Memo 1

The primary source I will be using for my I-Search paper will be the book, Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. In this book, there are a few different points where he talks about his experiences with teacher modeling, but the heart of the information on it comes from chapter three “Beyond the Grecian Urn: The Teacher as a Writing Model.” In this chapter, Gallagher not only talks about modeling writing, but also the importance of modeling revision.

To start off, Gallagher explains that in many things in life, carpentry, waitressing, and acting,  learning and working directly with a master is extremely beneficial, so why not the same be said with writing? He explains that he started off thinking presenting a finished product as a model was the way to teach but realized that showing students that perfection without the steps to get there just freezes them up. So he writes alongside his students and takes them through every step of writing from start to revision.

Gallagher explains that showcasing how to handle the doubts and anxieties of writing in front of students easing them into writing their own work. They can learn the craft along with learning that they are allowed to make mistakes in writing. Gallagher pushes that students need to be broken out of their fears because they hold them back from starting and writing freely. Besides modeling, he also allows his students to create low stakes first drafts and tells them he will not be grading everything they write. This freedom allows students to write unpolished work because according to him, “Students need coaches more than they need critics” (Gallagher 53).

Besides physically writing before his students, Gallagher will talk out writing and urges his students to do the same, possibly using a voice recorder to record their words and then transcribing them. He also provides many graphic organizers during the brainstorming process.

Gallagher also models the revision process to his students along the way. He uses his own first draft as a model to show students the STAR method. STAR stands for Substitute, Take things out, Add, and Rearrange. He goes through his piece and writes where he could do these four things and how. He also works through places where he could strengthen sentences and diction.

Most importantly, Gallagher works with his students “Towards deep revision after they gain confidence” (Gallagher 67). He asks students where they can expand on a single idea in his piece and how he can do so. To train students in creating more precise, less vague content, he will read a vague piece he has written and ask students to ask questions about the piece that they are unclear of such as “How long ago was this?” and “What did you say?”

Overall, this piece was chalked full of information on the ways and benefits of teacher modeling and is a strong primary source for my paper.