How to Teach Drafting
Now that you have introduced and launched the writer's notebook, students are going to be so eager to write. They are going to have so many ideas formulating in lists of things that they love, things that make them happy, and many other themes. Those lists are either going to get crossed off really quickly or they can inspire more stories. Our goal is to allow these lists to inspire students to think deeper within their treasure chest of ideas. For example, one of their writing topics might be their dog. They could easily write a notebook entry about their dog and cross it off their list, but could they dig more? There are probably so many stories about that dog that they aren't even reaching to yet. A writing territory is the large topic, i.e. their dog, favorite food, their brother, etc. The territory is usually only a word or two when they are describing their topic (Dorfman, 2017). As they dig deeper into the subject, they will find their specific topic. A specific topic will usually consist of a personal story or a deeper dive into a certain subject. Students need to see that we value any story or any thought that they may have in their writing. There is nothing that is too small to write about. This is crucial for teaching how to draft stories.
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We are experienced writers, whether we believe in our writing skills or not. Our students are new to this. In order for our students to really know what we want to see, we have to provide an opportunity to model every step along the way of what a Writer's Workshop looks like even before starting. We can tell them the steps as much as they would like to hear it, but showing it, modeling it, and guiding them through this practice will benefit them the most. L. Calkins provided a great mini lesson format in her book, A Guide to the Writing Workshop (Calkins, 2016).
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FIRST you need to inspire. You need students to understand that any story is important and it should be kept forever within their writer's notebook. As we all know, kids love telling stories out loud to you and everyone in their class. Begin this mini lesson by picking out a previous story one of your students had told the class before. Students will begin to link what they say out loud could also be put on paper. ***Make sure it's a relatable story so kid's interests won't fade away.
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NEXT tell them you are teaching them. Tell them you are introducing a specific strategy that can help you when you feel stuck drafting ideas. It's important to provide as much background as you possibly can so students know when and how they can use it. Provide step by step instruction through modeling. Demonstrate, think aloud, and explain each step. Add some advice and pointers in there so they feel guided through this writer's block difficulties.
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FINALLY, before allowing them to go through a more guided practice ("we do"), we need to debrief. It's so important to make sure they heard what you said and are able to apply it to something. We wouldn't be teachers if we talk about something for a mini lesson and then the students can't take this information away and do it on their own. Help the students recall the situation and sequence of the steps.
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This is what you will do before going onto a guided practice. The "I do" part of the lesson is so crucial for new writers. Especially with drafting. Drafting can go in so many different directions. Students may have millions of ideas, some specific topics that they go through super quickly, or they may have writer's block. All are okay, but through an "I do" lesson we can benefit all students by guiding them through strategies to help them draft in any situation.
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Drafting Mini Lessons
There are many ways you can teach drafting, which is wonderful because it is a tricky topic. The lessons I have provided below I either was inspired by mentor texts or am borrowing them from other sources. If it was borrowed, I will link where it was originally from.
When writer's have BIG ideas, we need to pause and guide students to think deeper. Here are a few strategies that will help the big thinkers dig deeper.
1. Inverted Triangle
I personally love this method because it's so simple to write on the side of your entry page inside of your writer's notebook. This strategy can help writers see visually that their big topic could be broken down into so many different ways. The writing territory is written on the top of the inverted triangle. As you go down the triangle, it becomes more detailed on what you could write about instead. "To discover the inside story, writers must begin by finding those treasures locked away in their hearts and minds that might make good topics for writing. The overwhelming topic of summer was simply changed to a wonderful story that the writer won't want to forget.
Mentor texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6 by Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli (p. 65-67)
2. Hand Map
A strategy that can be used to turn a big idea into a smaller focus is to put the attention on certain emotions. The hand map consists of finding the deep emotional effect during a personal narrative. Students love writing about winning a soccer game, going to the mall, eating their favorite food, or getting hurt, but they always explain the scenario step by step. The hand map can be a guidance to focus on many different emotions to help you draft a new entry. You start by tracing your hand. Then labeling each finger as anger, fear, sadness, happiness, and excitement. Students can then begin to think of times when they felt this emotion. This can help guide them to tell a more personal narrative about many different scenarios, not just happy ones.
Mentor texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6 by Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli (p. 70-72)
Writing Territories to Specific Topics:
3. Personal Stories: Short Cut by Donald Crews
A lot of drafting includes making lists of favorite things, things that make you happy, things that make you sad, and various other specific topics. As important as those are, we need students to understand that their life, and their stories, are just as important as anything else they are writing. Donald Crews tells the story of how him and his siblings are following a railroad track until something scary happened. This could prompt students to start discussing a time that their plan did not go as they had anticipated or even a time that was scary. We want students to provide stories in their writer's journal so they never forget something that was once very important enough that they decided to write it in their sacred place.
4. Turning Topics Into Something Deeper: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Something I love about Jacqueline Woodson's work is here ability to turn such a simple topic into something so poetic and beautiful. I selected a few chapters above as reference, but throughout her book there are many other examples. A way students can think deeper while drafting is to turn such a simple object into something that is more meaningful. Jacqueline turned a lullaby into a cricket's song, the beginning into a conversation about letters, and the blanket into the warmth of a hug. If students find themself writing a lot about one topic, they can redirect their thinking in a more powerful way.
5. No Story is Too Small: Textbook by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
From previous blog posts, you can tell that this is such a great mentor text to provide insight on what a writer's journal is supposed to look like. Not all posts are supposed to be powerful and meaningful. The sole purpose of the writer's notebook is to write explorations, discoveries, or anything that crosses your mind. Anything in this book can help students learn how to draft small ideas that can make great stories.
Mentor Text: Finding Small Stories
Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2017). Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6(2nd ed.). Portland, MD: Stenhouse Publishers.
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Launching the Writing Workshop. Calkins, L. M. (2006). A guide to the writing workshop, grades 3-5. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann