Lists

I heard one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard today on NPR's This American Life. It was the episode from December 31, 2010 and is called "Say Anything." In Act 2 of this episode an actor reads an except from a book, which is just a list of the author's fears. I don't know what it was about the reading, but it was beautiful.

So here's my idea:

Spend a week or two on lists. The lists don't have to grammatical. They can be short, long, skinny, wide. They can be about anything. Reasons why you love Provo, fears, joys, friends, favorite colors. Whatever.

Practice writing lists by giving students a few example topics with time limits. For example, 30 seconds to make a list of their favorite vacation spots. Share these with their partners. 1 minute to make a list of their least favorite school assignments. Share these with their partners. 45 seconds to make a list of their favorite dates. Share. Possibly a few more. Have them expand their lists or make new ones. Share. Now change their list, make it shorter, make it longer, switch up the grammar, whatever. Make their final list.

Now tech savvy students can record their lists focusing on their performance--voice, intonation, rhythme, timing--all those things that make people interesting to listen to. Perhaps a students may want to add sound or music, but this is an entirely oral assignment. For the rest of us, perform like the beatniks--just a stool. Encourage these students to also bring music or sound to supplement their readings.

Concise descriptive writing--a game

This game/activity can take 5 minutes or an entire class period. Use it when the lesson falls short and you have a few minutes at the end of a period so as not to waste any valuable class time.

1. Have each student get out a piece of paper and quickly write a 15 word sentence on the paper.

2. Have the students pass their paper to the person behind them and the person in the very back give his or hers to the person in the front. Students read the sentence on the paper in front of them and have 20 seconds to draw a picture of the sentence. Students fold the sentence over so that it can't be seen but the picture can be and pass the paper to the person behind them.

3. Students look at the picture in front of them and write a 10 word sentence. Students fold the paper so that only their sentence is showing. Students pass the paper again.

4. Students read the sentence in front of them and have 20 seconds to draw a picture of the sentence. Students fold that paper and pass it back.

5. Students look at the picture and write a 5 word sentence describing the picture in front of them, fold the paper, and pass it back for one final drawing.

6. Continue this reducing the number of words the sentence can be until...well until you're ready for it to be over. I wouldn't go much passed what I've described above: students get bored.

7. Have students unveil their drawings and sentences. The group with final picture that most closely resembles the oringinal sentence wins!

Children's Books

Where's the Cake Now? by T.T. Khing

Leaf by Stephen Michael King

Tuesday by David Weisner

These are 3 of my new favorite children's books. All three tell amazingly complex stories without a single word, which makes them great for a writing assignment.

Using these three books, and other pictures books with no words, have students write the words to the story. This could be a single isolated writing activity to have on hand for a cancelled field trip or to allow for some creative writing in the midst of a research paper or to add excitement to the unit described here.

You could leave it at that or give a bit more direction, depending on the needs of the class, the amount of time available, the amount creativity you'd like to employ, and all the other if, ands, and buts of education.

Here are some ideas to give more direction if needed.

*Before beginning, discuss how some pictures books use the pictures to retell the story that the words are saying, while others use the picture to add depth and meaning to the words, such as highlighting irony or adding emotion to the characters' spoken words. Challenge students to not just rewrite the story the pictures tell but to use the written words to add irony.

*Have the students practice writing to different audiences. Have them rewrite the story for an adult, for an infant, for a 5th grader, or for themselves. Discuss the different needs of the audience in each situation.

*Practice writing dialog by having students rewrite the story entirely as dialog.

*Best yet, just say "You have 1 class period to create a final draft of this story. Write the words to the story." And leave it at that. Sometimes kids will surprise you.

Plagiarism

The Colbert Report April 14, 2010 interview. It's perfect. The interview is with David Shields is a great starting point for a discussion on plagiarism. In the interview, Shields argees for more lenient copyright laws, because he feels like having to quote and cite and source everything limits the writer's freedom of expression. After all Thomas Jefferson and William Shakespeare borrowed heavily from others without correct citations and their writing is revered and taught at most schools. So why can't the average writer do the same thing?

Watch the clip, and then ask students to respond. Why do we worry so much about plagiarizing? Why can't we use other people's ideas to enhance our own?

After the discussion, you'll of course want to emphasize the reason for copyright laws and strict punishments for plagiarizing is to allow for more creativity. If people were afraid they weren't going to get paid for their writing, then they might stop writing. Also, it's only fair to attribute greatness to the originator. And, most importantly for students, the reason you have the write is not to see how well they can copy and paste but to see how well they write and understand the information. And so, still, even after the discussion, no plagiarizing, but wasn't it nice to get involved in your own education?

Writing a Short Story/Children's Story Unit

Summary:

This unit is designed to follow directly after or overlap with a unit on reading short stories. Overlapping it with the end of a unit on short stories would allow for the writing and reading to be done every other day. When students start this unit they should be familiar with setting, characterization, and the elements of plot. Ideally, students will also be familiar with literary devices such as alliteration, consonance, rhyme, rhyme scheme, various types of rhymes and other techniques common in children's literature.

Days: More or less 13. I allow for most of the writing to be done in class, but the unit could be shortened considerably if the writing is to be done at home.

Objectives:

1. Students will write a children's story to meet the needs of an elementary school child.

2. Students will read a loud a children's book with emotion.

Cross Curriculum:

Students will create the illustrations for their book and be graded for the illustrations in art class.

Unit Outline:

*Starting with day 3, begin each lesson with a student reading a children's story to the class; more than 1 student may need to read a story each day to allow each student to read a story during the unit.

Day 1: Introduce the unit and project.

Click here for the complete lesson plan in PDF format.

Homework/Classwork: Submit notes on elements of children's books.

Day 2: Field trip to an elementary school for students to meet and interview their audience. Each 8th grade student will write a story for a buddy in elementary school.

Homework/Classwork: Submit an interview sheet for a completion check.

Day 3: Write setting.

Homework/Classwork: Write a 3/4 to 1 page description of the setting of the book the student is writing.

Day 4: Write characters.

Homework/Classwork: Write an 8th grade paragraph (8-10 sentences) describing each of the main characters in the story (1 or 2 characters).

Day 5: Write plot.

Homework/Classwork: Create an outline of the plot of the story.

Day 6: Practice rhyming words.

Homework/Classwork: Begin writing the story.

Day 7: Write.

Homework/Classwork: Continue writing the story.

Day 8: Write.

Homework/Classwork: Continue writing the story.

Day 9: Share stories/revise.

Draft #1 due.

Homework/Classwork: Write a 1 paragraph description of at least 1 change that will be made to the story and why that change is being made.

Day 10: Read published children's books and revise.

Homework/Classwork: Submit notes on elements of children's books and write a 1 paragraph description of at least 1 change that will be made to the story based on the observations made about the published children's books and why that change is being made.

Day 11: Share stories with the class/edit.

Daft #2 due.

Homework/Classwork: Assemble completed story with illustrations into a binder or nice folder.

Day 12: Return to elementary school and present books.

Final due.

Homework/Classwork: Write a 1 paragraph analysis of the story and how the elementary school child liked it. What went well? What didn't?