Great job, everyone!! During this session we will look at Organization and Voice. Please read Chapters 3 and 4 and respond to the following.
Chapter 3 -- Organization
Look at the "Quick Ponits to remember..." on Page 71. This trait focuses on
introduction
transitions
sequencing
pacing
conclusion
We need to teach students how to do each of these. This chapter is full of activities and materials to use for each of them.
Share one activity you would use for two of the above mentioned steps.
Share a great lead or ending from a story you have read with your class that could be used to model leads and endings.
Here is the opening sentence from How to Steal a Dog --
"The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my best friend, Luanne Godfrey, found out I lived in a car."
After reading the 3 reasons why students struggle with organization (P. 71), share which one you think is the biggest reason for their struggle.
Chapter 4 -- Voice
What reason do you think is the biggest reason students struggle with voice?
This book suggests using literature to teach voice (P. 129). Suggest some pieces of literature you would use with your class to model voice. I love using picture books for any kind of modeling with writing.
I also think it's important to note on Page 128 the author discusses how important reading is to support writing instruction.
Share an activity you would use to help your student TAKE A RISK (P. 133).
Remember to comment with 2 other people.
Everything is due by 4/10. Remember the hand outs I sent you are filled with literature and activities you can use. I will let you know as soon as our shared file is available.
Have a great 2 weeks.
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Chapter 3 Activities:
ReplyDeleteIntroduction – Delete the beginning of a story from a picture book, but retain the remainder. Have students work in cooperative groups to create two different introductions? Compare/contrast the two intros.
Conclusion – Copy a story from a picture book and leave off the ending. Have students work in cooperative groups to compose two different endings to the story. Have all groups share their creative endings. Critique each other. Does the conclusion make sense? Does it hold true to the story? Was it expected or unexpected?
I just read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell and the writing had a great pacing and was extremely descriptive. Karana’s accounting of her struggle to survive is amazing. This is the lead from the book: “I remember the day the Aleut ship came to our island. At first it seemed like a small shell afloat on the sea. Then it grew larger and was a gull with golden wings. At last in the rising sun it became what it really was – a red ship with two red sails.” The use of a metaphor and the visual images are beautiful.
I think students struggle with organization for various reasons. Original and exciting introductions are very difficult for students to create. The transitions seem to be easy to accomplish, but the pacing is not always apparent. Conclusions generally tend to be boring.
Chapter 4 -- Voice
I think that students struggle with voice because they are still emerging writers and may not have found their voice yet. Students tend to mimic other writers in order to find a style that is comfortable for them. Students tend to write what they think you want to hear, rather than take risks as writers and reveal their true voice.
Take A Risk Activity : I just shared Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan with my higher-level reading group. They were fully immersed and attentive during the reading, laughing and making connections to their own pets. As an extension activity, I am having my students think of a pet that they’d like to become. They have to be aware of the pet’s behaviors and traits. Each student will write a poem describing a day in their life (as a pet). I explained that they have to come out of their comfort zone and really think who they will act and see the world as an animal.
Patricia Lynch said...
ReplyDeleteTo help students write introductions, I like the activity that had the teacher sharing a variety of professional writers' work. This gives students a chance to see how many ways there are to begin their own writing. And for sequencing, I thought that having to write the directions for making a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich with a reader actually following the directions was a wonderful way to get students to realize that their writing must be clear and properly sequenced. As for a few great leads, I think E.B. White's " 'Where's Papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.” is a classic for grabbing the reader’s attention. Even though I don’t read the book to them, I like to mention Melville’s “Call me Ishmael.” as another classic. It’s a wonderful example of the power of brevity. In these three little words Melville sets a tone and establishes a relationship immediately with the reader.
As to why I think writers struggle with organization, I agree with the statement that organization really is hard. Showcasing ideas is a skill that requires lots of attention and practice with appropriate feedback.
Regarding voice, I think students struggle because they are not risk takers and the activity “The Old Switcheroo” is a good activity to support students taking a risk with their writing. It requires the student to tell a story from another character’s point of view and to see if the voice changed as a result. Two pieces of literature that can be used to teach voice are Encounter by Jane Yolen and Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.
Cheryl,
I agree with your opinion regarding students having difficulty finding their voice because they are emerging writers. They develop voice as they take risks and receive positive feedback.
Liz,
I liked the lead from How to Steal a Dog.
Who is the author? Feels like the same voice as in Winn-Dixie, is it?
March 31, 2009 9:16 AM
Post a Comment
Pat:
ReplyDeleteI also like using picture books to model different writing styles. Students get ideas based upon patterns in writing, descriptive language and creativity of the various writers. The peanut butter and jelly is great for sequencing. I did a lesson on that and we were all hysterically laughing. The students understood that there was a sequence of steps to be used to create a sandwich and they had to be very specific in their steps.
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying this book! It gives such practical methods to use to teach so many important writing traits.Unfortunately, it's annual review time for me and I'm swamped with testing, writing IEP's etc etc, so I have not been able to try out too many strategies yet. But I am looking forward to trying them soon!
I liked the activity of 'Putting it in Order' for teaching Sequencing. Using a familiar story would really help my students to see how 'out of joint' it would be with the events all mixed up. I also liked the 'Mix it Up', but I think they would have more trouble with something that they were not as familiar with.
I also liked the activity of Outlining your story for teaching Pacing. What a neat idea to treat every event in the same monotone way in an outline! Having a car crash into your kitchen right after the comment about eating an ordinary bowl of cereal was terrific! It can certainly remind children that CLEARLY some incidents are more important than others!
One lead that I enjoy seeing used as a good introduction is from 'Because of Winn Dixie' by Kate DiCamillo. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the book here, but it goes something like, "My Mom sent me into town to buy milk and eggs, and I came home with a dog." (Of course it's much more exciting than that, but I hope you get the idea!!)
I also feel that Organization is 'just plain hard!' for kids. They are still emerging as writers just trying to come up with some clever vocabulary and ideas to keep the reader interested. Trying to organize it all is such a hard part of it! As much as I understand why the author does not care for the rigid organizations of 5 paragraph pieces, sometimes that's the only way a learning disabled student can learn to start writing. They need a format to follow to kind of 'fill in the blanks'. After they are comfortable with that, then I can see them trying to 'break out of the mold'. At the Windward School (for l.d. kids in White Plains), their whole writing curriculum across the subjects is based on a tight model. But this is the first time many of these students ever feels any success. Hopefully after initial success, they can then learn to 'spice up their writing' by learning some of these great traits.
Well... too bad I didn't read everything to see that I had until April 10th to finish this!! I was in panic mode thinking it was due Friday. Now I can try to track down "Because of Winn Dixie" and do the introduction justice!
ReplyDeleteThis was another great chapter. Teaching students how to write with voice is extremely difficult. In rare cases, it comes very naturally to a writer; but this is not the norm! I once had a second grader who truly wrote with voice- it was always such a pleasure to read her pieces!
One of my favorite series to use for voice is the Alexander books. I love to read 'Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Day' to my students. It is so easy to read in such a dreary voice to accompany the illustrator's sad drawings of Alexander! The students easily get a sense of how depressed Alexander is throughout the book- and it's all thanks to voice. Another series that's great for the younger students are the Junie B. Jones books. The character has many struggles in becoming a third grader and dealing with all the traumas faced in the grade! The voice is terrific.
I loved the 'shopping list' activity to invite children to 'take a risk'. I think my students would LOVE to create a shopping list like the example given. It would take away any threatening feelings, as it's simply "a grocery list"; but one they can embelish any way they would like.
Wow -- some great thoughts already!!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I love both of your activities for leads and endings. Having them work in groups is a great idea too. I agree that endings are difficult for young writers. I have had more success with leads than with endings. Maybe I spend more time on leads. Your book by P. Mc. sounds like a great read. Great ideas. Thanks for posting.
Pat, oh Charlotte's Web -- always a great book. I agree with your choice for that lead.
Barbara O'Connor is the author -- it's a great read. The switcharoo activity looks like it would be a lot of fun for students to try. Great ideas. Thanks for posting.
Debbie, sorry you rushed -- but at least it's done. I understand your point about structure for certain students. The great thing about this program is that you can pick and choose what works best for you. Also remember instruction is driven by performance. You would teach more of what your kids need most work in. You might use the assessment pieces just for yourself to see where they need the most help. They can still learn to format their writing into paragraphs, etc. Great ideas -- thanks for sharing.
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteSequencing: I like the idea of cutting text into pieces and having students reorder it. My students need modeling so being exposed to the writing of others would be beneficial. Different genres of writing can be discussed and compared. Grammar and sentence structure can also be reinforced.
Pacing: Outlining a story is a great idea. It gives the students a framework from which to work. It also helps them to stay on topic and develop it. An outline can serve as a tool to see if your story will make sense- are the ideas ordered correctly, are there any details that were forgotten.
I read a Jigsaw Jones book with one of my classes and the lead got the students immediately interested. "It all started when the little round thing-a-ma-whoosie feel off the whatsit on Bigs Maloney's chair."
I think that kids struggle with organization because it is so difficult. For many of my students, it is difficult for them to focus on so many aspects of writing at once. At times, they get so focused on vocabulary and sentence structure that the organization suffers. They also have difficulty elaborating on ideas so their writing tends to be too brief. There are so many aspects to organization and it takes a while for students to be able to accomplish this in their writing.
chapter 3 - Organization - To show the importance of a good introduction, I have used many picture books. I share numerous kinds of leads and we share why they are good leads. I sometimes begin reading the story not from the beginning, but a few pages into it. I then ask the children to write a beginning. We share and finally, I read what the author wrote. The class discusses which leads, including the author's, they liked best and what made it a good introduction. Writing the conclusion is often quite difficult for many students. Again, I use picture books to model lessons and read the story but I do NOT read the conclusion. I have the children try writing their own conclusions, share these, and then share the author's ending. We discuss which conclusions we like best and WHY!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite books is Charlotte's Web. It begins with "Where's Papa going with that ax?" ~ we discuss why this is a great lead. Then the children try out rewriting just the lead for a piece of writing.
The biggest reason students struggle with organization is that they look for an easy fit for formula writing. The process takes time and effort ~ there isn't a "one-size-fits-all way to organize. It takes time to effectively connect the ideas in a writing piece.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of making an outline first to sequence their writing. I usually have the children brainstorm ideas but never formally tried the outline approach. Elaboration has always been difficult for the children since they resist revisiting a piece of writing to add details and description. I often ask the children to change at least 3 words in a piece to make it more interesting. I have them do this in colored pencil so they can easily find their revisions and share them with the class
Debbie,
ReplyDeleteI also love Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. The children so easily relate to this story since we've all had days like this. Picture books are fabulous models of writing and it's easier for the children to be inspired to write after hearing a well-written story.
Lisa:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the sequencing of text.This is a skill that students must master and the cutting up of text is a great way to reinforce this skill. Outlining is equally important, especially in the content area. My students are constantly trying to better understand more difficult text and outlining is essential for a successful learner.
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of deleting the beginning of a story and having the students work in groups to write two different introductions. Beginning a piece of writing is often the most aspect to writing so this exercise is valuable.
chapter 4 - Voice
ReplyDeleteStudents find it easier to state the facts and it's harder to stop and think about feelings to make the piece "come alive". I do find that there are a few students adept at putting voice in their pieces and the children are able to pinpoint what made the writing interesting. The picture book The Pain and the Great One is wonderful for showing point of view. It's so easy to follow-up with a writing piece modeled after this book. Patricia Polacco picture books are fabulous ~ my favorite one is Thank You Mr. Faulker. There's characters thoughts and opinions throughout Mem Fox books too ~ Koala Lou is one picture book I read the first week of school. Chapter book are also filled with voice and as we read a book, either the children or I actively look for examples, point it out, and then try out a short paragraph incorporating voice. To take a risk, an activity the children enjoy, is to pretend they are a character from a story (fairy tales are great for this activity) and present the story from that character's point of view. Putting voice into every piece of writing is necessary to help make it something that we want to read or listen to.
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ReplyDeleteLisa, I like your choices of activities. Having kids resequence is a fun activity. I like it because it's easy to measure if they're getting it or not. Pacing is a difficult skill to teach -- I guess the best way is through modeling. I find it helps my students when I tell them "write a lot about a little". This might help with organization. Great thoughts -- thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMarsha -- I love your idea of not reading the beginning or ending and having the student write it. Going back and comparing it to the author's gives clarity to their learning. You're right about students wanting to rush through the organization -- it takes time and a lot of revision.
It's true some kids have voice and some don't. It's amazing sometimes how the students you wouldn't suspect have voice do. Last year I had a 2nd grader who was very impaired with decoding and encoding. You could barely read what she wrote. However, her pieces were filled with voice.
Great ideas -- thanks for sharing.
Chapter 4
ReplyDeleteI think students struggle with voice because it is not easy to express thoughts and feelings especially for second language learners who are emerging writers. Voice is not always directly taught, it is discussed but we might need to put more time and effort into teaching this trait. It does not come naturally to most students so more direct instruction would be appropriate.
I also think that Patricia Polocco books are great for teaching voice. The book Mrs. Katz and Tush is a great example. When you read it, you actually feel as if you are a part of the story and voice is clearly heard. There are parts of that book that make me feel choked up- that's a good example for students- it brings out strong emotions because voice is heard clearly in that book.
The "Act it Out" activity is good for my students. It can teach the students many vocabulary words that they didn't know. Acting out vocabulary is a great way to learn. Many of the voice descriptors are words that are unfamiliar to my students so this activity would expand their vocabulary as well as teach them about voice in their writing.
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteI like your take a risk activity of writing from an animal's point of view. I think it is important and helpful in teaching voice if students have to go outside of their comfort zone. Exploring how an animal might view something is a valuable exercise.
Chapter 3 Activities:
ReplyDeleteOne activity I would use for conclusion is read a picture book and delete the ending. Having students work in heterogeneous groups to create two endings to the story. They should be totally different endings from the original story.
An activity for introduction is I would read the original story and then have students change the setting of the story to create an entirely different and creative introduction.
A lead I like is from the book, The Quilt Makers Journey: “You may have once heard the story of a quiltmaker who lived in a wee house on the side of a mountain, her only neighbors the sun and moon and the stars. Each day she toiled away on the beautiful quilts that all said were the loveliest in the land.
I believe the biggest reason students struggle with organization is that once they brainstorm, they think that their piece is already organized. In reality, as revisions and edits are completed, the organizational piece must be revisited.
Chapter 4-Voice:
The biggest reason students struggle with voice is that they are emerging writers. They usually understand their audience, but they’re not always as clear with how they want their writing to sound. Voice is a component of writing that takes time to develop and, as they mature as writers, they usually find their voice.
Take a Risk Activity:
I would begin by sharing The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. We would have a discussion about the importance of special people in our lives. Students would then create a writing piece giving specific reasons why that person is so important to them.
Cheryl, I agree that organization is difficult for students. You mentioned conclusions being boring and I certainly agree. Many of my students ask for assistance when they reach the conclusion. They have difficulty tying everything together. laurie
ReplyDeleteMichelle - I love that book the Qult Maker's Journey. That lead is a great reflection. I recently read that to my class and they thoroghly enjoyed the book. We wrote a reflection in our writer's journal about that lead. I also agree that after brainstorming students think they are done. they do not realize that the process needs to continue. laurie
ReplyDeleteChapter 3
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using a very familiar story like The Three Pigs. Physically cutting the story apart and putting it out of order. Not only the words but the process of putting the pieces back together can really help the idea of sequencing events stick with a child--using a multisensory approach to what seem like a very logical process. Another activity that would be fun is to change the introduction to a story by changing the time--century, etc in which that the story takes place. Do the details make sense????
One of my favorite books is Wolf! by Becky Bloom. Here is the ending of the story..." And so they all had a picnic--the pig, the duck, the cow and the wolf. They lay in the tall grass and told stories all afternoon long. "We should all become storytellers," said teh cow sudedenly. "We could travel around the world," added the duck. "We can start tomorrow morning," said the pig. The wolf stretched in the grass. He was happy to have such wonderful friends.
I think students struggle with organization because it's really hard. It has a lot to do with maturity and the willingness to look at it as a process, Its unlike learning a vocabulary word that has a specific meaning. Organization is a sophisticated trait that many adult writers have difficulty with.
Chapter 4
ReplyDeleteI think one of the reasons that voice is a struggle for so many students is because we don't value individual styles unless they conform to an accepted norm...Whether or not we express that to our students, they realize early on that they need to fit in. I think a great way to teach voice is to have them write from the perspective of being an animal that they like. It's something they can relate to and
would probably be a relatively easy and fun exercise. Again, the book Wolf! is a story told from the wolf's point of view as he changes from an attacking animal looking for food to an "educated animal" wnating to impress his "reading group" of animal friends. A great risk activity for kids would be to put characters folded on a piece of paper and put in a hat. Each child can act out whichever character they draw. Its a great way to draw out language.
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteSequencing
I have used "Mix it Up" in my class before and found it to work when teaching sequencing. If forces kids to look for transition words, proper lead sentences, and conclusions. The kids like the challenge of putting the story "back together", and seeing if they are right. I have noticed my students examine the sequence of their own more thoroughly after practicing with other pieces.
Conclusion
Some of my students have a difficult time with the ending of their writing. They stop in awkward places, and often leave the reader guessing or asking questions. I like the "look to authors" list of examples. Using different model endings would work in my class. I have done this with leads in the past, but not conclusions. The more strategies you give children, the better writers they become.
Debbie-I loved the idea of using the shopping list to engage the students. It's a great way for them to open up without feeling embarassed or unsure of their work. I think anyone can expand on a grcoery item!!!
ReplyDeleteMichelle--I think changing the end of the story is a great idea. They can either write their own or use an existing story and "fill in the blanks". It's a fun way for them to be creative.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I like your activity using the Giving Tree. That is a great book. Your activity also keeps them very focused on a specific topic. Write a lot about a little. Great ideas -- thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLynn, I love how you shared an ending instead of a beginning. This would be a gret idea to generate great endings with students as well. I agree having children write from a perspective that they are comfortable with helps strengthen their voice. Great ideas -- thanks for sharing.
Mike, I too have provided a lot of examples of great leads -- but not so many endings. I agree that modeling with examples is a great way to share this strategy with young writers.Great ideas -- thanks for sharing.
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteOrganization: I think children struggle with this because the reading/writing connection is not there yet. Students start writing sometimes without a sense of purpose, focal point, lesson, “so what?” factor. This is because they have not read a lot of whatever genre they are starting to write about, so they don’t think about organization. I think they need and be exposed, exposed, exposed and study, study, study the genre (via mentor texts (models)) before they write. They need to “read like writers,” and use models to help them especially with organization. This trait needs to be explicitly taught by showing the children many different text structures so that they can pick which one works for them and try it out...
I also think it’s developmental like so many writing traits. Writing is a lot of decision making and it takes time...I feel sometimes students do not get enough practice making these decisions because they are spending so much time taking tests and the tests always ask for the same type of organization!!! We all need time to practice...especially writers. More and more of that practice time has been taken away by practicing instead for the ELA or Math or Science State tests!!! AHHH! Students need time to talk, process, share, think about what their pieces’ purpose is and how they want to organize it for maximum effectiveness.
Yes! I love helping students create catchy leads and effective conclusions! So important! I use tons of mentor texts and models...all different types that are effective. Some paint a picture, some list cool facts, some make the reader say “huh?” Whatever the “label” they are effective. I pass out these to cooperative groups and the children give the lead or conclusion a “name” and tell why it was effective. Then they choose one model/style and try it in their own writing! I also do what some others mentioned, using a boring lead/conclusion alongside a great version of the same lead. The students analyze both and discuss which one was more effective and why, and then they go back to their own writing and revise their leads and conclusions.
One of my favorite leads is from a biography about Wilma Rudolph. The Fastest Woman In The World. It does not sum up her life, instead it pulls you in, and thus you want to read on to find out more about this dynamic woman! Don't have my hands on the book now...but when I do...I'll share it...promise!
Chapter 4
I agree Cheryl, the students struggle with voice because they are just beginning to find their voice, and are scared to take a risk. I also agree Liz, they need to take risks, and know it’s okay to let their voice come through! I think they need to also be exposed to many different types of writers, and again “read like writers.” For example, when teaching memoir, I love how each memoirist we study has such a different voice! I too, like you Lisa, love using Patricia Polacco. She Is such a gifted writer. As you wrote, Lisa, ”she makes you get choked up she also makes you laugh and feel like you are living her experiences!" In My Rotten-Red-Headed Brother, you feel hatred for the brother because he is so mean to her! This is passion, this is meaning, this is voice. I also love to use Cynthia Rylant books (very different voice) and Ralph Fletcher, (again very different voice) especially excerpts from Fig Pudding. Once kids are once again explicitly taught what voice is and shown models they can try it out themselves! You can even take excerpts from different authors and then have the children label who the author is...both with famous authors and from the authors in your classroom. Students need opportunities to test out their voice, and this is a great way to foster a sense of that.
I loved the book’s ideas to help students foster a sense of voice in their writing. I have tried both “Act It Out” and I really love “The Old Switcheroo!” I have done this with The Three Little Pigs. Then we read The True Story of The Three Little Pigs (the wolf’s version) We compare and talk about point of view and voice. Then I have the students write about the same event as they saw it. We share and compare and discuss our viewpoints on the same vent to cultivate a sense of voice in their writing.
Chap 3:
ReplyDeleteFor transitions, I would use the chart on page 93 to take a more constructivist model and have the students explore transitions and how they are used. For pacing, I would use the outlining your story strategy to help students pick out details that are more important than others.
There are so many books with excellent leads, but one that I had around at home is from Bud, Not Buddy (Christopher Paul Curtis). "Here we go again. We were all standing in line waiting for breakfast when one of the caseworkers came in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news, either they'd found a foster home for somebody or somebody was about to get paddled. All the kids watched the woman as she moved along the line, her high-heeled shoes sounding like little firecrackers going off on the wooden floor. Shoot! She stopped at me and said, "Are you Buddy Caldwell?"
Out of the three reasons, I choose #3 as the biggest reason students struggle the most with organization. The book states that for every piece of writing, there is a structure that makes sense. For this reason, students don't know sometimes which structure they should use and may be overloaded with too many structures that they get confused as to when to use which structure.
As for voice, I struggle with #2 myself, because I was always told in school to never use "I" in my writing, and therefore thought that was the correct way to write. Thankfully, I have learned that that is not the way to create voice in writing. For my students though, I think #1 is the biggest reason why students struggle with voice. It is hard to define and not understood. They must figure voice out for themselves and therefore there is not clear cut "recipe" in how to create it. This is why I think it is hard to teach voice as well.
I love "Hey World, Here I Am" and "Alexander and the Terrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day" to teach voice. You can really hear the writer in these two pieces.
To get my students to take a risk, I loved the acting it out activity, where students pantomime actions that represent the voice descriptors on page 130. This is an excellent warm up activity. I also liked the "Old Switcheroo" where students rewrite a familiar story or fairy tale from another point of view, having them think how the story would sound different from another character. These could be turned into fractured fairy tales.
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteSequencing- After reading a chapter book have the students create 2 pictures along with 3 sentences for each picture for the beginning, middle and end of the story. It is a nice project because they get to create the story using pictures and it is not too much writing. However it is a challenge to narrow it down and have it flow in the proper sequence.
Conclusion- Choose a book that the conclusion is open ended. Have the students create (or re-create) the last chapter/conclusion. It is great to hear their stories and how they envision the story ending!
One of my all time favorite book is Charlotte Web and the leads is- “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
Organizing seems to be a challenging part of writing for many students. I encourage my students to use a planning page that has beginning, middle and end. This seems help.
Chapter 4
“Voice” is also a very challenging part of writing. I feel that this is last thing the students focus on when writing. They are so involved with all the aspects of writing and trying to master them. I encourage my students to use some emotion when writing, but it is extremely difficult for them. Many of my students are still “re-telling” their stories. I think as some of the writers emerge their voice will naturally come out.
I think fairy tales and picture books are a great tool to teach voice. I personally like Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco and When I was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant.
I would like to try the Historically BOLD activity. I think it is something the students can understand and enjoy. They can choose anyone and use “voice” to get their point across. It gives the students someplace to start. They can choose a person, event or something important to them and use all their “power within to write.
Marsha- I agree using fairytales is a great way to get them to use their voice. Having them pretend they are the character is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteLisa I agree that sometimes the students are so focused on vocabulary and sentence structure that the organization suffers. I have many students that are so worried about their spelling. I tell them over and over that they will focus on that when they edit their piece.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I agree with you that modeling is so important for all the aspects of writing -- especially organization. The pieces of literature this program suggests to use for each trait are very helpful. Having the students name the lead or ending is a great way to really get them thinking about it.Very interesting comments on voice too. I like how you identify the voice used by different authors and share that with the students. Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I have used that chart -- it is pretty helpful to the students. I gave them a handout and printed it as a poster also. I agree with you that students do not know what structure to use with a specific writing piece. I think it comes down to a lot of modeling, sharing and identifying types of writing. I always encourage them "read like writers" to notice what the author has done in a particular piece of writing. Voice is very difficult -- but when a piece has voice it's very obvious. Again, lots of modeling. Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteStacey, I like your idea of having them recreate a new ending focusing on strong endings. You picked 2 great authors to model voice with. I like to tell the kids to "show not tell" when they write. This sometimes perks up their voice. Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.
This is scary- I deleted my response a second time. I think I am going to post this part in sections since this is a bad omen-
ReplyDeleteCHAPTER 4: VOICE
I love teaching voice since it's the most exciting part of writing. Some of my sixth graders do have a fine voice, which comes with them from day 1 of school while others seem to grow as the year develops. I tend to agree with Amy that this is a process that needs time to develop but teachers are given less freedom due to the testing schedule. While 6th grade has more freedom, youngsters coming to us in recent years have had less and less experience in this area taking risks since they write ELA type short responses and constructed responses, etc. This isn't going to lead to passionate writing. Too many of my students hate writing or try to avoid it. Those who love it write pages; others don't have anything to write. It takes a lot of the year to show them great writing is writing what you really care about and not an assignment. I think 6th graders are old enough to find their voice but feel younger ones probably start out with a strong voice until we kill it with too much structured teaching. That's why I'm finding the traits helpful. It gives concrete mini-lessons so writers can really experiment with their true selves.
Books I use that offer voice are:
Khalsa's The Gambling Grandma, which offers me a chance to use an accent. Each page is a separate anecdote accompanied by amazing illustrations that offer additional voice. It's great for teaching organization, too, since it's a memoir that chronicles the author's grandmother's journey to this country and her life here. It's funny and the class is glued to every word- and they quickly hear her voice. I also use a Christopher Paul Curtis novel, The Watson's Go to Birmingham- 1963 since, like Laura, I have 6th graders who focus on the humorous but strong characters. I love The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson since each of her characters is uniquely different and speaks in a strong but separate voice. While I love many of the picture books mentioned, one that I have always cherished is George and Martha by James Marshall. Their funny antics and unique voices show two friends with very different points of view and tone. Sometimes, my classes write their own George and Martha stories.
I have always felt there is a strong connection between reading and writing but ironically, I find my students to be enormous readers (even more so in recent years), but the writing isn't always as mature or sophisticated. I attribute this to their not being as focused or motivated to write since it's hard work, requiring solid rereading, revising, conferencing, time and effort. So, even the best writers need to really stretch themselves and they don't always want to take the time. They need to do more than just use the time allotted in school. Each of them grows so much during the year, but too often they come back and tell me they never get to write as much as they did in 6th grade- I think the demands on their time prevents many from getting to that higher level.
The activity I love is Historically BOLD, which works in well with my social studies program. What appeals to me is it allows writers to use a perspective, which helps them write more forcefully. In this case, it's clever to apply for a job. I would also use Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne and the suggested activities in the handout (p.59)Since I find their reading insights mature and sophisticated, they can write from one of these points of view. Then they may be more ready and willing to risk using their own strong voice.
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI also thought Historically BOLD would be a great activity. Trying to use one's own voice is an easier transition after writing from the point of view of someone else who students have read about. I find my readers to be very capable of writing literature responses or writing off of literature more easily since they can put themselves into someone else's shoes easily with lots of great details. Then this can be the model to develop their own writing with a strong voice.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that you remember being told not to use "I" in your writing when I am constantly suggesting writers change their "you" to I and keep it as personal as possible. I also think we should try to give more opportunity for opinions in their social studies reflections. Did you also get a sense that we could have done some interesting mini-lessons to improve those persuasive letters had we read this book earlier. I could kick myself to having lost that opportunity!
I think by offering a rubric for voice, we can encourage students to include more voice since they have the descriptors and understand what the expectations are for better writing. Isn't funny how that's the reason I have often been stuck scoring their work- the voice needed to be there for a "5"!!! I like the idea of only looking for one trait in the writing. We can do so much more and offer so much more feedback to them with this strategy.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if my reflections have been posted properly. Could you give me a heads up if you haven't seen them?
Nancy, your post is fine. Thank you.
ReplyDeletei love the cutting apart the stories for sequencing and the leaving out the ending or the beginning. For sequencing I have created the "recipe style" but before beginning the lesson I have the students generate the pattern of the story. For example with one of my groups we started off with listing all the words they couuld use to sequence the story without using " and then, Next". Conclusions was another step that I have down a round robin with and let the students try out orally the ending even if they were tangential and then tried to have the students "fix the story to the ending" This then ties back to the sequencing part. i love the ending to the story "The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau." It is a simple statement" and returned to his painting" but inorder to understand it's importance you have to read the book. I think reason #3 is why they stuggle.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 I am not ssure why the studnets have so much difficulty with the voice aspect. I think that they may not have the self confidencey,maturit or even the open opportuntiy to experiment because of their academic constraints in previous years. I love the book "MORe Parts" and it ties so well into the starter list on page 130. Taking a risk for my studnets this year would involve the act it out technique.
I look forward to reading the books suggested such as Wolf and The Great Gilly Hopkins mentioned.