Wellington students use ‘Write Brain’ to tell stories

CARBON SCHOOL
DISTRICT
    A new course of learning has found a home in the Rising Raptors after school program around the district. It is called Write Brain.
    “In this program students are able to pick illustrated, wordless books and write their own story,” said Samatha Holdaway, site coordinator for Rising Raptors at Wellington Elementary.
     The teacher begins the Write Brain writing process by showing students sample pictures that come with the program and then ask the students to write about what they think is happening in the illustration. They do that for practice only, to get the students used to transferring what they see into words.
    The teacher also uses games and cards to stir imaginations. This process is enjoyable for both teacher and students.
     The next step in the process is that students pick a book, which has illustrations in it, but then they write story in the book of what they see. Each of the children get excited about being able to direct what is happening in their story.
     The last step the students get to take in the Write Brain book club is to write a book with other children in the group. Together the students create a story.
     “The students at Wellington did one group book and one individual book,” said Holdaway. “When they were completed we were able to submit them and get the books ‘published.’”
    They went through many stages of practice writing, story and character development that was able to teach them valuable writing skills.     The books were then donated to the school library.
    “I asked the students if it was harder to write the team book or their individual book,” said Alisa Morley, the director for the district’s after school program. “They said it was definitely harder to write the team book because different students had different ideas about which way the stories should go.”
    The program started at Sally Mauro last year. Creekview will start it next year.