Transcript Developing Characters

Developing Details in Writing
(Using Characters)
Shannon Lamar
July 16, 2003
Agenda
• My Teaching Philosophy
• The Problem
• Teaching the Development of Details with
Characters
• Teaching Objectives
• Character Quote
• Theories/ Research
• Explanation of Lesson
• Graphic Organizer with Lesson
• Lesson Extension
• Lesson Modifications/ GT
My Teaching Philosophy
* I believe in meeting the needs of all my students.
*I believe in all students feeling successful in their
learning; therefore, I use several different methods
such as children’s literature, graphic organizers,
drawing, and model writing to help my students
comprehend the lesson.
*I believe that people learn from each other.
*I believe in providing a positive and uplifting
environment of learning.
* I believe that personal observation, imagination,
strong interest in words, and imitation of good
writing are critical to writing and communicating
well.
The Problem
*Adjective details only used in writing.
“Detail is the best tool any writer has to bring writing
into focus and find deeper meaning. I begin this
way because I want them to see right from the start
that details are not ends in themselves but always
serve to bring to life some larger vision of the writer.
This was something I never learned in school. I
learned to fill the pages with adjectives that only
padded the story and did little to forward my
purpose” (22).
- Barry Lane
Teaching the Development of
Details with Characters
• Use children’s literature as a
model of good writing.
• Use artwork to enhance
student’s writing and reading
comprehension.
• Use graphic organizers to
help organize prewriting
thoughts and aid in reading
comprehension.
Teaching Objectives:
• Writing details in compositions
using different parts of speech
• Reading comprehension
• Reading recall
“Bring your character onto the stage
with pizzazz, make them memorable,
solid, and consistent from the first
moment they fit onto the stage.”
-Jessica Page Morrell
Writing coach
Research
Purpose in Drawing
“Even young children write by making marks
or drawing pictures. As students learn how
to make the connection between spoken
language and print, they produce
increasingly sophisticated written and
pictorial records of thoughts and ideas.”
- Breaking Through Literacy
Research- J. Cassidy and G.A. Dye
Purpose of Graphic Organizers
“Graphic organizers can help gifted students organize
information and ideas related to a given topic. This
article discusses the use of such graphic organizers as
structured overviews, Venn diagrams, story maps, and
character analysis charts to help teachers develop
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as critical thinking
skills.”- Cassidy
“Using graphic organizers is a way of assisting students
with disabilities in the note-taking process and helping
them link the new information to their existing schema of
knowledge.”- Dye
Research- Barry Lane
Education professor, consultant, and speaker
Purpose of Children’s Literature
*model from master writer
“Making students aware of the
thought process of a master
writer is a wonderful way to
model the craft for writing” (33).
Purpose of Using Several Details
*one detail unlocks others
“I sometimes tell my students that
details are boxes within boxes.
One detail unlocks several
others, and so on” (33).
After the End- Teaching and Learning
Creative Revision
Research- Ralph Fletcher
Educational consultant and speaker
Purpose of Using Visual Images
“When I talk to young
writers,”Linda Wells said,” I
spend time talking about
what a visual image is” (47).
“I noticed that writing
becomes more beautiful
when it becomes specific,
concrete” (47).
What a Writer Needs
Explanation of the lesson
• Discuss the importance of detail
• Have students view art
• Discuss drawing and emphasize the
details in the artwork as they draw
• Read “You are Special”- students add
details to picture
• Hand out the parts of speech chart.
• Quickly review verbs, adverbs, adjectives,
and nouns by modeling an example of a
character description.
Explanation of the lesson continued
• Have students fill in the chart on their own using
their picture as a guide.
• Show the students an example of how they can
connect some of their parts of speech
descriptive words to make their character come
to life.
• Students produce a paragraph describing their
character. (They may use words that the story
did not say but implied.)
“You are Special” By: Max Lucado
Parts of Speech Chart
Nouns
Adjectives
Action Verbs
Adverbs
Person, Place, Thing, or Idea
Describes a noun
Action word
Describes a verb
Wemmick
Dot
Wood
Stickers
Gray
Pretty
Special
Small
Wooden
Carved
Jump
Fell
Scratched
Say
Afraid
Believe
Fall off
High
Dumb
Silly
Extension to Lesson
• Students draw a picture of of themselves
with the description words, do the parts of
speech graphic organizer, and write a
descriptive paragraph about themselves
as a Wemmick.
• Students compare and contrast the
description of themselves to the
description of Punchinello.
Modifications/ GT
Modifications
• Students use drawing stencil.
• Students get a written copy of story.
GT
• Students use dialogue along with physical
description to express and capture character
traits.
• Students use Kidspiration to put together
pictures of the description.
Bibliography
“Essential Practices- Writing”. Breaking Through Literacy. Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, 2000.
http://www.earlyliteracy.com/components/essential_practices.html
Cassidy, J. (1989).” Using graphic organizers to develop critical thinking”. Gifted Child Today, 12(6),
34-36. http://ericec.org/minibibs/eb21.html
Dye, G. A. (2000). “Graphic organizers to the rescue! Helping students link--and remember—
information”. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(3), 72-76. http://ericec.org/minibibs/eb21.html
Fletcher, Ralph. What a Writer Needs. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Ralph Fletcher, 1993. 47.
Lane, Barry. After the End- Teaching and Learning Creative Revision. Portsmouth, New Hampshire:
Barry Lane, 1993. 22, 33.
Lucado, Max. You are Special . Good News Publishers/ Crossway books, 1997.
Morrell, Jessica Page. “Seven Ways to Bring Your Character to Life”. Readers and Writers. Reviewed
5-30-2001.http://www.ivillage.com/books/expert/writecoach/articles/0,,243587_227481,00.html