Interest-led Writing
My boys love to write. I stopped to wonder just why that is.
I must give thanks in part to Nintendo. Ha! Did that get your attention? :)
Because of this strong interest, my boys have endless fodder for writing. Literally hundreds of pages of writing have been inspired by their favorite games.
They have read reviews, FAQs and walk-throughs. Then they write. I see organization, outlines, analogies, reference quoting, etc. all appearing, as if magically on the page. CM would love this. They are learning by imitation.
But, there are influences in their writing lives beyond the video game world. Their fiction, is influenced heavily by their past reading. I see shades of JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis, Brian Jacques and many others all coming through in their writing. Some of their fiction is spring-boarded by the video games, but there is also a lot of characters they have created on their own. After a bunch of Dave Barry books and tapes, we had tons of humor writing going on here. Hank the Cowdog was a big influence, too. So was Anne of Green Gables, The Hardy Boys, The Phantom Tollbooth, Winnie the Pooh...oh.. on and on and on.
They have read newspaper and magazine articles, editorials, advertisments, want-ads; all sorts of non-fiction. All of these things have modeled format. But content has been based on the things they are passionate about... coming out in many formats and modes.
To this soup , I have read aloud short stories, essays and novels and we have talked about style and some of the names of the components of writing and composition. It made a lot of sense to read and write for a long time before learning the mechanics and terms. For example, my son wrote a strong letter to LEGO Corporation out of passion and concern in their marketing techniques. After he finished, I told him what he had done: written a persuasive letter. It meant something to him.
I see that this writing practice is going to easily dovetail into the essay, business or college writing they will need to do later. They have found their voices now... through what they love.
As the years go by, and I see these boys grow and mature, I understand more and more that these skills develop naturally, and especially in writing, if they can write about what they care about, they can develop the skills to one day convince others in writing of what is important to them as adults.
Too often we beat the love of writing out of our children with Too-Much-Too-Soon Curriculum and the voices never have a chance to develop.
Yes, it is hard. It is hard to let go of the curriculum and their shiny promises. It is also hard to let go of the mentality that a little bit, each day is the only way to learn to write. It is also hard to be connected with your kids enough to know where they are with their passions, listen to their narrations (conversations), give them the skills (such as typing skills) and non-critical encouragement to put their thoughts down on paper.
I found when I took away the artificial curriculum the atmosphere became more trusting and respectful. With the energy I used to expend on making them do the work, I could spend instead on modeling and following my interests. I wrote a novel in a month in November. I suspect that is something my boys will remember. I write letters to the editor and encourage them to do the same. All the 'curriculum-push' energy can now be used in different ways!
Ah.. and as the find their voice... it is a beautiful metamorphisis. And you can be their Editor-Angel .. and watch their creations take shape, blow on the embers of creativity and be the wind beneath their wings... and then stand back and watch their creative voices get stronger and stronger. If this idea is new to you, a great place for moms to learn all about this is www.bravewriter.com (hint... the courses there are not just to teach the children.. I think moms learn the most :) )
Doesn't get better than this. Stop time... I don't want this to end!
I must give thanks in part to Nintendo. Ha! Did that get your attention? :)
Because of this strong interest, my boys have endless fodder for writing. Literally hundreds of pages of writing have been inspired by their favorite games.
They have read reviews, FAQs and walk-throughs. Then they write. I see organization, outlines, analogies, reference quoting, etc. all appearing, as if magically on the page. CM would love this. They are learning by imitation.
But, there are influences in their writing lives beyond the video game world. Their fiction, is influenced heavily by their past reading. I see shades of JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis, Brian Jacques and many others all coming through in their writing. Some of their fiction is spring-boarded by the video games, but there is also a lot of characters they have created on their own. After a bunch of Dave Barry books and tapes, we had tons of humor writing going on here. Hank the Cowdog was a big influence, too. So was Anne of Green Gables, The Hardy Boys, The Phantom Tollbooth, Winnie the Pooh...oh.. on and on and on.
They have read newspaper and magazine articles, editorials, advertisments, want-ads; all sorts of non-fiction. All of these things have modeled format. But content has been based on the things they are passionate about... coming out in many formats and modes.
To this soup , I have read aloud short stories, essays and novels and we have talked about style and some of the names of the components of writing and composition. It made a lot of sense to read and write for a long time before learning the mechanics and terms. For example, my son wrote a strong letter to LEGO Corporation out of passion and concern in their marketing techniques. After he finished, I told him what he had done: written a persuasive letter. It meant something to him.
I see that this writing practice is going to easily dovetail into the essay, business or college writing they will need to do later. They have found their voices now... through what they love.
As the years go by, and I see these boys grow and mature, I understand more and more that these skills develop naturally, and especially in writing, if they can write about what they care about, they can develop the skills to one day convince others in writing of what is important to them as adults.
Too often we beat the love of writing out of our children with Too-Much-Too-Soon Curriculum and the voices never have a chance to develop.
Yes, it is hard. It is hard to let go of the curriculum and their shiny promises. It is also hard to let go of the mentality that a little bit, each day is the only way to learn to write. It is also hard to be connected with your kids enough to know where they are with their passions, listen to their narrations (conversations), give them the skills (such as typing skills) and non-critical encouragement to put their thoughts down on paper.
I found when I took away the artificial curriculum the atmosphere became more trusting and respectful. With the energy I used to expend on making them do the work, I could spend instead on modeling and following my interests. I wrote a novel in a month in November. I suspect that is something my boys will remember. I write letters to the editor and encourage them to do the same. All the 'curriculum-push' energy can now be used in different ways!
Ah.. and as the find their voice... it is a beautiful metamorphisis. And you can be their Editor-Angel .. and watch their creations take shape, blow on the embers of creativity and be the wind beneath their wings... and then stand back and watch their creative voices get stronger and stronger. If this idea is new to you, a great place for moms to learn all about this is www.bravewriter.com (hint... the courses there are not just to teach the children.. I think moms learn the most :) )
Doesn't get better than this. Stop time... I don't want this to end!
posted by Cindy at 7:27 AM
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