|
Dec. 13, 2005
Writer's Workshop, Lesson Three
So far, we have discussed the biblical purpose of writing and examined the author's purpose and use of conventions as the two main components of writing. Here, we will examine one critical area of expression before moving on to structuring your writing lessons through your very own writer's workshops.
Text Structure (Narrative)
This is a large aspect of writing that desreves a great deal of attention, although it is often neglected. I began attempting to outline the basics of the Writer's Workshop when I realized that it would not work without some practice in this area. . At this point, this will look more like a reading lesson, as I outline how I teach reading. Reading and writing are inextricably intertwined. The best way to learn to write well is to examine examples of good writing to see how the parts fit together.
Good readers are able to quickly assertain the structure of a text and use that to guide their reading. They read narratives differently than lists, comparison papers differently than cause and effect. Poor readers do not. A good writer will choose the appropriate structure for his text to convey his purpose. If you think of building a house, the idea the author wishes to express is like the foundation, the text structure is like the frame and the actual words chosen are like the siding and drywall.
The most common structure your child will encounter is the narrative. It can be illustrated in a children's book, or even in a single chapter of a lengthier book. In the beginning, I prefer to teach these skills using quality children's literature. I return to the same books over and over to illustrate different qualities of good writing. The same things can be taught with a single chapter of a book. In fact, when I taught second grade, I had my students fill out a text-structure sheet on each chapter I read to them and we then looked at how they fit together to tell one complete story.
Here is a an excellent overview of the narrative text structure. I made a large chart very similar to the one depicted on this site and we filled it out for every story I read. With continued practice, even young children can describe the elements of the story quickly and they begin to identify them naturally. When writing, your child will need to learn to use the same structure to guide them. Practicing this regularly during your reading time will not only improve reading comprehension, it will give your child a good format for mapping out their own stories. This will provide the basis for all writing, so it is good to practice often. Later, I will provide links to a variety of graphic organizers to encompass all the main text structures your child is likely to need.
Next week, I will outline the use of the Writer's Workshop in your home school to help guide your child through the entire writing process. They will need a good understanding of this chart in order to use it effectively in their writing, so if you do not already do something similar, begin studying it together. With practice, it will become automatic which will also benefit your child's writing.
|
| •
Post A Comment! •
Send to a Friend!
|
Comments
|
