Writing Links

The writer is invested and excited about the topic
The reader feels connected to the writer
The writer thinks about the audience

Voice might be a challenge to explain, but there is no confusion on what it is when a listener hears it or sees it in art.  Voice might first present itself in line, color, or perspective and then become more visible in oral explanations, or by a writer experimenting with things like talking bubbles or sound effects within the illustration.  As a writer matures their voice is exposed through words that connect to the reader and prove to be the words of a dedicated and devoted writer. When a piece has voice the reader is connected and feels confident the writer wrote with them in mind.  When a writer has voice their whispers scream out their soul and their audience is rewarded with both surprises and an awareness of the author's point of view.

I am painting.


Strong Lead- Grabs the reader's attention
Sequence- It makes sense
Effective Conclusions- The story leaves the reader with something

Organization is the skeleton of the writing and art. It develops from some initial planning and intent. The lead grabs the listener's attention and makes them demand more! Having organization keeps the reader clear and doesn't confuse them. The skeleton is able to support the topic. For a young writer, it might appear in a narrative by exposing itself in the separation of a writer's name and story. In informational writing, a writer might organize by applying non-fiction access features like labels or diagrams. As writers mature and gain experience their stories demonstrate beginning, middle, and end, and they experiment with organizational structures that have been modeled to them. Effective conclusions are another component of organization, and one that should leave the reader with an understanding and an appetite for reflection.  



Students' wordless versions of the gingerbread man are organized like the gingerbread stories they have heard. Stories are told with a paper puppet on a string in their own voice.

The woodpecker smashed into the window.

Words create a picture
The writer uses everyday words effectively and balanced
Evidence of attention getters- precise nouns and lively verbs

Word choice might first present itself in the child's vocabulary or by them applying environmental print to label their drawings.  It emerges through a writer's spelling development and ranges from a string of letters to specific words that create vivid images.  Writers should strive for interesting words and phrases.  Word choice supports the meaning and helps the reader comprehend by the writer's balance of high frequency words, precise nouns, and lively verbs.