Learning to Love Words
Have you ever read a book you thought was just horrible from beginning to end? One you would never recommend? If the answer is yes, then give it to my friend Ginny to read. I can guarantee she’ll find something she loves about it. It may be a page, paragraph, or just a sentence, but it’s rare she won’t find something. Why? Because she is a lover of words. She’s passionate about them and realizes fully their power. So that’s great for Ginny, but what about the rest of us in book club? How do we see and feel what she does? Well, at least part of the answer is by example or modeling.
When Ginny explains why she likes a particular book, she may admit that overall it’s not one of her favorites, but she always has a quote of some kind that stood out to her. When she explains why it meant something to her, you sense her passion for words and you see the power they can hold. Several years ago my book club read A Whole New Life by Reynolds Price. Some liked the book while others didn’t. A great discussion ensued when Ginny read her favorite quote from the book:
Even my handwriting looks very little like the script of the ravaged man I was in June of ’84. Cranky as it is, it’s taller, more legible, with more air and stride. It comes down the arm of a grateful man.
To hear a favorite word or quote explained is to learn something about another person and yourself. This works with children’s books, too. Think about the volumes this quote from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin speaks: “You only lose what you cling to.” Or the picture this quote paints from Karen Hesse’s Come On, Rain!: “…while the music from Miz Glick’s phonograph shimmies and sparkles and streaks like night lightning…”.
When children and adults share what they like about an author’s words, it validates their feelings and gives others a chance to contemplate their reactions as well.
How do you go about getting kids to this point?
- Model-You must share words, phrases, paragraphs, etc. from books you like. These can come from those you’re reading to them and ones you’re reading on your own.
- Give your students opportunities to share their own favorite parts of a piece of text. Have them be specific and explain why.
- Put their quotes on a bulletin board. I guarantee they’ll look at this one. Use valentines, shamrocks, spring flowers, whatever, and have your students write their favorite quote on it. Let them dress up the background in some way (scrapbook paper, drawings, etc.) and you have yourself an eye-catching bulletin board that children actually read!
How do you support your students’ love of words? What great ideas do you have? Any suggestions for good books to use that invoke strong feelings? Let us hear from you!
