Question #1
The book “ the lion and the mouse” is a wordless picture book with the adaptation of one of the Aesop’s fables. This book was written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney in the year 2009. It is a very educative and creative book by Jerry Pinkney meant for young children. The book is done in such a way that the only words written in it are for the sound effects to guide the readers. The illustrations are done beautifully in the book that there is no need for words to explain what is going on in the book.
This book can be effectively used in the second grade classroom to generate writing skills. By giving second graders this book to study and discuss, a teacher will be giving them the liberty to discuss amongst them what is going on in the book and also to put their creativity to the test during the process. This will easily improve their prewriting skills as it enables them to organize their ideas effectively together before starting the writing process.
The use of wordless pictures to teach second grade students is a better way to improve student’s creativity that in turn will be translated to their writings. The wordless pictures are also useful in that they encourage students to think more creatively and imaginatively. They also enhance the student senses from a young age as they grow up. According to Kasten, Kristo, and McClure, wordless pictures helped stimulate valuable dialogue among students as they argued about the stories presented by the pictures. They claimed this process helped students believe their writing had improved after the group work. This process also helped the students work together during class work. It also encouraged them to develop interest on each other’s work and improve group work among them.
Question #2
Prewriting
This is the stage that involves planning by the student and deciding on a topic before starting the writing process. This process is important as it helps the student decide on which topic to write about and also to plan the general development of the topic. This process can either be done individually or in groups making it ideal for a second grade classroom. Prewriting can allow teachers to engage their students into brainstorming sessions to decide on which topic to write about. This brainstorming process can be very useful if applied on a second grade class as it enables these students to participate in the process actively. By allowing the students to contribute, their ideas together, the teachers will be giving them the chance to come up with different topics to write about. This will also be helpful as it will enable them to think of several topics before they can choose the one to concentrate. This process will also encourage most students to come up with creative topics on which to write about. From all these advantages, we find out that this process is very suitable for teaching second grade students.
This element of the writing process is s very important element that should be applied frequently on second grade students as it can improve their imagination and in the process helping them to come up with better topics on which to write about. This will lead to more imaginative and creative writer on the student and in the long run improve a student’s writing skills. The importance of this process on the student’s writing development is the ability to not only to choose a topic that pops into their heads rather choose one that works out well with him in the long run. Young writers like second graders will need to work from an outline of a few key words and phrases before they can come up with a proper sentence.
Question #3
The use of graphic organizers in the teaching of writing
The use of graphic organizers is very important especially when dealing with young students such as those of the second grade. Graphic organizers are very helpful to students as they can allow them to organize their thoughts together before starting the actual writing process. They are also useful in helping students to consolidate facts into coherent outlines such as order, cause and effect, and problem-solution. The use of graphic organizers is also important during the pre-writing stage when the student has to originate ideas and plan course of action before starting the writing.
For the second grade class, it is important to apply graphic organizers that will be easily understandable among the young students. This is important especially in studies such as mathematics that requires proper understanding from a student before attempting to write anything down. These graphic organizers will help the young students to understand these mathematical problems well. By writing these problems down a student, is in a position to identify the problem accurately. They are also in a position to come up with solutions for these problems.
According to Fisher, Frey, and ElWardi the use of graphic organizers is important to improve the writing skills of students. The use of it is especially useful in learning of mathematics. It is the use of graphic organizers in mathematics class that will enable students to understand the mathematical problems. The importance of using these graphic organizers is that they help students memorize, simplify, and question themselves on what they have understood and also helps them wonder about what they have not understood. Fisher, Frey, and ElWardi all suggests that for proper writing to be understood by students in the classroom then the teacher should consider using graphic organizers to simplify this process to the students.
Reference List
Burns, B. “ Balanced Writing.”
Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Rita Elwardi. “ The Power in the Pen: Writing to Learn.”
Kasten, Kristo, and McClure. “ STUDENTS AS AUTHORS: Literature and the Writing
Process.”
