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 MorrellWriting 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 LaneEducation 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 FletcherEducational 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

NounsPerson, Place, Thing, or Idea

AdjectivesDescribes a noun

Action VerbsAction word

AdverbsDescribes 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