Boys Writers

[gisela daniel]

I was looking for a book to read when I came across the book Boy Writers Reclaiming Their Voices by Ralph Fletcher. This book caught my attention because during the class presentations no one mentioned there were differences between the way boys and girls learn how to write.

In his book Fletcher talks about how girls perform better and are more involved in the writing process than boys. He also researched standardize writing test scores in various school districts and found out that in fact girls do better than boys. He attributes this unbalance to the way we teach and the way our classrooms are design. He stated that while girls can learn by listening to a lecture and enjoy sharing their feelings through writing, boys are a totally different story. Boys need to get their hands dirty; they need to experience something before they can write about it. Boys like to write about guns, war, blood, movies, video games, adventures, and violence in general and most teachers don’t allow it. Most teachers feel uncomfortable with such themes, especially after the Columbine High School tragedy. Teachers might think the boys need help, instead of seeing it as a developmental stage.
Teachers need to learn that boys should write about things outside the classroom and include those in the list of writing topics. Boys would feel more comfortable if they had the freedom to choose their topic instead of writing to a prompt. While girls write for the teacher, boys write for their peer which explains why they like to use humor in their writing. Some teachers see that humor as lack of interest and effort in their work. Boys like to read funny stories, so they write funny stories; they also like to use illustrations as part of their writing, they like to draw verbs. Girls, however, prefer to draw nouns.
Boys need immediate feedback and hope the reader likes the writing the way it is so they can move on to more important and active activities. The conferences held with boys need to be very private and they need to celebrate more than the girls.
In conclusion Fletcher encourages teachers to include the boy’s feelings, styles, and needs during writer’s workshop and try to have a better understanding of their needs. After all the writing process is not a one size fits all process.

What differences have you notice between the girls’ and the boys’ writing in your classroom?
How can you make your writing workshop periods more appealing to you boys without neglecting the girls?

[Mary Lynn]

Hi Gisela,
I agree with Fletcher's book. In my experience, boys can write differently during writers workshop. They do use more humor, because many want to make their friends laugh. They tend to write more about wars, aliens, battles between their characters, etc. I try to let them stay original, but still write to the guidelines of the assignment, unless it is a freewriting activity. I try to balance activities between genres. We do a fractured fairy tale, and boys and girls design their own plot, but have to have a setting, characters, problem, solution, and plot.
I do not encourage drawings with a lot of blood or violence. I don't think it's appropriate.
I agree that girls are more prone to write for the teacher, but not always. I think it's important to support the kids' creativity, but in third grade, they need support and structure to learn writing skills. Their creativity can be encouraged while at the same time, they need to know there are expectations.

[Marcell Boyer]

Hi Gisela,

Wow, Ralph Fletcher's research reflects exactly what I have seen in my classrooms. Along with writing more humor and violence, I also find boys prefer to work together on stories. They like to form small groups all participating in one way or another. Those who struggle with the writing get assigned drawing tasks. I try to find a balance in allowing group work like this and independent work. I wish I could say the group work produced more quality writing but I haven't seen that. I find there are a plethora of characters and action but no plot or story line. I also find myself coaching the boys with questions such as, "where did this character come from? How did he get in the story?" When they work together, they spend a lot of time talking out their stories. Because they have talked it out, they know what is going on but they don't get it translated to the paper. I do allow my boys to write their violence (again trying to keep a balance between free writing and prompted writing) but have a limit when it moves from fictionalized to more realisitic scenarios which I have had happen on occasion.

I have noted that some of my more reluctant male students are most enthusiastic during writier's workshop because they know they will be given a chance to share their writing. This becomes their 3 minutes of glory for the day, while they wow their classmates with their "cleverness" and humor. I find girls to be a little more indifferent to the sharing. They would be just as happy sharing with their neighbor as the whole class. They are not usually looking for that same group attention that many of the boys seem to seek.

Hope you're having a great summer,
Marcell

[Catherine Guild]

Hi Gisela,

Sounds like a great book. I have definitely noticed this in my classroom but never given it much thought. The boys really do like to write about sports, a fight with a sibling or parent, or a violent dream, movie or video game -- all very action oriented. I have also had second language students who would illustrate some pretty violent scenes to go along with their writing to better express what they wanted to say. It was diffucult to let them express the violence but they are surrounded by it on TV and in the games they play, so I did give them leeway as long as it wasn't too extreme. As I think back to when I taught fifth grade and the writing test, it was the boys who really struggled with the assigned topic - some even had little meltdowns or even cried because of the stress of being boxed in and having to respond to a specific prompt in such a high stakes environment. I definitely think giving students choice in their writing accommodates the needs and preferences of both boys and girls.

Cathy

[Jetta Lovett]

Hi Gisela,

I too have had the same experiences with my male writers. They want to write what they "live" or "hope to live." They have such wonderful humor that I had to turn a blind eye to the content, until it got really bad. I agree that the boys should be allowed to write about sports and such but they also need to write to the prompts. How can we prepare them for the writing test if we don't? Student choice plays a big part in the male buy in, but how much is too much?
Jetta Lovett

[Amy Webber]

The differences between boy and girl writing, besides the penmanship...I agree with what you wrote about boys. They want to write about guns, blood, and fighting, but I teach second grade and do not allow it. During the writing process, I have noticed that second grade boys are black and white. They are very creative in their ideas, but write what only what the assignment asks for, no extra details. Girls seem to add shades of gray and go beyond what the assignment requires.

To make writing more appealing to boys, the social studies/science block is going to coincide with the writing block. Boys love science, so I hope that tying science into writing will engage the boys better. I will teach the students a few multigenre pieces before and during a new science or social studies unit. Assign writing that includes the material being learned while letting the students have the freedom to pick a specific topic and any genre they like. For example, write a friendly letter to your parents about the battles of the Civic War (boys love fighting) or a top ten list of interesting facts about rainforest animals (boys love bizaare animals).

See you soon!

[Wendy Ritter]

Hello Gisela,

Your book peaked my interest because the majority of students with whom I work are boys. After reading your summary, I thought about my 5th and 6th grade students. Last year, my boys wrote some very funny stories which had a bit of violence, but lots of humor. Interestingly, the topic of the "evil monkey" found its way into several of my students' stories. My students wanted to add to or write another chapter of the "evil monkey". Thinking back, I realized the girls preferred to write about personal topics with much less violence. They wrote about their families, friends or silly events. Either way, my students were writing.
As long as my students are writing, I am pretty open to the topics they choose. When I conference with each student, I can discuss which parts of the story may need to be rewritten for appropriateness if needed. I was able to get more writing from my students when they were able to choose their own topics. Making writer's workshop more appealing to boys may begin with the freedom to choose their own topics. I have also found that providing time for the boys to talk and act out their story, helps them to brainstorm ideas and consequently write more with better details. The girls, on the other hand, can generate ideas with just conversations about their topic. As you mentioned, the writing process is not a one size fits all process, so we must take the time to accommodate for all our students.
I am glad you shared this book. I will keep my eyes open for these differences between boys and girls as I teach writing this year. This is one book I will definitely read.

See you on the 11th,
Wendy

[Stacey Saulsgiver]

Wow thank you for the thought provoking entry. I was not aware of the vast difference between the boys and girls through writing. Before this class I never heard of Ralph Fletcher, now I so want to read him. The last several years my best writers have been boys. The boys are more often willing to write on a variety of topics while the girls write about their friends, hearts and flowers most often. Thank you for the tips in your summary and I am definitely going to find the book!!