This sample lesson shows a typical "page" of our online workshop for teachers. In the actual online class, each page is part of a progression, building on earlier lessons and linking to new concepts and ideas. The layout of each page is like this one: your lesson topic and number are at the top, with your actual lesson subject below in large green type. Important points are in italics. Extension activities for specific grades are noted in bold type. Assignments are in green at the end of each lesson.
This lesson comes from VOICES "Writing FunShop" workbook. If you're interested in learning more about the workbook, please click here.
The following activities work particularly well with large
groups of children, but they can be
effective with one child and one adult, too.
Group writing activities offer children a concentrated
experience in both oral and written
literacy skills. They allow children to learn a
variety of writing strategies, to develop creative
and critical thinking skills, and to practice working together.
Each of the following lessons can be expanded in a
number of ways. While they can be used
as self-contained 30-45 minute sessions, they can be
expanded into more useful week-long
explorations.
This is a great follow-up after you've read or acted out a folk tale or animal story.
To start: Ask your students, "If you were an imaginary (or real) creature, what creature would you be? What creature might you have a conflict with?"
Next, ask them to draw three pictures of a story about their conflict with their "enemy". Tell them to draw one picture from the beginning of the story, one from the middle, and one from the end.
As they finish, pair them off. This works well because those who take a longer time to finish will be paired with others who take a while to finish. Those who work quickly won't be left sitting around, waiting for everyone else to complete their drawings.
Direct the children to take turns telling their story to their partner. Encourage the students to question each other about the story. Let them decide what questions are important to ask -- different people will focus on different things. You can help them hone their inquiry skills by modeling the process of questioning. Useful questions help children elaborate on description, dialogue, narrative, and thoughts and emotions. Useful questions might include:
Through repetition of questions like these, students will learn to concentrate on these areas when they write. Though most writers don't consciously ask themselves a series of questions when they write, they do realize the need to address a variety of concerns. When you model the questioning process, you help your students develop the writer's intuitive awareness of the different areas of writing. And you do it without lecturing them, or asking them to follow a rigid formula.
When the two children in each partner pair have listened to each other's stories, have them present their stories to the class. You can do this in one of two ways:
Having the listening partner tell the story has certain advantages -- as long as the child who composed the story can add in whatever his partner left out! When the listening partner tells the story, you're encouraging and rewarding the development of listening skills. Also, the writer gets an early experience of audience, and an understanding that people who hear and read stories don't always respond the way the writer intended.
3-5 Extension: Students in each pair might, after hearing their partner's story, retell it from another character's point of view. Ask them to think about how the story might change if told from another point of view. Would this other character notice the same or different events in the narrative? Would the same tastes, sounds, and smells be important? Would the ending of the story change? How might another character interpret events differently? Is there a version of the story that's "right"? Older children might be interested in discussing how point of view affects nonfiction as well as fiction, allowing you to use this activity to introduce or expand on topics from your science or history curriculum.
Your assignment: Try this activity, then report your experiences to (THE ONLINE MESSAGE BOARD?) What worked, what didn't, how did it work, how might you change, adapt or develop this activity?
Moving on: A link to another activity would appear here.
If you are leaving the workshop here, and wish to come back at
another time, please write down and use this URL to return to this page the next time you
log on:
http://xxxl/xxx/xxxxx