The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010

Luck of the Draw
Guidelines for the Activities

ALL WRITING EVOLVES from drawing. While drawing, children experiment with the lines, curves, and shapes that they will soon use to make letters. They develop and refine their grasp of various writing tools. They learn to coordinate their eyes with their hands as they doodle, color, and sketch. They learn to tell stories with images. And they learn that if they can envision something, they can make it a reality on the page.

Because it builds creativity, control, coordination, and confidence, drawing should be encouraged at home. Motivate your children to draw often and with enthusiasm by setting an example. Don’t be self-conscious about your drawing skills—the product doesn’t matter, it’s the process that counts. Stick figures are welcome here. Get the picture?

MATERIALS

∗ colored pencils, crayons, markers, or a graphite pencil

∗ plain paper or drawing paper (see “Drawing Paper” in the templates section)

HOW-TO

1. Set aside a special time for drawing on a regular basis. Grab some colorful writing tools and a stack of paper and gather around the table to illustrate some of your brightest ideas.

2. Share your drawings with each other and display them somewhere you can admire them.

Variations

For Scribblers: When you draw alongside Scribblers, think abstract expressionism rather than realism. What I mean is, don’t draw what they can’t. It frustrates them and makes them question their abilities. Instead, channel your own inner Scribbler. Cover your paper with bright colors and broad strokes. You’ll probably find it’s even more fun than you remember.

For Spellers: Introduce emerging writers to the concept that artists sign their work. When they finish a drawing, direct them to put their signatures in the corner, a habit almost as valuable as the art itself.

For Storytellers: Storytellers are ready for drawing paper, which is paper that has blank space at the top (for a picture) and lines at the bottom (for words). Here is where children become author-illustrators, and the words and the pictures become complementary to one another.

For Scholars: Because Scholars have big ideas, they can branch out to more detailed drawings. Think: comic strips, storyboards, blueprints, shop drawings, charts, maps, and diagrams.