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<br /> 100 2005 VOLUME 3,NUMBER 2 TEACHING AR11571QURN,e,L
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<br /> North Carolina for 14 years teaching students,parents,and teachers how to write meanisig We saw how the students'backgrounds limited their experiences and learning potential. `m
<br /> ful and imaginative stories.Peg Gignoux has worked across the state with artists,teachers, Several had emotional problems that kept them from contributing easily to a group,but we m
<br /> students,and hospital patients to create pop-up books and narrative art quilts.Inspired by 4 p
<br /> believed our project could help.
<br /> children's spontaneity and innate creative vitality,we witnessed how the arts energized learn-
<br /> cyan changed children,and united groups.We believe the best way to teach is by showing, cv
<br /> ing g gro p - Y Y g, f. Starting with Story °D
<br /> not telling,and the best way to learn is by doing. W
<br /> Many students feel writing is burdensome and overwhelming.However,collaboration Dozing a series of foot two-hazer writin sessions, rrialcing a
<br /> g I led the students into story o •
<br /> makes writing fun and shows students they can have great results without the drudgery they I started by reading aloud picture books that I thought would
<br /> g captivate them,and I used -CO
<br /> expect.Collaboration provides comfort for young writers afraid to create as well as those G these books to teach the students to think like writers.I have deveIaped a Story Skeleton tha 00
<br /> who lack confidence and patience to get their thoughts down on paper.Collaboration offers [ provides N visual way to examine the structure of a piece of writing.Students became"story o
<br /> a structure for students who struggle with story logic and get lost in an overabundance of
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<br /> scientists"as they dissected picture books,offered opinions,and discovered truths about die A
<br /> incoherent details.Students,creating main character of each book we shared. w
<br /> as a team,welcome opportunities to Each parr of the Story Skeleton holds an analogy.For example,main characters head up m
<br /> discuss and think through their ideas, a story,so students put characters in
<br /> Student and accidents feelings,and beliefs.As they do this, the head of the Story Skeleton.After Narrative Skeleton mm tia
<br /> Mistakes and accidents can be good r3'
<br /> they reach deeper levels of understand- an examination of what described the
<br /> You door need to be perfect ing about how stories work and how characters,they gave the characters
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<br /> they can be successful together. specific traits.Motivation(or what the -
<br /> How great it is to finish a long project that yvxa stuck Stories naturally generate images, characters want more than anything)is °
<br /> with.Messing up is goad Being messy can be GOOD. but Peg Gignoux rPaiired that many the spine of the Story Skeleton—sup-
<br /> Supporting aetalk a
<br /> children's ability to see and create porting the characters and connectin �amwE°.t°,,"` tr,bera„cn ....
<br /> (w at came right before 12;.
<br /> Those images was compromised by the entire story.Ribs represent conflict E1ent, you w ,
<br /> head lint '" .h
<br /> their lack of experience.Not everyone is comfortable with drawing,and the task of illustrat- or problems.The ribs cover the lungs,. < 1
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<br /> ing one's own story can be daunting.Gignoux's method of collaborative quilting provides a and the three ribs show how the caMna rs e;. toraI$A
<br /> new way of learning to draw in which students'work becomes collective,cumulative,and writer breathes excitement into the n tbelo eme HomZre Fm s'.':
<br /> inventive. middle of the story.These ribs grow �° °'C° '�
<br /> We find that art and text are excellent partners.Images can clarify a point,reveal a hidden longer and longer depicting how the
<br /> conflict,highlight the beauty of text,emphasize a change to make it more poignant,and give K conflict grows,The longest rib of all Climax ,pb ,,�era,ls&
<br /> students anxious about writing a path for expression.As Teaching Artists,we see how merg- ';. r3 �r
<br /> represents the climax of the story.The .[ihe tl1�strongest 0°` =tag
<br /> ing word,picture,and collaboration unlock stories. leer represent how the character"walks 'i}=
<br /> out of the story,resolving the conflict
<br /> A Chance to Make Change and Community by taking action with one foot and ?_'
<br /> i t::making some kind of change with the ,a
<br /> Several years ago,Kestrel Heights Middle School implemented an after-school program for . •' : :foot.
<br /> element students learnin En h.In this ro the middle school students men- Once.the students learned this Characters action I, Change y:
<br /> tared the younger children-This was the brainchild of a former eighth grade Service Learning ., •`''.::stoiry,structure,I moved on to teach
<br /> clans and became a reality through Learn&Serve America Grants.Many of the sixth graders -; ,•'-'style elements.I showed the students e
<br /> involved in the story art project had served as mentors in the after-school program.One of ;.vizd"�bs by =oas�cw, '
<br /> ; y cavorting around the
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<br /> the key objectives of this Service Learning class was to promote literary in both English and °) classroom to act out the difference bercveen just^"going"to schvoI and"ski in or"^Todd
<br /> Spanish.We believed that creating a bilingual story quilt would inspire the English language ',:,":7-i.to school.I taught them the difference between stale"been xl�ere-donetIia 'similes
<br /> learners and serve as an example of the children's creativity for the surrounding neighbor- and ooh obit similes that would make a
<br /> hood- bn Ie, their writin s ankle.I read stories aloud focusing .
<br /> writing;:.:,stY kzag students to rate these books in terms of vivid verbs,similes,dialogue,and
<br /> We had to adjust quickly to the rhythms of this inner city school and the challenging mix ';' descriptions using the senses.Thraugli experiencing these style points,students carne to see
<br /> of students—they had not been successful academically and did not enjoy or feel confident :' oariaagortarit these characteristics were to a story
<br /> about their writing.Nor did they know what to expect from art.Few students had had :t;k,. ;To`teach'the students to write like writers,I b
<br /> hands-on experience making art and even fewer had basic art supplies like crayons,paints,or.:. + �' is stung activities designed to
<br /> Crate ideas and turn those ideas into a scary.The students started b brainstorming to
<br /> markers in their homes- „�` y
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