Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Writing Tip from Room 5

How often do you hear, "I don't know what to write about" in your classroom? I hear it more than I'd like. My district uses an amazing writing program called Being a Writer that really sets kids up for success. They create a "Writing Ideas" section in their journals that we add to frequently. Even with this support in place, I will still get a select few that draw blanks during writer's workshop.

I decided to make themed word lists which I wrote on clip art, colored, and laminated. When students get that writer's block, I let them choose an object from the bucket. They are challenged to locate at least 5 words on the picture that they think they can use to tell a story. Just scanning the word lists tends to help them get beyond that difficult moment they are experiencing in getting started.

Some of the themes I have currently include parties, Thanksgiving, autumn, time, money, desserts, general food, injuries, pets, summer, and the list goes on. I have made 25 clip art lists so far and plan to make more as the year progresses.

2 comments:

  1. I love this idea! So helpful for kids who seem to have writer's block. Plus...you're building the idea of word choice! Excellent!

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  2. Glad you like it! :) It has definitely helped my struggling "starters" during writer's workshop.

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