Enhancing Writing through the Visual One Informs the Other

6+1 Traits of WritingIdeasOrganizationVoiceWord choiceSentence fluencyConventionsPresentation

IdeasHeart of the message -- content or theme

Details that enrich and develop that theme - are interesting, important and informative

Word ChoiceRichColorfulPrecise language that communicates - It is functional, moves the reader to a higher level of awareness, enlightensClarifiesExpands ideas

Story ElementsCharacterSettingTimePlot - Sequence of eventsAnswer the ?sWhoWhatWhereWhenWhyHow

Developing an Evidence BookVisual record of observations

Verbal record of observations

Vocabulary development - both visual and verbal

Narrative development

Developing a Visual VocabularyThe Who

Characters

Characters with Props

Characters - Emotions

Other Possible Ideas FamilyInsectsAnimalsPetsBirds

Developing a Visual VocabularyThe How

Characters Moving - VerbsStrong verbs that lend writing power

List of verbs that match the movement

What would march, shuffle, lunge, saunter look like?

Developing a Visual VocabularyThe Where

Word Choice - AdverbsIllustrating an understanding of place

Environmental ChangesHow would two drawings of the same place with different weather conditions alter a students version of a narrative?

What would they hear, feel, smell?

Visually Expanding the Writing

Word Choice - ColorBLUEIceAquaBlueberryOceanMidnight

REDMaraschinoMaroonStrawberryCayenne

Sentence ExpansionThe bug is crawling.The plant is shading the bug which is crawling.The plant is shading the bug which is crawling on the dirt.The bug is being shaded by the plant, while the worm and the bug crawl closer.

David and Matt are looking into the terrarium box while the bug is being shaded by the plant, while the worm and the bug crawl closer.

Writing a StoryThe drawing

List of vocabulary

Writing the story

Visual Writing - Before andAfter

Before - poem by a third-grade girl:ScissorRazor sharp,Cuts through paper as if it was rolling down a hill,Swiftly it finishes the paper, and the paper is in half.

After - poem by a third-grade girl:My ScissorThe crocodile, eats its paper,Its fangs bite,Like a werewolf.Its sharp claws,chop through the paper.CUT! CUT! CHOP! CHOP!As the swords and knifes come together. The stork opens its beak And then smashes it closed,The alligator snaps for its food.Thats my Scissor.

Natural Resources

Students art work - drawings, paintings, sculpture, prints, and crafts developed under the guidance of their art teacher

Your art teacher Student prompts Master art works

Ideas - the heart of the messageOrganization - the internal structure of the pieceVoice - the personal tone Word choice - the vocabulary that is chosen to convey meaningSentence fluency - the rhythm and flow of the languageConventions - the mechanical correctnessPresentation - how the writing actually looks on the page

Develop a page of people at play. Offer a prompt such as Draw all the things that you do outside in the fallYou can develop several pages of these!

Offer direction:Draw me a magician. How will I know he is a magician? What props will he use?You can have journal pages for any of these topics!How about ways to move?How about directional words?Bring in paint chip samples, glue them in your book or record the names of the colors or both.What are the unusual names of some crayon colors in the big box? Bring in a big box!Start with the picture. What kid would draw a bug in isolation and leave it at that?Stop here.