A Good One For Friday

I love stories that leave you feeling full, and THIS story will. 

It's less than five minutes, and you'll be glad you watched it...and you'll probably want to start antiquing!

Happy Friday!!!

Getting Kids to Write: Part III

Click here to catch up on Journaling and Brainstorming.

Prewriting. Such a scary word for young writers.  This is the time where they have to sit down and make their words turn into sentences and their sentences turn into paragraphs.



Mrs. Torres, how many sentences does it have to be?

Mrs. Torres, how long does it have to be?

Mrs. Torres, I still don't know what to write about.

Mrs. Torres, how do you spell...?

There's just something about a blank paper staring kids in the face that freaks them out.  Almost always kids who refuse to get started just have a mental fear. 

Is my teacher going to rip this to shreds as soon as she reads it?

Am I writing about the right thing?

Will it be good enough for the kids in the class to hear?

None of my little darlings ever said this out loud, but it's what fueled their frustration in beginning an assigned writing task. 

Long ago, I went to writing workshop over my summer break (yes, teachers work in the summer) and I learned very quickly how to get those fear writers out of their head and onto paper.  It was really quite simple.  When tasks seem too great we all like to shrink them down to size.  That's all I had to do for these kids.  Fortunately, it benefited everyone.  Even the kids who loved to write. Here's what I did...

When discussing brainstorming, I mentioned we began our first writing project in October and I chose the topic as a personal narrative.  My students were supposed to write of a time they were scared.  (If you are following along with this lesson, please go back and have your child do the brainstorming activity.  It take the burden out of pre-writing and make it more enjoyable.)  To begin the pre-writing stage, I simply had the students go back and look at their Top 3 'I Almost Peed My Pants' moments and choose the one they would like to write about.  Then I told them they had to have a 1,000 word narrative hand written completed by tomorrow.  Just kidding!

The next step is really very simple.  I begin to share my most scared moment, but I begin with a good attention getter.  An attention getter is where the writer constructs their first sentence to hook you, the reader, into the story.  I grab a few books and read the first few sentences to them.  They get to decide if the attention getter is a good one or not.  I even throw in some, "Once upon a time..."' starters to throw them off.  The kids begin to see most stories don't start with the two dreaded words...One day...

So I give them my attention getter.

I was snuggled beneath my warm sheets dozing off to sleep when I was awakened by a loud crash through the front bedroom window.  Jolting from the bed, I turned to Steven and screamed in the softest voice I could, "Hurry, hurry, get up.  There's someone breaking in the house!"

Then I stop and turn off the overhead (no Smart Board for me 3 years ago), and told the kids that was it.  Since I'm quite the jokester, I also instructed them to pull out their History books.  Of course no one did.  One they knew me too well, and two they really wanted to know what happened.  Instead of spilling the beans, I'd ask for questions like, "What else do you want to know?"

After the kids who had an opportunity to ask their questions by writing their them on my overhead, I really would turn it off.  It was their turn.  Yes, I was met by a lot of protests to finish my story, but it was right where I wanted them. 

The kids were directed to write the best attention getter for their story.  While they were writing, I'd circulate the room to make sure the kids were all writing and to help those who were 'stuck'.  Usually, by this point there was maybe one student who wasn't pumped to outdo the others.  A little probing usually did the job to get them off to the right start.  Once all the kids had their attention getter down on paper, they'd partner up with someone from the class.  Their choice.  Writing can be very personal, so I wanted them to be comfortable with which classmate they shared the start of their story. 

The kids basically did the same thing I modeled on the overhead with me monitoring their conversations.  Sometimes the partners would say, "I don't have any questions for them." This signaled one of two things for me.  One, the partner wasn't being a good partner by not using their thinking skills, OR two, the writer needs work on their attention getter.  Either they squeezed in too much information or not enough.  Either case, I was there to assist.

Once the kids were finished, we'd stop for the day.  The next day, the kids would begin to write their story, keeping in mind the questions their reader (partner) had for them the previous day (they recorded the questions in their writing journals).  I did have a few rules for the first draft, and they are as follows:

Rule #1: Don't ask how long it has to be.  It needs to be however long it needs to be to tell the story.  Some stories will be short and some stories will be long.

Rule #2:  Don't ask me how to spell something.  Right now is not the time to focus on spelling.  As long as you, the writer, knows what it says, you're good.

Rule #3: Use words that make me see your story, not just read it.  (Prior to this we have spent a lot of time on sentences that make you see, not just hear.  Basically, the kids are writing descriptively.  This is why we don't begin writing projects until almost 2 months into school.  It takes time to teach the basics.)

Rule #4: Don't ask about punctuation.  We're focusing on your ideas right now.

If it's really bugging you to see misspelled words and grammatical errors, well, get over it.  Pre-writing is not the time to correct your child or students' writings.  If they are concerned about spelling all the words right, they are going to dumb down their readability and word choice.  You want them to put down flavorful words, not just the ones they have in their spelling vocabulary.  And as for grammar, writing is not just about putting commas, periods, and sentence structure in correct order.  You'll get to these parts in time, but leave it out of the pre-writing stage.

I was going to talk about Revising today, but this is L-O-N-G enough. Can you tell I'm passionate about teaching writing?  What other sane person would type out something this long on pre-writing?  Only a teacher, right?  Poor Little Man and Little Miss.  They'll have a neurotic mother when it comes time for them to start writing projects at school!  Who am I kidding?  They already have a neurotic mother!

And He's Off

Little Miss opened up a brand new bike for her third birthday.  Little Miss opened a brand new bike with training wheels for her third birthday.  Little Man was so excited for Little Miss' new bike, but he noticed one thing.  His little sister had training wheels, and he had training wheels too.  It wasn't long before he turned to Steven and said, "Daddy, I want to ride my bike without my training wheels."

There's one thing you should know about my husband.  Once you take a step forward, you don't go back.  He informed me that once these wheels came off, they weren't going back on.  Uh, excuse me?  Did he not realize that this preggo mama wasn't going to spend the week chasing after a four year old on a bike to catch his falls.  I started to protest, but quickly got a hand in my face.  You know, the hand that says, "Stop right there and don't say anymore."  Yep, I got that hand.  I shut up, but I had serious doubts.

At first it didn't go too well.  I think Little Man thought it would be the exact same as riding with his training wheels.  He got frustrated and began to have a fear of falling off.  Steven stuck with him though.  He wouldn't let him quit.  After about an hour, he had him riding with some help.  Lunch time was approaching quickly, and I wanted Little Man to stop on a high note so we took a quick break.  We all ate, and then Little Miss and I went in for naps.  Not the boys.  They stayed out to work on the bike riding.  When I woke up, I stepped outside to see my precious little boy going up and down the street by himself.  Steven had done it.  He got the boy on the bike without the wheels and riding like a professional.  He's amazing! 

So now I have an almost five year old cruisin' the neighborhood without his training wheels.  He rides that bike like a wild thing.  A wild thing from the jungle...

...and his little sister, well, she just does what he does.

She Turned Three

It is inevitable. My kids will grow up. As much as I enjoy them right now, I know that the goal is to nurture and teach them, send them on their way, and pray we've done a good enough job so they want to come back and see us (but not live with us).

Little Miss' 3rd Birthday was on Saturday. It's always been a tradition at our house that you get a pancake made with the number of your birthday, and candles with the Birthday Song for every meal. As the kids get older each year, they really look forward to this part. Little Man mentioned numerous times that he's going to have five candles this year. He's been practicing blowing so he can handle all those. I told him to talk to me when he's got 32 candles. Then he can start practicing! He didn't get it. Regardless, here's my Little Miss gettin' after her candles...

We had her party on her actual birthday. Since she doesn't have many friends outside of her brother's friends and their siblings, we had a low key party. I made her cake (or shall I say cakes, since the first homemade batter shrunk 2 inches in diameter after baking), decorations, and party favors, and invited our closest friends and family. She really enjoyed her time at the party.

For some reason, I didn't take a picture of the inside layers of her cake. Last year I made her a layered rainbow cake. This year I made the same kind, but the layers were pink and purple to go with all of the other decorations. It turned out well, but not as stunning as the rainbow cake.

The kids did a great job decorating cookies, but they weren't nearly as into the decorating as I thought they'd be. I guess I didn't take into consideration that the majority of the guests were boys. Psh! Boys. They don't like to sit too long. That, plus my anal need to keep things moving along, had Little Miss' party finished right at an hour. I'm not really sure if the parents were relieved to not be held captive around a small group of 2-4year olds, or if they were irritated they drove all the way out to Timbuktu for just an hour. Oh well, they'll get their fix here in another month as I gear up for Little Man's party. What was I thinking having these kids so close???

Menu Monday and One Proud Mama

It's been an eventful weekend at the Torres house.  A Fall Festival at Little Man's school, a party for Little Miss(well, the shortest party in history, but a party nonetheless), and two kids learning how to ride bikes.  One learned how to ride a bike for the first time ever, and the other learned how to ride his bike without training wheels.  They are growing up. 

{This pic was taken the day before Little Man lost the training wheels}

This week we are expecting a little cold front to come through.  I'm ready.  I like cool days where the air condition stays off the entire day.  I'm ready for the comfort foods.  I'm ready for sweats and hot chocolate.  As soon as I heard we were going to have a few mornings in the 40's and possibly the 30's, I quickly added a soup to the menu.  There's nothing like a cool day and some hot soup!

Monday-Dinner @ my Mom's (she's cooking for us b/c we'll be at Little Man's conference...she's the best!)

Tuesday-Balsamic Bowtie Chicken Pasta, Broiled Asparagus, and Honey Butter Bread

Wednesday-Taco Soup with Cornbread

Thursday-Baked Chicken, Stuffing, and Green Bean Casserole

Friday-Parmesan Pork Chops with Herb Roasted Veggies and Italian Potatoes

Saturday-Tomato Cream Pasta with Grilled Chicken, The Bread, and Salad

Sunday-BBQ Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, and Peas



Happy Birthday Little Miss

My baby girl is turning 3 tomorrow.  How did this happen?

First she was this...

 {The day of her birth}

And then this...

 {Four months old}

And this...

 {Almost a year old}

And the little stinker kept growing...

 {Her two year old birthday}

Now she's this...

{My little princess today}

Words can't describe the love you have for your own child, but having a little girl is a bond like no other.  I understand why she does what she does.  All of those girly emotions, I get them.  She's turning into such a beautiful little girl inside and out.  I'm so thankful God has entrusted us to raise this little beauty. 

Happy Birthday, Little Miss. 

Mommy, Daddy, and Mason love you very much.

Getting Kids to Write: Part II

I sincerely apologize for not posting yesterday.  I know you all cling to my every word...well, maybe not!  Steven and I had a late night of putting together a new day bed for Little Miss and moving the crib to the baby's room. 

Last week I talked about getting your child to journal. Journaling is a great starting point for kids who are overwhelmed by the thought of a writing project.  After your child has been writing in their journal for a while, encouarge them to write about things that are intimate or personal to them.  In public school, I used to tell my students if they had a journal entry they wanted to keep private, they could write "DO NOT READ" across the top.  I promised them I would keep their wishes.  I never read those entries.  Not only would it betray their trust, but it would also discourage them from writing about personal topics.  This is a great way to encourage children to write on a deeper level.

Hopefully, after a month or so of journal writing you are beginning to see an increase of meaningful words on a page, and are able to introduce the idea of the Writing Process.  The Writing Process is usually broken down into five parts: Brainstorming, Prewriting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing.  It is imperative that you stay focused on what part of the process you are teaching, and stick with it.  Don't go dipping into one of the other parts...especially editing! 

In the first step of the Writing Process you are only asking kids to brainstorm what they want to write about.  When doing a writing project for my classes in public school, I always chose the genre of writing and basic topic.  Usually, our first project was in the month of October.  The kids were amped up about Halloween so we did personal narratives on a time they felt scared. 

Brainstorming was simple for this genre.  The students were to make a list in their journals of any time they remember feeling scared.  Of course you have some knucklehead who says, "I've never been scared before."  Then I make it my life goal to hide out in class only to jump out and scare the heebee-jeebies out of them.  Kidding, but I do spend a few minutes talking to them.  Often times the child just feels their 'scared' moment isn't scary enough.  It's good to reassure them that you can write the experience very scary, only to find out in the end everything was just fine.

After the kids have their running list of scared moments, they rank their Top 3 'I Almost Peed My Pants' Moments, close their journals, and move on to something else.  This usually leaves their jaws hanging and their hamster wheels spinning.  We're done?  How can we be done?

I absolutely love this part of the process.  Kids are so used to these long and lengthy writing projects.  When they're told to close their journals after little writing (and no checking of spelling and grammar, they're perplexed).  Thankfully, this leaves them with the feeling that writing doesn't drag out forever, even though in the end, it will take at least three weeks to a month to get to the publishing stage.  Yes, you read that right...three weeks to a month.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither should kids' stories.  It takes time to develop beauty.

On the next addition of  "Getting Kids to Write", I'll talk about the following two steps:  Prewriting & Revising.  This is where it gets good!