CHAPTER ONE

Inspiring Ideas

We need to consider picture books as literaturenot childrens literature but as literature.

Thomas Newkirk
Beyond Words: Picture Books for Older Readers and Writers

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ne of the hardest things about writing is figuring out what you want to say. Oh sure, there are many professional resources out there that offer suggestions for teaching students how to find topics, narrow them, and add details. Lots of those resources are helpful. A good teacher considers all tools that serve to improve her practice. Now add this one: picture books. No matter how old the writer, no matter how stuck the student may be to find a good topic, extraordinary picture books provide inspiration. From playing baseball to watching whales, from visiting Grandma to visiting the Grand Canyon, from being lost to being found, these books serve as wonderful models of how to work with an idea and make it real to the reader.

U SING P ICTURE BOOKS TO TEACH WRITING WITH THE TRAITS

Ideas: A Definition

n the simplest of terms, ideas make up the content of the piece. When the ideas are strong, the overall message is clear, not garbled. For students to arrive at good content, we

must help them: N Select an idea (the topicsometimes assigned, sometimes not) N Narrow the idea (focus) N Elaborate on the idea (development) N Discover the best information to convey the main idea (details) In the process, students internalize the skills of good writers. They begin to move from general to specific. They notice what others overlook. They describe the bits and pieces of life, the ordinary, in extraordinary ways. Once this happens, they are on their way. They have something important to say in their writing that no one else does. Their ideas come alive. Imagine!

Feature Focus Lesson Based On . . .

Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street
Roni Schotter, Author Krysten Brooker, Illustrator Orchard Books, 1997 (See description on page 24.) Target Trait: Ideas Secondary Traits: Organization, Voice

n this marvelously energetic tale, the author addresses the age-old complaint: I have nothing to write about. Young Eva wanders through her neighborhood looking for things to write about for a class assignment and, as she goes, everyone from the fish salesman to the limousine driver offers delightful words of wisdom. The result is a picture book that could be the focus of an entire course on writing.

C HAPTER 1: I NSPIRING I DEAS

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Materials:
N A copy of Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street N A checklist of stations that students will visit N Bookbinding supplies: large white paper, magazines to cut up, markers, pens, pencils, glue, tape, scissors

What to Do:
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Read aloud and discuss Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street. Give students a checklist of at least twelve stations around the school and tell them to check off each one as they visit it for no more than two minutes. Here is what your checklist might look like: N Take a seat inside the media center. N Hang out in the music room. N Sit at a table in the cafeteria. N Check out the action in the back foyer. N Watch a class in the gym. N See what is happening in the art room. N Relax on a bench outside the office. N Observe a first- or second-grade classroom. N Visit a classroom youve never been to before. N Follow the secretary or the custodian for two minutes. N Observe a class at recess. N Count the number of cars that pull in and out of the parking lot every

two minutes.
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Stagger where students start and request that they follow the sequence of stations on their checklist to avoid overcrowding at individual stations. Encourage them to work on their own while they record information about each placethe sights, the sounds, the feel, and the people. Encourage students to gather two or three interesting details about their observations at each station and record them on their checklist. Tell them they can illustrate their

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U SING P ICTURE BOOKS TO TEACH WRITING WITH THE TRAITS

details, just like Eva did in the story. Remind them to be invisible and courteous during their visits and to follow the advice of Evas 90th Street neighbors who suggested: N Write about what you know. N Observe carefully and dont neglect the details. N Find the poetry: a new way with old words. N Use your imagination. N Ask, What if? N Add a little action.

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Have students share their details when they return to the classroom. Have students write Nothing Ever Happens at (the name of your school) . . . stories of their own. From there, ask them to illustrate and create bound books to display in the media center for schoolmates to enjoy. Be sure to put a copy of Schotters book next to the student-written books so readers will see how picture books inspire good writing.

Follow Up:
N Ask students to repeat this exercise at home, noting all the little things that they notice about everyday life on their street.

Picture Books for Inspiring Ideas

Mama Played Baseball
David A. Adler, Author Chris OLeary, Illustrator Harcourt, 2003

oint of view is a tricky concept to teach. Establishing and refining a characters point of view in a story can be challenging to young writers. This is the true story of a player in the first professional womens baseball league, told by her greatest fan, her daughter. As the reader hears about the challenges and hurdles in this womans life, her daughters point of view is revealed through her pride in both her parents accomplishments: one in the military, and the other a mother and pro baseball player during World War II.

C HAPTER 1: I NSPIRING I DEAS

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The Polar Express

Chris Van Allsburg, Author and Illustrator Houghton Mifflin, 1985

his marvelous tale of magic and imagination is bound to put a twinkle in even the most cynical eye. As the reader moves through the tale of a boys trip to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, the words and imagery create a sense of wonder. The idea behind this book is simple . . . yet never fails to inspire multilayered discussion and writing. See if your students can sum up the theme in just one sentence! Then let them explain.

Annos Mysterious Multiplying Jar

Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno, Authors Mitsumasa Anno, Illustrator Philomel Books, 1983

his fascinating book is a math teachers dream. Moving from the concrete to the abstract, it dives into the concept of factoring. A related chapter book entitled The Number Devil by Hans Enzensberger is also worth checking out. Both books capture the readers imagination by exploring concepts one at a time through words and pictures. Math was never so intriguing!

A. Lincoln and Me
Louise Borden, Author Ted Lewin, Illustrator Scholastic, 1999

m always on the hunt for well-written and interesting nonfiction. Although this is a story, it is based on facts and is an excellent example of how to organize facts and present them in a form that makes them engaging to read. The use of parallel information is another noteworthy feature: for example, the narrator, a young boy, talks about all the things he and Abraham Lincoln share, including a birthday. Students will learn about Lincoln while relating to information about the narrator. Use this book as a model for students to write their own nonfiction pieces about other noteworthy historical figures.

Fireflies!
Julie Brinckloe, Author and Illustrator Aladdin Paperbacks, 1985

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his magical little piece is sure to delight. Sometimes the smallest moments in a story are what make it special. This book celebrates one of those moments, focusing the reader on the significance of an important life lessonthat sometimes in order to keep something, you have to set it free.

U SING P ICTURE BOOKS TO TEACH WRITING WITH THE TRAITS