WOW Words

Young writers tend to find comfort in writing the way they speak day to day. It is a difficult process for writers to step outside themselves and change their tone. In an effort to overcome this task students are asked to incorporate WOW words. These are words they don't use in everyday conversation and that will help spice up their writings. I often ask students to think of synonyms to replace everyday ordinary words. A great tool for students to have access to which allows them ease with this process is a thesaurus.

Transitioning in Writing

When writing every detail cannot be accounted for. When a writer is telling a story time is of the essence. Therefore there has to be a way to quickly transition. Transition words such as first, next, then, and last show sequences of order. Moving from one period of time to another can be prompted by using words that tell the time of day, such as morning, afternoon, night, and the next day. Writers may also use seasons to show longer periods of time passing. It's all up to the writer and the period of time passing from one event to another.

Summer Journal

The end of summer is quickly approaching. I encouraged my son to begin a journal to record his summer and at this point it has been filled with some wonderful writing. As I blogged this semester I think he was reminded to input a journal entry. He made me promise not to read until he is finished so I am getting more and more curious. I don't have much longer and I am so excited!

Live Chat

Just finished our live discussion for class and it was an awesome experience. Our group members did an excellent job collaboratively. I must admit I was a little nervous at first but everything turned out fine. The ability to meet and discuss from our own personal locations gave each of us the opportunity to come together and accomplish the requirement of our course. Great job ladies!

Picture This

Writing is meant to paint a vivid picture in the head of the reader. When writing in order to do so I suggest making sure every noun has an adjective friend. We know adjectives describe nouns and this strategy helps to eliminate any uncertainty the reader may have regarding a physical description of what is being mentioned. When my students write they know I am looking specifically for adjectives.

The cat ran into the house.
The frightened brown cat ran into the spooky house.

The car caught had flames coming from it.
The convertible Corvette had enormous orange flames coming from it.

My sister is a cheerleader.
My talented sister is an enthusiastic cheerleader.

Figurative Language: Idioms

The last type of figurative language are idioms. Idioms are expressions having a meaning that cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its components words. When I am trying to get students to understand the use of idioms I often ask them to reflect on the expressions of their grandmother or grandfather. Most often students can recall the phrases they hear when they are being taught a life lesson. Most of the time students can relate to this lessons when I present them with examples.

example:
never judge a book by its cover
it's as plain as day
when it hit the fan
in full swing
the early bird catches the worm
better safe then sorry

Figurative Language: Hyperbole

Hyperbole is another type of figurative language students love to use. It is often used in tall tales to give it a unique story line. Students enjoy reading literature with this type of figurative language because it adds humor to the story. A hyperbole is an exaggeration used as a figure of speech. I often use the story of Paul Bunyan to demonstrate the use of hyperbole for my students and we create our own short stories using hyperbole.

examples:
Tim was taller than an oak tree.
The candy was so sour it made me head cheeks explode.
During the storm the ocean's waves tickled the moon.
He had the strength of ten bulls.