Good Day readers. For some time now I've been patiently waiting to open the magical door of writing to my first grader. You might be asking yourself, "Haven't you started that already?" My answer is both yes and no. Yes many hours are spent writing in our home but it mostly consists of writing two sentence paragraphs answering questions on worksheets, simple writing in workbooks, and an occasional report. But what I'm talking about is
Creative writing. My first grader, Junior, is a perfectionist. Call it first child syndrome, a 'beaver-type' personality but he does not enjoy writing because he cannot write at the pace he thinks without becoming overwhelmed because he has too many thoughts-it's chaos!
This is something I personally struggle with as well. I have too much to say, unorganized thoughts, and RUN-ON sentences. Ha ha, we are so alike. The point is that writing is awesome. A good story can transport you into another world. Writing allows your imagination to soar and can be enchanting. I would love to open this door to him without making it confusing, overwhelming, or exhausting.
This spring quarter we will open that door by learning a few simple rules in the writing process. Stepping our way through lessons that will aid in bringing out the very best in my students' story telling and thus open a new door into their writing and imaginations! I cannot wait to see the story telling potential of my little ones!
THE LESSONS:
The first lesson in the beginning writing process is
Story Mapping. Story mapping helps students to break down the elements of a story; characters, setting, problem, and solution.
The second lesson
Somebody, Wanted, But, So foldables as a form of pre-writing. This beginning framework is then built upon in the drafting stage.
The third lesson introduces
Webbing where students learn that not every idea needs to be utilized in the writing process but also to show the possibilities of ones story.
Printable Lessons and worksheets:
Story Mapping Lesson
Story Map worksheet
Somebody.Wanted.But.So Teacher lesson
SWBS worksheet
Webbing Teacher Lesson
Webbing worksheet
Webbing Example worksheet
Of course you all know that these teaching methods have been around for centuries but this is just my way of making these lessons zippy and fun. With hope these simple lessons will positively influence my children toward a lifetime of creative writing.
In addition, while I did create my own PDF versions of these lessons I must give credit where credit is due! The foundations for these lesson can be found at:
Joy in the journey of homeschooling,
Jenna
