1. Changing Perspectives: The past, present, and future ME

2. 1.How could you adapt this for your classroom? 2.Did this lesson make you think? 3.How did it help you as a teacher of writing? 4.Any suggestions? Questions to Ponder

3. Purpose No matter the age, students will always find success when given the opportunity to write about what they know the best...themselves. However, telling students to go write about whatever their heart desires is not necessarily the best route either. Choice within structure is key. This lesson provides a framework for students and allows them to focus their ideas. More specifically, students will think about what they were like in the past, what they are like now, and what they hope to be like in the future. They will be asked to pay close attention to how they change over time by thinking about word choice and detailed descriptions. Through read alouds, drawing, storytelling, teacher modeling, guided instruction, and plenty of independent writing time, students will be able to successfully write a piece that is important to them. While the focus of the lesson is learning to write, it could easily be writing to learn...about oneself.

4. Research "Characters are the most important part of the story. If your characters are going to come alive on the page they must first come alive in your mind. Start with what you know. Give physical descriptions of your characters. Use all five senses when you describe a character. Tell not just what's happening to a character but what's happening inside that character. Get your characters talking. Reveal the complexity of human nature. Name your characters. As a writer, you will have to experiment to find out what works best for you.“ ~Ralph Fletcher, Live Writing: Breathing Life Into Your Words I will share more research as we go.

5. Changing Perspectives Structure The Past What were you like in the past? What did you like to do? Where did you live? Who were your friends? What were your favorite activities? What else? Think…how did I sound when I was a four year old, teenager, etc. Read Alouds: When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth By Jamie Lee Curtis Student writing samples Poetry written by kids Excerpts from my own personal journals The Present What are you like now? What are your hobbies? What are your loves and loathings? What is your favorite subject, sport, food, tv show, etc? What are your personality traits? What else? Write like yourself. Read Alouds: Chester's Way By Kevin Henkes Student Writing Samples Poetry written by kids Exceprts from my own personal journals The Future What do you want to be when you grow up? Where would you like to live? Do you think you'll get married and have a family? Where would you like to travel? What are your goals, hopes, dreams? What else? Write like you think you would sound. Read Alouds: How I Became a Pirate Student Writing Samples Poetry written by kids Excerpts from my own personal journals What other books could you use?

6. Read Aloud How do you know this character is four years old? Listen and enjoy!

7. Dear Teachers (Students), I hope our writing time today will help you discover where you came from, who you are, and where you are going on this voyage of life. You may come from different backgrounds and you may hold different beliefs, but you all have one thing in common...you may choose your next step. I would like us to spend some time thinking, drawing, sharing, and writing about what we know best...ourselves. More specifically, what we were like in the past, what we are like now, and what we hope to be like in the future. Along the way, I imagine we will discover how our perspectives on life have changed from what they were in the past to what they are today. I challenge you to think about how your perspectives will continue to change in the future. As Henry Miller eloquently states, "Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery." Happy writing and discovering, Mrs. Ziegler

8. Doodle and Share I would like us to start with some doodling. I will show you an example first and then you may begin. Fold paper in thirds. I will draw what I did when I was younger, what I do now, and what I’d like to do when I’m older. When you are done drawing, we will share in a circle! "Prewriting is necessary to produce effective writing but need not be time-consuming or laborious - or even written down." Routman "Stories are how we relate to one another in the world and form the necessary bonds that build trust." Routman "Storytelling has all the benefits of read-aloud. It improves language skills such as vocabulary, prediction skills, sequencing, comprehension, story structure, and recall. These skills also help children become better writers...storytelling also creates a love of narrative that can translate into a lifelong love of books." Codell

9. Teacher Demonstration From my picture, I'm going to write some thoughts about myself in the past, present, and future. I really want to capture these memories so I never forget. As I'm writing I'm going to think about how I would sound. If I write about a memory from when I was five I need to think, how did I sound? What kinds of words did I use? SHOW, don't tell. (Personify the UPWP in the past, present, future.) "Children who find writing difficult can learn how to write well when they watch teachers demonstrate and think aloud...day after day." Cunningham & Allington "Effective writing defies a cookiecutter model, but our students do need to see and experience the thinking that goes into producing effective writing." Routman "Our students are more likely to experience success when they see us write and think of us as writers." Routman

10. Shared Writing Before I let you get started on your own, I would like to create a class list or story together. What would you like to write together? Past, Present, or Future? "For all learners...shared writing helps provide the rich oral language modeling that stimulates literacy development." Routman

11. Independent Writing Any questions? If not, go ahead and start writing. Use your pictures and conversations to help you. You may start wherever you feel comfortable but try to get something in each category (past, present, future). "If they (students) are to become excellent writers they have to spend most of a writing lesson composing continuous text, not participating in lessons and activities about writing." Routman "Choice within structure leads to high-quality work if the topic is important to students." Routman "Writers work best when they feel a sense of ownership - personal investment - in their writing." Fletcher and Portalupi "Strong writing has its roots in the real stuff of life." Fletcher and Portalupi

12. Small Group Share Take turns sharing your writing. "Rereading during the composing process improves the quality of the writing." Routman "All students, especially those who begin school with limited literacy skills...are most successful with contexualized, social learning - not isolated drills and skills." Routman

13. Whole Group Choral Read Before we begin our Author’s Chair, let’s reread our shared writing. Then I will place it in our student authors bin. "Frequent rereading of texts they have taken part in writing is also a terrific strategy for improving the fluency, reading skills, and confidence of developing readers, English language learners, and readers who struggle." Routman

14. Author’s Chair Pick a few to share. Remember to give glows and grows! "Writers don't improve their craft unless they have a real purpose, a real audience, and a real investment in their writing." ~Mem Fox, Routman "A critical part of teaching writing is having students talk about their writing before they write, while they write, and even afterward." Routman "A community of writers who share ideas and respond helpfully to one another makes it easier and more enjoyable to write." Routman

15. Revisit Writer’s Notebook Thinking about what you heard during Author’s Chair and what we talked about at the beginning of our writing time, please go back to one of your pieces and write a small moment story.

16. Publishing Photo Story Class Book Personal Letter What else?

17. Think Outside the Box How else could you use this lesson concept? Character Study - How does a character change over time? Author Study - How do his/her books or how does his/her voice change over time? Content Area Study - How does a bear/sunflower/forest/river/country/war/soldier change over time? Use it as a framework to organize thinking, discussion, and writing about ANY topic... Changing Perspectives - The past, present, and future ______!

18. Thank you!