Teaching the Language Arts: Week 3

Week 3: Finding Writing Ideas

This week we learned more about how to assist students in finding their writing topics.  In Calkins article, the author writes the process of how she started the writer’s notebooks within her classroom.  Throughout the article, she quotes specifically what she says during the lesson and adds coaching tips for the teacher on the right-hand side of the page.  This approach is different than many teaching articles I have read, in that I have never read an article where the author quotes nearly everything she said throughout the lessons.  While I will not be able to memorize everything she said before I teach this lesson on my own, (although I did use to act in plays for my church and a kid and learned my lines quickly…) I will use this article as a template for what I should say to introduce each part of the lesson, and I will use my own words to get my students excited about writing (Calkins, 2006).  While Calkins does not give a lot of specific examples of strategies to help students narrow down and decide on a writing topic, Mentor Texts by Dorfman and Cappelli (2007) gives a large amount of ideas.

The first thing that students should do, according to Dorfman and Cappelli (2007), is to create a list of their own territories.  This can be a list of any topic they might be able to write about that is not yet specific to them (i.e. relatives, pets, animals, school stories, sports, being afraid, etc.)  This can spark memories that they will later be able to write about more specifically.  After creating this list, they can use one of the four strategies below to help them narrow down what they would like to write about (Dorfman and Cappelli, 2007).

• The inverted triangle (See my “Published Works” page to read about my first experience with this strategy): This strategy allows students to start with one of their territories, and narrow it down to one small moment or memory they have about that territory. It can be really helpful, especially if you have multiple ideas within the same territory and need to narrow it down (Dorfman and Cappelli, 2007).

• The heart map: It allows students to come up with specific people, memories, moments, pets, etc. that are close to their heart. It gives the student a variety of topics to come back to and write about (Dorfman and Cappelli, 2007).

• The hand map: These allow students to think of five emotions they often feel, and create branches from each finger (or emotion) that give specific examples of when they felt that emotion (Dorfman and Cappelli, 2007).

• The neighborhood map: This requires students to draw a picture of the neighborhood they live in, and write memories they have had at the different locations (Dorfman and Cappelli, 2007).

In my previous experiences, I have found that many students struggle with or dislike writing because they “don’t know what to write about.”  Strategies such as those listed above can help to ease that anxiety and allow the student to find their creative side in their personally chosen topics.  I think back to elementary school, where I was not given the chance to write about topics I chose on my own, and I realize why I struggle with writing now.  This class is teaching me so much, and I cannot wait to share it with my students!

Sources:

Calkins, L.M. (2006).  A guide to the writing workshop, grades 3-5. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2007). Mentor texts: Teaching writing through children’s literature, K-6. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse.