Much like the article on Wordless Books for middle schoolers, this article shows how wordless picture books might be used in the lower elementary grades. Just like with middle schoolers, the teacher mentions using these books as a method for teaching students about many literary elements (including plot, setting, and characters, while at the same time helping students to learn to write longer, more interesting (more detailed) sentences, and revising to make sure that the student’s story makes sense. I love this, because it really brings students through the whole “language arts” process. I can also see how using this method would help students to get into the habit of writing well planned and descriptive stories, because it is all right there for them.
I am also a big fan of the way that Reese went from using whole groups to partners to individuals in their quest to write the story in the books. I believe that this is a wonderful way to help introduce a concept to students and then allow them to practice in a safe, comfortable setting before going on to create their very own stories. Using younger student listeners to give feedback about the students’ stories was also a great way of getting the younger students excited about reading while improving the self esteem of the older writers.
