How Can I Teach Writing Without Destroying Both Children's Skill and Creativity?
Writers: I think I'm learning why children learn to hate writing, and I don't know what to do about it. I am trying to teach second-graders to be better writers using this thing called a "Powerful Word Tree."
A Powerful Word Tree consists of a topic at the top like the top of the Christmas tree. Then it has three "major details" and under each "major detail" one "minor detail." One of my groups has to do two "minor details" for each "major detail." I'm getting sick to my stomach just telling you about this.
I feel like it will be nothing short of a miracle if these children don't go to third grade hating to write and I am about ready to cry right now. At the first of the year they got to write whatever they wanted to write. They asked me how to spell words. They used their dictionaries. They also wrote stories.
They have this little tool that has characters and s they settings and plots they can flip to and formulate stories. They enjoy that but now they only rarely get to do it.
I'm all for teaching children how to organize their thoughts, but everybody who writes does not do this based on an outline. It has been such a struggle. My worst nightmare is to facilitate children's hatred of writing. Please pray for me that God will give me strategies that will develop their skill and their creativity, not destroy both. And if you have any ideas, please share!
A Powerful Word Tree consists of a topic at the top like the top of the Christmas tree. Then it has three "major details" and under each "major detail" one "minor detail." One of my groups has to do two "minor details" for each "major detail." I'm getting sick to my stomach just telling you about this.
I feel like it will be nothing short of a miracle if these children don't go to third grade hating to write and I am about ready to cry right now. At the first of the year they got to write whatever they wanted to write. They asked me how to spell words. They used their dictionaries. They also wrote stories.
They have this little tool that has characters and s they settings and plots they can flip to and formulate stories. They enjoy that but now they only rarely get to do it.
I'm all for teaching children how to organize their thoughts, but everybody who writes does not do this based on an outline. It has been such a struggle. My worst nightmare is to facilitate children's hatred of writing. Please pray for me that God will give me strategies that will develop their skill and their creativity, not destroy both. And if you have any ideas, please share!
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