Model - Write A Poem Yourself In Front of Class
Thinking Aloud and Writing in Front of Students
When I am writing in front of students, I choose a topic that the children can relate to and that may have possible connections for their own writing. Other than considering what I might write about, I do no preplanning. I want to remain authentic in my demonstration; that is, if I am asking students to write “on the spot,” I need to do the same. Such demonstration writing let's the child see how to work through the process of writing as they see someone else model it with words.
Here’s how I think aloud in front of them:
"When I was thinking about what I wanted to write today, I remembered that I watched my son play his football game yesterday. Kellen worked so hard when he was running the ball even though everyone on the other team was trying to tackle him. Today I think I will write about Kellen and his football game."
As you begin writing your own first poem in front of the students, brainstorm possible beginnings, word choice, endings, etc. as students are “listening in.” Possible prompts to guide your think aloud include:
I’m going to write about ….
What do I want to say about…?
Okay, so how could I start my poem?
What else do I want to say?
Wow! I like all those words I used.
I chose action words that describe.
I might want to repeat some of those words.
Let’s hear how it sounds so far.
Let me think about the ending line to make sure my poem sounds as if it’s ended.
I, then, will finish my poem in front of the class. I love it when they try to help me write my own poem as I am thinking outloud.
Thinking Aloud and Writing in Front of Students
When I am writing in front of students, I choose a topic that the children can relate to and that may have possible connections for their own writing. Other than considering what I might write about, I do no preplanning. I want to remain authentic in my demonstration; that is, if I am asking students to write “on the spot,” I need to do the same. Such demonstration writing let's the child see how to work through the process of writing as they see someone else model it with words.
Here’s how I think aloud in front of them:
"When I was thinking about what I wanted to write today, I remembered that I watched my son play his football game yesterday. Kellen worked so hard when he was running the ball even though everyone on the other team was trying to tackle him. Today I think I will write about Kellen and his football game."
As you begin writing your own first poem in front of the students, brainstorm possible beginnings, word choice, endings, etc. as students are “listening in.” Possible prompts to guide your think aloud include:
I’m going to write about ….
What do I want to say about…?
Okay, so how could I start my poem?
What else do I want to say?
Wow! I like all those words I used.
I chose action words that describe.
I might want to repeat some of those words.
Let’s hear how it sounds so far.
Let me think about the ending line to make sure my poem sounds as if it’s ended.
I, then, will finish my poem in front of the class. I love it when they try to help me write my own poem as I am thinking outloud.