Carrie Beth WatsonWedgewood Elementary-CCISD
4 years experience4th Grade
L.A. and Social Studies
My Nephew and Niece (Twins) Jonathan and Faith
Reading Never Starts
…Too Early
Wedgewood Elementary School CCISD
Wedgewood Timberwolves
Staff
•Extremely energetic
•76% Caucasian, 10% African American,
Asian 7%,& 7% Hispanic
Students
•Half the population is Caucasian
•Other half is Asian, Hispanic, and African American
Family life
•Middle class families- parents both working
•Many two parent families, single parent families, and step parent families.
•Some family guardians are grandparents and Aunts and Uncles.
Architecture Becoming the Crafter
The Connection Between Literature and Writing
Architecture- Becoming the CrafterMy classroom Approach
Literature and writing need to go hand in hand. Students can’t be expected to write with out proper
modeling. Turning to the true architectures, the writers
themselves, students will see the building blocks behind a good
piece of writing..Carrie Beth Watson
Architecture- Becoming the Crafter
“The rich language and beautiful rhythm of picture books make them excellent choices for introducing the
characteristics of great writing.”
Rosanne Kurstedt and Maria KoutrasTeaching Writing with Picture Books as
Models
Architecture- Becoming the Crafter
“Inviting students to read a story as writers helps them learn the craft of writing from
the experts”
Katie Wood Ray Wondrous Words
Architecture- Becoming the Crafter“There are good pragmatic reasons for not
packing picture books away after second grade. Even if children shift their reading to longer chapter books, their writing does not expand in this exponential way… The texts children write are more likely to resemble
the texts of picture books than longer books composed of extended chapters. Whatever their reading preferences, they will need the picture books as models for their writing.”
Thomas NewkirkIn Beyond Words
by Susan Benedict and Lenore Carlisle
Architecture- Becoming the CrafterThe purpose is to invite
students to “look beyond the plot and notice the craft, the
way the story is designed and built.”
Rosanne Kurtedt and Maria Koutras
Teaching Writing With Picture Books as Models
Architecture- Becoming the Crafter
“Writers have particular other writers they go to for inspiration.
They read the words of the masters over and over, awed, for ever relearning the trade, thrilling
to the power and beauty of language in the hands of a gifted
writer.”
Ralph FletcherWhat a Writer Needs
Using literature to promote “powerful” word choice.
Lesson: Word Choice Literature: Somewhere in the World Right Now by
Stacey SchuettGrade: 4th grade Day #1- Read Somewhere in the World Right Now Day #2-
A. Re-Read Somewhere in the World Right Now B. Lesson: Word Choice
Day #3- A. A Student will re-read Somewhere in the World Right Now to the rest of the class.B. Extension Activity
Using literature to promote “powerful” word choice.
Day #21. Re-read Somewhere in the World Right Now. (Students will sit
with me on the reading carpet.)a. The purpose for each student is to listen for “powerful” words or phrases; listen for words that catch your attention. b. Each student will have a clipboard and paper to take notes on.
2. Make a class list of “powerful” words/phrases from the story. 3. Talk about it…
a. “Why do authors use such “powerful” words or phrases in their writing?”
b. “What do good authors have you to do as you read” (Create a movie in your head.)
c. We as authors have the same job as the authors of books. We have to use “powerful” language just like the experts.
Using literature to promote “powerful” word choice.
4. Compare sentences“Weak” words
“Voices said ‘sweet dreams,’ and under a dark night, lights go out, somewhere in the world…”
“Powerful” words“Voices whisper, ‘sweet dreams,’ and under a blanket of night, lights go out one by one, somewhere in the world…”
5. Processing SkillsStudents are divided into groups. Each group is given a “weak”word. The purpose is to put the “weak” word to rest, RIP, and create a “powerful” word in its place. “Powerful” words will be added to the word wall.
Using literature to promote “powerful” word choice.
Day #3Extension Activity1. A student will re-read Somewhere in the World Right
Now to the rest of the class. (Choose a fluent reader.)2. Review chart, made on day #2, of “powerful” words
found in the story.3. Student are divided into groups of 2 or 3. Each group
will be given a note card with a “weak” sentence on it. The “weak” sentence needs to be transformed into a “powerful” sentence.
4. Groups will share their “powerful” sentence with the class.
5. Writing- Students are given time to revise pieces “in the works.” Practicing putting to rest “weak” words and replacing them with “powerful” words or phrases.
Using literature to promote “powerful” word choice.
GT Students• Gifted and talented students can recreate “powerful”
sentences from the story. Make the sentences even more “powerful,” keeping the same meaning of the original sentence.
IEP/Modify/ELL/ Bilingual Students• These students can make a thesaurus of “weak” and
“powerful” words. One column in the dictionary would contain the weak word and the corresponding column would have the “powerful” word. The dictionary could be used through out the year as a referenced during the writing process.
Other Ideas-Connecting Literature to
WritingPatterns (Beginning Writing)• Fortunately and Unfortunately by Remy Charlip• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe
Numeroff • If you Take a Mouse To the Movies by Laura Joffe
Numeroff • The Important book by Margaret Wise BrownWord Choice (Guided Practice)• Hello Ocean by Pam Muńoz Ryan• Welcome to the GREEN HOUSE by Jane YolenIdeas (Guided)• Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by Roni
Schotter
Other Ideas-Connecting Literature to
WritingSequels (Independent) • Click Clack Moo and Duck for President by• Miss Nelson Is Missing and Miss Nelson is
Back by James MarshalCreative Writing (Independent)• Tuesday by David Wiesner• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris
Van Allsburg• Freefall by Chris Van Allsburg
Other Ideas-Connecting Literature to Writing
Beginning of the School Year• My Teacher Like to Say by Denise Brennan-Nelson
(idioms, proverbs, clichés)• How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark TeagueMemoirs (Primary)• When as Little A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her
Youth by Jamie Lee CurtisIntegrating
Social Studies• A picture book of Florence Nightingale by David A.
Adler• …If You Live in Colonial Times by Ann McGovern
Other Ideas-Connecting Literature to
WritingMath• Pigs Will be Pigs-Fun with Math and Money by Amy Axelrod• Pigs Go To Market- Halloween with Math and Shopping by
Amy Axelrod• Pigs On A Blanket- Fun With Math and Time by Amy Axelrod• George’s Store at the Shore Francine BassedeScience• Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert• A picture book of Thomas Alva Edison by David A. Adler
Architecture Becoming the Crafter
The Connection Between Literature and Writing
