Some Pre-Writing Lesson Plans
The following lesson plans were written or modified by William Taylor. They were presented at the PNWRC of the NCTE/BCTELA in the Spring of 1996. They may be freely used or copied.
These lessons were inspired by the work of Professor Carl Leggo (UBC), by the writing of Peter Elbow, and by the writing of Donald Hall. They have all been successfully used in the classroom.
Preamble
Words are wonderful playthings. Everywhere around us, words whirl and sit and leap, and cavort, and deadpan, and stultify. This activity is designed to encourage students to look at the words around them, to take them out of context, and to make new meaning. It is designed as a heightening of perception, and as a path to creativity.
Words can be found everywhere.
Activity
1. Gather materials: newspapers, science texts, books, books, books...
2. Discuss the concept of found poetry, by comparing it with found art. What is art? What makes art, art? Who determines whether a piece of art works or not? Where does meaning live? In a similar fashion, what makes poetry poetry? Who decides whether a poem works? What is found art? What is a found poem?
A found poem is a collection of words which, when taken from their original context, startle. They are words which take on new meaning in a new environment.
3. Demonstrate the construction of a Found Poem. I like using words which the students furnish, whether these be from a science text, or (my favorite) from the clothes they wear. Write down all of the words which are written on the clothing of the students in class, then arrange these words into interesting pairs and phrases. Build a poem, with class input if possible. The object here is to show students how context can make words fresh and powerful.
4. Give students time to look through texts with their new purpose -- to take words. Any text will do.
5. Give students time to take words out, arrange words. Circulate and help students slice words from the text. Help students play with words.
This activity can become part of a student's idea generating toolbox. It can be used at any time, in any environment. It forces us to examine the words which bombard us daily, and to realize the importance of context.
Preamble
One of the biggest hurdles for students to overcome with their writing is their inner critic. Students need strategies to use to free their minds from constraint, to allow ideas to flow unrestricted by critical analysis. Freewriting is a great way to accomplish this. Students must be told that writing conventions do not apply when freewriting: spelling, punctuation, sense -- none of these matter.
Freewriting is a time when students should concentrate on written fluency. The more words they can generate, the better off they will be.
Activity
1. Instruct students that they will be doing a timed freewrite. They should date a blank page in their writing journals in preparation for the activity.
2. Remind students that the conventions of spelling, punctuation, and usage have no place here. The point of the exercise is to keep writing for the entire time allotted. Students should not let their pens stop. If they can think of no new words, they should repeat the last one until they can.
3. Time the students from 5-10 minutes depending on the class. Write!
4. Give students time to share their freewrites with other students.
5. Encourage volunteers to share their freewriting with the class.
Note: For best effect this activity should be repeated in subsequent periods until all students can keep writing for the time allotted, disregarding all distractions.
Powers of Perception Writing Activity
Preamble
Being a writer means being aware of our world in all its richness and detail. Being a writer means developing perception which allows us to participate in the fullness of experience, which allows us to draw others into new ways of seeing, of being.
Writers see, hear, touch, taste, and smell with a sense of wonder and joy. Writers seek out the fullness of the moment, and translate this experience and share this experience so that others may also live more fully, more vitally.
The act of writing reminds us that we are alive, that our lives are full, that every second can be filled with wonder.
Activity
Discuss our human existence and how we KNOW. We have senses, five of which are generally recognized, and we use them to gather information about much of our world. What can we know of our world given this information? Do we use our senses well to know the world immediate to us? How can we, as writers, use these five senses to communicate some sense of our world? What can we discover about our world which otherwise would have slipped by us as some part of us slumbered?
How many of us noticed the crunching or small pebbles under our shoes as we walked to school? How many of us stopped to breathe in the pungency of wet leaves, or the clarity of crisp morning air? How many of us listened to the sounds of our neighborhood and heard the birds singing, and heard the car door clicking resolutely shut? How many of us felt the firmness of the pavement on our soles, felt the wind tickle our faces?
1. Instruct the students to choose an object in the classroom.
2. When they have found an object, they should move to that object and examine it using all five senses.
3. They should record the results of their examinations in detail.
4. Once finished touching, smelling, looking, listening, and tasting the object, the students should be ready to write a description of the object.
5. It is fun to share these descriptions and then have other students try to guess what the object was.
Encourage students to continue to make detailed observations of the world around them in their writing journals. This will give them material to use in their pieces of writing and it will enrich their experience of life.
Preamble
As writers we need to recognize and develop both our creative and critical sides. This activity is designed to help access the creative. It also provides an excellent indication of the workings of a person's subconscious during the time of writing.
Activity
1. Ask students to write the letters of the alphabet at the top of a blank piece of paper.
2. Ask students to choose their five favourite letters that day.
3. Give students 3-4 minutes to write down five words beginning with each letter, for a total of 25 words. Stress the importance of writing down the first words that come, regardless of what they are.
4. Give students another 5minutes to arrange these words into groups: pairs, phrases, sentences etc.
5. Give students 5-8 minutes to cajole these word groups to form some kind of message, or to relate some kind of theme.
6. The activity has been successful if the writer has gotten even one fresh phrase, or one intriguing idea from it.
Note: A good way to show students the freedom of this exercise is to do it yourself on the overhead as the students work. Go through the process with them and show them how poems/prose can result.
This activity comes directly from Carl Leggo, UBC.
Let There Be Wonder Writing Activity
Preamble
We all need to renew our sense of wonder. Writers help renew this sense. How can we experience the wonder of our world?
Activity
1. Have students write the word WONDER in their writing journals in the most creative, wonderful way they can.
2. Ask students to list all the areas of wonder they encounter in their lives.
I wonder about spiders spinning gleaming webs, and then consuming them when they move on.
I wonder that the sun rises and bathes our world in brilliance.
I wonder that my hair grows.
I wonder that my parents love me despite everything I do.
I wonder why schoolrooms are square.
3. Clearly there are two types of wonder: one filled with awe, and one implying a question. Students could discuss this distinction.
4. Discuss the role writing can play in renewing our sense of wonder.
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Contact the author, William Taylor.