Discover the enchanting 'Beautiful Words' project that encourages students to search for and celebrate the beauty of language. Learn how to implement engaging activities like sketchnoting stunning words from readings, fostering discussions, and creating collaborative visual displays. The project sparks creativity and deepens appreciation for writing, making it adaptable for various classroom settings. Plus, ideas for utilizing beautiful words as prompts and even hosting contests add an exciting twist to traditional learning!
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insights INSIGHT
Collect Words To Notice Writer Craft
Penny Kittle encourages readers to actively notice and collect beautiful words while reading.
Noticing word choice makes students more attentive to writer style and craft.
insights INSIGHT
Visualizing Words Deepens Engagement
Students' sketchnotes and visual representations can deepen their connection to language.
Visual design around words highlights the beauty of vocabulary and stylistic choices.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start Discussions With A Five-Minute Word Hunt
Give students five minutes before discussion to find and sketchnote beautiful words from the reading.
Then have them share with a partner and invite one student to present to the whole class.
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This week I’m sharing an idea from Penny Kittle that is so lovely and adaptable, I’m sure you can find a wonderful way to use it - the "Beautiful Words" project.
Penny Kittle often shares strategies that involve looking to writing for inspiration and beauty. I’ve learned a lot from her about how to make mentor texts valuable, and how they are EVERYWHERE.
One of her prompts to students is that they search out beautiful words as they read the books they're reading in book club, and write them down in their notebooks. She shares vivid examples of students who have drawn out their beautiful words with striking representations in color and sketching.
I recently tried this project out for myself and loved it. It’s endlessly adaptable. Here are just a few ways you could use Penny’s idea:
Give students five minutes to find and sketchnote the most beautiful words they can from the reading prior to a whole class discussion, then invite pairs to share with each other and then someone to share with the whole class to begin a conversation around the writer’s style and word choice
Invite partners to find and illustrate beautiful words from the whole class text to put up on the wall, then use them as writing prompts to practice different types of sentences or writing strategies
Let the search for and sharing of beautiful words operate as a check-in and conversation starter to accompany book club reading, independent reading, or summer reading
Run a beautiful words contest in your school library and put all the entries up on a gallery wall and let people vote secretly for their favorites
However you use it, I highly recommend Penny’s “Beautiful Words” project!
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The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA