Don’t you just love
this photo?
Last spring, Fran
Wilson (@mrswilsons2nd), a second grade teacher in Ohio, and her teaching
partner Nicole Prater shared eight of my books with their students. The books
had a range of text structures and features.
Wilson (@mrswilsons2nd), a second grade teacher in Ohio, and her teaching
partner Nicole Prater shared eight of my books with their students. The books
had a range of text structures and features.
After the class
discussed the content of a book, Fran and Nicole asked the children: “What do
you notice about the writing craft the author, Melissa Stewart, used in a
book?”
discussed the content of a book, Fran and Nicole asked the children: “What do
you notice about the writing craft the author, Melissa Stewart, used in a
book?”
In some cases, this
led to the class re-reading the book under a document camera. The teachers recorded
the students’ observations. For example, in When Rain Falls, they noticed:
led to the class re-reading the book under a document camera. The teachers recorded
the students’ observations. For example, in When Rain Falls, they noticed:
–italic type is used
to label the habitats,
to label the habitats,
–the text was
written as a journey,
written as a journey,
–repetition was used throughout the
book.
book.
When a child
spontaneously announced that they could write a book like When Rain Falls, the whole class got excited. Fran seized the
opportunity. She invited students to brainstorm new ideas for books with the
same structure and writing crafts as the books they had explored. The children
had lots of great ideas, including:
spontaneously announced that they could write a book like When Rain Falls, the whole class got excited. Fran seized the
opportunity. She invited students to brainstorm new ideas for books with the
same structure and writing crafts as the books they had explored. The children
had lots of great ideas, including:
When Night Comes
When Spring Comes
When Leaves Fall
When the Sun Comes Up
No Bees, No Flowers
No Bees, No Flowers
No Squirrels, No Oak
Trees
Trees
Close Up on Monarchs
Each student chose a
topic and began writing. During this process, they viewed the video
mini-lessons on my website. According to Fran, this made the children “feel
very connected to you and that they themselves were real writers too.”
topic and began writing. During this process, they viewed the video
mini-lessons on my website. According to Fran, this made the children “feel
very connected to you and that they themselves were real writers too.”
When the drafts were
complete, the children asked to type their manuscripts using google docs.
They decided to add real photos instead of drawing illustrations. This led
to teach a lesson on how to search for photos, insert them, and include credit
for the source of the photos.
complete, the children asked to type their manuscripts using google docs.
They decided to add real photos instead of drawing illustrations. This led
to teach a lesson on how to search for photos, insert them, and include credit
for the source of the photos.
But the project
didn’t stop there.
didn’t stop there.
This weekend the
Cincinnati (Ohio) Nature Center will feature the students’ books at their Great
Outdoor Weekend event. If you live in the area, you may want to stop by
and see their great work.
And if you don’t live
nearby, look for the students’ writing samples and learn more about this great
project in Fran’s article “From a Child’s Point of View:
An Author Study to Enhance Nonfiction Writing.” Dragon Lode, Fall 2017, 36:1, pp. 40-49. Dragon Lode is published by the International Literacy Association.
Cincinnati (Ohio) Nature Center will feature the students’ books at their Great
Outdoor Weekend event. If you live in the area, you may want to stop by
and see their great work.
And if you don’t live
nearby, look for the students’ writing samples and learn more about this great
project in Fran’s article “From a Child’s Point of View:
An Author Study to Enhance Nonfiction Writing.” Dragon Lode, Fall 2017, 36:1, pp. 40-49. Dragon Lode is published by the International Literacy Association.
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One Response
A great teacher and a great class! I love how they used your books as a springboard to generate new ideas. This is how education should work all of the time. Yay!