Practice is over.
2 Snacks have been consumed.
All Z’s homework is done; well, not all of it...
Z sits down to write.
K: Where are the assignment sheets the teacher gave you?
Z retrieves the papers.
K: Oh, the teacher made a nice graphic organizer to help you get started, but why is it blank? (OK, he filled in one line.)
Z: I didn’t know what I wanted to write about then so I didn’t write anything. (He shrugs.)
It would probably change anyway.
K looks at Z as if he is an alien. Z does not notice. His actions make perfectly good sense to him. He sits down to write. He writes a little and talks to K about changes he is making to the draft.
He writes more.
He stops to take a phone call. The caller wants to know who Sam likes (Sam is a pseudonym for a seventh grader at Z’s school).
K gives Z more alien looks.
He gets off the phone and starts to write again.
K: Who does Sam like?
Z: (Smiling.) I don’t know.
K: Um huh. (They talk about who Z likes.)
Z gets back to work.
He reads what he has written aloud. He gets up and jumps on the exercise bike. He pedals and tells K what’s going to happen next in the story.
He must like her reactions (She laughs and asks questions.) because he jumps off the bike and writes some more.
This bike on, talk, and bike off action goes on throughout the 45 minute writing period.
Perhaps this is a part of his writing process?
K just observes, happy she didn’t have to threaten him in order to get him to write.
2 Snacks have been consumed.
All Z’s homework is done; well, not all of it...
Z sits down to write.
K: Where are the assignment sheets the teacher gave you?
Z retrieves the papers.
K: Oh, the teacher made a nice graphic organizer to help you get started, but why is it blank? (OK, he filled in one line.)
Z: I didn’t know what I wanted to write about then so I didn’t write anything. (He shrugs.)
It would probably change anyway.
K looks at Z as if he is an alien. Z does not notice. His actions make perfectly good sense to him. He sits down to write. He writes a little and talks to K about changes he is making to the draft.
He writes more.
He stops to take a phone call. The caller wants to know who Sam likes (Sam is a pseudonym for a seventh grader at Z’s school).
K gives Z more alien looks.
He gets off the phone and starts to write again.
K: Who does Sam like?
Z: (Smiling.) I don’t know.
K: Um huh. (They talk about who Z likes.)
Z gets back to work.
He reads what he has written aloud. He gets up and jumps on the exercise bike. He pedals and tells K what’s going to happen next in the story.
He must like her reactions (She laughs and asks questions.) because he jumps off the bike and writes some more.
This bike on, talk, and bike off action goes on throughout the 45 minute writing period.
Perhaps this is a part of his writing process?
K just observes, happy she didn’t have to threaten him in order to get him to write.
