Agility and Grace

I currently have two cards hanging on my fridge, and they make me smile every time I walk by.  The first is a post card from my twelve year old cousin Amber, on which she used the words agile and graceful to describe both a coyote and me.  I was not only flattered, but also impressed by her vocabulary use.  Every year, Amber and her family take a road trip, and her parents encourage the kids to write a postcard to someone everyday.  This is an absolutely brilliant idea, because it gives the kids a reason to write over the summer and helps our family keep in touch. 

The second is a thank you note from my two year old niece.  I may have gotten carried away with the number of gifts I sent for her birthday, but as her aunt and godmother, it is my job to spoil her.  My sister wrote the bulk of the note, and then Bella signed it, note the red crayon.  It may seem silly to have a toddler scribble on a card, but she’s learning that writing conveys meaning.

Writing is often overlooked in school and at home, because it’s hard; but it’s too important to ignore.  Want to make kids smarter?  Get them to write.  It’s easier said than done, unless we create authentic experiences, like the two above.  After all, why write, if no one is going to read it?  Another option is create a photo book of a vacation, party or event, and let the kids write the text.  Even kids who can’t write yet, can dictate captions for a picture.  I like Shutterfly’s format the best, but all photo sites have book options. 

Teachers also have a trick to encourage writing.  We often use books for inspiration.  Although the books are very different, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney and A Picture of Freedom by Patricia McKissack, both encourage journal writing.  The first is laugh out loud funny, even for adults.  The second is a beautifully written book about a slave girl who teaches herself to read, and uses her skills to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad.  It ranks in my favorite books of all time, not just books for kids.  For younger readers, I like Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague.  The letters are written from a dog to his owner about the horrors of obedience school, but the pictures belie his words.  It’s also great for teaching hyperbole.  Finally, Patricia MacLachlan has a fairly new book called Word After Word After Word, that’s about a group of kids learning to share their thoughts and emotions through writing.  It’s a short easy read (appropriate for most 3^rd graders), but it made me cry.  Whether it’s thank you notes, postcards, journals, blogs, books or grocery lists, it’s just as important to encourage our kids to write as it is to get them to read.

 

Books about Writing

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Dear America: A Picture of Freedom by Patricia McKissack

Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin

Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan

My America: Our Strange New Land by Patricia Hermes

My Name is America: The Journal of James Edmond Pease by Jim Murphy

Thank You, Santa by Margaret Wild (More useful in December and January)

Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James