Painting Garden Signs and Yes, I'm Late again........Chapter 2 "The Drawing and Writing Book"

Hello Friends!
Well, here it is Thursday again and I am just writing my post for the Chapter 2 of "Talking, Drawing, Writing." I don't know what it is about the summer, but I can become so much more distracted than I do during the school  year and just do not have the focus I usually do during the school year. PLUS, I am working with the Brownies this summer to help them earn their Gardening badge, so I have been busy with them this week. Here are a few fun pictures of their signs. I have not placed them in the garden yet...... I purchased plain outdoor signs from Lowes and the kiddos used acrylic paints for their pictures. I sprayed a clear gloss acrylic over the top and when that dries, I will spray the gloss on the back of the sign. Then I will place them in the garden and we will see if they stand up in our Illinois weather! I was told that they SHOULD withstand the sun and rain because they are the signs that people use to advertise Garage Sales in their yards. We shall see... I will let you know what happens and share pictures.  The 3 signs say "Welcome to Our Garden", "Cinderella's Garden" and "Pizza Garden."




So.... Chapter Two....... "Putting Stories on Paper in an Environment That Supports Writers and Writing"


I absolutely loved the way the author wrote in this chapter. She wrote as if we were right there in the room with her and for those of us who are early education teachers, the stories she told that came from her students could have come from the mouths of my own students. Martha Horn is a wonderful story teller and knows young children well!


I just ordered my hard copy of the book, and so I continued to be frustrated with the Kindle version of the book. As I wrote in my previous post, I LOVE my Kindle, but there are just some books where you need the paper version. It is difficult for for me to go back and forth between the pages on my Kindle, so I am looking forward to my hard copy!

In this chapter, the authors described how to organize supplies; where they are found and how to put them away. I was pleased to read that their organizational strategy was similar to mine. Students keep their Drawing and Writing books in colored bins where they can easily store and find them. By the way, I really like calling them "Drawing and Writing Books." I have called them journals and Writer's Workshop books, but Drawing and Writing Books gives students a sense of what they are expected to do with these special books.

The authors suggest that drawing supplies be kept in a caddy. The supplies suggested are: regular pencils, colored pencils, ball point pens, and multi-cultural crayons. They highly recommend "skin colored" crayons or pencils so that children learn to draw people as they look. They also suggest that only one caddy is available the first day so that children can be taught the proper way to care for their supplies.

When the Drawing and Writing book is introduced, the teacher models how to begin a picture. She shows them what their Drawing and Writing book will look like, but does not pass them out the first day. They suggest that plain paper is put together with a spiral bound coil. I actually cannot stand the binding machine, so I am thinking that I will probably stick with my pages stapled together since our copy machine at school collates and staples which makes it EASY to create writing books! Another suggestion they have is to attach a Staples Bind-It Flag clip to each book. Teachers show students how to use the clips and it makes it easy for children to find the story that they were working on and also keep their drawing and writing in the proper sequence. I really, really like this idea! It makes it so easy for children to find their story and not waste time looking for where they stopped the day before!

Throughout the chapter, the authors give real life scenarios as to how to encourage children to make their pictures interesting so that readers can understand their story. They teach their students to ask these questions:
1.  What information do readers need to understand my story?
2.  What do I have to add or change so that readers will understand my story?

Just as they spent a lot of time practicing to tell a story, the authors write about the importance of teaching children how to add details to their picture. They write about how important it is for children to revisit their work from the day before and decide what is needed to make it something that others will understand. They also feel that the lessons that stick most with children are those that are shared by their teacher as well as other children in their class.

This book is a wonderful, wonderful book and I think all Early Education teachers of writing need to read it! It reads easily and gives you much to think about as you travel through these lazy, hazy days of summer!

I made a quick copy of a cover that I am going to use for my student's Drawing and Writing book. The cute clip art is from DJ Inkers! Click the image if you would like a copy of it! I gave you both a portrait and a landscape orientation. It is in black and white so that you can print it on your copy machine. I usually staple 10 plain sheets behind the cover. This gives my students a reasonable time to improve on their writing, but also makes it possible for them to complete a book and take it home to share with their families. When they take home a completed book, I staple another for them. This cover should work for all types of paper that is used throughout the year.  And of course, you can bind your pages together, too!



Click on the image below for more thoughts on this wonderful book! It's not too late to join us!


Until next time!

Blessings, Cindy

2 comments

  1. I loved reading your thoughts on the book! I LOVE teaching writing and am always looking for ways to improve. I'm definitely adding the book to my Amazon wishlist.

    Jessica
    The Littlest Scholars

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  2. Thank you, Jessica! I adore this book and highly encourage you to make it one of your summer reads! Thank you for commenting!

    Blessings, Cindy

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