inquiry question #2

What are ways for teacher's to help bring out student's creativity?
A Writer's Bag of Tricks by Debra T Rotkow

This article gives several simple strategies to encourage and generate creativiy in a classroom.  Students can refer back to their 'bag of tricks' when they are struggling to come up with an idea.  The first idea is having a trade book list in the classroom of the books that students have read throughout the semester on a poster board.  They can refer back to a book that interested them to generate some ideas for their writing.  A second idea is to have daily journal writing.  These idea prompts should be helpful in choosing a topic.  They can leaf through their journal for ideas.  Having a wall of fame is another idea.  This wall of fame would have student work on it.  Students can brainstorm from their peers projects.  Doing a peer topic conference is another great way to generate creativity.  If you have a structured question, students can bounce ideas off one another.  Incorporating poetry to lessons is a way to enrich your lesson, students can keep these in a binder, and refer back to those as well for ideas.

Rotkow, D. (2005).  A Writer's Bag of Tricks:  A few simple strategies can provide your students with a bevy of great writing ideas.  Teaching Pre K-8, v 35n 7p 50-51.