Thursday, June 10, 2010

5th Graders and Writing to Evoke Emotion through Word Choice

The words we choose in writing can create a positive result or a negative result. Most good writers hope to pull the reader in through touching their emotions, which happens through good word choice and good descriptions.

One of my favorite ways to share this is to reread a section of A Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. (She's such a great author, one I turn to frequently!) There's a particular scene that I love to share with the class, the one where Despereaux realizes that instead of eating the book, he can read it. DiCamillo's word choice and description build a beautiful picture in my head of a tiny mouse standing amazed before a book that suddenly opens a whole new world for him. I can actually see him standing in the book-filled room with dust motes floating on sunbeams and his sister stomping off angrily.

After reading aloud this section to the class, I ask them to sit knee-to-knee and discuss the scene and what made it come alive for them. (I always make sure to read it aloud with great voice and drama to enhance the scene for the students.)

Then I like share some writing samples on the overhead that show poor word choice and ask them to help me improve it with their input. Finally, I give the students their own writing sample for them to edit for better word choice.

It seems like I use a lot of samples for us to correct together, but I think this is a good chance for me to model and then the students to practice the skill in a supported fashion.

Fifth Grade Writing Standard:

12. Add and delete information and details to better elaborate on a stated central idea and to more effectively accomplish purpose.
13. Rearrange words, sentences and paragraphs, and add transitional words and phrases to clarify meaning.
14. Use resources and reference materials (e.g., dictionaries and thesauruses) to select more effective vocabulary

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