Today was prize day for the Poetry Challenge segment of the 100 Day Writing Challenge that I offer for my students. Truth be told, I struggle with the prizes, because I don't believe in relying on extrinsic motivation.
When I break it down, though, my rationale is that the challenge will become intrinsic, even if it isn't from the start: The students want prizes, and anyone who fulfills the parameters will get one. My gambit is that they will also discover writing fluency and writing skills they never knew they had. Also, if they consider themselves writers, they will be much more open to writing instruction. The challenge isn't meant to change what I teach, it is designed to change those who I teach.
That's the theory, anyway, and it's always nice to have a little independent confirmation that I might be on the right track, so it was with gratitude that I read this post (for the May challenge) today:
O is for One Hundred Day Challenge
On February 28, 2014, the sixth grade Dolphin team started the 100 day writing challenge. Ms. S. said it will help us learn and write better. If you write 20 or more times per month you get a prize at the end of each month during the challenge. When I started this challenge I thought it would be boring. The first month of the challenge was easy. It was just writing a part of your life and sharing it. So when I wrote more than 20 days I thought, wait this is pretty easy after all-- writing is actually fun. Ms. S. is making me a good writer.
When that month ended, I got my prize, but the challenge for April was hard! "Poetry!" But when Ms. S. explained each type of poem, it turned out to be an easy challenge.
Thank you Ms. S. for making me a poet. You are a poet and you know it.
Lesson: The more you write the better you get!!!
When I break it down, though, my rationale is that the challenge will become intrinsic, even if it isn't from the start: The students want prizes, and anyone who fulfills the parameters will get one. My gambit is that they will also discover writing fluency and writing skills they never knew they had. Also, if they consider themselves writers, they will be much more open to writing instruction. The challenge isn't meant to change what I teach, it is designed to change those who I teach.
That's the theory, anyway, and it's always nice to have a little independent confirmation that I might be on the right track, so it was with gratitude that I read this post (for the May challenge) today:
O is for One Hundred Day Challenge
On February 28, 2014, the sixth grade Dolphin team started the 100 day writing challenge. Ms. S. said it will help us learn and write better. If you write 20 or more times per month you get a prize at the end of each month during the challenge. When I started this challenge I thought it would be boring. The first month of the challenge was easy. It was just writing a part of your life and sharing it. So when I wrote more than 20 days I thought, wait this is pretty easy after all-- writing is actually fun. Ms. S. is making me a good writer.
When that month ended, I got my prize, but the challenge for April was hard! "Poetry!" But when Ms. S. explained each type of poem, it turned out to be an easy challenge.
Thank you Ms. S. for making me a poet. You are a poet and you know it.
Lesson: The more you write the better you get!!!
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