Last year I stumbled upon Mrs. Will's Kindergarten blog and I have been so blessed to follow her! I garnered so many new ideas and helpful insights that were incredibly helpful during my first year of teaching. (And continue to be as I prepare for year number 2!) Visit Mrs. Will's Kindergarten Here!
I was introduced to Debbie Diller (LOVE her!) and Katie Wood Ray through Deedee's blog and was so excited to see that there would be a summer book study!
SO, this is me sticking to my plan to read and participate...... I'm just taking life one day at a time...
{Guiding Questions}
How might you explain to students that illustrating is composing?
I think it would be neat to start this discussion with a picture book without words. One of my favorites is Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola. We could discuss how the we could understand what was happening in the story, even without any words. We could discuss the decisions that Tomie dePaola made to convey meaning to us.
I know that my excitedness and energy towards writing can directly translate into my students' eagerness to write as well. I am also aware that my attitude towards drawing/illustrating also affects my students' willingness to illustrate. It is important to not only say that writing (and reading, and math... ) is important and worth working at, but show it in my actions and attitude as well. Tone of voice and body language speak volumes more than words and can be the greatest convincers (or discouragers) for students.
How might you help students build stamina in their writing?
I love how Ray talked about teaching into illustrations. My students coming into kindergarten can draw - at varying levels of detail and ability, but nonetheless they can draw. What better place to start building stamina than on the base of drawing that they already have. As they grow in showing meaning in their illustrating, they will be building stamina in their writing. As their stamina and word knowledge grows their writing stamina continues to grow!
What language might you use with your students to talk about reading like a writer, both as a writer of words and pictures?
What do you notice about these illustrations?
What decisions/choices did the illustrator make on this page?
Why do you think the illustrator/author decided to ______?
Name several books you would gather for your classroom's unit of study on illustration.
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
I must also say that chapter 2 was especially edifying to me as a writer. Ray introduced the curriculum of time in this chapter - teaching children how to make something out of nothing. She writes, "The curriculum of time is fairly simple: Sit. Stay. Put something on paper" (pg. 21). How often have I sat with a blank Word document in front of me and thought I was going no where... Ray upholds that tedious, frustrating staring as an integral part of writing!
She goes on to write that "the goal of instruction is for students to become proficient communicators" (pg. 22) so FIRST teachers have to help students build stamina for creative work. Thank you, Katie Wood Ray, for already supporting me as a writer, so that I can support my students as they grow as communicators!
1 comment:
Great post, Katie! I like the idea of building up students' stamina with drawing first. Start with what they know.
Delighted in Second
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