Craft Lesson 3

Literature as a means of expressing feelings

Materials:
Sophie by Mem Fox and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Pencil and journals
Thesaurus

Discussion:
Often in literature authors use their books as a means of expressing emotions. Many of these emotions come from the authors personal experiences. People often have a hard time expressing what they are feeling in words. This is especially true of young children as they do not have the vocabulary to always say what they are thinking or feeling. Allowing children to journal their ideas will help them to find a way to express the feelings that they otherwise might not be able to get out.

How to teach:
Today I going to talk to you about how your feelings can affect your writing. Have you ever been feeling something and you just could not find the words to express what you were feeling? (Wait for responses) What did you do when that happened? (Wait for responses) Well today we are going to read a book about a girl named Sophie. Sophie and her grandfather have a very special relationship and through this book you will see Sophie and her grandfather grow together and experience many different feelings. (Read story to children stopping periodically to discuss what the characters might be feeling and why we think that) Now that we have read Sophie, can anybody name a few of the ways the author or the illustrator expressed emotion in the book? (Wait for responses) Do you think that maybe the author has had a similar experience in her life, and that is why she wrote the book? (Wait for responses) I want you all to now go back to your seats and take out your journals and write about a time in your life when you felt something that you had a hard time telling people about. You can write about happy experiences, sad experiences, scary experiences, or anything you choose. But think about the words that you chose to describe your experience and use the thesaurus if you need to.

About the book:
Sophie is about a girl and her grandfather. Sophie's family is very happy when she comes into the world, and Sophie's grandfather is especially happy. Sophie grows and grows and grows until she if finally old enough to work with her grandfather. Then her grandfather starts to get smaller and weaker until finally he dies. Sophie's world is sad for a while until she has her own baby and then it is feeled with joy once again.