Friday, January 31, 2014

Freewriting

Freewriting, like journaling, is an excellent way to spritz some WD-40 on stiff writing fingers and loosen the rust. Peter Elbow, writer and writing teacher, explains freewriting this way:
Freewriting teaches you to write without thinking about writing.  We can usually speak without thinking about speech–without thinking about how to form words in the mouth and pronounce them and the rules of syntax we unconsciously obey–and as a result we can give undivided attention to what we say.  Not so writing.  Or at least most people are considerably distracted from their meaning by considerations of spelling, grammar, rules, errors.  Most people experience an awkward and sometimes paralyzing translating process in writing: “Let’s see, how shall I say this.”  Freewriting helps you learn to just say it. Regular freewriting helps make the writing process transparent (Writing with Power, 15).
It’s very simple.  Simply set aside some time–five or ten minutes is a good starting length–and begin writing.  Don’t stop writing for the entire time.  If you come to the end of a sentence and can’t think of the next one, write what you’re thinking even if it’s “I’m stuck” or “I can’t think of anything else to say.”  A new thought will soon come to you.  As Elbow says, you don’t have to worry about paragraphs or punctuation (although I wouldn't recommend sloppiness for the sake of sloppiness).  They are not your primary concern; content is.
When my girls were young, one of my mantras was, “It’s the process, not the product,” a subtitle from an art book I saw at the library. This helped me survive many messy projects which the girls loved, and it kept me from feeling guilty when I needed to throw away some of their thousand finger paintings or drawings.  It is the same with freewriting.  You may not end up with any masterpieces, and maybe the entire collection will eventually be tossed, but this simple exercise may  also free you to experiment with language, refine your thinking, and find your voice.  It may even hold the seeds of a strong essay or poem or story.

Try it. See what you think. Then explain it to your children, grab some paper, set the timer, and begin freewriting together. See what they think!

Remember, hands off the conventions (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.). If you see a repeated error that puts you on the verge of seizures, make note of it somewhere else and teach the skill apart from the freewrite. We really don't want the fear of mistakes to get in the way of free writing.

How to Get Started
One easy way to begin is to give students a composition book. Entitle the first several pages "Topic Pool" (or something more creative but similar). As interesting ideas emerge, add them to the list for those days when the writing well is dry. A simple glance at the pages may fill it up again. These archives are a good place to start.

On the subsequent pages of the composition book, students can write the date and a simple title--before or after the writing is completed.

Other Ideas
Some students may want to keep track of word counts to see if they are able to increase their output.
Freewriting at least a couple of times a week will help students develop a strong habit.
Some students may prefer typing their freewrites.  That's fine, except that it's more tempting to self-edit. The goal is to keep thoughts flowing, silencing the inner critic that wants to jam the process. 

Journaling


Journaling is a non-threatening way to get students to write because they can write about a topic of interest without worrying about the technical aspects. Cindy at Love2Learn2Day has a new product: Journaling with Top 10 Lists. Here you will find prompts to prime the writer's pump, and spaces to brainstorm topics and write journal entries.

Check out the link and see what you think! And, in case you're wondering, I get nothing for sending you there. : )

Thursday, January 30, 2014

On Suffering


Maybe it's odd, but I like to read theological books on suffering. Since we have to face it every which way we turn, in every shape and size, I figure that learning about it helps me navigate it with better focus, remembering that it's more than aggravating or intimidating or excruciating; it's a tool God uses to shape and refine me, helping me to trust Jesus who knows suffering--and sympathizes with me in mine (Hebrews 4:15). He's taking the "bad" and using it for good (Roman 8:28).

Lately I've been listening to a sermon series on Job, Job: The Gospel of Suffering, preached by Tullian Tchividjian. (Great name, huh?) The messages are meaty and encouraging; I highly recommend them.

Here's an excerpt from the sixth one (of eleven) in Tchividjian's series:

If the foundation of your happiness is your things--in other words, if you go through life concluding that the thing that makes me who I am is this position, the things that make me matter are these relationships or having this name or this money; if your things, your ambitions, your dreams, your material well-being, your relationships, your position, your possessions, if your things is what you are basing your happiness on--then suffering will be pulling you away from the uttermost foundation of your happiness because that is what suffering is. It's taking away something that's important to you...But if, like Job, your joy is anchored in God, then suffering drives you deeper into your source of joy and happiness. See the difference? If you build your life on things, suffering takes you away from the source of your joy, but if you build your life on God, suffering drives you deeper into your source of joy.

Mercifully, even when we build our lives on things that won't last, God uses suffering to show us our shifty foundation, and we are given the invitation to move from it, to Him, where we always find rest, security, hope, and joy, no matter the circumstances.

free clip art

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Circular Stories


Who: Elementary-aged writers

What: Write a circular story, using Laura Numeroff's If You Give... books as a model.

How:

1. Read several If You Give... books. Since they all follow the same pattern of cause and effect, beginning and ending in the same place, it won't take long to get a feel for the structure of these books.

2. Brainstorm possible characters and adventures. Students can use an Interactive Circle Plot Diagram to plan the story or a simple sheet like this one. The planning phase is very important.

3. Chances are, the story won't work out perfectly during the planning stage, so revision will be essential for reworking the details.  Perfect. It's during revision that writing begins to flourish, so let the revision happen in earnest.

Student Example

If You Take a Cheetah to the Mall

If you take a cheetah to the mall, he'll want to buy some foamy shampoo. When you give him the shampoo, he'll want to take a shower. When he is finished, he'll dry himself off with a big towel. Then he'll roll himself up in the towel and walk around and bump into things. When he bumps into the walls and corners, he'll get cuts and bruises. Then he'll notice his fur is getting smelly and dirty. And, chances are, if his fur gets smelly and dirty, he'll want to go back to the mall and get some more shampoo.

4. If you want to tie grammar into this assignment, teach your students AAAWWUBBIS clauses. See this post for more information.

5. Make the finished story into an illustrated book.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Woe Is I, Jr., Lessons: Chapter 11


I have written lessons to accompany Woe Is I, Jr., a grammar handbook for kids. You can read my introductory comments here.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10


1. Read chapter 11 and do what O'Conner suggests.

2. Browse this site which lists clichés in alphabetical order.

3. Be a PCI (Private Cliché Investigator), looking and listening for them in print and conversation. Make a page of at least five clichés you see and/or hear, illustrating each one.

4. Write an advertisement for a product, real or imagined, using clichés until you're blue in the face. (Oh, there's one!)

5. Please consider sharing your advertisement or your best clichés in the comments.

Go to Lesson 12.

free clip art

Monday, January 20, 2014

Woe Is I, Jr. Lessons: Chapter 10


I have written lessons to accompany Woe Is I, Jr., a grammar handbook for kids. You can read my introductory comments here.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

1.   Read chapter 10.

2.   Write a news story about a current, historical, or imaginary event. Incorporate the punctuation marks highlighted by you and your teacher on the Punctuation Checklist.

3.   If you need to be convinced of the importance of punctuation marks, read Lynn Truss’s picture books Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Twenty-Odd Ducks, and The Girl’s Like Spaghetti.

4.   Watch this video for fun.

5.   Practice punctuating with commas by completing the interactive exercises or handouts for commas at www.chompchomp.com.


6. Please consider sharing your news story in the comments.

Go to Lesson 11.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

free clip art

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Monday, January 13, 2014

Woe Is I, Jr. Lessons: Chapter 9


I have written lessons to accompany Woe Is I, Jr., a grammar handbook for kids. You can read my introductory comments here.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

1.   Read chapter 9.

2.   Choose a handful of words that you tend to misuse. Use each one in a sentence. Then explain how you can remember proper usage in the future.

3.   Choose a category (i.e. animals, food, desserts, etc. ). Write a list of nouns, beginning with every letter of the alphabet (i.e. aardvark, bear, cat…) on Nouns from A to Z. Add the correct article (a or an) in front of each one. If you don’t want to think through the alphabet again, you can use your list from chapter 3: You’re Mighty Possessive (column 1 or 2). You’re welcome. : )

Go to Lesson 10.

Note: This post contains an affiliate link.

free clip art

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Finding Patterns in Punctuation

Grammar in context is explained beautifully in this teacher's reflections on a punctuation lesson. She includes a handout, so you can use the idea with your students, too!

free clip art

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Writing in Threes


Who: Students in elementary or middle school

What: Writing three paragraphs (or longer, if you choose) about related topics

How: For this assignment, tell your students to think in 3’s:  3 friends, 3 presidents, 3 favorite Bible passages, Father/Son/Holy Spirit, 3 characters in a favorite book, 3 favorite books, 3 favorite holidays, 3 inventions of Benjamin Franklin, 3 types of rocks…..  Whatever interests your children—fiction or non-fiction—can be the subject of this assignment.  They may even want to incorporate whatever they’re currently studying.

This would be a good follow-up assignment to Important Things, giving students additional practice with paragraph writing. Teach (or remind them) about the basic structure of a paragraph (topic sentence, supporting sentences, clincher sentence). Encourage them to focus their content, omitting anything from their paragraph which doesn't support the topic sentence.

Of course, it is not necessary to lock kids into a format. If they already have a "feel" for a paragraph--or if you simply want them to have the freedom to write without restraint--allow them to experiment and be creative. You can always address glaring issues when they revise and edit.

The final copy can be as simple as three paragraphs on a page or as creative as a filmstrip book, which you can find at the portfolder tutorial.

A Sample from Three Different Restaurants:

Applebees
One of my favorite restaurants is Applebees. Their chicken fingers and fries are scrumptious. The kids' meals are hot. I like their activity books with tic-tac-toe and word searches. I like their drinks like lemonade, unsweetened iced tea, which Daddy drinks with a pit pat of sugar, and soda.  Sometimes it is quiet. I don't like when people smoke and drink beer at the bar. Applebees is a very delicious restaurant.

A Sample from Three Different Friends:

Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn, a helpful, kind friend, goes to the same church as I do. She is 8 years old, and she has red hair which usually has a headband in it. She rushes so quickly I think she could outrun her dog whose name is Casey. I enjoy playing tag and Jr. Monopoly with her on Tuesday nights.

Which "3" did your student choose? Feel free to leave a sample paragraph in the comments.

free clip art

Monday, January 6, 2014

Woe Is I, Jr. Lessons: Chapter 8


I have written lessons to accompany Woe Is I, Jr., a grammar handbook for kids. You can read my introductory comments here.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7


1.   Read chapter 8.

2.   Go on a hunt for capitalized words in magazines, newspapers, junk mail, anything in which you can leave gaping holes. Cut out the words and categorize them on A Capital Idea. If they are a unit, like a book title or an address, leave them as a unit.

3.   Write a diary entry as though you are your favorite cartoon or comic book character. Use words from each category, either ones you make up or ones that are on your chart.

4. Share your diary entry in the comments!

Go to Lesson 9.

Note: This post contains an affiliate link.

free clip art
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...