Monday, July 9, 2012

Mealtime Activities: Create A Web (Writer's Workshop)

by Deborah Pace Rowley



Last week I held a Young Writer’s Workshop with 12 amazing kids. The workshop was filled with fun ideas to foster writing. I decided to share a few of the ideas this week and will include others in later posts. Each day we began the workshop with a different idea organizer. Organizers are great because they help kids get thoughts from their heads on to paper in a simple and non-threatening way. What is it about a blank piece of lined paper that can be so scary for kids? One of my favorite organizers is a web. This organizer can be used for everything from writing essays and planning summer vacations to composing shopping lists!

Kids who are comfortable putting ideas on paper have a tremendous advantage in their school work. Using organizers in a fun way at home can really improve this skill. Simply print out the web from the link below and set it on the dinner table with some markers after an adventurous summer day. For example: I could set out the web after the kids and I spent the day at the local water park. Announce to Dad during dinner that the family is going to tell him all about their day using a spider web of words. Begin by filling in one of the bubbles with a topic related to the day, then pass it on to another family member. They can add a detail to that topic or start a topic of their own. Continue until all of the bubbles are filled. You can even add some more bubbles of your own. One of our topics about the water park could be: “Scary Slides.” Some of the details included in the bubbles that branch off “Scary Slides” might be: 
Mom closed her eyes on the Boomerang. 
Katie and Addie rode the Free Fall. 
Joseph learned the trick to catch as much air as possible off the biggest slides. 

Other topics we could include in the big bubbles: Getting There, Injuries, and Safe Old Lady Slides. Trust me, there are some stories behind those topics! It is amazing how many things you can remember to tell Dad once you are prompted by the organizer. Try it and see how much fun spinning your own “spider web” can be!



Note: I found the idea web organizer on the Scholastic website. They have lots of other great organizers at this site as well. Check it out. 
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