Writer’s Workshop: A Mini Lesson on Drawing Expressions
What is a mini lesson?
A mini lesson is a short 10-15-minute lesson with explicit instruction for specific skills related to writer’s workshop. The focus of this mini lesson is to teach young writers how to draw different facial expressions and to match how the characters are feeling in their illustrations. After the lesson, children can experiment further with their new skills. Maybe even revisit some of their previous work for reflection and add some revision to existing sketches.
Do you teach young children? If so, you already know about spider people. It’s a circle with a smiley face in the middle, two arms and two legs coming out of the circle, anywhere, and not necessarily connected. Not a spider and not a person either.
Drawing is a Skill
It’s okay, we can learn.
Writer’s workshop looks different across grades. In upper elementary, the principal form of meaning making is with text whereas in kindergarten, the principal form of meaning making is through sketches. For children to be successful in drawing or sketching their ideas, explicit instruction is often necessary.
Typically, young children begin writing personal narratives. More importantly, they begin writing visual narratives. That means they tell stories through their illustrations. Since most of their early experiences usually involve family members, and the people and pets close to them, they tend to draw characters.
You can use the following terms: drawings, sketches, and pictures. However, I like to refer to their work as illustrations. Referring to them as authors and illustrators may spark a passion. You may have a Jerry Pinkney or an Ashley Spires in your family or classroom. It’s important to create a safe space for children to experiment and be creative.
Children are learning to hold writing tools, to make shapes, and to make illustrations that represent words. Marks on the page may look like lines and shapes to you but your child or student has just written a story. Remember to encourage and allow mistakes as part of the learning process. Not sure what you’re looking at? Try this approach, “Your illustration is very interesting. Would you like to tell me what’s happening in your story?”
Before the Lesson
The actual drawing is the mini lesson, however, it should be front loaded with lots of fun activities before the drawing begins. This could happen over a few days. Some ideas are;
- looking at diverse images of people of different ages with different expressions
- providing mirrors for exploration (making faces is fun)
- have children notice how their eyebrows and lips move
- have pairs of children match expressions each other make
- talk about different feelings… was there a time when you felt (insert emotion)
- read picturebooks depicting different emotions and feelings for example; When Sofie Gets Angry — Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang
Do not underestimate the power of a great picturebook. Not only is it literature, it is also an amazing literacy tool. There are so many great modern and classic picturebooks that can be used to help children understand their emotions and the different ways we express them.
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Preparing the Mini Lesson
- 3 – blank A3 sheets of paper (teacher)
- black marker
- 1 blank A3 for each student
- pencils
- scissors
- staplers
Mini Lessons are Short, Explicit and Specific
Organize your materials before the lesson.
- One sheet of A3 is left as is.
- Fold the 2nd one in half lengthwise, then open and fold in half, short end to short end, and again one more time.
- This will produce 8 rectangles. This is the model.
Repeat the folding for the 3rd sheet and cut on the folds. These 8 rectangles are then stapled together. The children will also cut theirs once they have completed their drawings to make a booklet. I recommend providing small staplers in the writing area as it helps children build grip strength. If you haven’t already, provide a quick lesson a day or two before on how to use the staplers. Nevertheless, someone will still staple their thumb. Keep plasters on hand.
Use simple step-by-step instructions.
I like to work in 3s with young children.
Your delivery style will be individual, you might use a document camera, chart paper on an easel, a whiteboard or any other method that is large enough for the children to see clearly. Practice with the common expressions first; happy, sad, angry, scared and surprised. Don’t forget the eyebrows – they are very important in showing expression.
Example instructions;
- place your finger on the top left rectangle like me. Great!
- Now draw a big circle in the same rectangle (many or most will draw a teeny tiny circle – it’s okay)
You get the idea. Too many instructions too fast will overwhelm most children. There are always some that work ahead and make mistakes and that’s fine. We like initiative. Nothing has to be perfect. Encourage children to experiment with hair, face shapes, and whatever else they are curious about.
“I was sad when my cat was lost”
This statement doesn’t match the emotion.
The objective of the lesson is to assist children with drawing expressions to match the feelings of the people in their story. Many times, children default to smiling faces in their sketches even when they were sad or angry. This lesson helps children match the right expression to the theme of their story.
Most important? Have fun!
