perfect place to dip your toes into the world of news and writing about anything of interest. Although as mentioned, there is not a high demand for grammatical correctness on twitter, it is still an amazing writing resource. As a teacher, twitter is amazing for keeping your class up to date and informed on anything you’d want to quickly share online. Furthermore, there are a plethora of teacher-focused accounts, devoted to sharing educational tips and tricks. As a result of twitters ability to keep people so connected, I once again think it has a place in classrooms from a young age. I would argue that in grade 1 students could be exposed to twitter under the curriculum expectations of “classifying ideas (1.4), developing ideas (1.5) and, research (1.3) (pg. 42). 

Lastly, when talking about writing, this resource may seem simple but it is without a doubt the number one resource my girlfriend and I have found during our educational journeys. Both of us are from scientific backgrounds (clinical psychology and kinesiology) where we are expected to use language geared towards our scientific audience. Thesaurus.com is so helpful, as it provides a list of synonyms, often ones I’ve never heard of, that make your work more engaging and up to par with what you and your audience are looking for. When looking over the Ontario curriculum, the grade 5 writing specific expectations for word choice, states; “use some vivid and/or figurative language and innovative expressions to add interest (e.g., some comparative adjectives; similes or personification; comparative adverbs: more slowly)”(pg.101). Therefore I feel like this resource could be introduced in grade 5 but would be better used in any grade level afterward until university and even grad school.

 

Writing has been changed and adapted multiple times throughout the century, from ink, typewriting, graphite pencils and now computers and smartphones. Although the input for it has been changed, the content and output remain fundamentally the same. However, resources have become better and more accessible as the previous three paragraphs highlight. Writing is one of the most useful skills as it essential for education, work and almost all communication (even writing into a translator to speak with someone of another language). I hope these resources can help you become a better and more effective writer, as well as help my students in the future.