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.

Figurative Language: Personification

Another type of figurative language students enjoy working with is personification. Personification is when human-like qualities are given to non-living things. It is a great way for students to describe what they are saying in their writings. They become so creative when demonstrating the use of personifications. It really paints a vivid picture in readers minds. We have writing folders that the students use which are compiled with various tools to help students when writing, called Writing Tool Kits. Often I come across figurative language so unique I have the students record them in their tool kits for future use.

examples
The tree's limb seemed to wave goodbye as we evacuated our home during the storm.
I was so tired I could hear my bed calling my name.
My stomach was telling me it was time for a snack.
The time ran quickly as I tried to finish my exam.

Figurative Language

Another type of figurative language is onomatopoeia. It's the use or formation of words, as hiss or cuckoo, that have a sound imitating that they denote. Students have no problem incorporating them into their writings. They are simply sound words. At times students seem to go crazy and they include too many onomatopoeia they take away from the what students are trying to say. Normally I limit figurative language to one different type per paragraph.

examples
boom
oink, oink
ding dong
tick tock
squeak squeak

Metaphors and Similes

Metaphors and similes are two similar types of figurative language. Many students get the two mixed up when identifying their examples. Metaphors are a figure of speech in which a term is transferred from the object it ordinarily designates to an object it may designate by implicit comparison. Similes are a figure of speech in which 2 things are compared using like or as.

examples of similes: examples of metaphor:
as fat as a pig She's a walking encyclopedia.
as big as a house That car is a lemon.
as fast as lightning It's raining cats and dogs.
as blind as a bat His stomach is a bottomless pit.
spotted like a cheetah Pam is a stubborn mule.
hops like a bunny

Figurative Language

There are creative ways in which writers keep readers eyes glued to the pages. Have you ever started reading and there wasn't any interesting content? Surely we have all had this experience. One strategy writers use is incorporating figurative language. There are different types: onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile, personification, idiom, and hyperbole. Many teachers use the acronym MOPSI or HISMOP to represent figurative language. Each add exaggeration, symbolism, and character to writing. Students get really creative when they incorporate figurative language when they are writing. It is important to model the use of this creative writing strategy.

What Mode Am I?

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What mode am I?

What Mode Am I?

The Summer Slam was awesome this year! The events this year were the best we've had in years. There were games, a dunking booth, inflatable jump houses, and a variety of food booths. The lines were long because their were so many people. My friends Kayla, Morgan, and I entertained one another so the wait didn't bother us. Suddenly, black smoke filled the air and people began to panic. The popcorn machine had exploded into flames! Sirens began to fill the air as the fire truck arrived to put out the blaze. After the fire was put out and everyone calmed down we went back to enjoying an awesome day.

What mode am I?

What Mode Am I?

On a nice summer day one of my favorite things to do is to make my favorite snack and sit under a shade tree in the backyard. This is no ordinary snack! It's my favorite sandwich in the whole wide world, it a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich. First, I find some fresh wheat bread. It has to be fresh or it's not as enjoyable. Then, I grab a jar of tasty grape jelly. Next, I get my creamy peanut butter. My sister likes her peanut butter with actually peanuts in it. So my mom gets us each our own jar. I mix the peanut butter and jelly together until smooth. Finally I apply a thin layer onto both slices of bread and cut it in half, diagonally and pour a tall glass of milk. I find a cool spot under the shade tree in the backyard and enjoy a nice snack.

What mode of writing am I?

What Mode Am I?

Whales are intelligent, fascinating creatures that are entertaining to watch! The sun dances on their bodies and sparkles like diamonds. Their long black bodies are covered with small white patches which give them their unique characteristic. Their skin is as smooth as glass. They have tiny razor-sharp teeth and enjoy tiny fish as treats.

What mode of writing am I?

Share to Inspire Writers

Writing can be a frustrating time for children. In many cases children aren't exposed to writing as they should be, because lower grade teachers feel like it's not important. Students are first tested on writing in the modes in fifth grade. Therefore, prior to fifth grade the emphasis just isn't there. It becomes very stressful for fifth grade teachers because we have about five months to prepare students for the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing (ADAW). It takes a lot of modeling, giving the prompt and going through the motions so that students can see what it takes to correctly write. Not only do I model but I display transparencies of students who wrote creative papers from past classes. Actual student papers work as the best tool at getting the point across. Students see children their age as authors.

Cool Tools for School

Today I was attending a session through SARIC called Cool Tools for School. The session was very informative and gave excellent techniques to incorporate hands-on technology into the classroom. We set-up a wiki space account and navigated through wikis ways to help students become engaged. So many new and exciting ideas ran through my head and of course I plan to hook my students through our class' site. Hopefully I will be able to upload some of the activities we created soon. Tons of ideas for writing, reading, math, and more. I advise everyone to take part in these sessions. There are all kinds of sessions offered and they are at no cost to teachers !

Journaling

Today my son started his summer journal. I thought this would be a good way to help him develop his writing skills. We started with his first entry. The prompt I suggested was to describe his experience in Disney and Sea World. I didn't have to ask him to begin he was excited to describe the awesome time we had!

What's Your Favorite Mode?

Writing can be a way to express ideas, entertain readers, or simply a pastime. My favorite mode of writing is narrative, because as the author I can take readers on a journey whether fiction or nonfiction. The narrative mode of writing can be very entertaining. What would you say is your favorite mode of writing and why?

Writing in the Modes

There are four modes of writing, descriptive, expository, narrative, and persuasive. When students write in the narrative mode they are writing to tell a story. The descriptive mode uses the senses to describe. The expository mode explains, or is a how-to guide. And finally writing in the persuasive mode is to convince its readers.

Writing should be focused on throughout students' elementary school years beginning in kindergarten to help develop strong writers. We will experiment more with writing in the modes.