Having a great time bringing the Common Core to LIFE! Alright teachers, it's more than the Common Core, so forget all the stress of evaluations, assessments, data collecting, correcting, reports, observations, data team meetings, committees and Rolaids... Present the END PROJECT first and teach with the end in sight so your students are inspired and know what the goal is. This project worked and was differentiated enough for all my students to have success. What a great feeling! So now let's get back to teaching....
Opinion Writing
I have introduced opinion writing to my students already and they love it. Every time they respond to a question in our Fairy Tale unit, they begin with the words... In my opinion.... (as their topic sentence). They have to give evidence to support their opinion, so they begin the next statement with ... One reason is.... Another reason is..... And lastly, the concluding statement is.... These are the reasons why.... I sue a template for them to work with that sets the framework to their writing. Next we edit the work and some may share aloud as a "commercial break". We usually bring our writing to a final copy and add it to a visual to enhance our lesson. The other day I had the kids color a picture of Cinderella and then I cut the picture into zig-zag pieces. I repositioned the pieces onto light colored paper and the children wrote their final copy between the lines for their Opinion Writing. A few read their work aloud and of course we all held them up for our gallery watch. They are hanging in the classroom now. What an amazing way to bring the Common Core ELA to life. Check out www.visualccl.com for more activities like this one. I have several fairy tale booklets and other ideas for you to consider if you are interested. Enjoy!
Take a puzzling look at a new way with opinion writing! January 2014 Grade 2
It’s More than the Common Core!!!
I absolutely enjoy teaching writing to my students. As a matter of fact, I encourage a variety of writing every day, cross-pollinating the curriculum all year long. There have been many times I have heard, “There is no time to write”; “I only write twice a week”, or “how do I include writing in all subject areas?”. Reading and writing go together and you can’t teach one without the other. The Common Core expects our students to be able to respond to the text with writing. No matter the subject, our students must realize that what they read has a purpose. They must realize that every author has a style and an approach to their writing as well. When our students read, they are reading “writing”. Now it’s our turn to help them visualize the author’s purpose and apply their understanding with a written response. I accomplish this goal by creating various visual strategies and hands-on experiences using visuals and props. It most definitely brings the Common Core to “life” and my students enjoy the creative elements as well. There are obvious challenges for a few children with some of the basic writing skills, but when we unleash the creative side of their journey through writing, my students begin to find their “voice” and become more confident readers and writers.
I have not only created different strategies for all learning styles, I have also inspired my students to have a “choice” in the process as well. They can work individually, with partners, and even in small and large group settings. They can use props to inspire collaboration and of course there is always time to partner share and participate in presentations. All of this requires various genres of text, graphic organizers, art mediums, visuals such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, illustrations, calendar art and more.
“This doesn’t sound like writing”, one would remark, but it most definitely is. Reading and writing go together and you can’t have one without the other. As this booklet unfolds, try some of these strategies/organizers and remember writing involves reading, researching, fact finding, elaboration, visualizing, critical- thinking, creating, expressing and vocalizing. Give them the tools and I promise you, your Common Core experience will come to life, one word, one sentence, one paragraph at a time. Check for Visual Reading and Writing Activities for the Common Core in my store. All can be found at www.visualccl.com
The ART of Visual Writing with the Common Core
As a classroom teacher, I realize the importance of focusing on the parallels between art and the writing process. Often we hear children ask,” Can I draw my story?” or say,” The story in my picture is.” “Children naturally integrate their learning and curriculum through moving back and forth between words and pictures” (Ernst, 1992). Typically, as children over time learn to read and write, picture making is pushed to the sides or delegated to the art room. However, children have a continuing need for experiences with both words and pictures as they venture through their own journey in literacy. Visual Common Core Writing recognizes all of this.
Children tend to write with very little detail when they have no prewriting activity to stimulate their descriptive writing process. These children need different ideas and techniques to help enhance their descriptive writing. They need to experience the wonder of artistic expression and creation. Since writing was an area of difficulty revealed during my classroom teaching experiences, I have explored various visualization techniques and use of graphic organizers that allow this personal prewriting experience to be successfully crafted in each child’s written piece. Visual Common Core Writing celebrates all of this.
According to the Common Core, children must be able to use text types with purpose, understand production and research to build and present knowledge. But, how do we do this? What exactly is good writing? How do we write, speak and present effectively? How can we successfully attain goals and benchmarks? How do visualization and common core graphic organizers and planners improve writing performance for all learning styles? Visual Common Core Writing addresses all of this.
Several writing experts validate that the integration of art and visual imagery into the curriculum will help enhance student’s reasoning and problem-solving abilities, as well as assist them in adopting creative and social outlets for self expression. Additionally, children will feel successful and motivated to create and use visual imagery while entering the writing process without fear of failure. Visual Common Core Writing fosters all of this.
Visual Writing not only helps children connect with written and oral texts, it connects them to new ideas and experiences. All learning styles will benefit from this fresh hands-on approach to written expression. The quick visual techniques throughout this writing process will easily enhance narrative, expository, descriptive paragraphs and poetry. Visual writing will provide various pre-writing lessons to create an interactive atmosphere where writing topics that used to be unimaginative become more descriptive and exciting to read. Even the most reluctant writers and readers will quickly pick up their pencil and scratch the surface of their paper with their imaginative language.
Why Visual Writing? It is a springboard to ‘generate joy’ in learning and writing, develop critical thinking and help students communicate their feelings and imaginations. The Art of Visual Writing results have shown visualization techniques have improved writing scores and students are eager to publish and present their writing with enthusiasm and passion. Therefore, it is time to accept visual imagery as a valid prewriting step in our writing process. It’s time to embrace The Art of Visual Writing with the Common Core!
It’s time to bring the Common Core to Life!
All can be found at www.visualccl.com Check for Visual Reading and Writing Activities for the Common Core in my store for the next few blogs! I think you will like these activities.
Where to Start…
I usually begin the year like all of us; reviewing and teaching the basics. I focus a lot on sentence structure, elaboration, using appropriate grammar, mechanics, and punctuation for sure, as well as the use of vocabulary such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and the rich vocabulary found in the text. Some of these activity sheets and hands-on activities are available for independent morning work and are accessible for me to grab at any time throughout the day. The following activities are only some options to consider. Just remember there are several ways to include writing and written responses on a daily basis. The English/Language Arts for the Common Core requires writing, so whether you are teaching specific ELA strategies in reading or mini writing lessons; whether you are teaching math, science, or even social studies, your students are always writing, so don’t fret. Your students are and will be writing. Once you are comfortable with this realization, your students will be too. So let’s begin J Check for Visual Reading and Writing Activities for the Common Core in my store. All can be found at www.visualccl.com
