SNL+in+the+Middle

SNL (Stephanie 'n' Lindsay) in the Middle

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Inquiry topic exploration:

__**Environment flexibility-engagement**__ How does the structure of an environment impact the quality of writing/reading?

How does the structure of an environment impact the motivation of writing/reading?

Evaluate the importance of a reading/writing “space” or routine.

[|Author finds writing space "invaluable"]

What kinds of things might students need in a reading/writing “space” or routine? Examples: music, sit on floor, food/drink? []

[|Music that increases productivity]

[|Author interview]

Survey how students think best. What environment are they most engaged in/relaxed in?

How does the environment foster a love for reading/writing? []

__**Independence in the classroom**__ Strategies that keep students on task, while allowing flexibility (checklist, multiple projects at once)

Accountability that is effective and the different forms it would take (peer-to-peer conferencing or discussions, final piece assessments) []

Stephanie comments: I had students who required very different environments to write effectively this past year. I had one student who insisted on sitting at my conference table, making it his permanent seat, away from other students and complete with a comfortable rolling chair. Another student could not function with music on, even classical. It was such a distraction for him, while some students would beg me to put the music on and would drill out pages of inspirational words. I even had some students who would fight over who was going to go in the hallway to write because there they were free from the distractions of anyone else in the room. There were those who preferred a clipboard and an area on the floor to lay and write.

In addition, I know a writing space and environment is important to me. I need my coffee in hand, my ear buds in, and the John Mayer pandora radio playing softly. I prefer a place where I am in a crowd but feel perfectly alone, like a Starbucks or McDonald's (in D.C. I would write at a cafe in Union Station or even write the Metro to the end of the line while writing). I need this environment to really feel free.

Knowing this about myself, I would like to make my classroom friendly to an environment that fosters students to be comfortable to write. I'd like to research if this kind of flexible environment is effective and how it is implemented in other classrooms.

Also, there is the obstacle of making sure that this flexible environment keeps students accountable and on task. Can we really trust 6th graders to be independent in their writing/reading? To avoid distractions, use their time wisely, and work hard?

Virginia Woolf wrote an entire book on both the literal and representational need to have a "room of one's own" to create writing. Just a book I might pick up to pull from.

Assignment before next meeting: Develop possible survey questions to upload to text website to assess people's preferred writing spaces.

Some Questions:

Where do you do your best writing?

Do you prefer music when reading/writing?

If you prefer music when reading/writing, why kind of music do you prefer (genre or specific group)?

Are there any beverages or snacks that you like to have when reading/writing?

Do you have a writing space?

If you do have a writing space, what are 3 key things in your writing space that you need to concentrate or get your creativity moving?

Do you frequently use to-do lists, checklists, or planners? Does the ability to talk to a peer improve the quality of your writing?

How or where do you like to sit and write or read?

What motivates you to write?

Author of the Most Improper Magick Series

Every time I look away from my laptop screen, I'm reminded of all the household (or business) chores that I've left undone, all the burning issues that I desperately need to handle...just as soon as I can finish my scene. Here's how I focus, anyway: 2. **Music**: I keep a playlist on iTunes for each writing project. I never listen to those playlists except when I'm writing. That means that from the moment I put on my headphones and hear the first song, I'm already in the mood and headspace for that project (especially since each song on the playlist has been picked for its resonance with at least one of my characters.) No matter how much clutter might be stacked around me, how many chores might be begging to be done, once my soundspace is full of inspiration, I can focus on my laptop screen and be swept away to 1803 England (or anywhere else in time and space).

3. **Bribery**: My favorite kind of tea is Earl Grey. My favorite kind of chocolate is dark and gourmet. Guess how I start every writing session? With a cup of hot tea and four squares of delicious dark chocolate. It's a perfect bribe to start writing, and it's also become a ritual - and every ritual helps!

Alan Gratz Author of Brooklyn Nine

My favorite thing about my office is the big bulletin board I made out of insulation board from a home improvement store. My wife covered it in IKEA fabric, and now I have a big, beautiful board on which to plot out stories. That one's the new Star Trek young adult novel I'm writing right now.



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Stephen King
“There are certain things I do if I sit down to write,” he said. “I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning,” he explained. “I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon. “It’s not any different than a bedtime routine,” he continued. “Do you go to bed a different way every night? Is there a certain side you sleep on? I mean I brush my teeth, I wash my hands. Why would anybody wash their hands before they go to bed? I don’t know. And the pillows are supposed to be pointed a certain way. The open side of the pillowcase is supposed to be pointed in toward the other side of the bed. I don’t know why.”

Things to consider in your classroom for writing spaces:
 * Space
 * Food and drink policies
 * resources
 * comfortable seating options
 * Ipod policies
 * Music vs. No music preferences
 * A place to post ideas
 * Access to research

Possible solutions:
 * Privacy dividers to limit distractions
 * Take a survey of who works better with music and who does not. Provide earplugs or headphones to offset differences.
 * Allow certain foods and drinks in the classroom.
 * Have a computer, even possibly your own, available for students to conduct research on topics they are writing about.
 * Provide floor pillows, bing bag chairs, and clipboards to help with those who prefer not to write at a desk.
 * Encourage students to bring things from home to make them more comfortable, like blankets, their journal, a special pen, a photograph or quote taped to their binder.
 * Have model texts easily accessible for students to look at for ideas about style and voice.