WEEK FOUR
How to...
Encourage students to discover personal stories
As I thought about how to encourage student to start exploring narrative writing, I couldn't help but think about all of the strategies that we have learned in our Mentor Texts. Heart maps, hand maps, My Something Beautiful; they are all amazing tools to get students engaged and excited (Rosenthal 2016). These strategies are great starting points as we teach students to begin to discover their personal stories. As we complete activities such as heart maps and hand maps, students will be able to use these products for writing in the future. Students can go back again and again to the products that they have made for inspiration!
As I looked over the lessons that are included in Mentor Texts, again I was appreciative of how the author used the GRR model. I think that gradually giving students freedom is something that is super powerful. The "I do", "we do", "you do" concept is something that seems obvious, but for me, this is something that is not my first instinct. Normally, I try to control students to make sure that they are "getting it." Giving students freedom is sometimes scary, especially when they are so young! What I have taken away from classroom experience, reading Mentor Texts is that and conversation in class is that the richest learning and most meaningful products come when students feel like they have ownership. Students do need to be able to have the time and space to experiment with writing in a low stakes environment.
Another important aspect of inviting students into narrative writing is teacher modeling. Students need to feel as if they can look to the teacher to help they as they navigate how to use personal experiences in their writing. I think it is always super helpful to have teachers write in real time in front of their students. As we write in front of others, we are able to show how our thoughts/memories can be made into stories. Students need the modeling that teachers can provide through whole group and small group settings.
Students also get to experience the joys of narrative writing because as students write narrative writing, they are able to write about things they are passionate about. Students are able to create their own prompts, and focus on what is important to them. So often, students have to write and read about things that they might feel is hard to relate to, or even uninteresting. As students are invited to write from a place of passion and interest, they will feel as if they have ownership over what they are writing. Students need an outlet to share about what most important to them through the use of a Writers Journal or other various writing activities.
Citations
Rosenthal, A. K. (2016). Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal: Not exactly a memoir. NY, NY: Dutton
My mom and I had rented a car during our time in Seattle to drive to Olympic National Park. We had saved a whole day to take the ferry and take the scenic drive. There is one moment in particular that I remember. My mom was driving over a super long bridge across a body of water. Our favorite band, The Dixie Chicks was playing as we drove and chatted. There were water, mountains and the most perfect golden hour ever. My mom said, "I don't know why, but I feel homesick for this place." Oddly enough, we had never been there. But I found myself feeling the same way. There was this sense of magic and wonder that felt tangible in moment. I wanted to take that moment and wrap it up, so I could open it again and again. I thought about maybe that this was maybe a "thin moment", where heaven and earth felt like they were in the same place. I felt comforted by the presence of my mom, who I love more than anything, and the natural beauty around me. I think of this moment a lot, and continue to unpack what my mom said and what we got to experience together.
Small Moment Narrative
