Book Review: After The End......Written By: Barry Lane - 7 views

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  #1 Erin Visger on 13 Feb 12

   

  If you are a English/Language Arts teacher then this book is for you. Barry Lane is brillant and creative in this book entitled, After The End. How many times do students approach two minutes after they have received their writing assignment and claim to be completed with it? I don't know about other classrooms, but this happens many times with my seventh grade students on a wide array of writing tasks. What is their hurry to quickly get done and stay done? Too many students just want to complete their writing assignment, they do not really care if their work is of decent quality or not.
  
  Barry Lane explains in his book that there are numerous ways to get students motivated and ready to write. In order to have good writing, there must be good questions.These questions need to spark interests in the students and want them to have to work at searching for the answer.
  Lane says, "The art of asking questionsis intrinsically linked with the art of having something to say, of valuing your experience, and trusting enough to share even experiences, first with yourself and then with others."
  
  This statement is powerful because first the writer or the student must be comfortable in their own skin. By questioning this happens and as other oustsiders question more is thought about and given better responses.
  Lane offers so many useful techinques to try out in order to make the process of writing fun. If you were to use Build a Scene, he student would use two characters and have them engage in dialouge, while only one of them knows a really juicy secret. Skipping lines at the beginning of this exercise is suggested so that later thoughtshots can be entered into the extra room. Thoughtshots are in the moment thoughts that quickly come to the writer and are edited in the writing piece to help bring it to life.
  
  Peer conferences can be effective if used correctly. Give students guided questions starters or promts to ask of one another's writing pieces. Something along the lines of; I wonder: ______ Questions: ______ Plan for action: ______ can all help guide students when they are peer editing each other's writing. This way you as the teacher help your students avoid useless chatter that won't benefit them.
  
  I also really like how Lane demonstrates his use of Venn Diagrams and Mapping/Webbing. Here there are two really simple brainstorming activities, but he brings them to life with adding more details to them and being more elaborate as he discusses his writing topics.
  
  Overall this book, After The End, shares with the teacher that revision is something that constantly is in the works. When you think you have ended you really have only just begun. I fully intend on using many of these writing techinques in my own classroom and hope that they will motivate students to do better and try harder at making their writing something to be proud of as they write.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/After-END-Teaching-Learning-Creative/dp/0435087142

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">If you are a English/Language Arts teacher then this book is for you. Barry Lane is brillant and creative in this book entitled, After The End. How many times do students approach two minutes after they have received their writing assignment and claim to be completed with it? I don't know about other classrooms, but this happens many times with my seventh grade students on a wide array of writing tasks. What is their hurry to quickly get done and stay done? Too many students just want to complete their writing assignment, they do not really care if their work is of decent quality or not. <br /> <br /> Barry Lane explains in his book that there are numerous ways to get students motivated and ready to write. In order to have good writing, there must be good questions.These questions need to spark interests in the students and want them to have to work at searching for the answer. <br /> Lane says, "The art of asking questionsis intrinsically linked with the art of having something to say, of valuing your experience, and trusting enough to share even experiences, first with yourself and then with others." <br /> <br /> This statement is powerful because first the writer or the student must be comfortable in their own skin. By questioning this happens and as other oustsiders question more is thought about and given better responses. <br /> Lane offers so many useful techinques to try out in order to make the process of writing fun. If you were to use Build a Scene, he student would use two characters and have them engage in dialouge, while only one of them knows a really juicy secret. Skipping lines at the beginning of this exercise is suggested so that later thoughtshots can be entered into the extra room. Thoughtshots are in the moment thoughts that quickly come to the writer and are edited in the writing piece to help bring it to life. <br /> <br /> Peer conferences can be effective if used correctly. Give students guided questions starters or promts to ask of one another's writing pieces. Something along the lines of; I wonder: ______ Questions: ______ Plan for action: ______ can all help guide students when they are peer editing each other's writing. This way you as the teacher help your students avoid useless chatter that won't benefit them. <br /> <br /> I also really like how Lane demonstrates his use of Venn Diagrams and Mapping/Webbing. Here there are two really simple brainstorming activities, but he brings them to life with adding more details to them and being more elaborate as he discusses his writing topics. <br /> <br /> Overall this book, After The End, shares with the teacher that revision is something that constantly is in the works. When you think you have ended you really have only just begun. I fully intend on using many of these writing techinques in my own classroom and hope that they will motivate students to do better and try harder at making their writing something to be proud of as they write. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/After-END-Teaching-Learning-Creative/dp/0435087142" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/After-END-Teaching-Learning-Creative/dp/0435087142</a></div>

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