LET'S GET CREATIVE WITH OUR LITERARY OPTIONS

As the semester enters its final weeks, students, parents, and teachers alike find themselves longing for different options to complete the standard tasks. We often try to make lessons more enjoyable and engaging. I have compiled a few ideas to spark interests in homes and classes. Feel free to share any new adventures you plan to explore!

1. Read some Poetry. Poetry does not necessarily require advanced reading or writing skills. However, like well written song lyrics, poetry speaks to the soul. I often pick up a classic compilation of Great American poetry just to find a sonnet that echoes my mood. Try reading some poetry while enjoying a picnic at the park! The change of scenery lends to the atmosphere.

2. Keep a Journal- And perhaps Read Another’s. History is full of personal historical accounts of individuals who kept a record of their daily life in a journal. A quick search and visit to the library may yield a perfect option!

3. Read a Short Story- These brief pieces of literature offer a shorter time investment for great returns! Whether checking out classic American short stories, or even short stories written by new or unknown authors, these literary works allow for great discussions. Students may even feel inspired to write their own!

4. Read magazine articles. Fewer families subscribe to magazines in homes today, but did you know that a local library often carries multiple subscriptions? Articles related to specific topics can bring even more creativity into your lives. There are MANY topics to explore, such as arts and crafts, hobbies, sports, travel, decor, style, family life, recipes, and gardening. Try swapping magazines with friends, or reach out to family members to see what types of magazines they would be willing to lend.

5. Tour a Historical Area, and Read the Pamphlets- When touring a historical setting, such as a capital city, national park, or nature preserve, many written resources are available for the public. While some materials may require purchasing, others are often completely free. Try a new location, and see what types of pamphlets, booklets, and website information is available for guests to learn more.

As we always invite our community to share, feel free to tell other TWJ friends and family about your experiences. We have social media platforms, or you may email us at any time. If children would like to send hand-written letters to our office, we would LOVE to receive them and start a collection of pen pal notes!

Our office address is: The Write Journey, 4303 Perth Road, Fort Mill, SC 29707.

MOVING BEYOND THE PAGE WITH ENRICHMENT PROJECTS

In depth studies in literature bring the texts alive. In our classes, students pay close attention to their amazing novels, oen reading much more slowly than ever before. They learn to ask questions while reading, and notice much more than the basic storyline. When students find some area of interest in a novel, and want to know more, what might they do? Enter the Enrichment Projects!

At the end of each semester, our students finish reading their novels, oen 2-3 weeks prior to the end of the class. The remaining weeks allow the students time to explore an aspect of their novel in which they find interest. Topics related to history include:

•  The time period of the novel

•  The state in which the novel takes place

•  An interesting element not directly related to the story’s events

•  Various professions from the era

•  Famous persons, such as leaders or heroes

•  Clothing from the period

•  Tools used by the characters

 Types of travel

Additionally, students may create a written composition that differs from the typical writing assignment completed during weekly assignments in class. These various types of writing include:

•  An extra chapter or two to the end of the story

•  An epilogue that revisits the characters further along in their lives

•  Their own short stories that relate to the novel in some way

•  A different ending of the story

 Research on an assigned topic related to the novel

We have seen a variety of creative writing projects come to light over the years. In our classes, the written portion of this project explores just one element of creativity. Students also create a visual project to share, and they give an oral presentation to their classmates. These projects allow students to expand the subjects much farther than the text. We hope to see many new projects from this semester’s topic: Pioneering!

WHEN READING BECOMES AN EXPERIENCE

When your children attend one of our Reading and Writing classes, they do more than simply read a story to find out what happens! We help students dive deep into the literature and notice the details, especially about the characters.

We intentionally choose a slow pace of reading in order to give the students time to read between the lines. We want to keep track of details. We even have students annotate (make marks) on the pages. Let’s look at various aspects of literary analysis by learning level, focusing on the characters.

PreK/Kindergarten:
Children hear wonderful stories read by the instructor, with a lively voice, and they enjoy accompanying activities to make the story come alive. Students learn the following:

• They learn basic terms related to stories, such as characters, setting, and plot. Even at this youngest level, children begin thinking about the characters in the tales, and discussing in class the differing aspects of the actions, thoughts, feelings, and situations of each character. This marks the beginning of the relational connection many find with characters in literature!

1st/2nd Grade Reading and Writing:
Students simply learn to keep track of main characters in the story.

•  They mark their names (perhaps their initials) on the pages.

•  They discuss each character in class with the other students. They may talk

  about what they like or dislike about the characters.

•  They begin to notice the descriptions of each character, recognizing that each

  detail helps us learn more about the characters in the story.

3rd/4th Grade Reading and Writing:

Students increase their annotating skills:

•  They learn to draw a box around each character’s name.

•  They learn to underline any descriptions they find about that character.

•  They learn to put specific marks/symbols in the margins to easily see why they

  underlined the words or section.

•  They discuss the characters, and learn terms such as protagonist and

  antagonist.

• They also begin to notice more details, which help them determine personalities of each character.

This is beginning level analysis.

5th/6th Grade Reading and Writing:

•  They continue learning the terms associated with characters in stories, and keep

  track of character qualities by creating charts.

•  They track descriptions, and continue to annotate their books, remembering to

  include symbols in the margins.

•  They also learn to discuss the character’s qualities, actions, and choices,

  including discussing if they agree with the character’s choices. Importantly, they

  articulate their own reasons for “why” they do or do not agree.

•  They may write about how a character changes throughout a story from the

  beginning to the end.

•  They may also identify which character they would like to know more, explaining

  “why” as well.

•  They will also discuss the problems that the characters face, and talk about the

  character’s responses.

  Intermediate Reading and Writing (7th/8th Grade):

•  Students dive deeper as they track the characters, their descriptions, conflicts,

  actions, choices, and perspectives.

•  They learn to analyze the motives and outcomes of the character’s story, as well

  as how to articulate their own opinions about each character.

•  Students study the development of the character from the very beginning of the

  story, and try to anticipate the ending based on the character’s habits and

  perspectives.

 Students look for deeper meaning in the character’s decisions, and reflect on their own experiences to help determine their position. Naturally, writing prompts encourage students to discuss their views and pose their positions using critical thinking skills to support their claims. As these students are learning to interact with one another in class discussions with a greater degree of differing opinions, they encounter opposing views, but learn to openly listen to others’ views, share their own, and maintain a level of respect for one another that allows each person to engage safely and actively in the discussions.

Advanced High School Reading and Writing (9th-12th Grade)

•  Students already know many of the terms associated with character analysis and conflicts.

•  They are instructed in annotating their texts with symbols, words, and marks.

•  They also keep track of relevant information in charting forms. This allows the students to easily locate important information they need for writing a character analysis essay or studying for exams.

•  Students hone their analytical skills by digging even deeper into the characters within much more complex texts.

•  Students utilize their critical thinking skills, empathy, and class discourse to formulate, consider, and develop their own perspectives. Under the direction of skilled instructors, students consider differing viewpoints or answer challenging questions, which prompts introspective thought and allows the student to establish what they truly think or believe.

 They continue to develop communication skills necessary to articulate their ideas.

Our students develop a true love of studying literature, even if they do not love the actual texts. They learn to engage in discussions about the author’s skills, and practice slowly studying novels as opposed to simply reading to get to the end. Over the years, many students share the joy they find in this method, and we recognize the benefits of deeply studying the texts. Do you remember specific characters from novels you read over the years? What made them memorable to you? We’d love for you to share your experiences on our social media platforms. Perhaps others would like to meet your favorite character from literature.

PIONEERS & ADVENTURERS

As long as humans have recorded their histories, others have sought to learn from their experiences. With the pioneer and adventure novels our classes will study these next couple months, children will be able to look into the minds and hearts of those who have gone before us. Something grand hides in the idea of strife that leads to fresh possibilities. We even revel in the thrill of the unknown. It is one thing to read an age-old tale of fantasy, such as The Hobbit, and feel the joy of anticipation as Bilbo proclaims that he is “going on an adventure!” It is wholly another prospect to read of real life experiences. We will see heart-wrenching decisions, struggles, hardships, and disappointments, yet wonder at overcoming seemingly impossible odds and persevering simply to survive. What more could we ask of such a story type? We eagerly anticipate students will have much to discuss about the topic.

As families study this genre together, we hope to hear reports of wonder and amazement at the strength of the human spirit. We may even hear of students beginning their own adventures! Please share your discoveries on our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, or emailing our office are fantastic ways to share with others as you discover the pioneering spirit in your own family. Happy adventures to everyone!

CREATIVE LITERATURE

For several ideas to creatively interact with literature this month, click this link.

In December, we love to find ways for students to spend extra time creating arts and crafts, and what better way to do this than with a literature themed idea! We added a link for 20 classic Christmas themed short stories. Authors such as Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, and Beatrix Potter wrote wonderful short stories that speak of all things holiday related. We want to share a couple of fun ideas to capture a memory from the reading of these stories. Of course your family does not need to read all 20 stories to create the crafts. However, you may find hours of wonderful literary content to keep your children asking for more!

https://teaandinksociety.com/classic-christmas-short-stories-read-online/

Salt dough ornaments: Recipe below

If you have never used salt dough, let me assure you that it is very simple to make, requires just 3 ingredients, and can help children and adults create a handmade ornament that will potentially last many years. We encourage your family to read a story together; this may require parents to read the text aloud, or it could be a great opportunity to have students of varied ages and reading abilities take turns reading aloud. The grand idea is that each child would choose some sort of symbol to form out of the salt dough. It may be a candy cane, a ballet slipper, a tree, a baby, a scarf; the ideas seem limitless. With salt dough, children can use whichever medium desired to add color. It works well to use crayons, markers, or paint. You may even dye the dough with simple food coloring. The dough can be rolled flat, and cut with cookie cutter shapes, or it can be molded like a clay sculpture. To hang the ornament, either create a hole at the top to pass a string or hook through and secure, or tie the hanging string around the ornament. The salt dough can either air dry, or be baked to harden, which makes it a versatile crafting material.

Create a picture:

Have children create a picture that they imagine from the story. With many options to create pictures, children may enjoy exploring an art medium that they have not yet tried, such as paints, clay, or various beans and pastas with glue. A simple search on Pinterest often leads to more ideas than I can manage!

Write about it:

After reading short stories, children may enjoy writing their own short stories, or they may choose to write about some aspect of the story that they appreciated, or even disliked. No matter the writing task chosen, encourage children to think about the classic stories read together, and try to refer back to the stories in their own writing. This can be fun and helpful for parents and home educators as they notice the particular manner each child engages with the characters, events, or morals of each classic tale. Very young students will benefit from simply narrating the story back, remembering the details that resonated in their little minds.

No matter the creative outlet your family chooses to respond to these wonderful holiday themed literature selections, we believe everyone can find a creative way to express themselves. Above all, talk about these lovely pieces of history. You may even establish a new family tradition!

Salt dough recipe:

Ingredients

•  2 cups all purpose flour

•  1 cup salt

•  1 cup water

  Instructions:

•  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.

• Slowly add water, stirring and mixing as you go to form a so dough similar to the texture and feel of play-dough.

• Shape the dough into a ball and knead for approximately 5-10 minutes, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky or a bit more water if it’s too dry. You should be able to roll a ball of dough in your hands without it sticking, but not crumbling apart.

• One option: Roll dough on a flat surface with a rolling pin and cut shapes with cutters or plastic knives.

• Another option: Shape or sculpt the dough with hands and fingers to create the desired shape.

• Make sure to pierce the ornament to allow you to thread string or a hook for hanging AFTER baking or drying.

• Bake thin ornaments for 30-60 minutes in a warm oven (180°-200° F). For best results, air dry any sculptures thicker than 1⁄4 inch overnight before baking. Some larger sculptures will puff when baked, so air drying for 2-3 days will be sufficient without the need to bake.

• Add the string, ribbon, or wire to hang your dried ornaments!