Contributor
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Strategy
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Laura Eble
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- After reading a familar story or poem, such as Little Bo Peep,
demonstrate how to write an ad for the lost and found column of a
newspaper. Discuss how Little Bo Peep may have felt and brainstorm what kind of voice or words she may have used in her writing. Make a list of these words or phrases to refer to while writing Miss Bo Peep's letter.
(group effort).
- Read a story with several characters that demonstrate different voice qualities, such as Cinderella. After several readings, provide children with 4 character cards-one for the step-mother, Cinderella, a step-sister, and the prince. Next, the teacher reads a passage that is a representation of one of the characters. Students will hold up the card that relates to
the passage the teacher has read.
- Character rhythms (a suggestion from HBJ reading series): Use an audible signal such as musical instruments or hand-clapping to represent each character. As the story is read, let volunteers take turns listening and then sounding the instrument (or clapping) when each character is represented in the story.
- When reading a story with a clear discription of character or setting, provide children with paper and crayons. Read the story with the children but do not show the illustrations. Select a passage from the story. Ask the children to listen carefully and then draw what they "hear"-- the voice of the story. When all children's drawings are complete, gather in a
circle to share illustrations. Ask the children to tell what words in the passage led them to create their drawings. Last, share what the actual illustrator drew. Were their drawings similar?
- To demonstrate how "voice" makes a difference to the reader, begin a shared writing activity using a sentence such as this, "The tree is in the park." Illustrate the sentence exactly as stated.
- Discuss how by adding words that tell about the tree and the park, that the sentence starts to become more interesting. Have the children provide words that tell about the tree. Add them to the sentence and illustrate. Example: "The tall,
bare tree is in the park."
- Discuss the verb "is". Ask the children if they can think of another word that would show how the tree moved or stood.
- Continue adding words and illustrating until the sentence begins to show "voice" by painting a picture in the reader's mind.
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Irene
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- Share all kinds of examples of voice in reading.
- Ask "Who is talking?" questions when discussing stories. Have children identify some of the words that helped them identify who was talking, and perhaps identify some of the things that seem important to that "speaker".
- With student permission, share examples of student writing which have strong voice.
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