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Lindsay Ann Learning English Teacher Blog

Teaching Voice in Writing Made Simple

teaching-voice-in-writing

June 22, 2020 //  by  Lindsay Ann //   3 Comments

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Need a quick win for teaching voice in writing? Can it be taught? 

Well, yes and no. Part of discovering one’s voice is trying on different writing styles and writing a lot. You can have students begin to find their own writing voice by studying mentor texts, writing to emulate sentence structures and styles.

What is Voice in Writing?

Bear with me for a minute while I define voice , a word often used by writing teachers, yet one that always seems to remain vague to students.  

First, let me tell a story to kick-start our definition. 

When I was in the fourth grade, I went to school one day and discovered a hands-on experiment set up, transforming our classroom into a “lab” for the day.

Because I went to a small, private school, our experiments were few and far between, so I was immediately interested in our mission:  to scientifically test a variety of white substances with the goal of properly identifying them all.  

We had studied the scientific method earlier in the week, patiently memorizing the steps (questioning, observing, hypothesizing, experimenting, analyzing and communicating the results), but this was a practical application of our knowledge. 

After blindfolded “touch” and “smell” tests (we learned how to properly waft the scent toward our noses instead of sticking them directly into the test tube), reaction and solubility tests, we had identified all of the substances by their characteristics. 

Powdered sugar had a distinctive texture. Baking soda fizzled when combined with vinegar, and flour responded to the iodine test by turning a dark, bluish-black.

This fourth grade experiment can help with our definition. 

When put to the test, voice should reveal identity, and it should always be distinctive .

➡️ Voice is the “substance” of a student’s writing self . It is what characterizes who he or she is on paper .

➡️ Voice in writing can transform information and words to a form of creative expression .

Voice in Writing Definition

When teaching voice in writing, you will need to provide opportunities for students to experiment with various stylistic moves and to practice the craft of writing consistently in order to develop a writing voice.

➡️ Developing Voice = Developing Style

No matter how unique a student’s personality is when verbally communicating, it takes some work to develop voice. 

This means focusing not only on what is said , but also on how it is said.   

➡️ Essentially, voice refers to writing style, and style (and, hence, voice ) can be developed by understanding strong writing moves, observing them in published writing and practicing/applying them to one’s own writing.

Now we are getting somewhere in our definition. When I say “voice,” students typically think that they need to write how they speak, or they feel as I stated above, that voice is too hard to define.

It is easier, though, to define style. Style is more practical, observable, replicable than the ambiguous “voice” you are supposed to have in writing.

Style and Voice. Voice and Style.

Have you ever gotten in trouble with a significant other for your attitude?  If so, then you know it is possible to communicate the exact same statement with staggeringly different results depending on your non-verbals, your word emphasis, and the tone of your voice. 

The statement “Let me get that for you, sweetie…” can be interpreted in a positive way if accompanied by your movement to help, a look of concern, or even a smile; however, it can also be interpreted in a negative way if you roll your eyes, speak from your spot on the couch, or over-emphasize the word sweetie.

teaching-voice-in-writing

Students need to be aware of how the reader will interpret their writing voice, and stylistic choices are the equivalent to your “non-verbals and actions” in the above scenario . 

➡️ Style moves make a big impact on how a message is received.

Teaching Voice in Writing Activities

I find that teaching rhetorical analysis and close reading skills go hand-in-hand with teaching voice in writing. 

Students need to get into the habit of asking themselves why writers make certain choices. They need to be aware of the impact of writing choices on an audience. They need to think about syntax, word choice, figurative language, and organizational structures. 

➡️ One simple way to build voice is to use mentor sentence activities . 

teaching-voice-in-writing

Give students a sentence and have them break down the structure of it. Then, have them write their own imitation sentences. This will expose students to different syntactic structures. 

I love to put a sentence or two on the board and have students find four different ways of writing these sentences. Then, I ask students which version is best and why or how the message changes depending on how it is said.

➡️ A second way to teach voice in writing is through textual analysis and discussion of mentor texts.

When I plan a unit of study, I make it a point to find 8-10 different mentor texts that can be used for student analysis and discussion. 

Also, at the end of each assessment cycle, I ask 2-3 students whose work stood out to me if I can use it the next year as an exemplar.

➡️ Lastly, students need to write. And write. And write some more.  

Have conversations with students about their writing. Ask them why they made certain writing choices. Ask them how these choices impact their reader. 

I would encourage you to write alongside your students, to model, to conference with students. Students need to see that writing is messy, that writers make choices, revise, and write some more. We can show this to them!

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a  FREE copy of my guide to streamlined grading .  I  know   how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm.

Click on the link above or the image below to get started!

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About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 18 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

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The 2 Voices in Writing and How to Teach Them

Developing-Voice-in-Writing-P1.download

Let’s begin with a definition of “voice”. Voice can be described as the unique quality, tone, or style that jumps off the page in a given piece of writing – but while voice involves tone and style, style and tone are not synonymous with voice. “Voice” in a piece of writing also takes on different meaning according to the genre and purpose.

1) The Character’s Voice

In a piece of narrative writing (defined here as a story written about a character who encounters a problem, adventure, or significant personal experience) the voice which emerges must belong to the  MAIN CHARACTER , not the author. What does this mean? Think of a number of unique, memorable, fictional characters from literature:

  • Barbara Park’s comic heroine, Junie B. Jones
  • Katherine Paterson’s tough talking foster child, Gilly Hopkins
  • Roald Dahl’s quirky and kind Big Friendly Giant

Each point of view character is defined; we see their view of the world, their attitudes and feelings about life, through the words they speak as well as the thoughts they ponder. Their inner and outer “voice” is consistent in pattern, word choice, rhythm and attitude. In the Junie B. Jones series, we never get a sense of author Barbara Park’s voice; in fact, her unique voice – that of a mature woman – would diminish and undermine our heroine, Junie B. Jones. Everything about each carefully chosen word resonates the:

  • personality
  • feelings of character

Years ago, in a writing class presented by Newbery Award winner Patricia Reilly Giff, I had my first lesson in “voice”. Giff, in discussing her art of writing for children, stated that every sentence, phrase, word or thought from the main character must align perfectly with the age, experience, and personality of that character. Tempting as it may be to use impressive vocabulary within the author’s grasp to more easily depict meaning, believable characters are revealed when the voice the author assigns them is completely consistent with who they are – not with who the author is!

And, voice involves not only what the main character says and thinks – the “voice” of this character might better be thought of as a lens through which the reader experiences every aspect of the story.  Therefore, when the author wants to describe a story’s critical character, setting, or object, she/he must do so only in and through the life experience, strengths and weaknesses, prejudices, beliefs, and vocabulary of the main, point-of-view character.  When an author uses sophisticated segments of description inconsistent with the main character’s world view, or steps back and draws from their all-knowing author’s perspective and experience, this diminishes character and pulls the reader out of the story world.

Let’s look at an example of “voice” in a fictional setting. Think about the following scene: a character is considering taking a swim in a watering hole.

Each character is revealed through both voice and action. Neither could be confused with the other; they are each unique. The action, description, thoughts, words, and feelings depicted are consistent with the way each respective character views and responds to the world.

2) The Author’s Voice

In expository or informative writing, there exists a relationship between the author and the reader. Therefore, the reader is exposed to and responds to, literally, the “author’s voice”.

Contrary to what many people have been taught, expository or informational writing need not be dry, dull, or boring. “Encyclopedia Voice” is a detriment to the delivery of information, as it does nothing to interest the reader – in fact it can bore them to tears.  

Another fallacy is the notion that expository writing should never involve first person point of view – that the author should never personally address the reader. William Zinsser, in his marvelous book “On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction”, discusses its use:

“What I’m always looking for as an editor is a sentence that says something like ‘I’ll never forget the day when I…’ I think, Aha! A person!
“Writers are obviously at their most natural when they write in the first person. Writing is an intimate transaction between two people, conducted on paper, and it will go well to the extent that it retains its humanity. Therefore I urge people to write in the first person: to use ‘I’ and ‘me’ and ‘we’ and ‘us’.”

It is, therefore, impossible to have voice in a piece of exposition if the humanity, the first person perspective, is removed. Unlike in narrative writing, in expository writing we welcome the “real” voice of the author. It can be interesting, entertaining, and exciting to feel as though we know the writer, that this person is actually speaking to us.

Often times, in exposition, it is the   topic that influences the style and tone of the piece .  The topic also determines the extent to which the author’s personality dominates.  For example, a piece of writing about the possible extinction of the great apes calls for a serious tone.  A lighthearted or glib tone would appear at odds with the content of the piece. Does the author need to wear a scholarly or academic hat, a casual, playful hat, a serious or cautionary hat?  Depending on the topic and purpose of the piece, the author’s voice needs to correspond consistently in word choice, tone, and style.

Another aspect of voice in expository  writing mirrors our voice in the real world.  We often alter our voices according to the intended audience. We might relay information to our children one way and to our spouse, a friend, our boss, the queen, another way. In writing, authors identify their target audience and consistently address this audience in the tone and style they will likely respond to best.

Let’s look at two examples of voice excerpted from a piece about kids learning to play the piano:

Clearly, in expository writing, the voice that the author projects must be appropriate to her/his purpose and audience. The voice will either invite or put off the reader, inspire confidence or doubt, empathy or disdain, and project credibility or inexperience. The word choice, sentence structure, tone, and style all contribute to the voice in the piece.  

So How Do I Teach Voice?

For narrative writing.

In narrative writing, focusing on the main character (the point of view character) is critical. Encourage your students to know their characters by asking:

  • What is the age, social status, personality, life experience of this character?
  • Where does the character live, who and what does the character care about?
  • What does this character like to do?
  • What is the character afraid of?
  • What does the main character want most of all?

This kind of thinking – aligning a character’s words with thoughts, motivations, and experience requires a level of personal life experience that may be beyond the developmental capacity of younger students. It requires quite a lot of interaction and observation of others in the context of the real world. Therefore, while you can point out certain touchstones that point to the creation of voice, what it ultimately requires is time with much practice, through a keen awareness of what it is that makes people (and therefore characters) tick.

For Expository Writing

Developing the author’s voice in expository writing is somewhat easier. Students can be directed to assume the stance and expression of any number of personas relative to their topic in order to raise their awareness of “voice”.

  • How would a teacher say this?
  • How might your grandma say it?
  • How would you say it if you were speaking to the president?
  • How would you say it if you were speaking to your best friend?
  • Can you name the tone? Is it serious? Academic? Friendly? Humorous?
  • Look at the words you chose – are they serious, academic, friendly or humorous?

Every word must match the tone! Try writing a piece about, for example, penguins. Write it in an academic tone, then in a humorous tone. Who might the audience be for each? These are the considerations authors of expository pieces must make relative to voice.

Whenever you read magazines, novels, journals, or newspapers, begin to do so with an ear for voice. Read with “author’s eyes” in order to continually develop an awareness of the sometimes seemingly intangible, yet consciously, intentionally crafted quality we call “voice”. What you will notice is that when “voice” is done well, we simply enjoy the writing, but when it is done thoughtlessly or inconsistently, it begins to jump out at you. Have these conversations with your students as they read and, later, as they write. Awareness is always the first step toward application.

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How Do You Teach Voice in Writing: It's Easier Than You Think

How do you teach voice in writing.

After teaching students how to write for an audience and with a purpose and how to effectively evaluate point of view, I felt good about myself once again. I called my mom and told her what a smart son she had. Then I realized my students had no idea how to effectively maintain a personal voice while writing. In shock, I called my mom, advised her to give me up for adoption, and cancelled the appointment with my time management advisor. I was too busy.

I had work to do. I had to teach my student’s not to turn in dozens of bland assignments. Here’s what I came up with.

Explain Voice to Students

When I began teaching, I had no idea how to teach voice. I wasn’t even sure what it was. I asked several colleagues “How do you teach voice in writing?” I’ll summarize their answers: “Voice, you either have it or you don’t. You can’t really teach it.” Translation: “I don’t know what it is either.”

Here’s what I teach now:

  • Each writer has a distinct personality.
  • Each writer has passions, opinions, prejudices, and information.
  • Words should capture the writer’s personality.
  • Writers with strong voice capture the reader’s attention with individuality, liveliness, and energy.
  • Strong voice makes the writer’s purpose clear.
  • Strong voice helps readers experience the emotions of the writer and understand the writer’s ideas.
  • Careful word choice, punctuation, paragraphing, and style help strengthen a writer’s voice.
  • Show students two sample passages. You can find two of your own or use some of mine as examples: Memorable Moments from the 2007 NBA Finals and Reflections: What I Should Have Known About Essay Writing .
  • Read the first sample passage and ask the following questions: Does the author convey his or her voice? How does the reader know? What can be inferred about the author of this piece
  • Write the student responses on the board
  • Read the second passage and ask the same questions.
  • Discuss how these two passages, written by the same brilliant author, have two distinct voices with two different purposes: the first to entertain; the second to inform or persuade.

Effective Voice in Student Writing

  • If helping students with revision, instruct students to read their draft (rough or final).
  • Ask: Who is your intended audience? What voice would be most effective?
  • Discuss that when you determine the most appropriate voice for your purpose, write with that voice.
  • Remind students that knowing the audience is the key to finding your voice.
  • If using this assignment for revision, have students read their rough draft and change sentences, words, or phrases that do not convey their chosen voice.
  • Divide students in to groups of 3-4.
  • Instruct each student to read his or her draft to the group.
  • Listeners should identify passages that should be changed.
  • Instruct students to work individually on revision.
  • After revising, instruct students to reconvene and read their final draft.
  • Each group should choose the best revision and share it with the class.
  • Teaching experience.

This post is part of the series: Lesson Plans: Fine Tune Your Writing Focus

Writing that lacks focus confuses readers. Student writing lacks focus because they rarely have a purpose, do not know how to make a point, and write to an imaginary, non-existent audience. End their pointless meanderings with these simple lesson plans.

  • Lesson Plan: Determining Audience and Purpose
  • Teaching Students to Maintain a Personal Voice in Writing
  • A Lesson Plan on Using Tone Effectively
  • A Lesson Plan in Creating the Perfect Title

The Joy of Teaching

Sharing creative ideas and lessons to help children learn.

teaching writing voice

How to Teach Writer’s Voice with Trait-Based Writing—Mini Lessons for Grades 4–6

October 21, 2019 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments

How to Teach Writer’s Voice

The six traits of writing are a crucial part of writing curriculum, especially when students are beginning to learn how to write persuasively. However, just because it’s important doesn’t mean it’s easy to teach! That’s why we are presenting you with resources, ideas, and activities that make teaching the six traits of writing easy and fun!

What Is Trait-Based Writing and Why Is It Important?

The six traits of trait-based writing are:

  • Organization
  • Word choice
  • Sentence fluency
  • Conventions

These six things are the basic framework that make up quality writing at all skill levels. They are the ingredients in your recipe to improve your students’ writing! Including these in your writing curriculum also provides consistent vocabulary, so it’s easier for students to understand what they do well and what they can improve on.

Trait-Based Writing: Author’s Voice

While all six are equally important in quality writing, this article will focus on an author’s voice and how it is used to set the tone of the writing, depending on what purpose the writing serves.

When teaching voice, it helps to narrow down students’ focus to:

  • Attitude : How does the author feel about the subject he or she is writing about?
  • Audience : Whom is the author writing for?

Together, attitude and audience will determine how an author approaches a writing topic.

Writing lessons can often become labor intensive activities that eat up a good portion of your school day. But scheduling consistent writing opportunities for students is important for their growth as writers. Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing bundles on Teachers Pay Teachers offer short daily lessons that focus on one trait at a time, providing consistent, focused writing practice. Each bundled unit provides five weeks of daily activities that are focused on one writing trait. (You can purchase the entire Daily 6-Trait Writing resource for 25 weekly units covering all traits here .)

How to Use Descriptive Words to Convey Voice or Tone (Grade 4)

For example, one lesson from Daily 6-Trait Writing grade 4, unit 5, weeks 1–5 teaches students how to use descriptive words to convey voice or tone in their writing. Each week focuses on a different aspect of the trait presented. Included in this mini bundle are five weeks of daily writing lessons that practice:

  • Examining different writing voices
  • Using your voice to persuade
  • Writing from different points of view
  • Using voice in poetry
  • Developing your own voice

teaching writing voice

Each five-week bundled unit provides:

  • Five weeks of daily activities
  • 20 reproducibles (days 1–4 of each week)
  • 5 writing prompts (day 5)
  • Teacher support and grading rubric

Throughout the week, whether you choose to teach lessons consecutively or pick and choose to fit classroom needs, students will go through activities and lessons that teach them how to recognize and use each writing trait. As activities get progressively more complicated, students will fully understand how to implement the trait into their own writing. Day five of each week includes a writing prompt, so students can practice their newfound skills. Use the teacher support in each model for tips on how to teach each unit. Each activity builds towards the fluent use of the specific trait, so feel free to skip around and pick the ones you like!

Practice Writing with Voice Within Different Writing Genres (Grade 5)

Daily 6-Trait Writing grade 5, unit 5, weeks 1–5 includes five weeks of mini writing lessons that help students practice writing with voice within different writing genres.

  • Examining Different Writing Voices
  • Using Different Voices for Different Purposes
  • Using Voice in Poetry
  • Writing from Different Points of View
  • Using Voice in Persuasive Writing.

teaching writing voice

Discover all the Daily 6-Trait Writing  mini bundles for grades 3–6 on Teachers Pay Teachers. Click the links below to find your grade and trait.

persuasive writing

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their Secrets

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Teaching students to write is no easy feat, and it’s a topic that has often been discussed on this blog.

It’s also a challenge that can’t have too much discussion!

Today, four educators share their most effective writing lessons.

‘Three Practices That Create Confident Writers’

Penny Kittle teaches first-year writers at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. She was a teacher and literacy coach in public schools for 34 years and is the author of nine books, including Micro Mentor Texts (Scholastic). She is the founder and president of the Book Love Foundation, which annually grants classroom libraries to teachers throughout North America:

I write almost every day. Like anything I want to do well, I practice. Today, I wrote about the wild dancing, joyful energy, and precious time I spent with my daughter at a Taylor Swift concert. Then I circled back to notes on Larry’s question about teaching writers. I wrote badly, trying to find a through line. I followed detours and crossed out bad ideas. I stopped to think. I tried again. I lost faith in my words. I will get there , I told myself. I trust my process.

I haven’t always written this easily or this much. I wouldn’t say I’m a “natural” writer because I don’t believe they exist. Writing is work. When I entered college, I received a C-minus on my first paper. I was stunned. I had never worked at writing: I was a “first drafter,” an “only drafter.” And truthfully, I didn’t know how or what to practice. I was assigned writing in high school and I completed it. I rarely received feedback. I didn’t get better. I didn’t learn to think like a writer; I thought like a student.

I’ve now spent 40 years studying writing and teaching writers in kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school, as well as teachers earning graduate degrees. Despite their age, writers in school share one remarkably similar trait: a lack of confidence. Confidence is a brilliant and fiery light; it draws your eyes, your heart, and your mind. But in fact, it is as rare as the Northern Lights. I feel its absence every fall in my composition courses.

We can change that.

Confidence blooms in classrooms focused on the growth of writers.

This happens in classrooms where the teacher relies less on lessons and more on a handful of practices. Unfortunately, though, in most classrooms, a heap of time is spent directing students to practice “writing-like” activities: restrictive templates for assignments, with detailed criteria focused on rules. Those activities handcuff writers. If you tell me what to do and how to do it, I will focus on either completing the task or avoiding it. That kind of writing work doesn’t require much thinking; it is merely labor.

Practice creating, on the other hand, is harder, but it is how we develop the important ability to let our ideas come and then shaping them into cohesive arguments, stories, poems, and observations. We have misunderstood the power of writing to create thinking. Likewise, we have misunderstood the limitations of narrow tasks. So, here are my best instructional practices that lead to confidence and growth in writers.

1. Writing Notebooks and Daily Revision. Writers need time to write. Think of it as a habit we begin to engage in with little effort, like serving a tennis ball from the baseline or dribbling a basketball or sewing buttonholes. Writers need daily time to whirl words, to spin ideas, to follow images that blink inside them as they move their pen across the page. In my classroom, writing time most often follows engagement with a poem.

Likewise, writers need guidance in rereading their first drafts of messy thinking. I’ve seen teachers open their notebooks and invite students to watch them shape sentences. They demonstrate how small revisions increase clarity and rhythm. Their students watch them find a focus and maintain it. Teachers show the effort and the joy of writing well.

Here’s an example: We listen to a beautiful poem such as “Montauk” by Sarah Kay, her tribute to growing up. Students write freely from lines or images that spring to them as they listen. I write in my notebook as students write in theirs for 4-5 minutes. Then I read my entry aloud, circling subjects and detours ( I don’t know why I wrote so much about my dog, but maybe I have more to say about this … ). I model how to find a focus. I invite students to do the same.

2. Writers Study Writing . Writers imitate structures, approaches, and ways of reaching readers. They read like writers to find possibilities: Look what the writer did here and here . A template essay can be an effective tool to write for a test, but thankfully, that is a very small and insignificant part of the whole of writing for any of us. Real writing grows from studying the work of other writers. We study sentences, passages, essays, and articles to understand how they work, as we create our own.

3. Writers Have Conversations as They Work . When writers practice the skills and embrace the challenges of writing in community, it expands possibilities. Every line read from a notebook carries the mark of a particular writer: the passion, the voice, the experiences, and the vulnerability of each individual. That kind of sharing drives process talk ( How did you think to write about that? Who do you imagine you are speaking to? ), which showcases the endless variation in writers and leads to “writerly thinking.” It shifts conversations from “right and wrong” to “how and why.”

Long ago, at a local elementary school, in a workshop for teachers, I watched Don Graves list on the chalkboard subjects he was considering writing about. He read over his list and chose one. From there, he wrote several sentences, talking aloud about the decisions he was making as a writer. Then he turned to accept and answer questions.

“Why do this?” someone asked.

“Because you are the most important writer in the room,” Don said. “You are showing students why anyone would write when they don’t have to.” He paused, then added, “If not you, who?”

confidenceblooms

Developing ‘Student Voice’

A former independent school English teacher and administrator, Stephanie Farley is a writer and educational consultant working with teachers and schools on issues of curriculum, assessment, instruction, SEL, and building relationships. Her book, Joyful Learning: Tools to Infuse Your 6-12 Classroom with Meaning, Relevance, and Fun is available from Routledge Eye on Education:

Teaching writing is my favorite part of being a teacher. It’s incredibly fun to talk about books with kids, but for me, it’s even more fun to witness students’ skills and confidence grow as they figure out how to use written language to communicate what they mean.

A lesson I used to like doing was in “voice.” My 8th graders had a hard time understanding what I meant when I asked them to consider “voice” in their writing. The best illustration I came up with was playing Taylor Swift’s song “Blank Space” for students. Some students groaned while others clapped. (Doesn’t this always happen when we play music for students? There’s no song that makes everyone happy!) But when they settled down, I encouraged them to listen to the style: the arrangement, her voice as she sang, the dominant instruments.

Then, I played a cover of “Blank Space” by Ryan Adams. Eyes rolled as the song unfurled through the speakers, but again I reminded students to listen to the arrangement, voice, and instruments. After about 60 seconds of the Adams version, heads nodded in understanding. When the music ended and I asked students to explain voice to me, they said it’s “making something your own … like your own style.” Yes!

The next step was applying this new understanding to their own writing. Students selected a favorite sentence from the books they were reading, then tried to write it in their own voice. We did this a few times, until everyone had competently translated Kwame Alexander into “Rosa-style” or Kelly Link into “Michael-style.” Finally, when it was time for students to write their own longer works—stories, personal essays, or narratives—they intentionally used the words and sentence patterns they had identified as their own voice.

I’m happy to report this method worked! In fact, it was highly effective. Students’ papers were more idiosyncratic, nuanced, and creative. The only change to this lesson I’d make now is trying to find a more zeitgeist-y song with the hope that the groans at the beginning die down a little faster.

itsfun

Teaching ELLs

Irina McGrath, Ph.D., is an assistant principal at Newcomer Academy in the Jefferson County school district in Kentucky and the president of KYTESOL. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville, Indiana University Southeast, and Bellarmine University. She is a co-creator of the ELL2.0 site that offers free resources for teachers of English learners:

Reflecting on my experience of teaching writing to English learners, I have come to realize that writing can be daunting, especially when students are asked to write in English, a language they are learning to master. The most successful writing lessons I have taught were those that transformed the process into an enjoyable experience, fostering a sense of accomplishment and pride in my students.

To achieve this, I prioritized the establishment of a supportive learning environment. At the beginning of each school year, I set norms that emphasized the importance of writing for everyone, including myself as their teacher. I encouraged students to write in English and their native language and I wrote alongside my English learners to demonstrate that writing is a journey that requires hard work and dedication, regardless of age or previous writing experiences. By witnessing my own struggles, my students felt encouraged to persevere.

My English learners understood that errors were expected and that they were valuable opportunities for growth and improvement. This created a comfortable atmosphere where students felt more confident taking risks and experimenting with their writing. Rather than being discouraged by mistakes, they viewed them as steppingstones toward progress.

In my most effective writing lessons, I provided scaffolds such as sentence stems, sentence frames, and word banks. I also encouraged my students to use translation tools to help generate ideas on paper. These scaffolds empowered English learners to independently tackle more challenging writing assignments and nurtured their confidence in completing writing tasks. During writers’ circles, we discussed the hard work invested in each writing piece, shared our work, and celebrated each other’s success.

Furthermore, my most successful writing lessons integrated reading and writing. I taught my students to read like writers and utilized mentor texts to emulate the craft of established authors, which they could later apply to their own writing. Mentor texts, such as picture books, short stories, or articles, helped my students observe how professional writers use dialogue, sentence structure, and descriptive language to enhance their pieces.

Instead of overwhelming students with information, I broke down writing into meaningful segments and taught through mini lessons. For example, we analyzed the beginnings of various stories to examine story leads. Then, collaboratively, my students and I created several leads together. When they were ready, I encouraged them to craft their own leads and select the most appropriate one for their writing piece.

Ultimately, my most effective lessons were those in which I witnessed the joyful smiles on my English learners’ faces as they engaged with pages filled with written or typed words. It is during those moments that I knew my writers were creating and genuinely enjoying their work.

To access a self-checklist that students and EL teachers can use when teaching or creating a writing piece in English, you can visit the infographic at bit.ly/ABC_of_Writing .

iprovided

‘Model Texts’

Anastasia M. Martinez is an English-language-development and AVID Excel teacher in Pittsburg, Calif.:

As a second-language learner, writing in English had not always been my suit. It was not until graduate school that I immersed myself in a vast array of journals, articles, and other academic works, which ultimately helped me find my academic voice and develop my writing style. Now, working as an ESL teacher with a diverse group of middle school multilingual learners, I always provide a model text relevant to a topic or prompt we are exploring.

When students have a model text, it gives them a starting point for their own writing and presents writing as less scary, where they get stuck on the first sentence and do not know how to start.

At the start of the lesson, prior to using a model text, I create a “do now” activity that guides my students’ attention to the topic and creates a relevant context for the text. After students share their ideas with a partner and then the class, we transition to our lesson objectives, and I introduce the model text. We first use prereading strategies to analyze the text, and students share what they notice based on the title, images, and a number of paragraphs. Then, depending on the students’ proficiency level, I read the text to the class, or students read the text as partners, thinking about what the text was mostly about.

After students read and share their ideas with partners and then the whole class, we transition to deconstructing the text. These multiple reengagements with the text help students become more familiar with it, as well as help students build reading fluency.

When deconstructing the model text, I guide my students through each paragraph and sentence. During that time, students orally share their ideas determining the meaning of specific paragraphs or sentences, which we later annotate in the model text using different colored highlighters or pens. Color coding helps visually guide students through similar parts of the model text. For instance, if we highlight evidence in paragraph 2 in one color, we also highlight evidence in the same color in the following paragraph. It helps students see the similarities between the paragraphs and discover the skeleton of the writing. Additionally, color coding helps students during their writing process and revision. Students can check if they used all parts of the writing based on the colors.

Furthermore, one of the essential pieces during deconstructing model texts that I draw my students’ attention to is transition words and “big words,” or academic vocabulary. We usually box them in the text, and I question students about why the author used a particular word in the text. Later, when students do their own writing, they can integrate new vocabulary and transition words, which enhances their vocabulary and language skills.

As the next step, I invite students to co-create a similar piece of writing with a partner or independently using our model text as their guide. Later, our model text serves as a checklist for individual and partner revisions, which students could use to give each other feedback.

Model texts are an essential part of the writing process in any content-area class. As educators, we should embrace the importance of model texts, as they provide a solid foundation upon which students can develop their unique writing skills, tone, and voice.

modeltexts

Thanks to Penny, Stephanie, Irina, and Anastasia for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email . And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 12 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list here .

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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  • Our Mission

Helping Students Find Their Writer’s Voice

Three exercises to get students writing with vivid detail—a key step to developing a distinctive style of their own.

Students examine and write about an aquarium, a plant, and other things.

How do authors draw us in with their prose? What does an article or book do that makes us nod along, laugh out loud, or shout, “What?” Used well, a writer’s words can speak inside us. How do we develop a student writer’s voice so they can have the same effect on their readers?

A writer’s voice is a combination of many factors. The 6+1 Trait writing model , for example, focuses on ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. Developing all of these factors requires ongoing workouts to grow and build confidence in one’s writing voice. Strive to have students write every day. The length may vary, from three to 40 minutes, depending on the curriculum-related experience. Here are three exercises that can be used frequently as writing practice.

Portrait Writing

This exercise gives students practice with details, especially sensory language: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. Introduce this in the classroom to teach the process and answer questions regarding the skills students will practice. Once the process is understood, take students to different parts of the building and outside to provide them with different scenery to capture in their writing. This exercise has four steps.

  • Pick a location or object that you want to capture in a portrait. In a classroom, this may be a wall of posters, an animal cell or habitat, or items on a table. Outside of the classroom, the chosen focus should be rich in sensory qualities. Students should pick their topic.
  • Capture sensory notes about the chosen focus using all five senses. Students should capture two or three details that fit each sense. These notes can be in any format of the students’ choosing. Often, they make a list. Early on, it’s helpful for students to label the senses after completing their notes to ensure that they have the required number of details for each.
  • Write a description of the scene or location, using each of the senses. Each sense should be used at least once. Synthesizing notes into a coherent description helps students see how to make writing appealing to readers. This skill is transferable to all genres of nonfiction and fiction. For example: “The chill wind buffeted the school entrance and filled my mouth with invisible ice. Puffs of hot breath billowed from the students reentering the building. They passed through red doors, their chatter echoing along the tiled hallway.”
  • Display the portraits. Publication is important to portrait writing. Having a public audience signals to students that their efforts matter. Publication can mean a public reading, posting in the hallways, and/or being published on a blog or social media tool.

Using three out of the five senses in a writing assignment can make the reading more appealing to readers. Painting scenes and descriptions with words is one way to draw a reader into the writing.

Inference Riddles

“Show, don’t tell” is an adage that writers often hear. But what does that look like? This exercise gives practice in developing understanding that can be transferred to all types of writing. Have students do this exercise as a warm-up to an author study or as a follow-up to modeling an author’s style.

  • Take students outside of the classroom, preferably outside the building. The location needs to have lots of items that are varied to choose from. Some examples are the parking lot, the playground or cafeteria immediately after lunch, or the school entrance area.
  • Choose three items and collect descriptive notes about each. Outside, there are cars, discarded items on the ground, signs, and other objects. Students choose three and use sensory detail to describe them. It’s best to describe three features of each object. For example: “This red object had four thick tires. Between two eyes that shone bright light was the image of a smooth silvery horse in full gallop. It sat facing outward in its stall, so that the person could leave in a hurry at the end of the day.”
  • Make an inference about how the object got there. The above example’s final sentence makes a guess, based on the evidence, as to the reason the car was parked facing outward. The object is never named. The description provides clues that allow the reader to infer an answer. What kind of car is described above?
  • Publish the work so that others can solve the riddle. Readers and listeners should be able to guess the object based on the description and inference. Publication can be in small groups, the whole class, or online.

In So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation , I address writer’s voice with the ThinkDot strategy (in which students are given six activities marked with one to six dots and roll a die to select which one to do first).

In this example , the teacher designed two versions of the assignment—one more complex than the other. Students were assigned the one that best stretched their skills appropriately. Working in groups, students built a shared understanding of voice, and how to find theirs.

Using these strategies for frequent practice helps students hone their voice. Start with three- to five-minute portrait writes. Sprinkle in Inference Riddles and ThinkDots for a change of pace. Over time, students will build writing stamina, and their confidence in their voice will grow. The results will make their future teachers, employers, and the students themselves happy.

ELA Common Core Lesson Plans

teaching writing voice

  • Create Characters Lesson Plan
  • Creative Writing Lesson Plan: Using Details
  • How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay
  • How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay Lesson Plan
  • How to Write a Persuasive Essay
  • How to Write a Reflective Essay
  • How to Write an Article Critique and Review
  • How to Write an Introduction to an Essay
  • How to Write a Problem Solution Essay
  • Lesson Plan: Effective Sentence Structure
  • Lesson Plan: Improve Writing Style with Improved Sentence Structure
  • Logical Fallacies Lesson Plan with Summary & Examples
  • Teaching Active and Passive Voice
  • Teaching How to Revise a Rough Draft
  • Teaching Instructional Articles: How to Write Instructions
  • Teaching Word Choice: Using Strong Verbs
  • Using Imagery Lesson Plan
  • Writing for Audience and Purpose
  • Writing Transitions Lesson
  • Analyzing Humor in Literature Lesson Plan
  • Analyzing Shakespeare Strategies
  • Fun Reading Lesson Plan
  • How to Write a Literary Analysis.
  • How to Annotate and Analyze a Poem
  • Lesson Plan for Teaching Annotation
  • Literary Terms Lesson Plan
  • Literature Exemplars – Grades-9-10
  • Teaching Short Story Elements
  • Using Short Stories to Teach Elements of Literature
  • Bill of Rights Lesson Plan
  • Fun Ideas for Teaching Language
  • Comma Rules: How to Use Commas
  • Difference between Denotation and Connotation
  • Effective Word Choice Lesson Plan
  • Fun Grammar Review Game or Vocabulary & Language Arts
  • Lesson Plans for Substitute Teachers and Busy English Teachers
  • Lesson Plan: Creating the Perfect Title
  • 4.08 – Lesson Plan: Using Semicolons Correctly
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Lesson Plan
  • Sentence Combining Made Easy Lesson Plan
  • Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
  • Using Tone Effectively Lesson Plan
  • 4.12 – Word Choice Lesson Plan: Eliminate and Replace “To Be” Verbs

Using Voice in Writing Effectively Lesson Plan

  • Speaking & Listening
  • Teacher Guide Central

Lesson Plan: Maintaining Personal Voice in Writing

After teaching students how to write for an audience and with a purpose and how to effectively evaluate point of view, I felt good about myself once again. I called my mom and told her what a smart son she had. Then I realized my students had no idea how to effectively maintain a personal voice while writing. In shock, I called my mom, advised her to give me up for adoption, and cancelled the appointment with my time management adviser. I was too busy.

I had work to do. I had to teach my student’s not to turn in dozens of bland assignments. Here’s what I came up with.

ELA Common Core Standards

Teaching writing for purpose and audience satisfies the following common core standards.  If you’re not a teacher, skip this section.

  • W.9-10.5   Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of L.9-10.1-3.)
  • L.9-10.5   Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  • L.9-10.5a  Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.
  • L.9-10.5b   Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

Explain Voice in Writing

When I began teaching, I had no idea how to teach voice. I wasn’t even sure what it was. I asked several colleagues “How do you teach voice in writing?” I’ll summarize their answers: “Voice, you either have it or you don’t. You can’t really teach it.” Translation: “I don’t know what it is either.”

Here’s what I teach now

  • Each writer has a distinct personality.
  • Each writer has passions, opinions, prejudices, and information.
  • Words should capture the writer’s personality.
  • Writers with strong voice capture the reader’s attention with individuality, liveliness, and energy.
  • Strong voice makes the writer’s purpose clear.
  • Strong voice helps readers experience the emotions of the writer and understand the writer’s ideas.
  • Careful word choice, punctuation, paragraphing, and style help strengthen a writer’s voice.

Voice in Writing Lesson Plan Procedures

This voice in writing lesson plan will have your students writing masterpieces in a little under a century.

  • Show students two sample passages.
  • Read the first sample passage and ask the following questions: Does the author convey his or her voice? How does the reader know? What can be inferred about the author of this piece
  • Write the student responses on the board
  • Read the second passage and ask the same questions.
  • Discuss how these two passages, written by the same brilliant author, have two distinct voices with two different purposes: the first to entertain; the second to inform or persuade.

Revision Exercise

Use this lesson plan for helping students revise their essay.

  • Instruct students to read their draft (rough or final).
  • Ask: Who is your intended audience? What voice would be most effective?
  • Discuss that when you determine the most appropriate voice for your purpose, write with that voice.
  • Remind students that knowing the audience is the key to finding your voice.
  • If using this assignment for revision, have students read their rough draft and change sentences, words, or phrases that do not convey their chosen voice.
  • Divide students in to groups of 3-4.
  • Instruct each student to read his or her draft to the group.
  • Listeners should identify passages that should be changed.
  • Instruct students to work individually on revision.
  • After revising, instruct students to reconvene and read their final draft.
  • Each group should choose the best revision and share it with the class.

Focus Your Writing Lesson Plans

Focus makes writing clear and coherent.

  • Tone in Writing
  • Personal Voice in Writing
  • Creating the Perfect Title

Last Updated on October 20, 2017 by Trenton Lorcher

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Teaching Writing for Student Voice

Teach Better Team October 5, 2019 Blog , Lesson Plan Better , Personalize Student Learning Better

teaching writing voice

In this post:

  • The importance of providing freedom for students in your writing instruction.
  • Strategies to use when teaching writing to shift the focus to student voice.
  • My experience and background in empowering student writers.

When we think about teaching writing, we often associate it with the traditional 5 paragraph essay, a regimented guide, or a ready-made curriculum. There’s a prescribed method to follow, a formulaic approach taught, and a standard response from each student. Often, topics are pre-selected, complete with research articles, graphic organizers, and a general idea of ‘what our kids will want to write about’. 

I’m here to tell you—this approach doesn’t work.

It will teach a standard 5 paragraph essay, but it will also restrict your students. For many, it will likely turn them off to writing. When students are handed pre-formatted, boxed in responses, we remove a massive part of the writing process. We take away one of the most crucial components to a well written, engaging piece. 

Their voices.

Writing is an extension of our voices. It is a mode of expression, a way of communicating, and it creates a relationship between writer and reader. That’s why we connect emotionally to books, especially those that are crafted beautifully. It’s why words can be so powerful and influential, and why the phrase “ the pen is mightier than the sword ” even exists.

To teach writing in this way, it’s important to acknowledge the fact that students will take over a lot of the control. It’s just as important to realize that there will still need to be structure and guidance, but it’s going to look a little (or a lot) different.

For me, making this shift has been incremental. I’ve taken small steps over time to develop a writing curriculum that builds student voice and choice within the medium. I’m going to share some of that process, and hopefully give a few ideas for how to start making that shift. 

Incorporate choices in topic

When it comes to teaching writing for voice, the biggest shift to make is including choice for students. They are not going to have a voice if their topics are chosen for them. They need to feel a connection to what they are writing about. It’s got to be relevant to them. Even better if it incorporates their passion and their experience. 

Really any choice is beneficial. Even a moderated one, like providing a menu for kids to choose from. That, though, can be limiting. What I’ve found most successful is to have an overall theme, provide some examples (which can be chosen as topics by our kiddos who need more guidance), and allow students to choose on their own from there. 

For example, my argumentative/opinion piece is based on the theme of heroism. We look at controversial historical figures, those that are typically considered heroes, and discuss as a class how they have been portrayed. We consider figures like Christopher Columbus, and discuss how history can be biased or skewed.

Students then choose their own historical figure to research and ultimately argue whether they fit the definition of a hero. There’s a lot of discussion and debate, about biases in history and present day. I end up reading some truly interesting pieces. And I’ve got to tell you, it certainly beats reading 92 of the same exact essay that all argue the same exact points.

Provide ample time to write

Part of helping our students find their writing voice is giving them time to actually write. This should be uninterrupted time devoted to them exploring the craft, working through the process, and just getting into the flow of a piece. Finding their groove will take time, and we have to give it to them. 

Some students might work at different paces . Allow this to happen as much as you possibly can. If a student is flying through, find ways to provide additional avenues. If they require a slower pace, give them that room. Ideally, you want students working in a way that suits them, discovering their processes as they go. And if a student wants to go back and revise a piece after the due date, please let them. 

[scroll down to keep reading]

Get rid of graphic organizers.

This might be an unpopular one. While there are benefits to providing a guide for an evidence-based paragraph, they should not become the backbone of our writing curriculum, nor should they be a crutch our students must use every time they write.

Graphic organizers don’t teach students how to logically organize a piece. They show students that rather than looking at the words, reading them for their message and clarity, that they just need to “plug in” the sections to formulate a good response. These organizers remove voice almost entirely, giving students a singular option for expressing a thought or idea. 

Organization must be taught, absolutely. But instructing our students to put in the pieces and spit out the finished product just isn’t going to do it. 

Use conferences

Students will need guidance throughout writing a piece. Naturally, we will have to teach foundational writing skills and offer assistance along the way. 

Because our students will be creating unique pieces, our instruction should be targeted to what they need. I use conferences, sometimes one on one but mostly small group, to hone in on the skills that require development. A workshop model tends to work best for me, where I start with an overall mini lesson for the class and then meet with smaller groups or individuals to go more in depth based on their needs. 

Conferences also provide a place for students to ask their own questions as they find areas or skills they want to learn. Often, students will bring their own ideas to a conference, looking for feedback or guidance from me on how best to make their ideas a reality. I always love when that happens because they’re really beginning to see themselves as writers.

Writing is an amazing medium. It’s an expression of voice, a crafting of ideas into words. Not much else yields such power, such influence. Let’s teach our students to wield their pens and express their thoughts, not just follow a formula.

About Katelynn Giordano

Katelynn Giordano is a 6th grade language arts teacher in the Chicago suburbs and the Digital Content Editor for the Teach Better Team. She loves writing, both on her blog, Curriculum Coffee, and for the Teachers on Fire magazine on Medium. She is a dynamic educator with a focus on student empowerment in the ELA classroom. Her writing and presentations are all about incorporating student voice, choice, and personalized learning in your teaching practice.

Katelynn is active on Twitter and Instagram, and loves to collaborate with educators everywhere! In her free time, she enjoys relaxing with her husband and her cat, Chickpea, drinking coffee, and reading YA books.

teaching writing voice

The Children's Book Review

How to Teach Kids About Writer’s Voice

Guest Posts

How to Teach Kids About Writer’s Voice By Jasmine A. Stirling, author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice The Children’s Book Review

Voice is the imprint of ourselves on our writing. Donald Graves

As a writer and mom of two young girls, I invest a lot of energy in getting my family excited about writing. We do this in all kinds of ways—by writing letters to our house fairy and leaving them at her fairy door, by creating stop-motion animated films—which we script in advance, by storyboarding and acting out audiobooks that we’re listening to, and by creating new versions of classic stories like Little Red Riding Hood . Even though my kids get all kinds of great instruction at school, I want to be sure we do literacy activities at home—because they are fun, memorable experiences, and because I know that family culture is critical for developing a lifelong passion for learning.

One of the things I’m most excited about as a writer is helping kids develop their own writing voice. I loved writing A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice because it allowed me to take a really complex subject—Jane Austen’s revolutionary new way of writing—and distill it down to its most basic form so that elementary school children could get a sense for what Austen was doing in her novels. 

A Most Clever Girl by Jasmine A. Stirling: Book Cover

Writer’s voice is a powerful and exciting tool for children to grasp, because playing with voice is just that—play. Once kids understand that they can try on different writing styles like hats and shoes, writing becomes more like other kinds of play and less like a chore.

Here are some activities that I have done with my kids to help them understand what writer’s voice is all about. Try them out at home or in the classroom and let me know how they worked for you!

Getting Started: How to Teach Kids About Writer’s Voice

First, I explain that the word voice has multiple meanings. In everyday speech, when we talk about voice, we mean the sound that comes out of your mouth when you talk, yell, laugh or sing. You can make loud sounds with your voice, or quiet ones, or you can choose not to speak at all.

When we talk about a writer’s voice, we are using the word voice in a different and new way. A writer’s voice is the personality behind a piece of writing; it’s the way the author expresses themselves. 

Many authors have a consistent voice across many different books, even when the subjects of the books are very different. Think of the books Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and The Grinch . All of these stories are different, but all three are written distinctively in the voice of Dr. Seuss.

A writer’s voice comes from their personality, sense of humor, and way of looking at the world. 

While we are learning about writer’s voice, I encourage kids to try on different styles like they might try on hats and shoes, to see what suits them best. As they grow up, they might develop and find a consistent style, but for now, the goal is just to play with voice.

Here are some exercises to help them get there:

Exercise #1:.

Dictate a short story to an adult about a dog who saves a girl from drowning after she falls off of a bridge into a river. (5 minutes)

Activity A: Perspective

  • Tell the story from the perspective of the dog, then the girl, then the girl’s parents. How about from the perspective of the river?

Activity B: Narrative voice

Now, discuss:

  • How would a teacher tell the story to her students before a field trip?
  • How would you explain this to a toddler?
  • How would a stand-up comic talk about it on stage?
  • How would the mayor say it if they were speaking to the president?
  • How would a dog trainer talk about this to other dog owners?
  • How would an evil villain describe this to her or his assistant?
  • What would a newspaper article say about the incident?

How does the story change when different people tell it, or when it is changed for different people to hear it?

The different ways of telling the story use different voices. The facts are the same, but the story is told differently.

How does changing the perspective change the voice of the story?

Exercise #2:

VOICE WORDS

Print these out, cut them up and use them for each activity below:

Have the kids come up with their own Voice Words.

Now read the following passages and pick the Voice Words that most describe each passage.

teaching writing voice

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters

Written by Leonore Look

You will know some things about me if you have read a book called Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things. But you won’t know all about me, so that is why there is now this second book.

In case you missed it, my name is Alvin Ho. I was born scared and I am still scared. Things that scare me include:

Long words (especially “hippopotomonstro- sesquipedaliophobia,” which means fear of long words).

Punctuation. (Except for exclamation points! Exclamations are fantastic!!!)

The dark (which means I have nyctophobia).

The great outdoors. (What’s so great about it?) Lots of things can happen when you’re outdoors:

Hurricanes.

Landslides.

The end of the world.

I am scared of many more things than that. But if I put all my scares on one list, it would mean years of therapy for me. And I already go to therapy once a month on account of it’s supposed to help me not be so scared. But my brother Calvin says when you’re born a certain way, that’s the way you’ll always be, so you might as well hug your inner scaredy-cat.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables

Written by L. M. Montogmery

It was broad daylight when Anne awoke and sat up in bed, staring confusedly at the window through which a flood of cheery sunshine was pouring and outside of which something white and feathery waved across glimpses of blue sky . . . .

Anne dropped on her knees and gazed out into the June morning, her eyes glistening with delight. Oh, wasn’t it beautiful? Wasn’t it a lovely place? Suppose she wasn’t really going to stay here! She would imagine she was. There was scope for imagination here.

A huge cherry-tree grew outside, so close that its boughs tapped against the house, and it was so thick-set with blossoms that hardly a leaf was to be seen. On both sides of the house was a big orchard, one of apple-trees and one of cherry-trees, also showered over with blossoms; and their grass was all sprinkled with dandelions. In the garden below were lilac-trees purple with flowers, and their dizzily sweet fragrance drifted up to the window on the morning wind.

teaching writing voice

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

Written by Roshani Chokshi 

Aru Shah had a gigantic lightning bolt, and she really wanted to use it.

“Please don’t, Shah,” begged her friend Aiden. “If you electrocute the targets with Vajra . . . we’ve blown this Pandava mission.”

“Puh-leeze,” said Aru, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “I’m the daughter of the god of thunder and lightning. Electricity is practically my thing.”

“Yesterday you stuck a fork in the toaster,” pointed out Aiden.

“It was just for a second, and it was holding my breakfast prisoner.”

A gust of wind hit the back of Aru’s head, and she turned to see a huge eagle with sapphire-colored feathers swooping toward them. The bird dove to the ground and in a flash of blue light transformed into Brynne, her soul sister and the daughter of the god of the wind.

“No visuals on the targets,” Brynne said. “Also, Aiden’s right. I seriously don’t trust you around electricity.”

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning: The Short-Lived Edition By Lemony Snicket

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Written by Lemony Snicket

The story of the Baudelaire orphans is like an onion, and if you insist on reading each and every thin, papery layer in A Series of Unfortunate Events , your only reward will be 170 chapters of misery in your library and countless tears in your eyes. Even if you have read the first twelve volumes of the Baudelaires’ story, it is not too late to stop peeling away the layers, and to put this book back on the shelf to wither away while you read something less complicated and overwhelming. The end of this unhappy chronicle is like its bad beginning, as each misfortune only reveals another, and another, and another, and only those with the stomach for this strange and bitter tale should venture any farther into the Baudelaire onion. I’m sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes.

teaching writing voice

Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel

Written by Nikki Grimes

Audio Excerpt

Diamond sucked her teeth. Too rude, thought Diamond. Aloud she said, suit yourself, and went on to the lunchroom without him. The seats in the lunchroom filled up fast. Not that it mattered to Diamond, she already knew where she was going to sit. Diamond got in line and bought a milk to go with her peanut butter and jelly sandwich she’d brought from home, then took a seat with Tonya, Talisha, and Tameka, the three T’s. They weren’t about to let Diamond into their little group, but they were nice enough to her at school. Sitting at their table during lunch made her feel a little less alone.

One plus three equals four, thought Diamond. Four is a nice sturdy number, like a table with four legs or a square all cozy and zipped up on all four sides. Diamond liked even numbers. In fact, Diamond liked numbers period. Math made sense to her. Numbers were neat and easy and solid. Not like English, which was full of rules that change all the time. Yes, math was best. Math was something you could always count on. Well, mostly. For a long time after her mom and dad got divorced, Diamond hated math because all she could see was subtraction. Mom’s voice minus dad’s. Two for breakfast, instead of three. Monday night TV, minus the football. It just didn’t feel right at first, but things were a little better now.

Discussion:

Which passage did you like the best? Why?

Did you dislike any of the passages? Why?

Do you think that the personality of each of these writers is different? How?

Do any of these pieces of writing feel more like “you”? Do any feel completely different than you? Why?

Exercise #3

Activity A:

First, read through the following passages:               

teaching writing voice

Junie B. Jones

Written by Barbara Park

The bus wasn’t like my daddy’s car at all. It was very big inside. And the seats didn’t have any cloth on them.

The little curly girl was sitting near the front. And so I  tapped on her.

“Guess what?” I said. “Mother said for me to sit here.”

“No!” she said. “I’m saving this seat for my best friend, Mary Ruth Marble!”

Then she put her little white purse on the place where I was going to sit.

And so I made a face at her.

“Hurry up and find a seat, young lady,” said Mr. Woo.

And so I quick sat down across from the curly mean girl. And Mr. Woo shut the door.

It wasn’t a regular kind of door, though. It folded in half. And when it closed, it made a whishy sound.

I don’t like that kind of door. If it closes on you by accident, it will cut you in half, and you will make a squishy sound.

Where_The_Wild_Things_Are_(book)_cover

Where the Wild Things Are

Written by Maurice Sendak

The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another           

his mother called him “WILD THING!” and Max said “I’LL EAT YOU UP!” so he was sent to bed without eating anything.

That very night in Max’s room a forest grew and grew       

and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around                       

and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day               

and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are. 

Next, choose one of the passages and fill in your own words in the blanks.

The bus wasn’t like my daddy’s car at all. It was _________. And the seats didn’t ______________________.

The little curly girl was sitting near the front. And so I ___________.

“Guess what?” I said. “Mother said for me to sit here.”

“No!” she said. “I’m saving this seat for my best friend, Mary Ruth Marble!”

Then she ____________________________________ .

And so I _____________________________________.

“Hurry up and find a seat, young lady,” said Mr. Woo.

And so I quick sat down across from the curly mean girl. And Mr. Woo ___________.

It wasn’t a regular kind of door, though. It folded in half. And when it closed, it made a whishy sound.

I don’t like that kind of door. If it closes on you by accident, it will cut you in half, and you will ______________.

2. The night _________ wore his/her __________ and made mischief of one kind

and another 

his mother called him “________________”

and Max said “_________________!”

so he was sent to bed without __________________.

That very night in Max’s room a _____________ grew

 and grew

and grew until his ceiling ____________________

and the walls became the world all around

and a/an __________ tumbled by with a ______________ for Max

and he sailed off through night and day

and in and out of weeks

and almost over a year

to where the wild things are. 

How did the passage change when you filled in your words? Was the voice the same, or different?

Select the Voice Words that best describe each passage. Are they the same or different than the original passage? Why or why not?

Does this passage feel like your style? Why or why not?

Activity B:

Now, choose a Voice Word and fill in the blanks using that word as a guide for the kind of story you tell.

Is the voice of the piece different when you try to make it scary, sad, or funny?

Exercise #4

Choose your favorite of the passages in Exercise #2. Now, dictate a story to an adult or to your writing buddy using using the same style. Or, write your story down. (5-10 minutes)

Was this difficult or easy? Did you feel like the writing was your style, or not?

Exercise #5

Now, select one Voice Word and take dictate to an adult, or write down, a story that could be described with that word. Does the story you wrote feel like your style? Was it easy or difficult to write your story? (10 minutes)

Choose 1-3 different Voice Words and write another story, then answer the same questions. (10 minutes)

Tackling the subject of writer’s voice with children is not as daunting as it might initially appear. I hope this article has inspired you to give it a try and see where the journey takes you!

About Jasmine A. Stirling

Jasmine A. Stirling is the debut author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice , a picture book biography of Jane Austen about persistence and creative mastery. Jasmine lives on a cheerful street in San Francisco with her husband, two daughters, and their dog. From a young age, she loved to write poems and stories and worked her way through nearly every children’s book (and quite a few for grownups, too) in her local library. When she’s not writing, Jasmine can be found hiking in the fog, singing songs from old musicals, and fiddling with her camera.

Jasmine first fell in love with Jane Austen as a student at Oxford, where she read her favorite of Jane’s six masterful novels, Persuasion . A Most Clever Girl is her dream project, done with her dream team—award-winning illustrator Vesper Stamper and Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing. Jasmine also has a YA/New Adult history of the women’s suffrage movement out soon, titled We Demand An Equal Voice.

Visit www.jasmineastirling.com to get a free Jane Austen paper doll kit with the purchase of A Most Clever Girl. While you’re there, enter to win a Regency tea party gift basket!

Follow Jasmine on Instagram and Facebook @jasmine.a.stirling.author where she posts about kidlit and life with two young girls.

Jasmine A. Stirling Author Photo

About the Book

A most clever girl: how jane austen found her voice.

Written by Jasmine A. Stirling

Illustrated by Vesper Stamper

Ages 4-12 | 48 Pages

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books | ISBN-13: 978-1547601103

Publisher’s Synopsis: Witty and mischievous Jane Austen grew up in a house overflowing with words. As a young girl, she delighted in making her family laugh with tales that poked fun at the popular novels of her time, stories that featured fragile ladies and ridiculous plots. Before long, Jane was writing her own stories-uproariously funny ones, using all the details of her life in a country village as inspiration.

In times of joy, Jane’s words burst from her pen. But after facing sorrow and loss, she wondered if she’d ever write again. Jane realized her writing would not be truly her own until she found her unique voice. She didn’t know it then, but that voice would go on to capture readers’ hearts and minds for generations to come.

Buy the Book

Buy on Amazon

This article, How to Teach Kids About Writer’s Voice, was written by Jasmine A. Stirling, author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice (Bloomsbury Children’s Books). The header image is an illustration by Vesper Stamper, illustrator of A Most Clever Girl.

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The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. We publish reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. We also produce author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers. This article was written and provided by a guest author.

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teaching writing voice

Carlow Today & Tomorrow | Blog

Creating a more just and merciful world, how to find and develop your writing voice.

how to develop your writing voice

Whether it is through a news article, company blog post or creative storytelling, writing expresses a voice.

A writer’s voice refers to the stylistic mix of vocabulary, tone, point of view and syntax that makes words flow in a particular way. Written works can also represent multiple voices, including that of a narrator and individual characters or personas. The voice in a piece of writing is a defining characteristic that touches the reader instinctively.

Elements of Voice in Writing

Voice is one of the most important features of literature and non-fiction writing and affects how the material is read and received—completely setting the mood. Multiple authors could address the same subject differently. Furthermore, a story could be told in many ways and the results would be very different.

Voice is set by word selection, writing structure and pace. It can express the author’s emotions, feelings, attitudes and point of view, which can be conveyed by philosophical and psychological indicators.

Consider the elements that make up voice in writing:

  • Diction, or the author’s choice of words, chosen to communicate a particular effect
  • Detail includes facts, observations, reasons, examples and events used to develop the story
  • Syntax, the way words are arranged, encompasses word order, sentence length, sentence focus and punctuation
  • Imagery, or the visual representation of sensory experience, evokes a vivid experience, conveys specific emotions and suggests particular ideas

The aforementioned elements of voice create tone, including word selection (diction), arrangement (syntax) and the use of details and images. Tone is the writer’s, or narrator’s, attitude toward the subject and audience.

By working on these elements, writers develop their unique voices. Their work will be understood for what it is intended to be. That can be witty, straightforward, lighthearted, argumentative, persuasive or any other feeling.

Business Writing and Content Personality

Establishing a voice in writing is beneficial for all types of writers, including those who write for businesses and brands. It is important to develop a distinct voice that builds rapport and offers value to readers. Connecting with the audience establishes trust.

Copywriters, public relations specialists and technical writers are professionals commonly associated with a variety of business writing. Their voices must reveal professional acumen to executives, coworkers, clients and industry-wide audiences. Writers who work on customer-facing materials must also combine brand personality with grammar and customer value with rhetorical devices. A goal is for the business or brand to be associated with a certain quality and unique perspective. Voice, therefore, must reflect the manner of speaking the audience is most familiar with and be meaningful and helpful to them.

For all forms of writing, a strong voice makes every word count and establishes a relationship with readers. This is why developing a voice is important for writers.

Express Yourself As a writer, you have to set yourself apart. Find your unique voice and unlock your creative potential at Carlow University. Carlow offers Bachelors in Communications and Creative Writing degree programs where you will learn to find and develop your writing voice with clarity, verve and imagination.

Related posts:

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  • Essential Practices For Anyone Who Wants To Use Podcasting As A Communication Medium

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Using Picture Books to Teach Voice in Writing

Voice. It’s in every good piece of writing, but it’s a tad elusive to define and teach. Using picture books to teach voice in writing can help, though, and that’s what you’ll learn here.

Writing that connects with readers has a voice. Writing that makes you feel emotion has a voice. When it comes to life, writing has a voice. Writing that sounds unique or comes from the heart has a voice. Voice is the distinct personality of any writing.

That description sounds a lot like living literature , doesn’t it? Yes, exactly! If we don’t want to read twaddle, we shouldn’t care to write it either. That’s where learning to train the voice comes in.

Using picture books to teach voice in writing makes a tough concept come to life.

This post contains affiliate links.

What is the voice in writing?

Some people might describe voice as the mood or tone of a piece of writing. While the mood or tone is, indeed, impacted by the voice – the actual voice is something just a little bit more. It’s how words are crafted to create the mood or tone of the writing.

See, I told you. The definition is a little elusive.

No worries, though. I think by using several picture books as mentor texts, it becomes easier for students to develop an understanding of voice and begin using it better in their writing.

P. S. Besides teaching voice through writing, picture books have the unique ability to teach visual voice  in their illustrations, too.

Using picture books to teach voice in writing makes a tough concept come to life.

Using Picture Books to Teach Voice

Below, I will share several picture books and lesson ideas for using the books as mentor s to help students learn to write with a voice. However, simply reading mentor books followed by discussions can work just as well.

When choosing the discussion approach, the main question you can ask after reading a mentor text is “Where do you find the voice? Is it in the general tone of the author/narrator? Or, is the voice coming from a character or multiple characters?”

The Voice in a Book Can Evoke Feelings

What can your students look for when asked the question, “Where do you find the voice?” Ask them to pay attention to feelings that are evoked within themselves while reading.

When books make you laugh out loud or shed a few tears, they have a voice. If you you feel strong or afraid, they have a voice. When you feel sorry for a character or a situation, you’ve been affected by the voice.

Here are a few great examples of books that set out to stir your emotions:

The Monster at the End of This Book

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Nettie’s Trip South by Ann Turner (an excellent book about slavery)

When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant

How To Find Voice within Emotional Picture Books

Here is an example to help you use a picture book to identify personal emotions and recognize them as a good use of the author’s voice in writing.

Discussion Activity: What emotions are the characters trying to make you feel? How do the characters elicit the feelings of the reader? In other words, what tactics are they using to stir those emotions?

Assigning Voice Lesson: This is a fun activity to help students learn to give voice to something that seemingly shouldn’t have a voice – colors! Read  My Many Colored Days  by Dr. Seuss and/or  Hailstones and Halibut Bones  by Mary O’Neill (one of my favorites.) Complete these three activities:

  • Discuss how each author gives voice to the colors. Notice particular words and phrases. See how emotions are stirred. Notice if the color has taken on a personality through the words.
  • Choose your own color and write a few notes or draw a few images to depict how that color makes you feel.
  • Write a short poem about your color. The color has just been given a voice!

Using picture books to teach voice in writing makes a tough concept come to life.

The Voice in a Book Can Share a Perspective

Two people can see the same situation very differently. When an author wants you to see (or even believe) a certain perspective, it’s often shared through voice. These books share perspective through voice beautifully:

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John Scieszka

Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg

Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

How To Find Voice by Looking at Perspective

Here is an example to help you use a picture book to look at the point of view to find the voice.

Discussion Activity: Perspective is otherwise known as point of view. How does the main character’s perspective from each book shape the story? Could the story be totally different from the perspective of a different character?

Perspective Lesson: Tell (or write) one story from two different perspectives. Choose from the scenarios listed below or create your own. Afterward, discuss major twists in the storyline based on the varied perspectives.

  • There’s a snake in your yard. Tell one story from your perspective. Tell another from the snake’s perspective.
  • It’s the day after Christmas. Tell one story from the perspective of a mom who gets her cluttered house back in order. Tell another from the perspective of the trash collector picking up the extra trash from the holiday festivities. Tell one more from the perspective of a child.
  • It’s raining. Tell one story from the perspective of someone living near a creek where the rains have been pounding for four days straight. The another story from the perspective of a farmer who hasn’t seen rain in two months.

Using picture books to teach voice in writing makes a tough concept come to life.

Voice in a Book Can Show Personality Traits

It makes sense that the voice of a character in a book would share much about his or her personality. That’s exactly what these books demonstrate – very intriguing personalities:

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother (Aladdin Picture Books)

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

The Raft by Jim LeMarche

How To Find Voice by Looking at Personalities of Book Characters

Here is an example to help you use a picture book to examine a character’s personality to help you find the voice of a book.

Discussion Activity:  Whether you read one or all of these books, go through the following discussion for each book that you read.

“Which character from the book has a personality that stands out the most? How would you describe the personality? Share examples from the book that support your view of the personality. How has the author crafted the words to shape the character’s personality? Did anything happen in the storyline to reshape the personality?”

Personality Traits Lesson:  A little acting can go a long way in developing personalities in writing. This quick lesson is fun, too!

  • Write several personality traits on index cards: rude, angry, sweet, shy, selfish, energetic, bossy, confident, studious, excited, etc.
  • Ask your student to develop a character in his mind. Give the character a name and share his or her physical characteristics. Don’t define anything about the character’s personality yet.
  • Draw one personality index card. Tell a short story about the character in which this one main personality is portrayed.
  • As you draw new cards, you can choose from two possibilities: First, change the character’s personality entirely and tell a new story with the new personality. Second, add a new layer to the personality and continue telling the original story where the character now portrays two (or more) personalities.
  • After some practice with this exercise, transition to a written short story that focuses on building a character with clear personality traits.

Using picture books to teach voice in writing makes a tough concept come to life.

Other Picture Books To Teach Voice

There are plenty of wonderful, living picture books that can be used to recognize voice, internalize how it’s used, and mimic it in writing. The books below are some great options.

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past by Jacqueline Woodson

Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Stellaluna 25th Anniversary Edition

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting

The Wall by Eve Bunting

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair

Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair by Patricia Polacco

Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell

The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Verdi by Janell Cannon

Another Activity To Use Picture Books To Teach Voice in Writing

Here’s a fun idea to use with any of the books mentioned above.

  • Read the book without showing your student any pictures.
  • As you read, the student should picture the main character and note facts about his or her personality traits, character qualities, attitudes, and physical characteristics – even down to their age and what they might wear.
  • Your student should explain their observations about the character and give evidence from the book to support their view.
  • Explain that the “picture” of the character was built not only by descriptions that may have been written directly in the book but through the impressions given by the voice of the text.
  • Now, your student gets to do some writing! Using the same character from the book you just read, your student must craft a new story. The setting and/or situation should be entirely different, but the character and all his or her attributes should be the same.
  • Note: When first learning about voice, it’s best to only expect a paragraph or two for the new story. Expand the length expectations as you see fit.

Need a little more direction in teaching with this method?

I taught a practical video class for parents and teachers to help!

Teaching writing to children doesn't have to be hard. Learn how to use picture books to help children in 5th-12th grades learn to write well.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, I know you’ll enjoy the others in this series , too!

Picture books are great tools to teach writing styles! Great lesson ideas here!

Thanks for this series. Picture books are a favorite of mine, and I am always happy to find new ways to use them while teaching (gives me an excuse to keep buying new books) I have used several of your suggestions with great results. We are entering a poetry unit and I would love to see your suggestions for that genre. Thanks for sharing.

Ah, poetry. It’s on the to-do list. I’ll try to get to it before too long. 🙂 (P.S. I always love hearing from fellow bookaholics.)

Great ideas! My kids aren’t in high school yet, but I am so glad to learn about meaningful ways to continue incorporating pictures books throughout their educations. I’d like to invite you to link up with our Literary Musing Mondays Linkup #LMMLinkup. http://www.foreverjoyful.net/?p=731

Great ideas! I love using literature to teach writing. Passed this on to my daughter who wants to each a Literature and Art class next year to young homeschoolers.

I love this. This year I will have three teens in the house. And I am always looking for new ways to teach them. Mix it up a little. And I just can’t seem to get enough of picture books lately. I’m loving this list, of some old favorites to new ones. Thanks! So glad I found you 🙂

I can never get enough picture books in my life, Liz! LOL Enjoy your teens!!

Thank you so much for this information. Lots of the books you mention are available here and fit with the Australian curriculum. I, too cannot collect enough picture books and my students are soaking up my own enthusiasm. I look forward to any inspiration on poetry as well. I’m so glad I found you!

You know, I think OUR enthusiasm about learning might make the biggest difference of all in homeschooling!

Love your ideas! Thanks for this great post.

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teaching writing voice

Voice Warm-Up

This activity guides students through a series of steps designed to orient them more toward a powerful oral performance.

Activity title:   Voice Warm-up

Author:   Tom Freeland

Course:   PWR 2

Activity length and schedule:   This warm-up can be completed in as little as three to five minutes. With more text exercises and group improv games it can extend up to twenty or thirty minutes. These exercises can be used early in the quarter as ice-breaker activities, or later when students are preparing their final presentations.

Activity goals:

  • To help students relax and focus
  • To promote clarity, projection and stamina of the voice
  • To orient students toward performance in sharing their research with an audience

Activity details:    A good voice warm-up has three major components: general relaxation and breath; release and exploration of vocal sound; and shaping of sound through articulation and perhaps a bit of text work. As little as a minute or two or three spent on each of these areas can add up to a useful warm-up, as long as all three areas are represented to some extent. Some group exercises can also help in getting students to loosen up and ease into a more performative frame of mind.

First, then: breath and relaxation. Invite students to take a long slow inhalation (on a count of four or so). Let it out. Try it again—the point is not to take in the maximum possible amount of air but rather to slow down the process and to encourage to breath to drop into the midsection (away from the collarbone). Every breath should be deep (diaphragmatic/abdominal), not necessarily large. Invite students to stretch and yawn, to shake out their limbs gently. Wake up those bodies (if you teach in the morning, this part becomes all the more important)!

Next: a touch of sound. Have students place their hands on their abdomens, about halfway between belly-button and solar plexus. Let a breath drop in and then release one simple sound: huh. And again: a new breath, a new touch of sound: huh. Of course, you’ll have to do this exercise with your students, and your own vulnerability will encourage theirs. What’s important is that the voice be fully engaged (not breathy or forced), and the best test of this engagement is the pulse that each student will feel in their abdomen, a quick contraction of the muscles there. Try this several times, and students should feel free to experiment with it: try different pitches, moving up and down in their vocal range; try different degrees of amplitude—let it grow in power, then dial it back a bit. Always maintaining a rhythm of one touch of sound per breath.

Then try some sighs, first on breath only (no voice), then on voice, allowing the sound to arc gently down through the range of the voice from high to low. If you like, these sighs can be gradually extended, both in range and in duration. Here again, it’s important to be very clear about the distinction between breath and voice. Let a sigh be unambiguously one or the other—air or vibration (to overcome the very widespread problem of breathiness in the voice, which washes out the voice’s carrying power and conviction).

Now, the third component of the warm-up: articulation and text. Articulation is principally about consonants; a vowel is a flow of vocal sound, interrupted and shaped by the intervention of consonants. First let’s get a feel for where these consonant interventions occur. Have students say Topeka. Then have them whisper it slowly and deliberately: To—pe—ka. Notice how this moves from the hard palate (for the T) to the lips (for the P) to the soft palate in the back of the mouth (for the K). Then try bodega. Bo—de—ga. This one goes front-middle-back. These words each use the three major zones of articulation.

You can then try any tongue-twisters you like. Dr Seuss is always a good workout. More tongue-twisters are available in the Oral Comm Box (in Speech Resources). I have tons of this kind of material, and would be happy to provide more to any interested colleague (including articulation exercises focused on specific sounds and combinations of sound—especially useful for MLLs). Class favorites include repeating the name “Peggy Babcock,” and the dangerously challenging “I am the mother pheasant plucker...”  

With texts you can let your imagination roam. A few lines of a poem or a song, perhaps a text directly connected to the themes or readings from the class itself. Even a bit of singing could be helpful. I often use a line or two of Shakespeare because I’ve found it can open up a certain natural hamminess in students: they can try on a grand style of speaking, to get a feel for true exaggeration. This way the degree of magnification in articulation that I encourage students to adopt will not feel quite so overblown. Magnifying the physical business of articulation is the key concern here: moving the face a bit more and slowing down. This works wonders to help project the voice (increasing the volume is only part of projection, and not—in my view—the most important part).

Then, if time permits, a group exercise. Here’s a simple improv warm-up that is quick to teach and that students reliably enjoy: stand the group in a circle, then have one student point at any other student and emphatically say Zip! The student who receives the Zip then points at another student and says Zap! The student who receives the Zap then sends a Zip. And so on. The point is to be as quick as possible in response, and to be very clear about who is being pointed at. The gesture and vocal tone need to be highly energetic: this a warm-up, intended to share and pass along energy. Once they have mastered Zip and Zap you can a third term, if you like: Zop!

Another fun exercise along these lines is to keep the students standing in a circle, and have one student turn to the student beside them and say One. The student receiving the One then turns to the next student and says Two. And so on, counting up to four or five (or possibly six), then starting over. Make sure to count up to a number that is not a factor of the number of students in the group (you don’t want it to come out evenly; as the count moves around the circle students should get a different number each time). After one or two times around the circle you can switch direction whenever you like. Here again, the idea is to respond quickly, genuinely engaging both to receive the message and to send it on. The advanced level is to add the option of sending the message across the circle. I have also had success building on this exercise to include a simple text: the first student says To, the next student says Be, then Or, then Not, then To, then Be and so on: That—Is—The—Question. This can be a useful opportunity to explore variations in inflection and melody: how does each student make their word fit into the phrase?

In total, these are a set of exercises that help students warm up their voices, explore breath and sound, and practice articulation. You can modify them however you please, but a bit of each of the three areas optimizes the activity. Life is but a stage!

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  • Effective Teaching Strategies

Helping Students Find their Writing Voice

  • December 6, 2021
  • Crystal O. Wong, EdD

Open book with a seaside and tree landscape emerging from book

I woke up when I heard the opening chords of Chopin’s Ballade in F Major . I’d been dozing off, phone in my hand, trying to keep up with the news. I vaguely remember Dr. Fauci and Rand Paul’s heated jabs about the pandemic because by then, the piano music, the subtle, delicate sounds of innocence had transcended me to the daisies in the meadow. Chopin’s Ballade in F Major opens stately with warm choral tones but soon turns torment-like, embodying the violent waves of emotions that only a good story can convey.

“Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone wants to tell it,” a colleague once said. She’s right. Storytelling is what excites my students the most. It’s an invitation for them to read, observe, dissect, understand, feel, and write. Through writing their stories and mine, we learn about our past, current, and future selves; we get an intimate glimpse of our joy, loneliness, sacrifice, anxiety, heartbreak, anger, fear, guilt, surprise, and all the nuanced emotions that make us human.

Another colleague had written about why storytelling is important. “Storytelling,” he explains, “is a universal method for making sense of the world, and as the world grows more complex, storytelling will become increasingly important.” He is also right. Storytelling gives the writer a voice and engages the reader’s heart and mind; it helps us make sense of the world, the situation. This human connection is the reason why speakers of all industries open with stories.

Before I was teaching college students how to write a story, I was a piano teacher. I taught the Suzuki twinkle variations, among other pieces, for almost ten years, day after day to the young, sprightly students joining my studio. One evening, after a piano recital, a parent mustered the courage to ask, “Really, you don’t get tired of teaching the same song?”  “No,” I said, “each student playing the same tune tells a different story; they don’t sound exactly alike dynamically.”

Like with piano lessons, in which I help students develop their musical voice, I also strive to help my composition students find their unique writing voice. Here are some ideas on scaffolding a storytelling unit:

  • Let students experience the power of stories . To start, have students read books embedded with rich, complex stories that will serve as a model text, and discuss them in book groups . Meanwhile, kick off the power of stories with quotes for storytelling or TED talks about storytelling. My students found The Power of Personal Narrative (J. Christen Jensen) and Your story is your strength (Tiffany Southerland) inspiring.
  • Give students choice . The first step in the writing process is for students to brainstorm a personal story that they’re willing to share publicly. Let students know that any story can work—a time they felt wronged, a childhood memory they think about often, a day they felt was their happiest, a time they failed at something—as long as they can show transformation in their storyline, that is, a change in their thinking, feeling, or behavior.
  • Provide students with story structures. Once students have settled on a story they want to tell, show them how stories are structured, such as using a narrative arc or story spine . Begin the writing lesson by choosing a story that students have read and use annotation to highlight the narrative elements—exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution—to see the underlying structure and its variations. Then, direct students to visualize or outline their story by having them fill in the narrative handout .
  • Offer pre-writing peer feedback . To help students flesh out the plot and characters of their stories, put them in small groups and have them tell their stories aloud. When students tell their story to others, or as my students put it, “let it all out,” they can see how their story takes shape and in which areas development is needed. The feedback students give to each other could be something like this: (1) say one thing that you thought was effective and (2) ask a question or make a suggestion. 
  • Have students write the first draft . The first draft is where students get their ideas down on paper. As students begin to write their first draft, offer some guidance on what it means to have a strong opener (starting with tension, a question, humor, an anecdote, or conversation), an engaging middle (using literary elements to show versus tell), and a satisfying ending (closing with lessons learned, a transformation, or a significance). And, show students how to write an effective title, one that’s unique and connected to the storyline. Lastly, it’s really helpful for students to see examples of these narrative sections in the stories they’ve read.
  • Peer review the first draft. When the first draft is complete, guide students in determining their writing goals: How would you rate your story? What are you proud of? What changes do you want to make? Ask students to share these goals with their peers so the feedback they receive is specific and targeted. Then, have students read their story aloud to one another, all while annotating their own draft with notes for revision or codes/symbols to journal their thoughts.
  • Conference with students . Conferencing with students is my preferred method of providing feedback. Students come to their conference with their annotated draft, and they initiate the conversation, telling me how they feel about their draft, what revision ideas and questions they have, and how I can help. Having a two-way conversation helps students see that the instructor is a partner in their learning process.
  • Assess the final draft. To assess the final draft, I use the assignment rubric to craft my narrative comment (not to check off boxes). Generally, I indicate what is working well and provide suggestions for improvements should the student decide to revise further. An alternative assessment method is having students self-assess: assign themselves a grade and provide evidence to support it. This method builds in self-reflection and agency in their learning.

I hope you enjoy these ideas. They are simple scaffolding guidelines I’ve recently used with my college freshmen. I know there are more possibilities out there, so I’d love to hear yours.

Crystal O. Wong, EdD, began her teaching career in the San Francisco Unified School District as a K-5 music, literacy, and classroom teacher before starting a second career at San Francisco State University, where she teaches in the writing program. Dr. Wong has won several awards, including the university-wide First-Year Teaching Award (2019) and the Liberal & Creative Arts Excellence in Teaching Award (2020). She has a passion for learning and effective teaching.

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6+1 traits of writing mentor texts: voice.

teaching writing voice

This post is part of a series of posts on mentor texts I recommend for showing students how authors use the 6+1 Traits of Writing.

What is the voice trait?

The writing trait of voice is “the tone and tenor of the piece – the personal stamp of the writer, which is achieved through a strong understanding of purpose and audience”. Ruth Culham (Traits of Writing Scoring Guide for Grades 3-8, 2010)

In her book 6+1 Traits of Writing Grades 3 and Up, I think Ruth Culham lets her own writing voice shine when she describes this trait. She says “it is the heart and soul of the writing, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the life and breath. It is flashes of spirit.”

The key features of a writer using the voice trait are:

  • Establishing a Tone: The writer cares about the topic, and it shows. The writing is expressive and compelling. The reader feels the writer’s conviction, authority, and integrity.
  • Conveying the Purpose: The writer makes clear his or her reason for creating the piece. He or she offers a point of view that is appropriate for the mode (narrative, expository, or persuasive), which compels the reader to read on.
  • Creating a Connection to the Audience : The writer speaks in a way that makes the reader want to listen. He or she has considered what the reader needs to know and the best way to convey it by sharing his or her fascination, feelings, and opinions about the topic.
  • Taking Risks to Create Voice: The writer expresses ideas in new ways, which makes the piece interesting and original. The writing sounds like the writer because of his or her use of distinctive, just-right words and phrases.

Mentor Texts for the Voice Trait

The voice trait can feel a little vague compared to other, more concrete traits such as word choice and conventions, but the best way to create clarity in the voice trait is to provide your students with wonderful mentor texts that have an obvious, clear voice. Below are some of the texts where I think the voice of the author jumps off the page in a way that your students can identify and learn from.

The Waterhole – Graeme Base

teaching writing voice

Establishing a tone – 10 different animals get a chance to establish a tone in this text. From the committee-forming, business-like ladybirds, to the wise and cautious snow leopards, Graeme Base conveys personality and life to each animal in only a few words. As readers we are compelled to read on to see how the next animal is portrayed as they react to the decreasing water supply.

Conveying the purpose/Creating a connection to the audience – This is a book with a strong message – it gets students thinking about water as a global resource, climate change and global warming, and the impact of diminishing resources on animals. But I think the beauty of it is that the book doesn’t preach these messages; It simply presents them in a form that the audience can easily connect to… interesting and unique animals across the world. 

Taking risks to create voice – There’s no doubt Graeme Base has tried something new and different here. The text unfolds with a lot of layers – the narrative text that ties it all together, animal sounds and their English ‘translations’, as well as multiple features in the images that provide more meaning. Even the cut-out waterhole that gets smaller and smaller as each page turns could be a great way for students to explore unique, meaningful presentation techniques.

teaching writing voice

Edward the Emu – Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement

teaching writing voice

While written in third person, Edward the Emu, our main character, has a personality that leaps off the page. As readers we can easily infer his personality and thoughts from the careful descriptions… It is easy for the reader to immediately root for Edward from the very first page.  

Establishing a tone – The protagonist in this book is energetic and passionate. Is it impossible for the reader not to get swept up in the excitement and enthusiasm of Edward the Emu.

Conveying the purpose – There is a very clear message coming through in this text (sometimes, we all feel like we want to be someone else, but there’s value in being yourself!). The mode chosen (a gorgeous, vibrant narrative) communicates this message very clearly and memorably as we see Edward wholeheartedly trying to be a seal, a lion and a snake in turn but learning that for some an emu is “the best thing I’ve seen since I came to the zoo!”. 

Creating a connection to the audience – Because the message of the text is such a universal experience, it is easy to connect with.

Bonus: this text has a notes from both the author and illustrator at the end, in which they convey – in detail – how much they love the character Edward, and why. It would be a great discussion point to ask children how they think the author and illustrator wanted their main character to come across, and then compare what they actually said about it.

teaching writing voice

Cicada – Shaun Tan

teaching writing voice

Establishing a tone – The direct, matter-of-fact style of storytelling of this text is unique and compelling. Our titular character ‘Cicada’ is an office worker who is underappreciated and treated poorly but the Cicada never complains, it just explains. From the first page (‘ Seventeen year, No promotion. Human resources say cicada not human. Need no resources. Tok! Tok! Tok!’) it is clear that the author knows a story that needs to be told and wants to tell it in a way true to the character.

Taking risks to create voice – This text is immediately unusual for its genre and is a great mentor text to show students how authors take risks and try new things. Cicada is a narrative but there is no touchy-feely about it. Instead the writing is completely factual and expresses little to no emotion – yet we feel absolutely connected to our main character. The author has steered clear of many of the usual ways of telling a story (the five senses, beautiful similes, adjective-laden descriptions and dialogue to name a few) and instead given us only a few clipped matter-of-fact sentences or sentence fragments and a Tok! Tok! Tok! at the end of every page (a phrase which somehow seems to elicit a whole raft of new emotions for the reader on each page).

Note: I would suggest only reading this book with students Grades 4 and up as it can get quite distressing. Read it yourself first to judge whether it is a good fit for your students.

teaching writing voice

Diary of a Wombat – Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

teaching writing voice

Establishing a tone – Fun! Cheeky! Playful! Carefree! Diary of a Wombat oozes tone. The story is told as a series of diary entries of a wombat as she sleeps, eats, plays and terrorises a family through a week. From the carefree, relaxed tone at the beginning (‘ Monday Morning: Slept. Afternoon: Slept. Evening: Ate grass. Scratched. Night: Ate grass. Slept.’) to the indignant rant later in the book (‘Why would I want carrots when I feel like rolled oats? Demanded rolled oats instead.’) author Jackie French shows she knows wombats – inside and out. (A quick Google search of her name will tell you and your students loads about years of Jackie’s encounters with wombats).

Taking risks to create voice – The author has definitely told this story in a new way – rather than a narrative about a wombat who bothers a family, she has used the diary format to tell it from the perspective of the wombat and in a way that lets that wombat’s voice come to life. This is a great text for demonstrating how we can think about unique ways we can tell a story.

teaching writing voice

Horrible Histories Series – Terry Deary and Martin Brown

teaching writing voice

Establishing a tone – The Horrible Histories books are thick with humour and truth.It is clear that the author Terry Deary cares about his topic, knows a lot about it, and wants others to love it. There is a blunt honesty to this series, balanced with A LOT of jokes that make the (aptly-named horrible) content palatable and the tone fun and mischievous: ‘How did those prehistoric people survive and get to the top of the animal kingdom? By being more horrible than anything the world had ever seen.’

Conveying the purpose – Terry Deary makes clear in a lot of these books that reader should know about history, and that there are many perspectives on historical events and he incites the reader to read on, find out and see for themselves what to believe. The mix of narrative, factual and comic styles are engaging. These books are a great discussion starter on how an author knows what they want to share, and has to think about the best way to do it for their audience.

teaching writing voice

Creating a connection to the audience – By the writer speaking directly to the reader in Horrible Histories, the reader feels as though they are the direct recipient of Terry Deary’s passion for his topics. There are lots of additional features that create interaction with the reader, especially questions and quizzes.

Taking risks to create voice – Kids will notice how different these books are compared to most historical texts they encounter. As well as the joking style and tone of the books, the author is also distinctive in his choices of very informal, conversational words and phrases ( ‘Beware! The nasty Neanderthals became extinct around 30,000 BC. Not very surprising if they went around eating one another. ’)

teaching writing voice

What are some of your go-to mentor texts for teaching the writing trait of Voice?

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2 thoughts on “ 6+1 Traits of Writing Mentor Texts: Voice ”

‘Em, I love your work. I am a massive fan of the 6+1 traits for writing and you convey your passion with fantastic mentor texts. Your enthusiasm and clarity has helped me get back to the way I love teaching. Thanks Ken

Hi Ken, Wow – this is such a lovely comment. I’m so glad my little contribution has been useful! I’ll have to get going to and write a post on the other traits! Emily

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Trending Post : Books Made Into Movies

Imagination Soup

20 Picture and Chapter Books to Teach Voice

This post may contain affiliate links.

The term voice in writing refers to the narrator’s or author’s personality coming through, some call this the author’s style. This list of children’s picture book and chapter books provide mentor text examples for you as you teach students all about writing with voice.

In a first-person narrative, voice means the writing sounds like you — the words you like to use, the tone, the authenticity, it feels genuine to readers.

Voice can be formal or casual depending on the audience, it can be sarcastic or reverent. A strong voice means you get a sense of who the author or narrator is.

These mentor texts show strong voices, most of them irreverent and full of personality because it’s easier to explain voice to students when it’s most obvious.

You might work with your writers on rewriting some of these books with a dull voice, devoid of personality, just to compare and contrast what you’re looking for with voice. And remember, good writing with voice means the writing sounds like the writer.

PRINTABLE LIST

Mentor Text Books to Teach Voice

Picture books.

teaching writing voice

Chapter Books

teaching writing voice

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young If you like quirky humor, then this is your perfect mentor text chapter book. Learn what happens when the kids’ father goes out to get more milk. It’s crazy– he runs into pirates, aliens, and all sorts of incredible things! Totally hilarious and quite short, this little book makes an accessible and fun mentor text.

Books to Teach Voice

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mentor text descriptive writing

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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Teaching Voice with Anthony Browne's Voices in the Park

Teaching Voice with Anthony Browne's <em>Voices in the Park</em>

  • Resources & Preparation
  • Instructional Plan
  • Related Resources

The concept of voice is often difficult for middle school students to incorporate into their writing. This lesson, provides a clear example of an author who created four specific voices. By reading and discussing the characters in Anthony Browne's picture book, Voices in the Park , students will gain a clear understanding of how to use voice in their own writing. Students begin by giving a readers' theater performance of the book and then discuss and analyze the voices heard. They then discuss the characters' personalities and find supporting evidence from the text and illustrations. Finally, students apply their knowledge by writing about a situation in a specific voice, making their character's voice clear to the reader.

Featured Resources

Stapleless Book : Students select page templates and then design pages that can be printed out, cut and folded into an eight-page book.

From Theory to Practice

Student writing often lacks voice, or a sense of personality or feeling. In Writing with Voice , Tom Romano defines voice as "the writer's presence on the page. It is the sense we have while reading that someone occupies the middle of our mind, the sense we have while writing that something or someone is whispering in our ear." (50). One method that Harry Noden recommends in Image Grammar to demonstrate voice in writing is a form of imitation he calls the Van Gogh approach. This approach introduces students to similar stories, such as "Little Red Riding Hood" or "Humpty Dumpty," written in contrasting styles. The story details stay the same, but the way the story is told, or the voice of the story, changes. The benefits in having students note the contrasts and how they contribute to the overall style and voice of a piece are numerous. First, students begin to experiment with voice in their own writing. Second, they begin to look at how their favorite authors distinguish themselves and begin to compare one author's style to another. Finally, according to Noden, students "discover how grammatical choices characterize an author's craft" (79). This lesson combines Noden's form of imitation with using children's picture books in middle and high school English/language arts classrooms. Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

  • 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
  • 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

Materials and Technology

  • At least four copies of Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
  • Writer's notebooks
  • Character Analysis Chart (one per student)
  • Character Analysis Chart Assessment
  • Rubric Assessing Voice in Writing
  • Stapleless Book Planning Sheet

Preparation

The day before the lesson, choose four students, ideally two boys and two girls, as readers to perform the book following a readers' theater model. Choose readers who you know are proficient and somewhat dramatic so that they will be comfortable getting into their assigned voice. Assign each a voice and give each a copy of Voices in the Park so they can practice their parts at home that night.

Student Objectives

Students will

  • understand the concept of voice and how it is created by analyzing a story to determine aspects of a character's personality.
  • create or revise a piece of their writing to incorporate strategies that demonstrate an understanding of voice in writing.

Session One: Sharing and Analyzing the Text

  • If you have enough copies for groups of three-to-five students to share, proceed to the readers’ theater performance prepared by students the night before. If not, read one copy of the book aloud to the entire class, pausing at the end of each page so all students have the opportunity to experience the illustrations.
  • Have readers stand so that they are spread apart, preferably one in each corner of the room. Readers will perform the book for the class by reading it so all four voices may be heard.
  • Ask students to discuss the literal voices they just heard: What made each character sound different from the other? Be sure to focus this discussion solely on the readers’ theater presentation of the book.
  • Students then list the “facts” of the story—things that remain the same regardless of who tells the story. For example, each voice includes two dogs who play together, two children (a boy and a girl), a woman, and a man. Each voice sets the story in the park where the man looks ragged and the children play together.
  • Assign one voice to each student and group students according to their assigned voices. Explain the Character Analysis Chart with a brief model. I choose to use the first voice. For a fact, I say that she is rich because she has a “pedigree Labrador” and the illustrations show her in a neighborhood with a large house. For a personality trait, I say that she is judgmental, maybe even prejudiced, because she describes the other dog as “some scruffy mongrel” and has a pinched up face in the pictures. Encourage students to find multiple supports for each of their assertions.
  • For homework, students should complete their charts at home that evening. Since they will not be able to take a book home, encourage the students to make rough notes about the traits that can be explained more fully at home.

Session Two: Discussion of Textual Analysis

  • Allow students a few minutes in their groups to discuss their completed charts and determine which characteristics they would like to share with the class. While this discussion occurs, the teacher could walk around the room to check the assignment.
  • Discuss each character’s personality with the whole class, supporting assertions with evidence from both the text and the illustrations. Since the illustrations are so rich and clearly reflect characters’ personalities, students enjoy finding pictorial evidence. Allow this, but be clear that textual support is also needed. Limit the amount of time spent on each character because students will quickly find more support for their assertions and discussion of each character will be lively. You don’t want to end up skipping a character because too much time was spent on the one previous.
  • For homework, ask students to list in their writer’s notebooks the techniques they feel Browne used to distinguish one voice’s story from the next.

Session Three: Prewriting

  • While walking around the room to check the homework, explain that all good writing, not just fiction, has a distinct voice to it. Voice is often based on the point of view of the person writing the essay or story, and it reflects a particular set of attitudes that allow readers to hear the words spoken in their heads in a specific tone. You may want to use Noden’s words, describing voice as the “rhythm and sound of an author’s words” and relate voice to music.
  • Ask students to share their lists of ways they think Browne distinguished one voice from the next. Have an example ready in case students are afraid to share. One might be varying sentence length, with the first voice using longer sentences than the others. This might reflect her more advanced age, social standing, and educational level. Other examples include sentence structure (simple vs. complex), word choice, word order, etc.
  • Have students brainstorm situations in which there may be more than one point of view. For each situation, include a list of the various “voices” that may be involved. For example, a parent-teacher conference could include the voice of the parent, the teacher, a younger or older sibling of the student, and the student.
  • Have students form groups of three-to-five students and choose one of the brainstormed situations or an alternate scenario with teacher approval. Have them list the “facts” of the story—what will definitely happen regardless of who is telling the story. Group members will choose one of the possible voices and, in their writer’s notebooks, brainstorm how they will make their character’s voice clear.
  • For homework, students should complete a rough version of their character’s story in their notebooks for the next day’s class.

Session Four: Composing a Book Demonstrating Understanding of Voice

  • Students should spend a few minutes in their groups sharing their stories and offering suggestions for revision so that each individual voice clearly reflects the character’s personality.
  • Using a computer lab or the classroom computers if there are enough for each individual student, students create a Stapleless Book from their rough drafts. (You may also wish to have them draft their stories using the Stapleless Book Planning Sheet .)
  • Allow volunteers to share their completed books, and display all the books on a bulletin board.

Invite your students to read more about Anthony Browne by visiting the Voices of Anthony Brown page and Walker's Anthony Brown page.

Student Assessment / Reflections

Students will be assessed through teacher observation during class time based on on-task behavior. You may also choose to assess their completed charts using a chart rubric , and their finished stories can be assessed using a voice in writing rubric .

  • Student Interactives
  • Strategy Guides
  • Professional Library

The Stapleless Book can be used for taking notes while reading, making picture books, collecting facts, or creating vocabulary booklets . . . the possibilities are endless!

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Book Units Teacher Blog by Gay Miller

Teaching Formal vs Informal Language

Roald Dahl Day

Teaching Writer’s Voice

  • By Gay Miller in Writing

August 23, 2021

Writer's Voice

A writer’s voice is the combination of sentence structure, punctuation, word choice, and personality a person uses when writing. It is the way a writer expresses himself. The voice can be formal or informal. A writer’s voice may contain long elegant prose or short choppy sentences.

Get the handout for this post.

Writer’s Voice vs. Tone

The writer’s voice is different from the tone. Tone describes the emotional way a person says something. The tone is how the author feels about what he is talking about. A tone can be serious, sarcastic, wicked, proud, sympathetic, light-hearted, or hostile. Tell students to think about the tone their parents use when they haven’t completed chores compared to how their voices sound when they have done something well such as a good report card, athletic accomplishment, or created something spectacular. 

In both situations, the parent uses the same voice. They have expressions that they commonly say and diction they use when speaking. Their tone will change. When angry or frustrated, the tone will sound sharp or disappointed. When happy or pleased, the tone will be joyful.

Examples of Voice vs. Tone

These commonly used greetings use different voices. The words vary from formal to casual. Notice the use of the word SUGAR expressing a colloquial expression. 

How have you been doing?

What’s new with you? 

Why, sugar! How’s it going?

What’s up?

Long time no see.

These expressions are good examples of tone. You can feel the emotion in the words that are said.

Hey, Man!! Long time — no see. (happy and excited)

I’ve been so worried about you. Are you doing okay? (concerned)

Writer’s Voice in Narrative Writing

In writing narratives, authors often give different characters different voices. Some characters may speak in lengthy sentences while others speak in sentence fragments. Some characters may rely on figurative language and colloquium while others use formal language. A good example of characters’ voices is the novel Wonder by R. J. Palacio. In the novel, Palacio alternates perspectives from different characters. Each character has a unique voice. In Justin’s chapters, Palacio even uses all lowercase letters without proper punctuation to represent Justin’s musical talents.

Here are some things to think about when creating a character’s voice in narrative writing:

  • social status
  • Where does the character live?
  • believes and values
  • personality traits – outgoing or shy
  • outlook – funny, serious, emotional, busy-body

Voice in Narrative Writing Activity #1

Read these two excerpts. Use the discussion questions below to compare the characters’ voices.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer : Chapter 2

“Hi-  yi  !  You’re  up a stump, ain’t you!”

No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist, then he gave his brush another gentle sweep and surveyed the result, as before. Ben ranged up alongside of him. Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said:

“Hello, old chap, you got to work, hey?”

Tom wheeled suddenly and said:

“Why, it’s you, Ben! I warn’t noticing.”

“Say —  I’m  going in a-swimming,  I am. Don’t you wish you could? But of course, you’d druther  work  — wouldn’t you? Course you would!”

Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said:

“What do you call work?”

“Why, ain’t  that  work?”

Anne of Green Gables : Chapter 4

“It’s a big tree,” said Marilla, “and it blooms great, but the fruit don’t amount to much never—small and wormy.”

“Oh, I don’t mean just the tree; of course it’s lovely—yes, it’s RADIANTLY lovely—it blooms as if it meant it—but I meant everything, the garden and the orchard and the brook and the woods, the whole big dear world. Don’t you feel as if you just loved the world on a morning like this? And I can hear the brook laughing all the way up here. Have you ever noticed what cheerful things brooks are? They’re always laughing. Even in winter-time I’ve heard them under the ice. I’m so glad there’s a brook near Green Gables.

Perhaps you think it doesn’t make any difference to me when you’re not going to keep me, but it does. I shall always like to remember that there is a brook at Green Gables even if I never see it again. If there wasn’t a brook I’d be HAUNTED by the uncomfortable feeling that there ought to be one. I’m not in the depths of despair this morning. I never can be in the morning. Isn’t it a splendid thing that there are mornings? But I feel very sad. I’ve just been imagining that it was really me you wanted after all and that I was to stay here for ever and ever. It was a great comfort while it lasted. But the worst of imagining things is that the time comes when you have to stop and that hurts.”

In both novels, the characters are approximately the same age. Anne is 11-years old and Tom is 12-years old. Both novels were also written over a hundred years ago. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was written in 1875 and Anne of Green Gables was written in 1907. Even with these similarities, the voice of the characters varies greatly.

Do the characters use correct grammar?

How does the vocabulary change between the passages?

What type of sentence structure does each character use?

Select a figurative phrase from each passage. How do these vary?

How do the characters handle difficult situations?

Writer’s Voice in Narrative Writing Activity #2

Watch the Heinz ketchup commercial featuring Ed Sheeran. Describe Ed Sheeran’s voice.

Writer’s Voice in Narrative Writing Activity #3

Describe the character’s voice in each quote from the literature.

“Matilda said, “Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable…” ― Roald Dahl, Matilda

“I’ll teach you how to jump on the wind’s back, and then away we go.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

I wove my webs for you because I liked you.

After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die.

A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies.

By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle.

Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web 

Teaching Writer's Voice

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  1. Teaching Voice in Writing Made Simple

    Can it be taught? Well, yes and no. Part of discovering one's voice is trying on different writing styles and writing a lot. You can have students begin to find their own writing voice by studying mentor texts, writing to emulate sentence structures and styles. What is Voice in Writing?

  2. The 2 Voices in Writing and How to Teach Them

    Let's begin with a definition of "voice". Voice can be described as the unique quality, tone, or style that jumps off the page in a given piece of writing - but while voice involves tone and style, style and tone are not synonymous with voice. "Voice" in a piece of writing also takes on different meaning according to the genre and purpose.

  3. How Do You Teach Voice in Writing: It's Easier Than You Think

    How Do You Teach Voice in Writing? After teaching students how to write for an audience and with a purpose and how to effectively evaluate point of view, I felt good about myself once again. I called my mom and told her what a smart son she had. Then I realized my students had no idea how to effectively maintain a personal voice while writing.

  4. How to Teach Writer's Voice with Trait-Based Writing—Mini Lessons

    When teaching voice, it helps to narrow down students' focus to: Attitude: How does the author feel about the subject he or she is writing about? Audience: Whom is the author writing for? Together, attitude and audience will determine how an author approaches a writing topic.

  5. PDF Writing with Voice

    Voice places a new—or renewed—emphasis on voice in the teaching of writing, an emphasis on thinking and on articulating that thinking, the foundations of authentic voice. Armed with the philosophy and concrete teaching ideas offered in this book, teachers can find the courage to speak up in order to create writing classrooms where students ...

  6. PDF w Teacher Background: Teaching Voice in Writing Teaching Voice in Writing

    Teaching Voice in Writing We've all heard teachers talk about "voice" - how a piece of writing somehow has it - or doesn't. Often referred to as "author's voice, it is a frequently misunderstood concept, an illusive quality that often seems difficult, if not impossible to teach.

  7. The Mechanics of Developing a Writer's Voice

    Writing is a muscle that requires frequent practice to build stamina and hone the many tools of the craft. If one can talk and form a written sentence, one can write. Good writing requires finding one's voice, and teachers can help students do that by starting out focusing on details, word choice, and sentence fluency.

  8. How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their

    Real writing grows from studying the work of other writers. We study sentences, passages, essays, and articles to understand how they work, as we create our own. 3. Writers Have Conversations as ...

  9. Helping Students Find Their Writer's Voice

    Literacy Helping Students Find Their Writer's Voice Three exercises to get students writing with vivid detail—a key step to developing a distinctive style of their own. By John McCarthy April 21, 2017 © Hero Images/500px How do authors draw us in with their prose?

  10. Using Voice in Writing Effectively Lesson Plan

    This voice in writing lesson plan will have your students writing masterpieces in a little under a century. Show students two sample passages. Read the first sample passage and ask the following questions: Does the author convey his or her voice? How does the reader know?

  11. Teaching Writing for Student Voice

    Teaching Writing for Student Voice Teach Better TeamOctober 5, 2019 Blog, Lesson Plan Better, Personalize Student Learning Better In this post: The importance of providing freedom for students in your writing instruction. Strategies to use when teaching writing to shift the focus to student voice.

  12. How to Teach Kids About Writer's Voice

    Donald Graves. The Children's Book Review. How to Teach Kids About Writer's Voice. 17 min. As a writer and mom of two young girls, I invest a lot of energy in getting my family excited about writing. We do this in all kinds of ways—by writing letters to our house fairy and leaving them at her fairy door, by creating stop-motion animated ...

  13. How to Develop Your Writing Voice

    A writer's voice refers to the stylistic mix of vocabulary, tone, point of view and syntax that makes words flow in a particular way. Written works can also represent multiple voices, including that of a narrator and individual characters or personas.

  14. Using Picture Books to Teach Voice in Writing

    Besides teaching voice through writing, picture books have the unique ability to teach visual voice in their illustrations, too. Using Picture Books to Teach Voice. Below, I will share several picture books and lesson ideas for using the books as mentors to help students learn to write with a voice. However, simply reading mentor books followed ...

  15. Voice Warm-Up

    This activity guides students through a series of steps designed to orient them more toward a powerful oral performance. Activity title: Voice Warm-up. Author: Tom Freeland. Course: PWR 2. Activity length and schedule: This warm-up can be completed in as little as three to five minutes. With more text exercises and group improv games it can ...

  16. Helping Students Find their Writing Voice

    Helping Students Find their Writing Voice December 6, 2021 Crystal O. Wong, EdD I woke up when I heard the opening chords of Chopin's Ballade in F Major. I'd been dozing off, phone in my hand, trying to keep up with the news.

  17. 6+1 Traits of Writing Mentor Texts: Voice

    She says "it is the heart and soul of the writing, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the life and breath. It is flashes of spirit.". The key features of a writer using the voice trait are: Establishing a Tone: The writer cares about the topic, and it shows. The writing is expressive and compelling. The reader feels the writer's conviction ...

  18. 20 Picture and Chapter Books to Teach Voice

    The term voice in writing refers to the narrator's or author's personality coming through, some call this the author's style. This list of children's picture book and chapter books provide mentor text examples for you as you teach students all about writing with voice.

  19. Unpacking Active and Passive Voice: Helping students to manage their

    Academic voice is a difficult concept to capture, and in most cases, is not a topic of direct instruction. In part, this difficulty stems from competing senses of what voice means: Is it personal expression of the writer, a conventional scholarly tone owned by a discipline, or both? Although experienced readers can tell when a piece of academic writing sounds 'wrong' (perhaps too ...

  20. Five Of The Best Mentor Texts For Developing Voice

    The author weaves in personality by carefully selecting words and through well crafted descriptions. This is what is known as voice, one of the six writing traits we want our students to develop. Identifying Voice in Writing. To teach students to recognize voice, we need to carefully select books that provide examples that our students can imitate.

  21. Teaching Voice with Anthony Browne's Voices in the Park

    By reading and discussing the characters in Anthony Browne's picture book, Voices in the Park, students will gain a clear understanding of how to use voice in their own writing. Students begin by giving a readers' theater performance of the book and then discuss and analyze the voices heard. They then discuss the characters' personalities and ...

  22. Teaching Writing

    Program description If "reading is rocket science," shouldn't we give children as much support as possible? Though often overlooked, writing is an essential skill that can help children become stronger readers; it can provide the means to enhance vocabulary , comprehension , and spelling abilities.

  23. Teaching Voice With 3 Excellent Mentor Texts

    Author studies are very useful when teaching voice because you can "hear" the author's voice across the texts you use. In this post, I'll share my favorite authors for working on voice and what makes them great choices for teachers. Teaching Voice with Mary Hoffman's Grace Books:

  24. Teaching Writer's Voice

    Aug 23 Teaching Writer's Voice By Gay Miller in Writing A writer's voice is the combination of sentence structure, punctuation, word choice, and personality a person uses when writing. It is the way a writer expresses himself. The voice can be formal or informal. A writer's voice may contain long elegant prose or short choppy sentences.