Paint a response to literature

Teaching Pre K-8, Mar 2000 by daSilva, Karen Ernst

Books can be art's - and writing's - best friend.

The connections we make and things that we wonder as we read can lead to topics and ideas for our own Writing. This month well try getting those topics and ideas before we ever open a book - by copying a picture from a book and paying attention to our thinking as we work.

Artwork

What. Just as reading a story helps children get ideas for their own stones, narratives, fiction and non-fiction writing, painting a response to a book, the cover of a book, or a picture inside the book can give students time to think notice, make their own connections and develop a list of ideas for their own writing.

One evening I did a watercolor version of the giraffe on the cover of Hosie's Zoo by Leonard Baskin. I wasn't concerned with making a beautiful picture but, rather, I concentrated on my thinking. As the strokes of color hit the page and ran, my ideas seemed to run with them.

I thought of a friend who loves giraffes, a poem in my collection of favorites, a beautiful giraffe made by a student, and how I can capture moments like the author captured this giraffe. Once I was finished with my painting, I was full of ideas for writing. I realized that painting a response to literature would be a wonderful way for students to begin their search for ideas in the writers workshop.

Why: Remember that maldng a picture, whether painting or drawing, is a physical act. Making a picture puts us in physical contact with the work we're lookng at. Copying a picture from a book can give the reader a way to connect to the book. Painting and drawing help us to observe our imaginations at work.

What to do: Select a picture book, a chapter book (students can copy the cover), a picture or a text. Copy the picture or paint an impression of the words. I used watercolors for my giraffe, but you can use other media if you choose to. Work in silence and keep a piece of paper or your journal nearby so that you can note your thinking as you work. Don't worry about what your picture looks like, but concentrate on what you're thinking. Share your painting and ideas with a partner to give your partner ideas and to help yourself decide which idea you'll use as you begin to write.

Follow-up and Variations

* Read a poem and paint the image that you see in the poem.

* Paint the cover of a chapter book as a way to introduce yourself to it, wonder about the text and make a connection to the reading ahead.

* Paint pictures in a non-fiction book or pictures tied to a unit of study. As you paint, note the questions that you have about the subject, note what you notice and what you wonder about.

* Listen to music and paint the images that come to you. Take notes on your tg in order to have a list of ideas for writing.

Writing Invitations

* Make a list of the ideas that came to you as you painted.

* What are the connections that you make as you paint?

* Select one idea from your list and use that as the springboard to writing a reflection, a narrative or what you wonder about a non-fiction topic.

Literature Connections

In the Company of Children by Joanne Hindley (Stenhouse, 1996)

Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in Reader's Workshop by E. Keene and S. Zimmermann (Heinemann, 1997)

"Units of Study in the Writing Workshop," by I. Nia, A. Arnberg, C. Goldfarb, J. Angelillo, A. Reduce, from Primary Voices K-6, KW. Ray and L.L. Laminack, (NCTE Vol. 8, No. I August 1999)

Children's Books

There are some children's books that I particularly like because of the way the illustrator uses perspective or color or shows his or her specific style. These books, I think lend themselves to firing the imagination.

The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle, (Philomel, 1998,0-399-232 01 -X)

Zoom by Istvan Banyai, (Viking Penguin, 1995, 0-670-85804-8)

Mopjave by Diane Siebert, (HarperCollins, 1988,0-690-04569-7)

Round Trip by Ann Jonas, (Greenwillow, 1983,0688-01772-X)

The Napping House by Audrey Wood (Harcourt Brace, 1984,0-15-256708 -9)

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema, (Demco, 1975, G-60-1884-0)

Karen Ernst daSilva is a Resource Teacher in Westport, CT and a Teaching Editor of Teaching K-8. E-mail: karen_ernst@westport.k12.ct.us