And we’re off……!
Thank you for joining us on this adventure! I hope that during this book study you either 1. nod your head in agreement, thinking “I do that!” or 2. Say, “I had no idea”, or even say, 3. “I think I’ll try that!” Or you might say….no way, I can’t do that!! But, I tell you this lady, Katie Wood Ray, has written a few books about teaching writing to the littlest ones, and I think she’s figured it out! So, if you haven’t stepped outside of your comfort zone for writing….now is your chance! (I can tell you already, that I’ve already thought 2 of those things!)
So, if you haven’t already checked in with Deedee…click below on her button for the chapter summaries:
I’ve always been a firm believer that children can (and should) start writing on the VERY FIRST DAY of Kindergarten. Stop the presses. I know that you’re thinking that Jimmy can’t even hold a pencil, and Susie colors on her face, and Johnny is EATING the crayons. It’s okay….take a deep breath, and remember…..they are FIVE.
Writing to a 5 year old is DRAWING. They express their words through their sweet, adorable drawings!
Remember these two things….
1. Most children love to draw. Give them the tools and they’ll figure out what to do.
2. Many children have drawn pictures before they have come to school. It might look like scribbles, or it might be a drawing that you can decipher, but many have prior knowledge about drawing.
Think you are ready? Let’s start with the guiding questions from the bookmark.
How might you explain to students that illustrating is
composing?
As I mentioned above, writing to a 5 year old is their drawings. When you take the time to listen, they know what each of the parts of their drawing is all about…
“This is my spaceship and we are going to go inside of it”
If I hadn’t taken the time to ask what this story was about, I would have been VERY confused. I see people, maybe a sun, and some circles. But this little guy had a story to tell, and he did it through his illustrations.
Using picture books as models helps our littlest writers understand that what they are doing is right! And we know that they want to please us. Kids have so much to say, and being able to say it on paper empowers them. “…being able to represent meaning in illustrations makes so much more possible for beginning writers” (p. 10)
Here is another “Katie-ism” that I starred:
“Children understand that when they make books, they’re not drawing instead of writing, and they haven’t been asked to make picture books because they don’t yet know how to write. They’ve been asked to draw pictures to make meaning – along with words – because that’s what makers of picture books do.”
What do we do EVERY DAY in school? Read picture books. It’s what kids know and what kids love. Many of us start off school with texts that have high interest illustrations and few words on each page, right? Those little kiddles can’t sit for long…
So, think about
Even if we just looked at the pictures in these books instead of reading the words, could we find meaning? Yep. Your students can do the same.
Another Katie-ism:
“But to get at the really deep work, teachers must look at children’s illustrating not as an afterthought or simply the means to another, more important end. To get at the really deep composition work, teachers must understand illustrating in this way – as composition” (p. 17)
How might your attitude towards writing affect your
students’ willingness to write?
Everything in Kindergarten is so NEW. Don’t you just love how a new box of crayons look, the shiny pink erasers on the pencils, and a basket of markers with lids all clicked on tight.
Just like lining up in a line to go to lunch is new, so is the idea of Writer’s Workshop. If we go in saying, “here’s a piece of paper and a pencil, get started….” cries of “teacher, teacher” will soon follow.
If we approach writer’s workshop as something new and exciting, a chance for children to tell their stories, a chance where they can draw whatever they want….if our enthusiasm and excitement is TRULY there (they can sniff out a faker a mile away!)…our children will be excited too!
I think this book:
goes GREAT with Ray’s book. Horn and Giacobbe remind us that many children have not had the opportunity to listen to or even tell their own stories. I know it’s sad, but we all know it’s true. Inviting children to first tell their stories orally builds the excitement of getting it down on paper. “They are valued for themselves, for using the words they have to say what they know” (Horn & Giacobbe, p. 15).
Allowing them to make the connections between their oral stories and the stories that our favorite author’s tell, helps them to understand that they can be writer’s too. Their stories are important and they are valued.
How might you help students build stamina in their writing?
How do we get kids to work for 30-45 minutes every day? We Take………………..it……………………….slow.
Let’s be honest, at the beginning of the year, it’s best to not expect much, right? Ten minutes max. We want kids to be EXCITED about writing every day, if we let them write for too long because they’re quiet and working…(I know a little bit of quiet at the beginning of the year is so NEEDED), then there is nothing to WANT. Just like your favorite TV series….they kind of leave you hanging, right? We want our kids to come back to school wanting MORE! I stop when they’re all engaged and really working hard….when groans and sighs of “Can we write a little longer….” are heard. The children will still be excited to write the next day, and we can sloooowly increase the time as their stamina builds.
You can also think of in terms of those Couch to 5K running programs. I’m on about week 4. I run 5 minutes at a time now, while on day 1, I only ran for 1 minute. Could I have run for 5 minutes on day 1? Probably, but I probably would not be wanting to run the next day!
As I was reading, I tried to think of some books that I have at home that have amazing illustrations. Three that are my VERY favorites are by Kevin Henkes:
I love the emotion and expression in these illustrations. (This is my favorite book!!)
I love how the colors change with each season.
And, really how can you start a study of illustrations without meeting the beloved little guy dressed in blue. My friend, Harold:
If you haven’t picked up your copy of In Pictures and In Words, get it now! You’ll be able to catch up. It is a quick read, I promise you’ll love it!
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