I asked my kids to pay attention this week. I asked them to observe the tone their teachers take and set while conducting the learning experiences in their classrooms, further asking my students to note their own responses to the different approaches. Of course, this includes their experiences in my classroom and the tone I set. I told them it’s not about singling out or calling out any teachers; it’s about noting their responsiveness to the various approaches they encounter during their day.

Why? I want them to be better writers, communicators. I am trying to make a case for the importance of audience awareness, and its impact on how we write. Writers, like teachers, set the tone. And that tone invariably impacts the response of the reader and, in the classroom, the learner. Approach determines response. Intuitively, they know this, and experientially they have come to know it better. To this point, I suggest to my kids they know how to approach their parents as well as they know how not to approach their parents when they want something. They get that, but in my experiences with young writers such knowledge does not always transfer to their writing. I want that transfer. I want them to consider not only the “what” and “why” of their writing but also the “who” of their writing. That, I believe completes the formula for “how.” To that end, I offered this yesterday.

What + Why + Who = How We Write

This is how I want my writers to approach writing. I want them to come to understand it’s not just about putting pen to paper to complete a transaction. It’s about putting the pieces together to create a connection, to make meaning with the reader, not for the reader. Readers make their own meaning. My hope as you are reading this is that you are not thinking about what I am saying but rather what you are thinking, which I hope has already found its way into your own writing experiences, a path to your own understanding, the truth of your own response.

So, today, we write. The kids have to revise one of their written requests from last week (to a friend, parent, teacher/coach, principal). But this time they have to take their writing beyond the what and why; they have to consider who and how that will impact their readers’ responses, as they use rhetorical appeals and convey tone, all parts to the puzzle of effective communication.

Of course, I want this lesson to go beyond writing. I want it to be a part of their living, now and later. I want them to understand that life does not occur in a vacuum. I want them to understand the push and pull, the give and take, the cause and effect. I want them to understand that approaches are consequential. And so, as they write their requests, as they observe their teachers, I want them to be aware of their own approaches to better understand the world’s responses. And, then, I want them to use it, to own it, to grow from it.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns

…revising our writing to demonstrate audience awareness.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…discussing Why with Sy.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.