Tag Archives: elementary writing assignments

posted on November 24, 2013

What would the world look like if people were allowed to speak only 20,000 words per year? Could we communicate effectively? What communication channels would suffer as a result of this change, and what channels would get increased use?

posted on July 3, 2013

Journal topics 2 and 3

It is fascinating to see how children convert the written word into a visual representation, and vice versa. It certainly enriches the reading experience to be able to create vivid mental representations of what one is reading. Practicing drawing and reading/writing together could create an awareness of the process of transferring the written word into mental images, enhance descriptive abilities, and support creative and imaginative writing.

Journal topic 2:

Provide a scenic written passage from a well-known author, and ask the children to draw the scene in their writing journals.

Students can journal on the process they undertook to complete this assignment.

Journal topic 3:

Provide a colorful postage stamp to students. Ask them to place it in the center of a facing page, and expand the scene in the stamp with colored pencils. They can then write a story about their creation.

Point out to students that information can to transferred from words to images, and vice versa. Providing a detailed description of your ideas to readers help them make an accurate visual representation in their minds as they read your work. Similarly, reading detailed work helps the readers create captivating visual images.

posted on July 2, 2013

I am starting a series on writing journal topics appropriate for middle school learners.

Writing journal topic 1:

How would your life look if you lived your life exactly one minute ahead of every other human being? If you think you could communicate with other people, how would you accomplish this task?

posted on April 2, 2013

Becoming interested in the environment is a crucial aspect of contemporary elementary education. Explore.org provides an extensive resource of photographs, live web-cams, and videos covering many topics. Students can be asked to research a topic, and present their findings to their classmates. This activity provides an engaging way to introduce young learners to environmental issues. The material is constantly updated, so the exercise can be repeated several times a year.

 

Connect to Explore.org  HERE