Using Authorship to promote better writers – Part 16

WHAT?

I decided that I need to have purpose for the notebooks so with Father’s Day looming, I planned for my next writing lesson, the children to write another poem to describe their own fathers or father figure in their lives. In May, we had written a poem for Mother’s Day, I revisited the exemplar and was amazed at the level of knowledge from the class.

The children identified the similes and metaphors used to describe and could explain why the author has used those particular writing devices to describe. The highlighters were used to highlight their noticing. They shared with a buddy what they found interesting, we created a list of metaphors that portrayed their dad, and we checked out the structure of the poem.

Armed with their notebooks, now called seed notebooks, the children shared their jottings (seeds) from the night before. The children had taken the books home to write with their parents ideas about their dad. With a buddy, they discussed what Dads do that Mums don’t – because we wanted these poems to be a step up from their ‘Mum’ poems. On the whiteboard, I collated their ideas in a list and we co-constructed a metaphoric sentence together.

During the visualisation part of the lesson, the children closed their eyes and I lead them to create that mini movie in their heads. I used question prompts - What can you compare your dad to? What skills/traits does he have that mum does have? How does he make you feel when something good happens? Or when something bad happens? The children knew what they wanted to write. As a class we created the success criteria – using pronouns or My Dad to begin each sentence, using metaphors, using precision with word choice and make interesting comparisons.

Once the children began writing, I roved and worked with my less abled writers. The children had also decided as a class that they would need to write at least 6 sentences for their poem and all of the children were writing and sharing ideas to help each other. I was asked to spell words and prompted some to use metaphors not similes this time as many had for their ‘Mum’ poem. One child said, “I’ve written 9 sentences about my Dad!” Her enthusiasm was infectious and there was a flurry of pens to capture ideas and make as many sentences as she had.

The ‘Dad’ poems are more advanced that their previous bio poems and the children published them onto Google Docs, I proofed and showed 2 experts how to make an origami shirt that became the envelope for their poem. The children had strict instructions not to share these with their Dads until Sunday as that was actually Father’s Day. I also made the children publish their poem to Seesaw which I deliberately approved their post on Sunday too.

SO WHAT?

This lesson was introduced on Thursday before the Father’s Day so I knew that there would be added pressure considering the ‘Mum’ poems had taken a long stretched out week and then I was still pushing some to finish. This time that didn’t happen, all the poems were printed, origami shirts made and a post up to Seesaw all done before morning tea on the Friday. I was pleasantly surprised and gave the children time to choose what they wanted to do in the block after morning tea.

I was really pleased with the efforts the children are now making with their word choice and how their metaphoric sentences really described their Dads. Another thing to mention is that the children are willing to help each other and share their success, which I believe is due to the culture in the class that comes from the ‘Helping Circle’ part of our writing lessons.

NOW WHAT?

My class writes better when writing for a purpose, so I need to capture events, moments and times that connect with them. Looking at my assessment and where to next, I have noticed that I need to encourage my children to write to persuade and with Grandparents/ Whanau day coming up, it might just be a way to manage 2 ideas for the ‘price’ of one.

"Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences."
--Sylvia Plath