Writers Workshop Practicing Voice

Hooked on Writing February was such a fun unit to create! Students spent some time learning about voice as it related to author studies last month. They practiced by mimicking that author. This month they will learn more in depth about voice and how it not only relates to a particular author but a mood and a tone.

The mentor texts for this month are so great!

These books are so different yet 3 out of 4 have an emotion/friendship and bravery theme. Students will begin to pick out mood and tone in a book and use some of the techniques such as word choice to create a mood.

In My Heart has the best describing words for feelings! Students will harvest some new words and then choose an emotion to write about in detail with a tone to showcase that feeling.

The Story of Diva and Flea gives students a look into a chapter book and the voice that is present in a longer story. Students will go in depth with story elements – beginning, middle and end and create a lap book to present those elements from the story. Students will then carry the story on and write about “The Next Story of Diva and Flea”.

If you haven’t read one of the Mad Scientist books, you are in for a treat. The Mad Scientist: The Weather Disaster is like a graphic novel in picture book form. Students will be so engaged when you present this book to them. It’s the perfect time to introduce it with your weather lessons. (Not to mention kids love monsters!) In this week, voice is integrated into other curricular areas like Science and Social Studies. Let’s face it, writing is not only done during “literacy time”.

Our last story, The Lion Inside, is a beautiful story about the perception of bravery. Students will write their own “unlikely friendship” story and go through the whole writing process including student feedback, editing and sharing aloud in a presentation.

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