Modeling And Writing is very important for every newbie writer and teacher.You can learn a lot about writing by studying the sentences an: passages of some of your favorite authors. When you come across sentences that you really like, practice writing sentences of your own that follow the author’s pattern of writing. This process is sometimes called modeling. Listed below are basic guidelines you can use for modeling.
Guidelines for Modeling Writing
- Find a sentence or short passage you would like to use as a model.
- Copy it in your writing notebook or on a separate piece of paper.
- Think of a subject for your practice writing.
- Follow the pattern of the sentence or passage as you write about your own subject. (You do not have to follow the pattern exactly.)
- Build each sentence one small part at a time. (Don’t try to work too quickly.)
- Review your work and change any parts that seem confusing or unclear.
- Save your writing. Share it with your classmates.
- Find other sentences or passages to use as models. Keep practicing, just as you would practice your basketball or music skills.
What Everyone Must Know About Modeling And Writing
Modeling SENTENCES
Here is a smooth-reading sentence from the novel A Solitary Blue Cynthia Voight. This is an example of a loose sentence with the main idea, in regular type, expressed at the beginning.
“‘jeff couldn’t see the musician clearly, just a figure on a chair m stage, holding what looked like a misshapen guitar.”
Here is a student’s sentence modeled after voight’s
larisa couldn’t identify the person immediately, just a shadow in the dark alley behind the store; carrying what appeared to be a heavy box.“
Modeling Short Passages
Here is a passage from the novel The Talking Earth by Jean craighead geogrge. (The four sentences in this passage vary in terms of length word order.)
Billie Wind eased out of the dugout, testing the depth of the mire. It was only a few inches deep. Beneath the black residue Ham the swamp was firm sand. She walked swiftly, not even turning: around to bid her dugout good-bye.”
Additional Modeling Ideas
- Explain what your favorite authors do to give their writing its special style (use different types of sentences, include specific italics.. keep things very clear, etc.).
- Rewrite a section of one of your stories to resemble the style of one your favorite authors.
- Exchange favorite sentences with your classmates. Use your classmates’ sentences for additional modeling practice.
- search through your own writing for sentences you really like. Then see how many ways you can rewrite them.
