Writer's Workshop: How Cold Was It?

After our winter break, we started to look at other books that are filled with lovely language. "How Cold Was It?" by Jane Barclay is such a fun book to read aloud. She uses strong verbs, similes and personification. She also adds a string of adjectives written in a rhythmical pattern to describe how cold it is outside. Here is an example: "It was a howling, meowling, fur-ruffling, paw-shaking, whiskers-in-the-breeze, let-me-in-please kind of cold." This is the perfect text for Winnipeg!

I wanted students to write about a favourite outdoor winter activity. I decided to write in front of them about my favourite - walking my dogs in Assiniboine Park. I write in front of them to show that writing is hard work! I re-read my sentences over and over until it sounds right. I voice my concern that I am not sure what to put next. I try to make my thinking visible. This is so important for students to see in action.

A portion of my writing.

We have analyzed several texts as writers. I felt confident that students would be able to start their own pieces and write with stamina. However, I noticed that some were stuck on how to start. We've talked about leads many times. They understand that a lead isn't simply one sentence, yet still, I could see some frustration. We needed to revisit this in greater detail.

I created four different types of leads that deal with winter. You can grab your copy here. We read them together at the carpet. Students went back to their spots, cut them out and glued them into their writer's notebooks. They tracked their thinking in the margins and tried to be specific about what made the lead interesting for the reader. Students also shared their thinking with the whole group and we made sure to add specific notes together as a class. Now they had these examples to act as a reference page in their notebooks - another resource for their writing.

Here are some samples from a writer's notebook:

What a difference! Students are taking what they have learned from real authors, my writing and past experiences. They are sharing ideas with one another. You can see a blend of ideas from a variety of sources in their writing. I must remember what Regie has said, "You have to go slow to go fast." So true!

Students flipping through modelled writing.

Here are some examples of student writing below. These are drafts in the early stage of the writing process.

As you can see, writing is hard work!

Preparing for Winter Writing

It has been very cold in Winnipeg these last couple of weeks! We decided to embrace winter by reading winter stories, creating winter inspired art pieces and enjoying some hot chocolate! You can never forget the hot chocolate! All of these activities have been strategically created to help us with our writing. In January, we will be writing about a favourite activity we do outdoors. We want to celebrate winter by creating written pieces that make the reader feel as though they are participating in the activity too.

Mrs. Steuart selected the picture book, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. You can view the video of it below. This book is rich in simile, metaphor and vivid vocabulary.

After watching and listening to the story, we acted like text detectives. We talked about what Jane did in her writing that made us want to keep reading. Mrs. Steuart gave us a copy of the text. She typed up the first couple of pages and we could highlight what we noticed and jot our thinking in the margins.

Then we created a chart together as a class in our BLB's (Book Lover's Books). We could use this chart as a reference when we write our own winter pieces in the new year.

We also compared Jane Yolen's writing to a piece of writing one might find in a journal. We highlighted the first word in each sentence and noticed that Jane starts her sentences differently and they vary in length. Some are short. Others are long.

           

You have to embrace the snow in Winnipeg. Two art pieces - "Not Another Snow Storm" and "Hot Chocolate Mugs" - got us into the winter spirit!

NOT ANOTHER SNOW STORM!!!!

 

How could we sketch hot chocolate mugs without tasting the velvety goodness that lives inside? Mrs. Steuart made a big crockpot of hot chocolate and warmed it up at school. She also made candy cane stir sticks. You stick a candy cane in the centre of a marshmallow. Then you dip it in melted chocolate and roll it in crushed candy cane pieces. They were yummy!

We are enjoying our hot chocolate treat on PJ day!

All of these experiences - creating wintery art, reading rich winter writing and of course, tasting a delicious wintery drink have prepared us to write about winter in the New Year. Stay tuned! 

Happy Holidays!