A literature approach to writing in a grade four remedial class

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the success of using children's literature as a stimulus and a model for creative writing with a group of grade four remedial students. -- Selections from literature were read to the children over a five-month period and specific literary techniques in the stories were discussed and analyzed. The techniques studied were beginning, sequence, ending, names, characterization, title, sentence structure, vocabulary, dialogue, personal/emotional quality, and sensory impressions. -- Samples of the student's own writings were collected and assessed to determine any indication of growth or improvement during the study. Analysis of their stories showed that all students in the group imitated some of the techniques that had been studied in the literature. The extent to which this occurred and the continued inclusion of the particular literary elements in their own stories varied among the children in the group. -- A positive change in the students' attitudes towards creative writing was also detected.