Writer/Storyteller
Many traditional ways of teaching and learning are typically easily accessed by the Writer/Storyteller child. Still, you can extend what your child is doing at school, and support your child to branch into less favored areas, with these activities & resources:
- The middle grades are a time when teachers begin to teach more content. Support your Writer/Storyteller learn through applying her linguistic skills. For example encourage her to describe the terrain of the region they are studying. Contextualize the topic she is learning (e.g., when learning about electricity, talk to her about Ben Franklin flying his kite, etc.).
- Have your child find an interesting picture in a magazine. Cut it out and have each of you write about it. It might be a description or a dialog. Don’t share your ideas, but then compare your pieces after 10 minutes of writing. Borrow one good idea from the other and write for another 10 minutes incorporating the idea. Share again.
- Pursuing Poetry: take a walk with your child. With a clipboard, have her jot down what she notices about the things she sees: write names, facts, and functions. Then have her see those same items through a different lens. Have her think about what makes these items important to her personally, or to the greater community or world. What meaning can she ascribe to these items? Can she find the extraordinary in the ordinary? Have your child write a poem based on these new discoveries.
- Family compliments: Get a sheet of paper for each member of the family. Put one person’s name on the top of each sheet. Pass around the pages and write 3 compliments on each sheet. Have all members of the family follow suit, with the rule being no repeated praise. Then share the sheets with each other.
- Think about the last movie your child watched or the last book you read. What did it leave her feeling? Have her write a paragraph or a poem about that feeling.
- Extend your child’s excitement about reading with activities like writing a story or play about the story. For example, check out this online supported activity for Esperanza Rising http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/main.asp?bookpass=3&s=1.
- Some online resources:
- Myths & Legends: Have fun making digital stories on this site: http://myths.e2bn.org/
- Story Starter: Use this free online spinner to find a setting, a starting phrase, and some words to be sure to include: http://bonnieneubauer.com/storyspinner.shtml
- Check to this online book series: http://www.shoorayner.com/onlinelibrary/DarkClaw/
- Bring out your child’s silly side while working on parts of speech: http://www.eduplace.com/tales/
- Try out some of these fun online word games: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/writing/argument/play.shtml
- Dictionary Fun: http://dynamo.dictionary.com/ Wonderful site to make learning words a whole lot of fun. It will take your reader on a journey of enhanced vocabulary development through games and quizzes that will adapt to his or her level. As they advance, they unlock harder challenges!
- Tie in reading and writing with this fun interactive: Choose your grade, spin the wheel and decide the format for your playful story. It’s all done online and can be a quick way to encourage creative thinking, application of voice, enhancement of vocabulary, and so on! http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/storystarters/storystarter1.htm
- Explore The Invention of Hugo Cabaret in a whole new way! This multidimensional site will allow students to draw on engineering, writing, and thinking skills!: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/main.asp?bookpass=9&s=2
- To support the development of different perspectives, try http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/letters.asp.
- Blue Ribbon Readers: Similar in concept with Into the Book, another great site to support the underpinnings of good reading skills: http://www.pspb.org/blueribbon/interactives.html
- For some online practice inferring, try these quick “mysteries:” http://www.quia.com/pop/43335.html?AP_rand=901817975
- Allow your child to explore her voice through this interactive Editorial Workshop on issues from Ink Heart by Cornelia funk.: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/inkheart/editorial/
- Listening to audio books is a wonderful way to enhance mental imagery and promote literacy! http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/
