Many teachers claim that their students can't think of anything about which to write. I never seemed to have that issue in my personal inspiration for writing, but I understand that some students do not have as many experiences as others, and as a result, they do not feel inspired. Others don't realize that they may create their own experiences to use for narratives or that they can begin with something bland and them embellish with excitement or tragedy.
I enjoy providing students with experiences - the bigger and more chaotic the better sometimes - but in our everyday classroom, I have come to realize that sometimes an experience can be created out of the air. In Mood Music lessons, I play a preselected, instrumental piece of music and have the class sketch the image that comes to mind; it's as if they create a movie scene to match the music in the background.
Once the illustration is done, almost everyone is ready to write the scene that just played out in his or her imagination. They are thrilled to get to the writing piece, and some are even frustrated when they run out of time. We build some writing stamina in these moments, and they can't wait to share what they have created. As always, some are better than others, but improvement for all is our goal.
Once the illustration is done, almost everyone is ready to write the scene that just played out in his or her imagination. They are thrilled to get to the writing piece, and some are even frustrated when they run out of time. We build some writing stamina in these moments, and they can't wait to share what they have created. As always, some are better than others, but improvement for all is our goal.
