“No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this new book is newly opened, has just begun! Look, it is the first page! And it is a beautiful one!” C. Joy Bell

I love this quote. We all know the components of books, and my new beginning really is like beginning a new book. New characters: children, peers, neighbors. New setting: town, school. New problem: Changing from Literacy Coach for grades K-5 to Curriculum Instructional Coach for K-2.  And the details, oh, the details! Just getting the IMPORTANT details in the story, and letting the minor details go! New solution: Keep reading! I'm not done yet!! Just like a book!!

As I'm beginning this new novel (which could be considered an action adventure/comedy...is that a genre?) I'm having to recall all my math training and fabulous Science, Social Studies, and Math lessons from my first series of books. But, I'm finding that my love of literacy, and the single minded literacy focus from the past few years is definitely influencing my view of the other contents.
And, is that a bad thing? 

Is reading AND writing important in Math, Science, Social Studies?
I'm finding teachers absolutely believe that reading is vital to all the other subjects. (Except for possibly the writing teachers...go figure!) However, I'm not sure teachers are finding the absolute value and necessity for WRITING across the content areas.

So, here's a challenge for you. Don't write at all for one day! Okay, you can write a story about your summer. But that's it! Don't write UNLESS you are in writing class. 

Realistically, you can't take me up on that challenge. You probably have jobs, which require e-mails to be sent and responded to, you have to write your lesson plans, you have to text your husband and children, you have to update your Facebook post, you have to caption your Instagram photo, you have to make your grocery list, you have to make your to-do list, you have to write parent notes, you have to send positive notes to your students....and the list goes on and on and on. Tired, tired, tired teachers!

Why do we put our students in the unrealistic box of writing in writing class? WHY???

 “Writing is the most extensive brain workout a kid can get,” said Steve Peha, founder of Teaching that Makes Sense. “It includes reading, logic, motor coordination and if writing for an audience, social emotional intelligence.”

Alright, let's look at the benefits of student writing from a teacher's point of view.

• Writing REQUIRES students to slow down their thinking. When they begin "explaining" their thinking processes in writing, the students THEMSELVES, may see their faulty thinking. If they don't, the teacher certainly can. Teachers can monitor student progress and gauge their strengths and weaknesses. It is VISIBLE thinking! VISIBLE, y'all. (How many times have you said, "If I only knew what Joey was thinking!")
• Writing is a great way to engage all of your students! You won't just hear from the kids who always  blurt out raise their hands.
• Writing helps you see gaps in instruction so you can adjust your teaching to insure that all students get what you're talking about!
• Writing saves you time. It can be a very efficient way to cover multiple standards at once because it is such a complex, multifaceted task. (We won't even MENTION the time saved in the copy room!)
• Students learn best by writing. "Kids learn the most through writing," said Mr. Peha. "If you're only gong to do one thing, writing is the highest payoff activity you can pick."

In content area writing, the thought process is important. But, revision and editing will just become a natural part of the process. And, the "writing" teacher will thank you. A lot!!