A Bit Sketchy

Inspired this morning by Kate Messner's assignment for Teachers Write Summer Camp, I dreamed of the me I want to be.  The perfectionist in me wanted to rewrite and fix the crooked eyes and whatnot, but I left it alone.  (Trying to practice what I preach.)

Drawing is a powerful prewriting tool.  So many of us tell our young writers, "You can add a picture when you are finished writing."  We actually have it backwards.  To let our kiddos draw before they write is to help them work through their ideas. It is empowering, especially for our reluctant or struggling writers.  

Here are two links if you want more "sketchy" inspiration:
Corbett Harrison's "Margin Mascot," Mr. Stick
Roger Essley's Storyboarding videos

Try perfecting your stick figures this summer.  It is a handy and versatile skill to have in your bag-'o-writing-tricks.