Chapter+5+Learning+Qualities+of+Good+Writing

=Chapter 5 Learning Qualities of Good Writing From Illustration Techniques=


 * Katie uses tone to illustrate the connection between writing and illustrating. Think about another quality of writing that also demonstrates this connection. How might you introduce this connection to your students?
 * What questions might you pose to your students during conferences that will help them think about the connections between writing and illustrating?
 * Brainstorm other writing techniques that can be demonstrated both in words and in pictures. Think about what a writer knows about the technique and what an illustrator knows. Explain how this understanding overlaps.

I am eager to move on to the second section of the book. I am ready to see the lesson ideas and think of books to go with them. The discussion about the illustrations and tone is a great one to start with. All of her work can be used in our guided reading lessons as well. Especially tone with illusttraions and inferring. Kim

Throughout this chapter I kept thinking of the strong connection Katie makes between writing and illustrating- making decisions, intent, that decisions in both convey meaning, and craft. I also kept thinking of the students who will benefit from visual examples, rather than just verbal examples, of all the qualities that make good "writing." In response to the second question, I would ask students to think about strengthening/clarifying/expanding what they have on the page ( written or illustrated) by connecting both kinds of composing. Something like, "When I read this part (looked at this picture) it made me think....Is that what you had in mind? What can you do with the illustration/ writing (whatever the "other" one is) to help the reader understand this part better?" I just love how Katie helps me, and hopefully my students, see how parallel writing and illustrating are. I agree with Kim's post for a previous chapter; the ideas in this book go beyond early writers. I am so glad our book group includes the full range of grades at Swasey ! Kathy D.

I'm really looking for vocabulary to use as core in discussing this part of creating a book with kids. I love the word tone, and how it is connected to voice, which is such a hard concept to teach. Katie's analysis of Pitts' two columns really illustrates this. Tone is how you feel when you are writing it, and how you want your readers to feel when they read it. We talk about a tone of voice when speaking. I guess it is only logical that it translates to writing. Her point that the words and the pictures are just different aspects of the craft of writing is well taken- illustrations and words both help to compose the story. Other techniques that can be demonstrated in words and pictures: time passing, setting details, relationships and feelings between people. Conference questions: What are you doing with your illustrations to help show how the character feels? How are your illustrations helping you tell your story? Tell me what decisions you are making about your illustrations. Why did you arrange your text and pictures the way you did on this page?

I wish I could analyze writing the way Katie does. doesn't she make it so obvious? "Oh yea- why didn't I notice that?" I think that Katie's thinking is a very helpful part of her books. Kathy C

I like the explicitness in connecting the conversations about illustrating to writing in this chapter. One instructional tip at the end of the chapter on p. 76 stands out. "Whenever you demonstrate your own thinking about composing an illustration, be sure to point out how you would write your meaning if you were using only words and not pictures." ~Paula

I have to agree with Kathy C..I wish I noticed all the things Katie did! The instructional tips at the end of every chapter have really been helpful to me. I try to get students to see how the audience views the work, but I am not sure I have been asking them the right questions. I think I have a better idea now! ~Sue