I remember as a young writer in grammar school having to come up with my own ideas and topics to write about. In the 1980’s, this may have been a typical scenario, but as a homeschool mom, I am learning with my children that the ways of old, in this case, were not wise. Benjamin Franklin utilized the technique of imitation as a way to train himself to write. His literary texts were articles that he used as models for writing his own work. Because he was dismissed early in his life as a writing failure, he sought the excellence of other work to master the art of writing. This sounds like a logical path to follow and I know that when I get my hands on a piece of literature—essay or short story, or long fiction—I keep them handy as a framework to use to build my own work. It is like a sewing pattern. We need them as guides to know where to cut, where to fold, and how much fabric to use. Likewise, for the young writer, it is most important to start them off this way. A blank sheet of paper with the instruction to write is already a failed attempt. We can have our young writers free-write to prime the pump, but to produce something excellent, we need to start them off by getting them close to another work of literature. This isn’t to suggest that our young writers become counterfeits of another, nor does it imply that this learning model will hinder their creative voices from flourishing. Since the blank page needs to be filled, the young writer needs a jump start. In the homeschool, my fifth grader will read a source text that engages him and has historical value. It could be around a theme of the past, or a theme of the present. It could be a “living book,” as Charlotte Mason (English educator of the 19th century) would put it. For instance, recently he’s read biographical material about Harriet Tubman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Levi Strauss, Dr Seuss, and Florence Nightingale, each with their own set of paragraphs telling the most amazing details of these people’s lives. Then, the young writer may use this source material to create a keyword outline, highlighting the most important details, finding two or three central topics (such as childhood, personality, etc.) that will bring it all together. What I typically do when the outline is completed is have my son do what I call a public speaking drill. He looks at his outline, and in front of his brother, sister, and myself, he reads off his outline– but, the caveat is that he is not just reading word for word, but rather looking at the keywords, then lifting his face up to speak in complete sentences what those keywords are about. It is a very helpful exercise because it not only teaches him to know the material he has read but to learn to speak it publicly. And isn’t that also another beneficial lesson? To be able to speak publicly without reading from a script while mutually having grasped what you have learned? Writing assignments don’t need to be broad. They only require the proper source material to help lead a writer to devise his own outline, to write a composition based from that outline, and to enjoy what he’s learned.
Teaching Children
Writing Process: How a Reluctant Reader Can Soar Now
I have a reluctant writer at home. My son, a fifth grader whom I homeschool, is very curious and very inquisitive in an understated way. When we take trips to the library, he immediately visits the animal books: dinosaurs, sharks, reptiles, all creatures that interest him most. Learning to appreciate reading, however, continues to be a battle. It isn’t something that comes naturally to all students. We thought early on as parents that if we read to our children, if we exposed him to books at an earlier age, if he sees me enjoying a good novel, or sees me writing my fiction, well, it is all a matter of genetics then which will kick the proclivity for language arts into high gear. But that was wishful thinking. We are not surprised that our reluctant reader would be a reluctant writer as well. We had to ask ourselves, How then are we to help our son enjoy reading while we help him overcome his apprehension for writing? When my husband and I began to explore language arts curricula over a year ago, we found the answer we believed would be fitting to our son’s interests while engaging him in the skill of writing. The language arts curriculum my son used last year in fourth grade had plenty of instruction on the topics of sea snakes, pill bugs, desert tarantulas, and starfish. It proceeded to teach about historical figures like George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Genghis Khan. Eventually, he read fables—such as The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Princess and the Pea, and the Lion and the Mouse. For his final research paper, he chose to study the Komodo dragon, which gave him a sense of relief because he was finally able to elect his favorite subject to write about. We found out not only through other homeschool parents that one of the main culprits of the reluctant writer is the unfounded interest in the subject matter. We truly favored the curriculum and are using it again this year because it continues to feed the hunger my son has for reading about these topics, and writing about them as well. His approach to his writing holds a focus that we thought we’d never see. Even though he will slowly get drawn into a book, he won’t pick up a story and read it for pleasure. What matters in this instance is that he isn’t as apprehensive about reading as he was before. We’ll change things up a bit, knowing the tools we have help him learn, but motivating him is another feat. What has helped is the participation in the library’s summer reading program, and the Cover to Cover Club by In-N-Out Burger. Rewards, incentives, payoffs remain the crucial motivator for the reluctant reader. It’s been a long enough road to see my son, who really struggled to read prior to being homeschooled—when he was attending a private school—look forward to reading chapter books with attentiveness. It is a season, it seems, when the embers are still hot and then they cool after burnout in the homeschool. In fact, to encourage my son further, we challenged him to write a short story. Earlier this year, a short story writing contest for homeschoolers had an open call for submissions. We thought it was a perfect exercise for my son. Being the sequential, logical mother that I am, I was relieved to have followed a systematic plan that guided me in the process. My son, on the other hand, being apprehensive about all things language arts, was stretched enough to have a chance at exploring creative writing. The fixed prompt of the contest, the deadline, and the toolbox from his curriculum were what helped him accomplish the assignment with minimal frustration. I don’t know if my son will win the contest in his age category, but I can say that the introduction to a challenge outside of the homeschool, a panel of judges that are lined up to judge his work, is reward enough. It is already a victory to know that he set his hand to the plough through every sentence, every sequence of events, every moment of tension, and every line of dialogue that was necessary to tighten his story, and to loosen the grimace on his face.
Gifted Soup Ingredients: Dawbroski’s Excitabilities in Creative Writing
Does your gifted child or a classroom child react negatively to sensory stimulus? Instead of seeing the sensory quirks as a negative aspect of life, there are many ways to change the focus to finding a creative spark. Kazimierz Dabrowski recognized gifted kids often have overly sensitive responses to their environment. Within his studies, he looked at many aspects of how these often-perceived flaws or disruptions in kids are perhaps simply a function of their brains working overtime to process information at a higher speed or level. There is a long list of Dabrowski’s Excitabilities. Dabrowski broke down the “sensual” excitabilities into heightened reactions to the five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. These positive or negative reactions could involve sensitivity to smells, tastes, textures, a strong appreciation of beauty, a scavenger-level love of objects, an increased need for comfort or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, being bothered by tactile intrusions like a shirt tag. Instead of viewing the behaviors as negative, I agree with Dabrowski that the excitabilities can become a positive aspect if approached as an equal gift, instead of as a detriment or distraction. For this blog entry, I am going to explore using Dabrowski’s “sensual” excitability of touch to find a creative spark by taking a look at how a heightened tactile sense can be used to encourage creative writing. In creative writing and artistic pursuits especially, the excitability behavior can be viewed as that moment of inspiration when the increased sensitivity to a sensual experience is that eureka moment when great creativity strikes. When Cohen composed the song “Hallelujah,” it is reported he was found exhausted in a hotel room from the creative process of writing the song. Finding that eureka moment of creativity may be as simple as harnessing these sensory excitabilities. To begin, think of the question: How does a gifted child experience the world through the perception of Dabrowski? The simplest way to get that answer is to just ask the child, especially at that moment when the excitability is at its heightened state. When socks or a shirt are irritating them, ask what about the sensation bothers them. The answer might be as simple as the sensation is itchy, or the child might respond by saying that it feels as if a snake is crawling up their back. After exploring the child’s perception of the heightened sensory experience, the next step can be to find ways to encourage creative writing enhanced by that very sensitivity to tactile influences. Many of the exercises below can also be adapted for the other senses. I will continue the exploration of the excitabilities in upcoming columns with additional techniques to make often-difficult responses into positive creative outlets. Exploring the tips below can be a great way to explore creativity. 1-Interactive journalling can be used to integrate actual tactile materials into a writing journal. In a similar fashion that a scrapbook might be used, interactive journalling with tactile objects can introduce the feel of a memory by having the texture or feel of that object next to the words it describes. While pressing leaves and dried flowers might be the first idea, including tactile journal reminders can extend beyond nature objects to money, fabric, images, tickets—anything that physically reminds the child by heightening the sense that made the object’s feel important to them at the outset. To change the interactive journal to fit with the other senses, a journal of photographs can be made, or the tactile objects can be used in a sight-based format instead. 2-Creating a “feeling collage.” Buy a simple canvas and have the child collect tactile objects on a nature walk or just through the house. Glue the objects to the canvas. Have the child feel the objects with their eyes open, and then again with their eyes closed. Have them write about how things feel differently with and without the sense of sight. To adapt the “feeling collage” for other senses, the child can be introduced to different smells and tastes with and without their other senses present. For example, blindfold while tasting or smelling and see if the objects invoke a different response. Write notes about how an apple smells and tastes when the child can’t see it. 3-Explore emotions. The next time the child has an emotional reaction to a tactile object or feeling, have them write down where their emotions go when they physically and emotionally feel something. Is there a tearful response when they touch their teddy bear because it was a special gift? Does the feel of the ocean breeze make them afraid they will drown? 4-Writing prompts with eyes closed and only a tactile feel of the area. This exercise may require a little parent or teacher help. Have the child focus on the surroundings and materials involved in writing: the feel of the paper, the desk, the pencil, the computer keys, the floor under their feet, eraser bits, pencil shavings. Make the tactile feeling of writing a focus in the process. Other senses can be explored by having the child describe everything they see with each of the other individual senses. By honing in on one specific sense at a time, it can help the child focus their thoughts. 5-Writing prompts with objects as inspiration. Narrow the tactile influence by starting with a prompt that focuses on touch. Some examples: “She felt like . . .” “He touched the . . .” “The breeze blew across the . . .” “The dog’s fur felt like . . .” “My tears feel like . . .” To focus on a different sensory reaction, substitute “She saw . . .”. 6-Take notes all day on the tactile feelings of their surroundings. At the end of the day, take an inventory of the experience, and use it to set up character settings based on the descriptions of how their actual environment felt all day. This could be as simple as what the car leather
