Contributor
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Strategy
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Cara Sell
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- Have students draw their own pictures of a robot/space creature/house/etc. Students give written (or verbal) directions to another student who attempts to reproduce the original illustration. Students can compare the two illustrations and discuss which words and phrases were most/least helpful.
- Brainstorm and search literature for alternatives to mundane, overused words (nice, said, mad, happy, etc.). Record words on interactive charts.
- Experiment with changing a word or phrase in a sentence. Ask students to discuss how the sentence changes in meaning, tone, etc. Example: The boy wore a navy coat; The girl wore a navy coat; The girl wore a purple coat; The girl wore a lilac coat; The young girl wore a lilac coat, etc.
- Have students create specific descriptions from less general descriptions: She had a big box-->The box she carried was so big she had to stretch her neck over the top of it to see where she was going.
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Cathy
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- Use the "Show Don't Tell" strategy. Have the children write a first draft and then work with them to turn the telling words into words that show. By asking the children to turn their telling words into words that express the five senses then we will be able to know what they feel, hear, see, touch and taste.
- Brainstorm words that do this and put them on charts that can be posted throughout the room to help students to make better word choices.
- Share many different good pieces of literature and
poetry with the students, pointing out the words that helped us to feel, taste, touch, smell and hear what the author was saying. This is a great way to help young children to use these words in their writing as well.
- Play a game that will help a student choose a better set of words. Write a sentence on the chart. Have children give examples of better words that use the five senses to replace some of the words to help the sentence show what is being said, not simply tell about it.
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