Context/Problem

I teach in the Spanish immersion program and have two classes I am responsible for teaching writing to. I decided to send home a permission slip with both classes to be on the safe side. Along with that I made a check list so I can be sure to flag students who will not be able to participate. In both classes I have noticed they have trouble writing independently. When I am teaching whole group students can tell me what is needed for example: punctuation, capital letters, etc. but when it is time for them to write on their own they struggle transferring their knowledge without my guidance. I am hoping interactive writing will help make writing instruction more meaningful.

I chose to concentrate on my homeroom class. The reason behind this is because I have a little extra time in my schedule to squeeze in some interactive writing. My morning class is jammed pack with small group literacy and individualized instruction. In my homeroom class there are 21 students. Of those students there are 8 African American, 6 White, and 7 Hispanic students. Parents are very involved with the students in both of my immersion classrooms.

PROBLEM: I want to motivate my students as they write individually. Once students go to their seats it's like they forget how to write and have no desire to do their best. I want them to take pride in their writing and try their best. I plan to use interactive writing to show students the various things they can write about as well as the conventions of writing. I hope to put it all together in fun lessons that engage students to learn about writing. Once students are invovled on the carpet, I want them to take what they learned and put it into their independent writing.