Week 3 readings

I had a hard time relating to the Tompkins chapter.  It was focused at younger grades.  They were talking about helping the students with writing by actually holding the pencil with them and guiding them.  With reading they discussed word walls and labeling objects in the classroom.  I am in a fourth grade classroom and those things seem so weird to me because my students can read and write pretty well.  There was one thing in that chapter I liked and related to.  They said one good thing to have in the classroom are signs.  My CT has signs everywhere.  And they are signs that she makes with the class.  They make them to help them remember things as the are writing.  Some of these signs include good transition words, words to use after a quotation such as stated or yelled or exclaimed.  I think these signs help students remember good writing practices and it helps makes those practices habits while writing.