The Art of Writing and Revision

Classroom activities

Oral Storytelling

After selecting a topic, students will have the opportunity to share their stories orally and get assistance from their peers through questioning. Hillocks highlights a pre-writing strategy where students share their personal narrative topic with classmates in small groups. The group members then go around and ask follow-up questions about the topic.⁶⁹ 

I will start by modeling and present my personal statement topic to the group, giving a one-minute overview of my story. Then students will ask me questions based on Hillock’s “Questions for Story Ideas.”⁷⁰  They can select other questions, but this is a starting point. Students will then break into small groups. Each person in the group will have a chance to present their topic for one minute and the rest of the group will ask follow-up questions. I will structure this as a class with a class-wide timer: one minute for presentation and three minutes for follow-up questions. This will support students in thinking through their topic and details they will want to include in the story.

Questions for Story Ideas:

• Setting: Where does the story take place? How is the place important to the story? What needs to be explained? What is going on?
• Characters: Who are the characters? Which are important to the action of the story? What do we need to know about them?
• Initiating Action: What initiates or begins the action? What causes a character to do something?
• Attempts: What attempts does the main character make? To do what? Why?
• Results: What are the results of the character’s attempts? Does the result initiate a new action?
• Responses: How does the character respond to or feel about the initiating action, the attempts, and the results?
• Dialogue: What do the characters say to one another?⁷¹

Mind map

Mind maps are diagrams used to organize ideas or plan writing. This visual representation of brainstorming can be helpful for students to think through ideas and plan their writing. It can help them narrow down their topic or recall important information to include in their narrative.

After students select their topic and go through questioning with their small group, they will work on a mind map. I will model the process first with my own personal narrative. After working on a mind map, a student may realize they do not have enough to say about a topic and want to switch to another idea. This is okay! It is all part of the process.

In building a mind map students will write their topic in a circle in the middle of a paper. From the center they will branch out with lines, adding and connecting descriptive details, people, and key words details. Lattimer suggests teachers use prompts to help them add to their map. “What people, places, or things do you associate with that topic? Record your association into a memoir. Consider:  Why was this event meaningful? What did you learn from this experience? What lessons do you want to communicate by writing about this topic?”⁷²

Plot Diagram

Personal narratives do not always follow a strict formula, but when planning a personal narrative, it is helpful to understand all elements of a story. The plot diagram offers a visual representation of the beginning, middle, and end. It is helpful for students to use a plot diagram to organize their ideas and make sure that they have enough to say about their chosen topic. I will teach students the basic plot diagram format that includes

• Exposition: introduce the setting, characters, background
• Rising Action: build conflict and suspense, leading up to the climax
• Climax: turning point, peak action
• Falling Action: the events after the climax
• Resolution: wrap up, lesson learned

While many of our mentor texts do not follow this format, it is important for students to learn the rules, before they break them! Students will all complete a plot diagram in their ideas section of the writing. It is a required assignment before they write their first draft. I will provide feedback on the plot diagram, asking questions and ensuring they know how to organize their story and have thought through the different events.

Workshop

Each week we will hold a writing workshop. This is a chance for students to receive feedback on their writing and for the rest of the class to learn from their peers’ writing. I will give each student a copy of the writing piece we are workshopping. The writer (the author of the narrative) will read their writing aloud while the rest of the class reads along. If they want, they can ask a peer to read for them. This can be their entire narrative or a portion. When introducing workshops, we will start with solely positive feedback until students start to feel more comfortable.

I will use a structure borrowed from Linda Christensen in Reading, Writing, and Rising Up. I will distribute blank strips of papers to each student. When the first writer reads, everyone will write that person’s name on a strip of paper. As the writer reads their narrative, the rest of the class will write down lines, ideas, or phrases that they like. Students can respond in the following ways:

• “Respond to the writer’s style of writing: What do you like about how the piece was written? Do you like the rhyme? The repeating lines? The humor? (or whatever writing trait we are focusing on)
• Respond to the writer’s content: What did the writer say that you liked?
• Respond by sharing a memory that surfaced for you: Did you have a similar experience? Did this remind you of something from your life?⁷³

Each student must write positive feedback and include their name. Afterwards I will call on students (or the writer will call on students) to share their comments. At the end of the workshop, students will give the slip back to the writer. We will follow this process for each writer who presents that day. The teacher should encourage students to borrow what they like and use those techniques in their own writing. That is part of the workshop process and goals.⁷⁴ 

As the unit progresses, we will move away from using strips. Additionally, we will move on to sharing feedback, questions, wonderings, ideas for improvement. There will be reluctant students and teachers cannot force anyone to share. They can offer some alternatives that might encourage students to share their work. I will volunteer to read pieces for shy students or suggest that they simply read one paragraph out loud.⁷⁵ Sharing in a workshop will also be a grade for students. Regular use of the workshop will help students craft a well-written personal statement, learn about the power of revision, think more deeply about the process of writing, and build community.