If you've ever asked this question to yourself or to someone else, don't worry: you're not alone! I think we all struggle with this. Here are a couple of ways that I've used that has been helpful to get my students writing during Writer's Workshop!
1. Heart Mapping
Georgia Heard in "Awakening the Heart" begins her book by talking about Heart Mapping. I love this concept. It gets students thinking about what things are close to their hearts that they can writing about.
Heard uses this method when teaching students to write poetry, but I've expanded it to all forms of writing. Students want to write about what matters to them, and that's what this exercise gets them thinking about!
Here's how it's done:
* Have students draw a large heart on one of the first couple pages of their writing journals. In the picture above, we actually cut these out and attached them to the inside front cover of their writing journals. I wanted students to be able to find these quickly to get ideas.
* Inside their hearts, have them write the names of things that are important to them. For instance, it might be the names of family members, pets, places they've visited, anything that is a favorite... I think you get the idea. I always do one on chart paper as they are working on theirs.
* Asking students questions about things they like (what's your favorite dessert, what's your favorite sport... etc.) helps them think through the things that are close to their hearts.
* They can draw a picture or symbol to go with some or all of their ideas.
* After they "fill up their hearts," they can section the items off by drawing lines (if they want to). I tell that that they are making it look kind of like a stained glass window. It's important to keep in mind that they do not have to fill in every spot in their heart maps. Many times throughout the year, students will think of something they can add to their map. And you'll also have experiences in class (field trips, experiments, school activities) that they may want to add, too!
* Once they have finished, they have this beautiful reminder in their writing journals of things they can write about if they need some ideas.
(I do not have any affiliate links or kick-backs for mentioning Georgia Heard's book - I just love it!)
You can get so many writing ideas from reading picture books. For example...
* "All the Places to Love" by Patricia MacLachlan is a perfect read to get students thinking about a place they love to visit. The descriptive words are a great model for writing about their own favorite spot.
* "Thundercake" by Patricia Polacco can remind students of things they are/were afraid of and how they overcame their fears.
* "Saturdays and Teacakes" by Lester Laminak is great for writing about special memories with special friends/family members.
* "The Relatives Came" by Cynthia Rylant is a for writing about a time students went on a trip or vacation.
* "Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin (or any of her Diary books) is a great format to get kids thinking from another animal's perspective.
There are so many amazing picture books oozing with writing ideas. You have to think like a writer when you read them.
3. Pictures
You know the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words." Well, get your student to begin writing those words down! I've made it a routine in my classroom to start our day with an ELA skill building activity, and one of those is a Picture Writing Prompt. These are a favorite with my students, and many times, they will continue their story later on. Check out the links below for the FULL YEAR of ELA Skills activities.
Here's something for you to try (or to have your students try). I'm sure there will be lots of amazing ideas from this picture!
* "Thundercake" by Patricia Polacco can remind students of things they are/were afraid of and how they overcame their fears.
* "Saturdays and Teacakes" by Lester Laminak is great for writing about special memories with special friends/family members.
* "The Relatives Came" by Cynthia Rylant is a for writing about a time students went on a trip or vacation.
* "Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin (or any of her Diary books) is a great format to get kids thinking from another animal's perspective.
There are so many amazing picture books oozing with writing ideas. You have to think like a writer when you read them.
3. Pictures
You know the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words." Well, get your student to begin writing those words down! I've made it a routine in my classroom to start our day with an ELA skill building activity, and one of those is a Picture Writing Prompt. These are a favorite with my students, and many times, they will continue their story later on. Check out the links below for the FULL YEAR of ELA Skills activities.
Here's something for you to try (or to have your students try). I'm sure there will be lots of amazing ideas from this picture!
I'd love to read your stories and/or poems! Even better, I'd love to read what your students have to write! Share in the comments :-)
Happy Writing!
Martha from "The Owl Spot"
www.the-owl-spot.blogspot.com
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/The-Owl-Spot
Happy Writing!
Martha from "The Owl Spot"
www.the-owl-spot.blogspot.com
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/The-Owl-Spot
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