Voices in Writing

Michele Nelson

4th Grade

Objectives

To understand the different definitions of voice.

To discuss why it is so hard to teach.

Show some ways to teach voice.

Show what to watch out for during revision.

Discuss how to assess voice traits vs. TAK

Definitions of VoiceVoice is a golden thread that runs through a piece of writing. Culham, Ruth 6+1

Traits of Writing pg. 102

Written words that carry with them the sense that someone has actually written them. Writing with voice has the same quirky cadence that makes human speech so impossible to resist listening to. Flethcher, Ralph. What a Writer Needs

Voice is liveliness, passion, energy, awareness of audience, involvement in the topic, and the capability to elicit a strong response form the reader. Spandel, Vicki. Creating Writers Through 6-Traits Writing Assessment and Instruction.

Voice is the sound of the individual on the page. It feels when writing with voice there is a life in it. It is almost as though the breath makes the words get up off the page and into our heads as we read. Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power.

What is this telling usVoice is what ties the story together. It is the

heart and soul of the story. When a child puts their heart and soul in to their writing it is our job to keep it there through out the writing process.

Why is Voice so Hard to Teach?According to Ruth Culham in 6+1 Traits of Writing These were the four major complaints of

teaching voice. Pg. 103

Voice isn’t as concrete as other traits. Actually voice is the most concrete trait of all. The reader is able to feel and hear the

voice or the lack of it quite clearly and consistently as the read a piece of work.There is a longstanding perception that “boring” is good.

We need to have the students put more passion into their writing in order to connect with the audience. So the boring pieces need to go and the pieces form the heart need to come back.

It’s a bit too personalWhen we assess voice, we are not assessing the writer we are assessing their ability to connect with the reader.

Not all pieces need voice.All pieces need voice, from a quick e mail to the great American novel.

Primary Voices vs. Upper VoicesAble to connect better with

the audienceAble to reach up from the

page and talk with the reader

Reason for this is they are in a child friendly environment. They are not worried about outside demands, they write for themselves, and are not self critical.

Have lost their voice as they grow up.

Reasons for this is that their audience has shifted, they are more self critical, and the outside demands scare them to try any thing new.

Fletcher pg.73-74

What can we do?Create a classroom where writers have a wide sympathetic

audience.

Have the writers meet different audiences in their writings.

Teach students to find their inner voice.

Show students voice in a variety of different writing styles.

Teach students to keep their voice even after revision.

Classroom CreationA writer needs a classroom where

Writing is more than 20 minutes a day.

The author will be able to read their piece with out the fear of criticism.

There is no fear in the idea of the right and wrong answer.

The author has the ability to choose a topic that they have a connection to.

The teacher writes and shares their journal with the class.

Meet the Audience

When the author is able to read their story right away they will then be able to see and hear what they are reading as well as getting a reaction.

The child should also have different audiences to write to. Some maybe their peers, heroes, public officials, or the school administration.

When they know the audience then they can use and experiment on different voices.

Inner VoiceEveryone has an inner voice it is very hard to listen for it if you do not know how to

find it.Ways to find in

JournalsTopics can be of their own choosing.Reader response journals give the student the ability to relate thoughts and

feeling of a book.Fictional journals can create voice by becoming a character in the story that is

being read.When a student is able to put themselves in their journals then their voice will

come through.

Warning: May never know when you inner voice will speak so be ready.

Exposure to Writing StylesWhen the writer sees the different styles then

they are able to:try the different styles in their own writing

have the freedom and be able to take a risk in their writing style

see how voice is in all forms of writing including Expository text.

Keeping Voice in Expository TextSome ways that Fletcher used to keep the

voice in expository texts

expose them to literature that has voice in it

compare their voices to that of the encyclopedia

discuss the techniques being use i.e.. Humor, rhyme, myth/truth, question/answer, diagrams, and interviews.

experiment with different techniques

How to keep voice after revisionHave the student ask these questions while

revising.Can you hear yourself chatting to a friend?

How does the story sound, does it sound like you?

Do parts of the story sound still and awkwardly formal?

Did you connect with the audience?

Students are considered about the mechanics of grammar so they need to as

Is this what I wanted to do?

Fletcher, 72

AssessmentTAKS

Engaging text

Reader- author connection

Authenticity, originality

Unique perspective

TraitsEvidence of risk

Energy passion

Lively, provocative, honest, expressive, engaging text.

The clear imprint of the writer.

Knowledge of audience

Text held reader’s attention.

RememberA writers voice is a piece of the author left in

their work. We need to be able to show writers how to keep that voice in everything that they write.

Works CitedAhlberg, Janet and Allen. The Jolly Postman. Little, Brown, and Company,

Boston MA. 1986.

Culham, Ruth. 6+1 Traits of Writing The Complete Guide Grades 3 and up. Scholastic Professional Books, New York, NY. 1995.

Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process.

Oxford University Press. New York, NY. 1981.

Fletcher, Ralph. What a Writer Needs. Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH. 1993.

Fritz, Jean. And then what happened Paul Revere? Coward, McCann, and Geoghegan, inc. New York, NY. 1973.

Fulwiler, Toby.The Journal Book. Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH. 1987.

Hess, Karen. Out of the Dust. Scholastic Press, New York, NY. 1996.

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Big Orange Splot. Hastings House Publishing. New York, NY. 1977.

Work Cited ContinueRoutman, Regie. Transitions from Literature to Literacy. Heinemann, Portsmouth,

NH. 1988. Spandel, Vicki. Books, Lessons, Ideas for Teaching the 6 Traits. Great Source Education Group. Wilmington, MA. 2001.

Spandel, Vicki. Creating Writing Trough 6 Traits Writing, Assessment, and Instruction. Addison Wesley Longman, New York NY. 2001.

Starlight Foundation. Once Upon A Fairy Tale. Penguin Group, New York, NY. 2001.