This week has been crazy! I think I caught a bug from somewhere. I think it is interesting that during my student teaching experience kids were out sick all the time and I never once got sick, but now I am not in the classroom and I am not feeling well. Luckily, I have gotten to spend some time on the couch and read some amazing books (Brown Girl Dreaming, Mentor Texts 2nd edition, and Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal).
I have enjoyed reading about writers using a magnifying glass to write detailed filled narratives that you can really picture in your mind.
Below you will find a "Your Turn Lesson" about using illustrations in mentor texts to add detail.
Your Turn Lesson: Using Illustrations to Add Details
Created by Megan Laws
Inspired by Your Turn Lesson 2 Using Illustrations from Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, K-6 (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, p. 102 & 103)
Hook: Return to Shortcut by Donald Crews. Reread the book and ask students to compare the specific details of the illustrations to that of the text.
Purpose: Writers, sometimes authors do not add details in the words of their stories they add them in the illustrations but we sometimes we cannot have illustrations so it's important to add all the details in the text so that readers can picture the story in their head.
Brainstorm: Focus on pages 15 through __. Ask students how they think the characters feel, what the characters may be saying, what sounds the characters hear (think about the time of day and location). Give students a few moments to think to themselves and then have them share with a partner. Listen as partners discuss these questions then have student share with the whole group. As responses are shared, record them on chart paper or on whiteboard. Encourage students to be as detailed as possible. Student responses might include:
They felt scared.
They whimpered in fear.
They had goosebumps on their arms.
The tall grass tickled their ankles.
They looked down but couldn’t see their feet in the tall grass and briers.
Their eyes were squinted close.
Continue charting responses to the other illustrations found on those pages describing how the character felt and what they might be doing/hearing.
Model: Use the responses from the brainstorming to show how you can expand on one sentence of the text. Write this on the chart paper or on the whiteboard.
We jumped of the tracks onto the steep slopes. We didn’t think about the briers or the snakes.
We whimpered and squinted our eyes shut in fear as we heard the KLAKITY KLAK KLAKITY KLAK zoooooooom by us. We stood as still as statues so they sharp briers would not cut our ankles. Goosebumps covered our arms and stayed long after the train had passed.
Shared/Guided Writing: In whole group, use the charted responses from one of the other pictures to draft a short paragraph. Students could work in pairs to do this and then share whole group. The teacher should talk to pairs as they work, highlighting good work.
Independent Writing: Ask students to find another page or another text where the details are in the illustrations instead of the text. Invite them to pick a page or two and extend the text to brainstorm what they see, how the characters feel, etc. Then invite them to extend the text using their brainstorming. It would be best if the teacher had a collection of books for students to choose from (especially in younger grades). Another way to gain independent practice would be to peer conference with their own work to see where they could add more detail.
Reflection: Engage students in a discussion centered around the questions below.
Did the illustrations help you find more details? What if you had not paid close attention to the pictures?
Why are details important when we write?
During your peer conferences or personal reflection did you find spots where you could add more detail?
How might sketching or picturing the story in your head help?
When could you use this strategy again.
I also read an article by Jane M. Saunders and Emily E. Smith titled Every Word is on Trial: Six Word Memoirs in the Classroom. Emily Smith, a fifth grade teacher and graduate student, used six word memoirs to introduce her class to writing. I cannot wait to use this in my own classroom. I have provided to six word memoirs of my own along with pictures.
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References
Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2017). Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature(2nd ed.). Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.