Mrs. Rule Field experience/ Grammar and Writing workshop

The second time I came to Mrs.Rule's classroom they were having a grammar and writing workshop. She told me that they go over grammar once a week and that they all have their own book that they have to work on for homework. She had them underline certain verbs, circle nouns, and fix any punctuation that was wrong in the text. She was not afraid to tell the kids that they need to raise their hands if they have not answered something yet. I do not know if I agree with this method of making everyone speak. Although, it would guarantee class participation, I do not know if I would feel comfortable making every kid answer even if they do not want to. Many times in classes where I knew I was going to have to answer something, I usually got more nervous; especially if I was not confident with the information. She also corrected them when they were wrong with their answer. Even though it is very important to tell the kids if they are wrong, I think she should have said "you are close" or "not quite" instead of shutting them down completely. As a student, I know how it feels to be wrong and become embarrassed in front of the class. Although, this is something that is very little to address, it is very important, especially to the students. At the end of the lesson she asked them a little bit about what they were going to be learning about next week to know how much she would actually have to teach the class. Many of the kids new what abstract nouns and the different points of view. This made me very proud.
During the writing workshop, the girls were working on their research papers. Each were given an author to write about and explain their childhood, accomplishments. and anything interesting about them that they had learned. She said she had them work at their own pace and let them turn anything in when they are ready because each student writes differently. She first had them complete 40 notecards and checked them. After that, they then completed a rough draft that she went through and checked all their grammar. The more grammar mistakes they made, the more points she took off. She explained to me the importance of checking their papers at every step because they still do not know how to write a paper on their own. Although, I understood that in 8th grade I could not write a paper like I can today, I think she should have given then more credit. Overall, I thought it was very clever to let them work at their own pace because it also builds independence. I though roughly enjoyed being in a classroom of all girls and was very interested in who they were writing about.