“Why Boy Writers ?”

1. “Why Boy Writers?” • 2008-2009 Class: • Boys: 57% Proficient on CSAP in Writing in 4th grade • Girls: 90% Proficient on CSAP in Writing in 4th grade

2. After looking into it… • Increasing Problem: Boy Writers Across All Grade Levels, Across all School Districts Not Performing “…In all industrialized countries, including the United States, our girls significantly outperform our boys in reading, writing, and language arts. In the United States, the Department of Education reports the gap to be one-and-a-half years; a first-semester freshman girl reads and writes as well as a second-semester sophomore boy” Gurian, M. & Stevens, K. (2005).

3. Did you Know… • Boys get the majority of the D’s and F’s in most schools – in some, as high as 70%. • Boys make up 80% of our discipline problems. • Of the children diagnosed with learning disabilities, 80% are boys. • Of children diagnosed with behavioral disorders, 80% are boys. • Over 80% of schoolchildren on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys. As of 2004, the number of boys on Ritalin approached five million. (The United States consumes 80% of the world’s supply of Ritalin). • Of high school dropouts, 80% are males. • Young men now make up less than 44% of the college population. • According to the U.S. Department of Education, our sons are an average to a year to a year-and-a-half in reading and writing skills. • Gurian, M. & Stevens, K. (2005).

4. Why do they hate writing? • “I’m not that confedent that I can do good at riting.” • “Writing is boring. Not exciting at all. When I write in my writers notebook, I sometimes just write nonsense to get to the end of the one page we’re sposed to write.” • “I feel like I’m not creative. I like reading, but I don’t know how people write like they do. I don’t want to write if I can’t write as well as the authors I like.”

5. In a nutshell…My assumptions based on Gurian/Fletcher… • Boys need to be mentored. We can’t just ask them to “write”. • Boys imitate their elders; not so good for writing! • Boys feel the need to practice before they can produce. • Boys learn by doing.

6. Strategies to Increase Interest and Performance • Boy Writers Club • Read Aloud from Male Authors • Giving a purpose and audience • Writing about the “gross” things • Sharing writing and complementing. • MODELING (from me and published authors as well) • Lights, Camera, ACTION!!!

7. Boy Writers Club • Meet over lunch once every two weeks • Look over favorite books, study author crafts, and share own writing. • Movie Night: “The Sandlot” – talk about main character being a writer • Role Models: Have dads, uncles, brothers, and grandpas come in and explain how they used writing in the workplace.

8. Male Authors “There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for treasure” – Mark Twain • Gary Paulsen (Survival) • Jack Gantos (Comedy) • Roland Smith (Adventure) • Wilson Rawls (Animal) • Mike Lupica (Sports)

9. Purpose and Audience “For the boys, every assigned piece can be a nightmare because it is never good enough. The road is too long so they give up before they even start.” - Fourth grade literacy teacher, as quoted in Ralph Fletcher’s Boy Writers. • Fact: most 10 year old boys don’t see a purpose in writing. • Fact: When given the end result & reason for writing, boys feel more motivated. • Purposes we use: • To entertain (comics, funny stories, memoir of embarrassing moment) • To inform (research papers we shared with our buddies and published in a class newspaper) • To persuade (wrote persuasive essays on topics of choice (sent in to newspapers, several companies, and even family members)

10. Writing About Gross Things • Comedy = A “Hit”! • Silly stories competition • Lightning Bolt and Thunder... Feigning being grossed out…having to be forced to write what they said on the board

11. Sharing Writing/Complimenting • Respect = Man’s Endeavor (Eggerichs, 2004). • Share time in Writing is a chance to earn the respect and admiration of peers • Writer’s Chair • “No” to the compliment sandwich, “Yes to Compliments only (at least for awhile)

12. MODELING • DON’T JUST WRITE! Boys desire to be instructed rather than just perform. • Show/give choice of planning and outlines • Write a rough draft yourself – especially on tough prompts • Show them what it means to add crafts to your writing • Show them what editing and revising look like • Show them what a finished product should look like • TAKE RISKS – They’ll appreciate you sticking your neck out, like they’re expected to do! • Assignment: favorite part of a book, then model writing.

13. Lights, Camera, ACTION! • Put the boys in charge • (remind of appropriateness) • They get choice • Read aloud • Direct • Be one of many actors • Be all of the actors

14. CONCLUSIONS • Provide a Purpose. • Be a mentor and model your own writing! • Provide Male Writing Role Models. • Give opportunities for Boys to be hands-on with their writing. • Collect, Analyze, and Apply Data to constantly improve your teaching!

15. Resources • Eggerichs, E., Ph.D. (2004). Love & Respect. Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers. • Fletcher, Ralph. (2006). Boy writers: Reclaiming their voices. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke Publishers Limited. • Gurian, M. & Stevens, K. (2005). The minds of boys: Saving our sons from falling behind in school and life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Gurian, M. & Stevens, K. (2004, November). With boys and girls in mind. Educational Leadership, 62 (3), 21-26. • Neu, T. & Weinfeld, R. (2007). Helping boys succeed in school. Waco, TX: Prufrock Publishing. • Rundell, S. (2001). Research on boys’ performance & how it can be improved. Retrieved September 8, 2008 from http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/boysact.html