Category: SEA

From Reading to Writing

Even though definitions of literacy include reading and writing, most people focus on reading when they talk about improving literacy. Many literacy programs stop after getting participants reading and don’t move on to getting participants to express themselves beyond responding to what they’ve read.

It’s true that writing and reading are like two sides of the same coin, but it’s important to note that one focuses on receiving information while the other is about expressing ideas. So after reading is done, and the discussion is finished, it’s time to move on to the writing.

It’s true that when students do comprehension questions they have to write their responses, so technically it’s writing too, but creative writing is more than that. It’s about creating new content, sharing new ideas. And that’s the part that challenges many children.

So how do you move children from reading and understanding to expressing their own ideas?

Here are three suggestions.

1. Have the child compose their own story/article from the main idea of what they’ve read. For example, if they read an article about a famous person, talk to them about other famous people and have them write about someone they admire who is famous.

2. When reading, look at various aspects of how the writer presents ideas. Identify a few of these and have students practice them. For example, look at literary devices like metaphors, similes, and imagery, and have the child write a piece using the device highlighted.

3. Consider the vocabulary in the writing. After making sure the children understand the meaning of each word, have them select one of the words they find fascinating, different, or otherwise different (maybe they think the meaning is funny) and use that as a catalyst for creating a story.

There are other methods and options that you can try, but remember that your aim is to move beyond the content of the reading to the creation of new content.

Writing and Baking a Cake

I like to use hands-on experiences to teach these kinds of things. If you’re willing, you can use the opportunity of making a cake or any other multi-step recipe to teach the writing process. Making a cake is the easiest one, though, because changes in the order of the steps can affect the way the cake comes out. That’s an important concept when teaching the writing process.

PREWRITING

*Cake* First you have to decide what type of cake you want to make then gather and measure out your ingredients. It’s also helpful if you select a recipe to work with.

*Writing* When writing, you first have to come up with a topic to write on then brainstorm ideas. Selecting a recipe is like creating an outline. The format and structure would help you when you’re writing.

WRITING

*Cake* When making a cake, you need to mix the ingredients in a particular order in order to get a moist, fluffy end product. You also use utensils such as bowls, whisks, measuring spoons, and pans to get things just right.

*Writing* In writing, this can be likened to appropriate paragraphing, grammar, sentence structure and other mechanics that allow others to read your writing easily. Putting the information in the correct order (like the ingredients) also make for an end product that your readers will enjoy and benefit from.

EDITING

*Cake* Once the cake is cooled and trimmed, it’s ready. It’s already a good cake and can be eaten as is, but it will look nicer and be received better by audiences if it’s frosted. Before the final touches, the base frosting is done to even out the surface of the cake.

*Writing* It’s the same way editing affects writing. A piece might contain good details and well structured information, but then there are spelling errors and punctuation errors etc. that would make it less readable and less appealing to readers. Editing helps you remove all of that and makes writing easier to read.

REVISING

*Cake* Baking the cake and preparing for frosting are important steps in getting a great cake. The temperature and baking time make a difference in the quality of cake in the end. After baking and cooling, sometimes you’ll have to trim the edges in order to make the cake look its best.

*Writing* Content alone will not make great writing. You have to revise what was written to ensure that the information is presented in the right order and the right way for audiences. Sometimes, revising might mean moving things around, removing some things, or even adding things.

REWRITING

*Cake* Once the base is frosted, then the cake can be decorated and additional things added to make the cake look beautiful.

*Writing* Now you’re ready to present the final written piece. You must write it over to make it neat and presentable and blend in all the changes made during revising and editing. Readers will appreciate it.

ADDITIONAL CONCEPTS


1. Different people like different types of cake, so you have to know who you’re baking the cake for. You must think about your audience. This happens before making the cake, in the prewriting stage.

2. Not everyone is going to like your cake (your writing) and that’s ok.

3. Writing is a skill, just like making cake is a skill. If you practice and learn different techniques, you’ll become a better writer.

4. Everyone can make good cakes if they follow recipes and instructions carefully. Great cakes come from those who add a little of their own flare and who study cakes and how to make them better. It’s the same with writers. Good writing can be learned. Great writing takes practice.

5. You can use different types of cakes to talk about different kinds of writing – narrative, descriptive, and expository. 

About Reading Comprehension

The reading-writing connection is so strong that it makes sense teaching reading comprehension alongside writing strategies. When we write, we are sharing information. Quite often, we get that information from reading. Reading is the best way to build vocabulary, and it allows writers to observe the skills of other writers. For many children, however, understanding what they read is a difficult task, resulting in frustration and distress.

Understanding what we read requires several skills that can be grouped under two headings: vocabulary comprehension, and text comprehension. While knowing what individual words mean is essential, it’s just as important to recognize that when words are combined they form relationships and greater meaning is created.

Over the next few weeks we will discuss reading comprehension in more detail, how it connects with writing, strategies for developing reading comprehension, and how to make reading comprehension more fun.

So, join in the discussion, ask questions, make comments.

Why We Need Conflict 3

This is part three of our three-part series on why conflict is needed in narrative writing. The first post discussed why some young writers struggle with conflict and how conflict adds excitement to stories. The second post showed a connection between conflict, theme, and plot.

In this post, I’d like to address a concern many people have that learning all of this can somehow be confusing and really is too much for students to accomplish at the SEA level.

Let me start by asking a question:

What is the purpose of narrative writing instruction?

When most of us think about developing critical thinking skills we think about math and science. When they think about developing creative thinking skills, we think about visual arts and maybe even music. What many people don’t realize is that narrative writing covers both critical and creative thinking in meaningful ways.

When students have to come up with reasonable challenges and obstacles for their characters, describe how characters solve the main problem, and explain the impact of the experience on the character – that’s a lot of critical and creative thinking right there!

Having conflict in a story is both for the story and for the writer.

Ultimately, narrative writing is about sharing a point of view. Being able to express ideas in writing is a crucial skill that continues to benefit individuals throughout their lives.

So, it’s not just a narrative. It’s not just a problem for a fictional character in a fictional situation. Conflict is needed in a story to help develop critical and creative thinking.

The next time you’re working with your young writer on their stories, find out what they think, how they feel, and discuss with them how problems arise and are solved and what happens next. They’ll be learning far more than you might realize.

#WERDCoachYouth #CreativeWritingforPrimary #NarrativeWriting #WritingTips #BetterWriters

Why We Need Conflict 2

This is the second post in our short series on conflict. In the first one, I looked at why young writers struggle with conflict and how conflict adds excitement to stories. In this one, I’m going to discuss the connection between conflict, characters, theme, and plot in more detail.

Conflict

Deciding on an appropriate conflict for narratives starts with the character and their goals. We want excitement and rising action, but the story is about a character and that excitement and rising action must involve them.

Conflict depends on what the character wants and what the situation is. By definition, a conflict is something which creates a problem for the character as they pursue their goal or something which interrupts the character’s life.

One way to look at it is to imagine the main character walking down a street. That street is their life. If all they do is walk down that street for no reason, then there’s no point to the story. The main questions are: Where are they going? And why? That’s how you define the main character’s goals.

After goals have been defined, the next step is to decide what would be an appropriate interruption to that within the context of the story. A good way to decide on that interruption is to think about how you want the conflict to affect the character.

Conflict in a narrative is there to stir emotion, cause characters to take action, and give reasons for the events in the story.

Theme

Nothing should be random or happen just because it’s fun. At least not in a narrative. We’ve discussed cause and effect before, so I won’t repeat that. Just know that there must always be a reason for actions and consequences too.

This is how theme makes a difference. Theme refers to the subject of the story. And when I say “subject” I mean the area of life being discussed, the moral or message that will help the character and reader become better people.

Is the story about friendship, love, courage, perseverance, good versus evil, honesty, the benefits of hard work, or another concept? Theme is what connects characters, conflict, and the plot.

You see, conflict in a story teaches the main characters lessons, and helps them learn more about life.

Climax

All the actions they take that create the rising action lead them to that lesson. The climax is how the lesson is reinforced, and that lesson is expressed in the resolution of the story. Characters are different because of the experiences they had.

So, for young writers who are struggling with conflict and need a different way of understanding how it works in a story, you can take the approach of working with theme as a basis for conflict.

1. What can characters learn?
2. How can they learn that lesson in this situation?
3. What challenges or obstacles will help them learn this?
4. What must they do to overcome that problem to learn this lesson?
5. How will learning this lesson change them?

This might seem like a lot to think about, but questions like these will guide young writers in making decisions that will improve the quality of their writing over time.

After practicing with these ideas, narratives will make a little more sense.

#NarrativeWriting