The
more I read in this book, the more excited I am to teach writing to my
kindergarteners when I get back to school in August. The authors have made such
a point that there is more than one way to tell a story. In this chapter, the
focus was on telling a story using drawings.
In the
chapter, the author laid out several lessons that focus on the Drawing and
Writing Book, a student journal. The point of this journal is for students to
find their voice as a writer and become confident in their writing, whether it
is in words or pictures. I loved the step-by-step modeling that the teachers in
the lessons completed, and found that it facilitated great student work. It was
so easy to visualize what was going on in the classrooms.
One
thing that really resonated with me during the lessons was how the teachers
taught their students to reread their work, even if their work was a drawing.
As an older grades teacher, I have found that so many students have NO CLUE
when it comes to rereading and editing their work. When I have asked a second
or third grader to reread their writing, I can’t tell you how many times a
child has quickly glanced at their work and then grinned at me and said, “I’m
done. Looks great”. Being able to reread and then add to your work or make
necessary changes is such an important writing skill. Teaching this skill as a
foundational writing skill would have such a positive impact on student writing
in the older grades.
I
strongly encourage any teacher who is looking for a great summer read to join
this book study. It is an easy read but one that truly makes you question the
best practices for the teaching of writing.
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