{teaching writing through literature} #1

I can't decide if I was born a teacher or if teaching was born into me.  My Mom graced this profession with both enthusiasm and an outstanding commitment to inspire others to learn. And, above all, to be passion seekers. I watched her do this.  I sat in her classroom so many countless summer days when the air conditioning was turned off only to watch her work.  For others.  For the ones that she would call hers for an entire school year and then forevermore. I know the feel of outdoor carpeting atop a concrete slab for an after-school nap.  I remember the ceiling tiles turned upside down and painted to create art in her room #18. Her color research as to what a classroom needed to be painted so to soothe & encourage learning too. Oh, she loved the overhead projector. And early morning speeches to ignite & inspire.  Her desk was messy, and she was rarely still.  Yes, me into it or it into me, I can't quite make that call.

There are times I miss the unity of classroom.  The comprehensive collective of minds.  The teacher beaming and hoola dancing for giggles and pick-me-ups.  The hard pressed stares facing off with belligerent souls who really are just scared to try.  Yeah, I miss the classroom. And who knows? Mrs. Cobble may end up there again one day.  I try not to wad up when this school bell nostalgia seeps inside me. And I do my best not to think of myself as missing my calling. For I am no longer classroom-esque.  Instead, I look to the 2 who have my all.  And I use what I know about learning and loving to help them along way.  She taught me that.

To honor the joy of teaching and the love I have for inspiring young minds, I've decided to do a series of installments on how I specifically teach children to write using literature.  It's nothing breathtaking.  It's not new age or cutting edge. It's just what I love to do.  For I cannot think of a better way to birth story tellers than immersing them in good writing.

I wanted this series to be thorough so to serve someone out there.  Perhaps to breakdown the scary behind writing.  So many people, both young & old, have a nervousness when it comes to communicating through the written word.  Maybe it's the vulnerability of the heart there in print for all to dissect & judge. Or perhaps it's the time it takes to effort thoughts into well rounded form.  A form that can transcend hope & laughter or tears & realness to another human.

I want my boys to have that.  I teach this art with fervor no matter the number of students in my possession. I always have. I always will.  Born in or of me, I do not know.   But, I want more people to feel freedom and the power of written words.  Theirs. Out & in.  Words are worth it.

How do I begin to teach writing?  

With good literature.  I dive into my public library like a beast.  I read children's books and remind myself of the beauty of a child.  The innocence and the hope just dangles off their fingertips.  No limits.  No deadlines.  Just space to explore and fill with dreams.  Oh, there is so much truth in God's word when he speaks about a childlike faith.  Yes, Lord.  Yes.

What book did I choose for this exercise?

Jim's Lion written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Ian Andrew.  DO NOT forget the illustrator.  DO NOT FORGET THE ILLUSTRATOR. Even into middle school, the illustrator will teach as much about writing as the author.  Kids are so very sensory.  The need to look.  To stare.  To wonder.  Great illustrators are such a wonderful source of writing inspiration.

What do you do with the book?

Well, I read through the book several times alone.  I look for key elements found in quality writing.

What are key elements found in quality writing?

• good use of adjectives and adverbs
• figurative language {simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, alliteration, personification}
• symbolism--where one thing represents a much larger idea or concept
• good word choices:  {i.e.  instead of the word "put" using "scattered" or "dumped"}
• rich story content--character & setting development
• use of emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, hope, anxiety  {real connections to what humans feel found in the story}
• great sentence structure:  introductory phrases, use of semi-colons and quotes
• AWESOME ILLUSTRATIONS!

Then what?

I jot all of the evidence of the above down in my notes. I formulate some type of interactive activity for the boys to do with the literature.  For this book, I printed all of the actual examples found in the book along with the quality writing key elements onto strips of paper.

How do you introduce the book?

• We read it together.  First me to them.  We talk.  And talk.  And talk. And notice.  Cool ways the illustrator chose to create.  Neat sentences we hear.  We look for adjectives.  I ask them, "Wow.  How did that sentence make you feel?"
• Next, I ask that each boy spend some time alone with the book. Flip pages.  Think of how it would feel to be that character.

***{If you have toddlers, begin talking through books like this NOW.  Both of my boys could spot a simile by the time they were 5 years old.  Connect them early to quality writing and how it makes them feel.  The feeling part is most certainly the key to not being afraid to write. That's what you want them to hold onto.}

Alright, what next?

• The boys took the strips I printed and scattered them out.
• They talked through them noticing quickly where the example from the book strips could fit underneath the key writing element strips.   They get the connection of examples under idea.

Here is where I let them work.  I re-direct.  I encourage.  I am the background; they are center stage.  

It is also here where some of the best discussions occur.  Ideas are bounced and story is remembered.  COMPREHENSION is strengthened. 

The learners are gleaning from good.  From quality writing.  It's as if the literature in front of them is the very step stool they need to bring life to their own story.  It's process.  It's not fast.  It's time and thought all rolled together.

I hope you'll join me as I move through this series of teaching writing through literature.  Next week we'll dive into the wonderfulness that fills these book pages and how this story fuels the pencil push for my guys.

Pressing letters.  It's in me.  Teaching is too.  And I cannot keep quiet about what God has stocked full in my heart's pantry.  It's my hope that sharing here helps others to find their story a little more.  And that is worth celebrating. Oh, words are so worth it.