"Can I print this out in color?" my students often ask me, and I am always finding myself having to let them down by telling them that our classroom printer can only print out in black and gray. As we take on new writing curriculum, I am teaching them to get to the heart of their stories, slowing down a moment, and adding vibrant details to their work. They work diligently through the writing process: brainstorming, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Throughout the process, I build them up towards the publishing celebration to get them excited about their final processed piece. I use plenty of mentor texts that are picture books, and I point out how illustrations heighten the meaning of the text, suggesting they do the same with their writing. Some publishing techniques I have taught them involve drawing and coloring an illustration that goes with an idea, inserting an image from the internet that matches related content, or creating a picture using a drawing tool on their computers that will enhance their stories.
Typically, after all their effort to include artistic elements to their writing pieces, the final printouts do not do justice to the vibrant images created on their computers, due to our printer constraints. Of course, we do not let our constraints get in the way of our pride in our work. I often have them color in drawings using crayons, markers, stickers, etc., and the creative work they add to their work definitely brings their writing to an artistic level. With a color printer and ink in the classroom, I just know it will light up their faces and the writers within them, as their writing will be brought to life!
About my class
"Can I print this out in color?" my students often ask me, and I am always finding myself having to let them down by telling them that our classroom printer can only print out in black and gray. As we take on new writing curriculum, I am teaching them to get to the heart of their stories, slowing down a moment, and adding vibrant details to their work. They work diligently through the writing process: brainstorming, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Throughout the process, I build them up towards the publishing celebration to get them excited about their final processed piece. I use plenty of mentor texts that are picture books, and I point out how illustrations heighten the meaning of the text, suggesting they do the same with their writing. Some publishing techniques I have taught them involve drawing and coloring an illustration that goes with an idea, inserting an image from the internet that matches related content, or creating a picture using a drawing tool on their computers that will enhance their stories.
Typically, after all their effort to include artistic elements to their writing pieces, the final printouts do not do justice to the vibrant images created on their computers, due to our printer constraints. Of course, we do not let our constraints get in the way of our pride in our work. I often have them color in drawings using crayons, markers, stickers, etc., and the creative work they add to their work definitely brings their writing to an artistic level. With a color printer and ink in the classroom, I just know it will light up their faces and the writers within them, as their writing will be brought to life!
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