Writing in Role

In Action strategies for Deepening Comprehension, Wilhelm gives feedback from teachers and students. One letter, written by Steven, was so interesting. Steven stated in his letter to Mr. Wilhelm, his teacher, "I liked how you said a couple of times that you will be my tenth-grade English teacher forever, and that's why you were so serious about it" (p.152). I love that concept. That we as teachers will forever be remembered by our students and, therefore, we have this one opportunity to make a positive difference. Being an educator in a student's life is a big deal and should be taken seriously. We can make a life long difference or cause some damage to a student's love of learning. This was indeed true for me in my 6th grade language arts class. My teacher, Mr. B, took his job so seriously and, in turn, changed my life forever. Through his care for me as a student and expertise in teaching, guided me to become a middle school teacher myself.

As we transfer the kinesthetic aspect of enactments into the writing process, a series of correspondence activities are given. They are defined as, "any kind of composing that is undertaken in a role. [They] are powerful because they provide the student writer with a persona, a purpose, meaningful information, a situation, and an audience - all of which help him or her compose."

As a child in my own home, I was taught to write letters of correspondence at a very young age. I wrote letters of apology when I messed up (daily or weekly), and letters of thanks for every gift I received. Letter writing is very common in a student's every day life even with the new technologies available on the Internet. Written communication is a natural activity and can be used to greatly motivate students to write after reading, especially when doing from a perspective other than their own.