European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 12, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                N i in school i am in school i can not play in school dont bother am working now Anthony Grade 1 Crail sheim elementary school continued from Page 13 aptitude test a test Many colleges use As an Entrance Standard had been falling for 14 in a group of educators in san Francisco tried to find out Why and what could be done about they concluded that part of the problem Lay in the Way writing was so they developed a program to teach teachers How to teach the program came to be known As the Bay area writ ing in the department of defense dependents schools picked up on the writing since Aboul Dodds teachers have taken Dodds writing Nicholas is the project director for this gives teachers the Chance to share and also to find out what has actually worked in the she she Calls the project a teacher Nicholas said the main Point taught in the project workshops is that writing should go on All the eve the major premise is that writing is a process that continues to she but we have to have a reason to that she is to be people write to give information and to get we have to make sure were not writing in a workshop classes include discussions on How to publish a students publishing could be As simple As display ing the writing on a bulletin Board or As sophisticated As having works published in an annual anthology of Dodds but More goes on in the workshops than discussions about the which Range in length from one to 30 Are taught by Dodds teachers who attend three week project Dodds has about 40 teachers qualified to teach writing project teachers who attend the workshops spend a lot of the time sharing ideas about what has worked in their the project Doest say there is one and Only one Way to teach Nicholas the teachers share ideas and find out from one another what has actually but its not a she Beverly Batson attended one of the 30hour workshops Given recently in she agreed with Nicholas that idea sharing was an important part of the workshops produce a tremendous amount of ideas a lot of new approaches to the old concept of she Batson teaches seventh Grade at Patch american High it also reaffirmed for me that much of what in doing in the classroom has been she and that something we dont nor Mally another principle of the project is that writing can and should be taught in More than just English Nicholas used science As an science teaches people to be she then students can take those observations and get them then edit them and rewrite under the projects writing can be a part of physical education math Sci ence and social science classes kind of in the teachers play with ideas such As finding the writing topics hidden in a fruit a writer with imagination could describe write a Reci brakes and wheels Lewis Grade 11 Ramstein High school project puts Bio orphic bulges la Grade 9 Augsburg High school be for it or write a How to for making workshop instructors teach that writing is a four stage process rewrite is mental writing is getting words on rewriting and editing is fixing what youve and publishing is the under that grammar Doest be come important until the third stage editing and Nicholas explained the we All need to understand the standards of our she but learning grammar alone does not teach you to write or to writing is crystallized thinking its its focused and it has grammar can but grammar alone is not what makes us Good whether the workshops have helped reduce the students struggle with writing is difficult to Nicholas believes the test of the Success of the project is in its f Bay area techniques have been taught in the United states for 15 Nicholas said Many teachers who come to Dodds from the states have taken Bay area classes before in Dodds has sponsored 10 of the 30hour project workshops since 1980 and numerous Shorter but All the workshops in the world wont help a student unless teachers believe in what Treyve Sheri the Reading improvement specialist at Kaiserslautern elementary is writing her doctoral Disser tation on curriculum changes and her study of Bay area project techniques shows that the project produces a lot of enthusiasm in i was trying to see the level of Impact writing projects Thomas i studied two Reading workshops and the Bay area under Bay people really tried to get kids writing and gel kids involved when they returned to the Thomas believes theres been an increase in the Quality of writing instruction and commitment to teaching writ ing As a result of the in really glad its she for you to reach up to the sky at night and swing across the sky that one thing i dream to do before the Day i if i could buy those stars i see and tie a they would be my gift to you and you deserve them with face and eyes As kind As yours and the Joy you bring to with Little talks that help me my Friend youll always at times its hard to say such words to a person in her sight but the words i wish to say to you Are in the sky at Oia Grade 7 Pir Masens Junior High school students in print one of the principles of the Dodds writing project is that students must be Able to see the results of their writ ing the Best thing for encouraging student writing is having a forum to have their work said Janie one of about 40 Dodds teachers who conduct writing project ensuring that work is read or As its called in project workshops can be done any number of some teachers bind student work in classroom made others rely on bulletin boards or Oral readings to give students a Chance to share what Treyve but Dodds has a More sophisticated Way to publish the artistic work produced in the six years ago Dodds teachers began compiling stories and illustrations from students and teachers from throughout the system to be published in anthologies each Betty the language arts coordinator for Dodd Germany and director of the Dodds writing said the anthologies serve As More than the Media through which students Are there used As supplementary she teachers can use the writing or illustrations As sometimes the teacher will take a Model and lets write a piece like but most its a Celebration of the Chil Drens creative Nicholas the books have changed through the some times one anthology included work from All sometimes separate books were devoted to work from older and younger for a the Northern and Southern Dodds regions made their own last year Dodds published two books which included writings and illustrations from students in kindergarten through 6th and which included the upper grades and Dodds Nicholas said the school system received More than submissions for the two books last each submission is reviewed by panels of teachers or of the about can be printed in the Sheri the editor in chief of said the editorial boards try to include items from each school that makes a the kids get real excited about she Dodds funds the printing of about copies of sketches and about copies of copies go to every English class in the and to every student who has something printed in the submissions to sketches and Sparks Are made through school English and Art the an Nual deadline for the books is Early the books Are usually Back from the printers in september or two Geisha Richard Grade 12 Heidelberg High school children shouting May the winds of education Cool them off and forever More make them Robert Grade 6 Amberg elementary school untitled sorry that i did not do my Homework i Felt like i didst have to do any Homework next time i probably will do my Homework when i get to be 59 years old Heshimu Grade 4 Lan Stuhl elementary school i try i wish i could express myself in some fitting Way the feelings just build up inside but i find them hard to you ask me Why i stumble and find it hard to but when i try to breathe a i shake and my Knees grow to write this is much easier that is How it seems so when you read my writing remember these Are my my fears and my Brenda Grade 11 Baum older High school Page 14 the stars and stripes june the stars and stripes Page 15