Underestimated

Pens are busy.  A productive buzz is in the air.  Off-task behaviors are practically nil.  All is well with the world.  I love days like this in Writer's Workshop.  (Does anyone else feel like Writer's Workshop sets the temperature for the rest of the day?)  Anyway, why today of all days?  Read on to find out.  

We've been revising old pieces for a few weeks now.  Look here to read an earlier post about our revisions.  On this particular day, as Lucy Calkins suggested, we tried something new.  The premise is that a writer can revise a piece by transforming it into something altogether different.  During my mini-lesson, I quickly modeled how I could turn my small moment into a letter, poem, newspaper article, and How-to.  Even though the lesson is simply introductory and not meant to produce mastery, it's amazing to see what they produce with such little background knowledge.  When I first saw this lesson several years ago, I thought, "Really?  First graders can do this?"  

As Donald Graves says, "As every study we've conducted over the last ten years has shown, we've underestimated what children can do."

Sure thing. First graders can do this and do it remarkably well. Check it out.

 Dakota's piece about her bunny turned into a helpful How-To.

(Translation:  How to Clean Bunny Poop - Get a shovel.  Get ready to scoop.  Scoop the poop.)

Luke had written about dumpster diving and revised this small moment into a How-To.  (I'd love to hear the story behind the story.)

 (Translation:  How to Dumpster Dive - First you get something to get on.  Second get up in the thing you're getting in.  Third, sink in.)

Andee revised a small moment about her dog into a letter, poem, and newspaper article.  

 

 (Letter Translation: Dear dog, Come back.  I miss you.  Please, please come back.  I really miss you.  Love, Andee)

(Poem Translation:  My dog, my dog ran away, it came back with food yay.)

 (Newspaper Article Translation: At 5:00 my dog ran away and then it came back with puppies and food.)

Garrett revised his piece about golfing into a poem, How-to, and newspaper article.

(Poem Translation:  Golf balls, golf balls, thick and round.  Golf balls, golf balls, why are you so hard to hit?  If a pro golfer comes to you will you be scared?  Golf balls, golf balls.)

 (How-To Translation:  How to Hit a Golf Ball - First, you grab the club.  You get ready to hit.  You make the ball go flying.)

 (Newspaper Translation:  One day I went out to hit some balls, but when I hit one I think I hit it a little too hard.  If anyone sees that ball ever again, give it to me.)

Katie revised a shark story into a How-To.  (Mind you, girl sharks and boy sharks are not drawn the same.)

(Translation:  How to Write a Shark - First write half of the shark.  Second, add the eyes.  If it's a girl, put it with eyelashes. Third, add the mouth and the nose and the gills.)

Jackson H. had written about going to the pumpkin patch and revised it into a poem.  (I think I've got a poet on my hands.)

(Translation:  Pumpkin, pumpkin seed.  Deep, deep, deep in the ground shaped like a football.)

"Data show that most children entering first grade (about ninety percent) believe they can write."  - Donald Graves

I'm so glad my kids still think that.

The Color of Kings and Queens

Revision...what feelings does the word invoke?  Thinking back to my junior high, high school, and college years, revision was a necessary evil, not a joy.  (Sorry Mrs. Ascuena.)


I love how Lucy Calkins suggests teaching young writers about revision.  The message is plain and clear.  Revision is what happens when a writer loves their writing.  Regie Routman says, "When kids care about their writing, revising is no big deal."  What would happen if my young writers love their writing so much that it's an honor and a joy to revise?  Maybe they'd never view it as a necessary evil.  <crossing my fingers>  Wouldn't that make some English teachers happy?

(Our toolboxes contain revision tools, like tape and purple pens.)

Lucy Calkins suggests using purple pens when revising.  Purple is the color of kings and queens, and as you can imagine, first graders buy into this.  (Gotta love gimmicks!)  It's a smart move by Lucy.  It makes their revisions so easy to spot, both for me and for them.  When I confer, I can quite easily compare the first draft with their revision choices.  


Does their writing always get better when they revise?  Uhhh, no.  Sometimes they get a little scissor and tape happy and the piece loses its focus.  A conference or mini-lesson is most likely the appropriate tactic, but regardless, I still hold to the fact that they're learning it's okay to look again at a piece of writing.  Revising is not evil.


Here are some pieces that have been revised.  Their revisions are in purple, so I've used purple text for the revised parts in my translations.

Jackson G.

One Wednesday morning it was cold.  We were on my grandpa's boat.  Grandpa said, "Let's fish."  "Okay," said Jackson.

Grandpa caught a big fish.  There are a lot of fishes.

Jacob caught a bigger fish.  It was 41 pounds. It was the biggest fish we have ever seen.

Gus

One sunny morning I went to the BMX track.  It was scary because I was 3 years old.

I crashed. I was bleeding very bad.

My grandma said, "Are you okay?"  My grandpa came to help me to get in the car.

Scotty

One cold Tuesday morning my mom and I set up the Christmas tree.  I said, "Can I help?"  "No."

We put a star on.  It was sparkly.  "I like it."  "Me too."

Mom took the star  off.  It was too big.  "I agree."

We decorated it.  "It's cool," mom said.  "It is!"

Katie

One sunny day me and my dad went on a bike ride.  It was fun.

I almost tripped on the cement.  It was scary.

I tripped on my bike.  I cried.  My dad and mom came and my dad picked me up and put me on the couch and put cartoons on for me.  Then I was feeling better.  My head was hurting.  Then I can ride my bike again.


Libby

I was riding my scooter.  I was going really fast and I was getting wobbly.  I said, "Whoa."

I fell down.  I was bleeding.  "Waa, Waa," I said.  "My knee hurts."

My mom came.  She gave me a Band-Aid but it still hurt.

I sure pray they always have this much love and respect for their writing.  It's an honor to revise, whether using the color of king and queens or not.