Strategy Lesson #1:
Writers have strategies to become more fluent writers. Oneway to generate notebook writing is to write off of a word.Sometimes I’m not sure what to write about. Therefore, I want to share a strategyto help you have writer’s block. Today I want to teach you one more way to generatenotebook writing, which is writing off of a word. This is a powerful strategy because itgets you to activate your mind and write about whatever comes into your brain whenyou hear that word. You can go off in any direction so long as you stay focused on oraround the word. Watch me as I show you how I write off of a word.
(Teacher tries it and then debriefs with the students.)
Active Engagement: Now it’s your turn to try it. I want you to think about yourOne Little Wordof 2009, which you chose because it held major importance to you andhow you plan to live your life this year. Would you jot that word down at the top of yourpage? Now, I would like you to write down whatever comes to mind. Every fewsentences you might want to put your word into your writing so that your writing stayscentered and focused around that one word. Are you ready? Go ahead and have-a-gowith it.
Students try it. Share out.
Link: So writers, today you started an entry that centered around your One LittleWord. You can generate notebook writing off of any word in the world if you need a wayto get started with your writing. The word can be about something important to you, like
family
, or it can be a more generic word, like
fun
. Whatever word you choose, you cancreate a focused entry by writing off anything that has to deal with that one little word.(Ask students) WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO NOW?
Strategy Lesson #2:
Writers have strategies to become more fluent writers. Oneway to generate notebook writing is to write about what you don’t know what to writeabout. Teaching: Last week one of your peers had trouble generating a piece of writingduring independent writing time. Therefore, she wrote an entry all about not knowingwhat to write about. Eventually, that led her to a topic. Therefore, today I want to teachyou that one way to generate notebook writing is to write about what you don’t knowwhat you want to write about.If you aren’t sure what you want to write about because you feel as though nothingthat interesting ever happens to you (perhaps you’re like the girl in Nothing EverHappens on 90
th
Street ), then you can start off by free writing about the fact that youdon’t have a topic. Watch me as I show you how I do this.
(Teacher tries it and thendebriefs with the students.)
Did you notice how I let my thoughts carry me into a topicthat I
could
write about? I didn’t stop writing to start a new entry about my topic.Instead, I just kept writing about my topic within the same entry. (I can always go backand label it with a different title later.)Active Engagement: Now it’s your turn to try it. You signed up for this strategylesson because you said that you have nothing to write about. Therefore, I want you tostart writing an entry about how you have nothing to write about. Every now and then
Strategy Lessons for Writer’s Block – Created by Ms. ShubitzPage 1
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