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McCormick contends, that children today do not play, explore or have the sense of adventure that past generations of children have had. So much time is spent in front of television and video games that children come to school with little experiences to write about.

McCormick has wonderful ideas for creating a classroom of writers. Her classroom is not a sterile environment that is separate from childrens' lives, but an extension of their lives. She wants to create a connection with her students as quickly as possible, and help the students feel connected with each other. The sooner this happens the sooner students will be free to express themselves and share their thoughts with classmates.

Some of her ideas follow:

1. Children are asked to bring photo albums from home.

2. Children tell about their family members at lunch potluck.

3. Share a favorite book

4. Student survey and bar graph topics of concern.

5. Use parents as partners in learning

a. invite them to a book binding party with wine and cheese

b. Let them help create a list of mentors or experts for use in the class.

c. Ask them to write a short informational paper on their child's interests, special talents, skills, etc.

6. Students are encouraged to bring collections to display.

7. Teacher interviews each student to get to know them and their interests.

8. Read provocative literature to the class, sad stories that evoke emotion, and share similar experiences. " A Taste of Blackberries" by Doris Smith, "Roll of Thunder",

"Here my Cry" are three examples.

McCormick feels writing teachers can not only improve children's writings but also their lives. She believes she can awaken them to their existence by having them focus on their surroundings, and events in their lives, and then recording them in a notebook. Notebooks go everywhere with the child and recording becomes a continual process. Entries do not have to be finished products, but can be read through periodically to find the seed for a writing project. Notebooks can also be shared when the whole group is looking for something specific such as colorful words or a moment to remember. Given time to reflect on the journals often leads to revision.

McCormick has found that research papers are successful when students write about topics they know and care about. She does whole class topics, where she can take advantage of discussion groups, and joint researching.

McCormick conferences with only a couple of students each day. She has found that long, relaxed ones are much more effective than chasing around the class trying to talk to each child each day about their writing. Evaluation is difficult in a writing class but McCormick has had students write goals at the beginning of the class and keep a record of their own progress.

The atmosphere that McCormick creates in her classroom had a big impact on me. As teachers, we usually try to keep personal items from coming to school, especially inthe upper grades, but I think this sharing of interests is a great way to create a sense of community in the classroom. The use of notebooks is a technique other teachers could use. What a neat way to get kids writing.