When kids revise, their
changes may not be improvements. How can we lead them to make their manuscripts
better?
That’s a great
question, but it’s not something that can be answered in 140 characters. And in
fact, I’m not sure there’s an answer—at least not one teachers will like—at
all.
I think that the
only honest answer is that revision is messy, and sometimes our attempts to
re-envision our writing are complete and utter failures. That’s why writing is
hard.
As I describe in this Revision Timeline, creating the picture book No Monkeys, No Chocolate was a 10-year journey. When I share this
timeline with students, they always ask the same question: “Does it always take
so long to write a book?”
No, it doesn’t. But
for most of the picture books I write, the journey from inspiration to
publication is far longer than most people expect. Here are some stats:
Can an Aardvark Bark? (coming in 2017), 7 years
Feathers: Not Just for Flying, 8 years
Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating
Animal Underdogs (coming in 2018), 7 years
A Place for Butterflies, 5 years
Summertime Sleep (coming in
2019), 8 years
Under the Snow, 5 years
For each of these
manuscripts, I wrote draft after draft after draft. And I openly admit that some
of those drafts were worse than the ones that came before them.
When it comes to
writing, not every attempt is an improvement. Not every idea pans out, and you
know what, that’s okay. It’s part of the process. Like I said, writing is hard.
But it’s also
important. For more and more people, being able to clearly express information
and ideas in writing is a critical job skill. And that’s why I think the best
thing a writing teacher can do is:
Be a Coach
A good coach knows how
to help players improve by giving them the right advice at the right moment. Writing
teachers can do this by building a classroom collection of mentor texts and
handing students titles that will address specific writing elements that they are
struggling with.
For nonfiction, the collection should include books with:
—various formats and text structures
—different writing styles (narrative and expository)
—different voices (lyrical, lively, and various options in between)
For nonfiction, the collection should include books with:
—various formats and text structures
—different writing styles (narrative and expository)
—different voices (lyrical, lively, and various options in between)
—various points of
view (first, second, and third)
—strong verbs
—rich use of
language devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes and metaphors, etc.)
Coaches also teach
strategies by going over past games play by play. Writing teachers can use old student
work to showcase how those writers chose a clever format or used voice well or
included strong verbs.
Be a Role Model
Time and again,
when I do writing workshops in schools, I see that the classes that do the best
are the ones where the teacher participates. She pays attention to what I’m
saying. She takes notes. She asks questions. And most importantly, she writes
right alongside her students.
As she writes, she
verbalizes the things that are challenging her. She asks her students for
advice and suggestions. She encourages them to consult with one another. She
shows them that writing is a struggle for everyone, and yet, it’s something
that is worthy of her time—and theirs.
Be a Cheerleader
When students feel
frustrated or defeated, writing teachers can spur kids on. They can encourage
young writers to keep trying by sharing examples of their own setbacks
and successes. They can also share the trials and tribulations that
professional writers discuss on their blogs or social media. When students see that the adults around them struggle with writing, that it's just part of the process, they can learn to move past the frustration they feel and experience their own successes.
Great one, Melissa! Thanks for sharing.
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