After reading a few chapters of Crafting Writers by Elizabeth Hale, I have become more aware of what it takes to make writing more of an art. Children tend to write a lot about a certain event in their life but leave out many descriptive words and/or creative ways to describe an event.
Many children are often excited to tell a story to the class, friends or the teacher aloud and view writing a story is the same. When children tell a story out loud, they are not typically going to inform their listeners about the smell, visuals, or other senses that were invoked during their experience. I believe this is the problem for many writers. Many people sit down and write the same way they would tell their story aloud. I think to help with the crafting of writers we need to have children begin by telling stories aloud by including how their senses were alive during the moment and try to structure their sentences differently. If children are becoming aware of what it takes to make stories more exciting through speaking, the writing will come naturally. Because of times constraints, it won't be a possibility for every child to speak every thing they are going to write about aloud but just having mini-lessons or conferences and having the children practice speaking more descriptively I feel will help in the crafting of an excellent writer.
Tina, don't forget a really important part of any good literacy program: storytelling! I think you're right in how we tell stories to each other. Yet, if you listen to a professional storyteller, you not only see the sights, but you smell the smells, feel the textures, and follow right along as if you were in the story.
ReplyDeleteI think storytelling often gets brought up in the context of oral tradition, but it's also just plain fun. Children these days don't often get exposure to storytelling the way generations past did. I would guess that kids exposed to storytelling on a regular basis (by you or some more practiced) would also be able to tell better stories themselves.