I Can't Think of Anything to Write About!!

Has your child ever made the statement above when given a writing assignment? The toughest part of narrative writing is deciding on a topic. We have been discussing how the problem isn't actually finding an idea (we have a ton up in our brains), it's really PICKING which idea to write about!

Our focus this week was to learn strategies to help us generate and select ideas. First, we collected memories from home to serve as an "idea file" to inspire writing topics. Next, I modeled two strategies; "timelines" & "objects". For the timeline strategy, students think of an event in their life and plot it out. This helps them to think sequentially as they reflect back on a special moment. We discussed how the entire timeline can become a narrative, or just one piece can be "stretched out" to become its own story! The objects strategy involves students taking something special (a ticket stub, a trinket, etc.) and listing everything that is triggered when they look at it. All of those "triggers" can potentially become a narrative piece! After students had the opportunity to practice both strategies, they zoomed in on one area and wrote about it. This writing will serve as a "narrative seed" as we move further into the genre!

Literature Circles!

Literature circles are student led groups in which all students have a specific role to play. Students are assigned chapters of a novel to read independently and work on their assigned role throughout the week. On Fridays, students gather in their literature circles to discuss the novel. Students determine their specific circle expectations (using hand signals to add on or ask for clarification, etc), grade their own participation and work completion, think of ways to extend the conversation beyond the scope of the assigned roles (discussing theme development, tone, what they are noticing, etc.), and reflect on what went well and areas/strategies for growth. The students have worked all year on their discussion and communication skills in both Math and Lang & Lit....what a great opportunity to highlight their growth! 

Currently, we are reading The Jacket by Andrew Clements. The students are loving the novel! Each "part" ends on a cliffhanger which leaves them wanting to read MORE! Ask your child about their assigned literature circle roles thus far and what they enjoy about the story!