Response to Non-Magical Thinking: Presenting Writing Developmentally in Schools
By Janet Emig
In her piece, Janet Emig poses the question, “What if it is just as natural to write books and read them as it is natural to die or be born?” This question inspired me to really think about how language developed, its purpose, and just how I teach literacy in my classroom. First, let me say that I don’t believe writing can happen “just naturally,” at least in terms of advancing young writers to an acceptable point. For example, if I want my students to write more descriptively, I can’t just say, “You need to write more descriptively,” and leave it at that. (In the beginning of my career, I honestly struggled with how to get my students to write more descriptively beyond simply teaching about adjectives or adverbs as discreet sub skills) Rather, I need to be intentional while weaving the idea of purpose when discussing with students how they can make their writing more descriptive; in fact, it’s not about being descriptive, it’s about making writing more interesting to compose and read.
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3 comments:
I like the idea that "being more descriptive" isn't enough. It's a state of being, not an action!!
Sometimes, for me is difficult too. when I tell the students to be more "descriptive" specially to my first grade students.You are not alone
For some reason thinking of writing as a natural occurrence made me wonder how authors like Mark Twain actually write with authentic voice in a dialect that might not actually be their own.
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