Wow! How amazing the thought of utilizing a field trip to guide emerging writers along a path that exposes them to strategies that will help develop their creativity in the craft. The field trip to The Botanical Gardens created an opportunity for us to capture various photo shots, which became instrumental in providing a clearer understanding about the importance of capturing different angles in writing a piece.
Through this session I became aware that writers might use various strategies to paint a given picture. This depends entirely on what the writer seeks to achieve. A broad picture can be painted or he can choose to be specific with details by zooming- in. I always knew about “Show and Tell,” but from this session I gained a new appreciation for “Show and not tell; ” where the writer seeks to reel-in the reader by giving him an opportunity to see, smell, hear, taste or feel the emotions of the moment through the use of imagery. I will definitely share this strategy with my students and being equipped this knowledge, I envision a remarkable improvement in my writing and my students likewise.
Hi Ashel, I went on the field trip not knowing what it was about. However, when we had our next class and Mrs. Lazarus expounded on zooming-in, through the use of the photos we took, then I was able to make the connection; using a fieldtrip where students take pictures as close as possible, to help them zoom-in when writing their stories.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you also found that strategy beneficial and interesting because it was for me too. As a result of being exposed to that strategy, I was better able to write my narrative on 'Caught'.
Additionally, I will also use this strategy upon my return to the classroom, to help my students enhance their writing pieces.
Well said Ashel!! The notion of zooming in allowed me to develop on my writing craft thus keeping in mind that I need to make my Readers want more after they read. 'Show not Tell' I will create a checklist so that my students can determine whether their narrative has alot of telling or showing sentences. This will help them to create pieces that will appeal to the senses of their reader thus making the story come alive. How will you get your students to show more than tell?
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to you ladies, I also found that the field trip was an innovative way to introduce the concept of 'Zooming in'. I am quite certain that the experience and the lessons learnt will remain with us for a long time to come. This impresses upon my mind the importance of using interesting strategies and having students involved in their learning as ways in which learning can be made meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI share the same sentiment as you all. When Mrs. Lazarus sent us outside I felt a great sense of relief. I thought to myself ‘finally some good leisure time activity and relaxation.’ The way Mrs. Lazarus introduced the strategy to us was very innovative and ‘laid back’ which did not make me feel like I was doing school work at all. As a result of the strategy used I feel like I can make more of a relationship with the content given to us. We might be telling a story but centering on one aspect of the story will make it so much better and interesting.
ReplyDelete