Hi, friends!
Happy Sunday! I hope you're still having fun with all the posts at Kate and Jo and Gae's blogs! We're at our halfway point of this summer and a perfect time to reflect and plan forward. Last week I talked about the importance of making time to write and also making sure our students have dedicated time to write.
Okay, but then there's thing that happens to me. I sit down, ready to write, and I get stuck. Either I'm not sure what I'm writing about or I know something needs to happen but I'm not sure what exactly needs to happen. Or sometimes I have an idea but it doesn't feel good enough.
Does this ever happen to you?
What about your students?
Even if it's never happened to you, I'm guessing you've definitely had at least one student in your teaching life who just isn't sure what to write.
This week's writer teacher advice is all about helping students find ideas and celebrate their ideas. AND it's super simple.
When a student tells you about something that happened to them...at home, at school, on the playground, anywhere, this is what you say:
Or if it's nonfiction, you can say, "You have to write that down!"
Whether it's how they describe something, words they use, something that happened to them, something they noticed, help them see that they need to write it down.
Isn't that simple? It's one easy thing you can get in the habit of doing that will make a big difference in how kids see themselves as writers. You can do this for yourself too. Pay attention a little more closely to things that happen as you go about your day and make note of them and how they can fit into your writing.
Here's an example of something I found this week:
Up on the hill, where the grass meets the cement, I spotted a boy. He was probably 12 or so, sitting there on his phone. I've already had an idea for a novel that I'm drafting this summer but I realized how I could write a scene with one of my characters sitting in this same spot. It seemed like a cozy spot but it also seemed like a lonely spot. I started wondering so much about this boy and then when I drove by it again, I stopped my car so I could get out and take a picture.
This easily could have been something I missed or something I saw but didn't latch onto. Except, because I've gotten into the habit of noticing things and telling myself there's a story there, it stuck with me.
You can do it too! And believe me, there is power in doing this for our students. So often they don't realize how to connect real life with what we write about and if that's happens, we can help!
Here's another example that happened with my son at Nerdcamp. He made a zine and was sharing it with people. When he showed it to Franki Sibberson, she asked him if he would make a YouTube tutorial to show her students how to make it. Of course he said yes and we worked on the video this week.
I'm not sure I would have suggested he do this and I'm not sure he would have either! But with a little nudge of inspiration, he did it!
This week did you spot any stories or can you think of any now that you have to go and write down? Be sure you do...because that's a story!
I can't wait to hear how everything is going! Happy writing!!!
Rules for Teachers Write Sunday Check-Ins:
1. We respect each other and the type of writing we do.
2. We only offer constructive criticism.
3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.
4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.
Today, in the comments:
How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)
What did your writing routine or habits look like this week?
What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the not-so-fun part?)
What was the peak of your week? (The best part, the most-totally-fun part?)
What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?
What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?
P.S. Thank you for replying to each other's comments!
While I read them all and do my best to reply and
reply as soon as possible, it doesn't always happen.
I so appreciate you cheering each other on through Teachers Write! Keep being awesome!