In Pictures and In Words: Developing Curriculum for Writing through Craft and Illustration Rebecca Quackenbush

Thinking About Illustrations In pairs: Look at the illustration sample that I am about to present. Talk first with a partner: What do you notice? What do you see that makes you say that? We’ll share out in the whole group after that.

Persep olis The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Context Chester Elementary School

Katie Wood Ray

Make a Book Five pages of blank paper folded in half and stapled together  Blank paper invites children to work for a very long time at filling it up  The verb “make” suggests that they can do all sorts of things as they fill it up (in a way that the verb “write” would not suggest)

Why make picture books? Developmentally appropriate – Because young children are surrounded by picture books at school, it makes sense that their writing should match the kind of texts they know best.

Why make picture books? (Cont’d) Using illustrations in picture books to make meaning is also essential to English Language Learners. “Image is, in a way, a universal language.” Ray, K. W. In pictures and in words: Teaching the qualities of good writing through illustration study. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 13.

Why make picture books? (Cont’d) Builds stamina – Making picture books helps children build writing stamina by helping them to sit in chairs and face down blank pages and ticking clocks.

Why make picture books? (Cont’d) Writers and Illustrators use the same line of thinking, but with different tools… Ideas and content Precision and detail Wholeness of text Tone Layout and design

Minilessons “The purpose of minilessons (illustration study) is not to establish some writing task for the children to do during writing workshop each day…The purpose for our minilessons (illustration study), instead, is to fill the room with ideas for how they might do that bookmaking better and better.” Ray, K. W. & Cleveland, L.B. (2004) About the authors: Writing workshop with our youngest writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 86.

Inquiry Question  What implications does illustration study offer students as they get older and face increasingly complex types of writing?

Showing Not Telling Something to Notice: Sometimes writers tell an idea in words and show more about what they mean in the illustrations.

An Illustration Example Let me show you what I mean: In Beach, by Elisha Cooper…

In a Teacher’s Voice: An Idea for Trying it Out In my book about my classroom community, I wrote: My students are always busy. I could then show several scenes of the things that show what I mean by “busy.” I could draw several separate images of my students shopping at the Quackenstore, exploring at the Discovery Table, on a listening walk, and building structures in our block center.”

Showing Not Telling “So writers, today when you go off and write think about how you might tell an idea in words and show more about what you mean in the illustrations.”

Composing Your Own Work Spend some time thinking about an experience you would like to share. Choose some paper and illustration tools and begin to compose one illustration for your book. Spend some time composing text to go along with your illustration. –Keep in mind the techniques/possibilities we have talked about in terms of the way the illustrations convey meaning to the reader. –Make intentional decisions about your piece.

Student Work Reflect on your experience “making a book.” What was that like? To return to my inquiry question, consider…  What are the implications for writers beyond second grade?

Thoughts…

Reflection How will the work we took part in today support your work as a teacher of writers?