TITLE:     BECOME A LOGOPHILE

AUTHOR:     Sandy Montgomery; Broken Arrow Public Schools
                  Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:     4-8    Creative Writing

OVERVIEW:
Many students feel a sense of fear and experience failure when 
asked to write creatively because they are not given the opportunity 
to learn and practice the art of pre-writing process.

PURPOSE:
The purpose is to provide a variety of pre-writing activities which 
will encourage students to manipulate, explore, discover and fall in 
love with words.

OBJECTIVES:
The learner will demonstrate fluency of idea - finding by 
participating in power writing activities.

    The learner will practice elaboration skills by participating in 
the word - pyramid activity.

    The learner will demonstrate the flexibility of idea - selecting by 
practicing the Writing Blitz.

    The learner will create original writings using the ideas 
generated in the pre-writing activity.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Student Materials - pencil and paper.

Additional ideas for pre-writing activities may be found in 'THE 
WRITING KABYN' by Leif Fearn.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
    The following activities can be used as pre-writing activities to 
`set the stage' for formal writing assignments.
    Although students will enjoy the activities and ask to repeat 
them these activities should only be a prelude to a finished product.

           Power Writing:  This activity takes six minutes and involves 
the students in creative brainstorming.  The words `duck' and `apple' 
are written on the board. Students are asked to select one of the 
words and at a given signal are instructed to write as much as they 
can as well as they can about the topic selected.  At the end of one 
minute time is called and students are directed to count the words 
which they have written.  Record these numbers on a chart on the 
board.  Round two begins with the student selecting `umbrella' or 
`beautiful' and repeating the process for one minute.  Round three 
begins with the student selecting `sock' or `blue' and repeating the 
process the process for one minute.  Each round involves the 
students selecting a word, writing down their thoughts about that 
word, counting their words after one minute of writing and 
recording the results.

           It will become dramatically apparent from the chart of the 
three rounds that this activity promotes thinking and writing in 
quantity.  Practicing quantity is an important part of a 
comprehensive writing program because learners learn to write 
mostly by writing.

           The Writing Blitz:  Deliver one direction, as listed below,
           every forty seconds.

             1.  Given - word sentence:  Write a nine word sentence in 
                 which animal is in the fifth position.

             2.  Single sentence:  Arrange the following ideas in one 
                 sentence - old man...tractor...rain...coal mine.

             3.  Double sentence:  Arrange the following ideas in two 
                 related sentences; bouncy...clear...glass...weather...street.

             4.  Given letter sentence:  Write a sentence that contains at 
                 least thirteen `t's'.


           Word Pyramids:  Present the following directions to students.

             1.  Select an initial from your name and place it on the 
                 paper.

             2.  Think of a three letter word that begins with your letter 
                 and write it below your letter.

             3.  Think of a four letter word that begins with your letter 
                 and place it below the three letter word.

             4.  Continue adding one letter at a time until you can think 
                 of no more.

             5.  Think of a seven work sentence in which your four letter 
                 pyramid word occupies the fourth position.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
   The ideas generated by the pre-writing activities listed above 
could be used to create poetry, paragraphs, stories or simply lovely 
thoughts.
    Only after the successful experiences of pre-writing should 
student be encouraged to draft, revise, proofread and publish their 
works.