Slowing Down Time in Writing
"Our students often struggle with writing stories because they don't know how to control time. They often don't know the best place to begin a story to get to the most important event.." (Dorfman and Cappelli,2017). In this chapter of the Mentor Texts, they talk about ways to helps students focus on time when writing and how to not lose stamina by omitting important evidence or details. A very crucial part of writing is the beginning. The beginning of your writing is what captivates readers and engages them into your writing. The beginning of a story is also what creates a mood through the description of the setting.
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Dorfman and Cappelli also talk how to introduce your characters through settings. This helps creates a visualization with the readers.
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Choosing the right lead
As talked about in the text, there are many different strategies to create a good beginning for your writing! (123). Here are a few great examples..
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Foreshadowing
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Snapshot setting
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Simile
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Question
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Action
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Dialogue
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Creepy statement
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Quote
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Taking the reader into the past
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Your Turn Lesson: Showing not Telling
This is an example of a lesson you could use to have students build content in their stories through showing rather than telling!
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ec0DJBYw69-WYlcjRH3BPt2HWBgdjyEbaK6aqa2RrHs/edit
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Six Word Memoir
In the article, Every Word is on Trial by Jane M. Saunders and Emily E Smith, they discuss different ways they choose to introduce the six word memoir as an activity in their classrooms. They talk about six key steps to introduce and instruct the memoir. For example, they first talk about the importance of mentor texts and explanations of a six word memoir. They then begin to discuss the importance of word choice in a memoir. There is a limited use of word choice in a six word memoir so, it is important to omit extraneous or unnecessary words. Step three talks about ways to help students engage in the writing process of creating their memoir. In step four, they discuss how to find images and connecting the writing to art. Smith tries to enhance students' technological abilities while creating their memoirs. Therefor, both steps five and six of their steps to create a six word memoir as an activity within their class requires students to first, superimpose words onto their photographs, and then publish!
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My example of a six word memoir!
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“in terms of defining who they were as individuals”
(Emily E Smith, 2014).
My Favorite Reading's This Week From AKR!
162-163
Resources!
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Dorfman, Lynne R, and Rose Cappelli. Mentor Texts Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6. 2nd ed., Strenhouse Publishers, 2017.
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Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal. 2016.
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