In You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully, Dr. Ruth Beechick includes several writing lessons intended to provide the teacher with ideas on how to teach writing. Two of these lessons use passages from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
These lessons are intended to help you learn how to provide natural lessons in writing:
These lessons will have served you best if you get ideas from them to continue this kind of wholistic language teaching using literary models that you choose.
You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully, Dr. Ruth Beechick
We found she was right! This lesson using Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol is adapted from one provided in You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully.
Hopefully you will come away inspired with ideas to use a natural approach to writing in your home. The bottom line here is we learn to write by writing.
Learn to Write.
Write.
Writing Lesson
“It was much pleasanter at home,” thought poor Alice, “when one wasn’t always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it’s rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what can have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I grow up, I’ll write one….”
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Have your students do one or more of the following:
1. Copywork
Copy the selection from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on Drawing and Writing Paper.
Illustrate the scene.
2. Narrate
Explain in your own words what is going on. (You may want to read the chapter out loud for context.)
Try using more than one type of narration.
Older students can provide a written narration.
3. Learn More About Contractions
Contractions are two words that are made into one by shoving them together and placing an apostrophe where the missing letters were.
List the contractions found in the passage and the two words that were used to create them. [Wasn’t — was not; Hadn’t — had not; It’s — it is; I’ll — I will.]
Younger students can make a contraction booklet using the shutterfold (pg. 14). If you prefer, there are foldable templates already prepared for you in the Additional Resources below. However, children do learn better by creating the foldable themselves.
You can add a few more contractions, if you like:
- I am — I’m.
- They are — they’re.
- Do not — don’t.
- Will not — won’t.
- Should not — shouldn’t.
Note: Contractions are typically not used in formal writing unless in a direct quotation.
4. Write the Passage from Dictation
Dictate the passage to your student. You will then want to ask him to compare his version with the original and mark and correct any errors.
Note any spelling difficulties. These can be added to a spelling notebook.
5. Focus on Spelling
Use our 10 Steps to Build a Better Speller to work through the list of spelling mistakes from dictation.
6. Learn More About Em Dashes
Grammar Workshop: The Em Dash {Part 1}
Of course, there is nothing wrong with using the em dash—in its proper place. But how does one decide what that proper place is?
Grammar Workshop: The Em Dash {Part 2}
Reasons to use an em dash and alternatives.
Grammar Workshop: The Em Dash {Part 3}
We’ve talked about when to use an em dash — and when not to and alternatives. Now let’s put it all together.
Using the list in Grammar Workshop: The Em Dash Part 1 above, which use do you think Lewis is using?
Why do you think Lewis chose to use an em dash in this sentence? Read the sentence out loud, pausing when reaching the dash.
7. Explore Compound Sentences
One of the sentences in the passage is a compound sentence. A compound sentence has two or more clauses in this case joined by conjunction.
Conjunctions are connecting words such as and, but, or or.
To determine if you have a compound sentence, remove the conjunction. Do the sentences still make sense? If so, you likely have a compound sentence.
Rewrite the passage changing the compound sentence into two simple sentences. Read the passage aloud. [When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! — When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened. Now here I am in the middle of one!]
Why do you think Carroll used the compound sentence? [Typically authors do this for variety.]
8. Write the Paragraph from Dictation Again
Compare with the original and correct it. If all looks good, move on to the following activities. If not, take another day to work improving your writing.
Suggestions
Ask your student to do one or more of the following:
- Read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
- Write your own short story using the passage above as a prompt.
- Read “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll.
- Choose another book from our 100 Best Books for Children list to engage with.
Additional Resources
Contractions Flip Chart
From MakingEnglishFun.com, a free template all ready for you.
100 Best Books for Children ~ Carroll
More ideas, activities, and resources.
Language Arts the Natural Way
In our Language Arts the Natural Way series we cover the basic elements of a natural approach to learning language arts.
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