Composition Interventions

"The concept of voice is often difficult for middle school students to incorporate into their writing. This lesson, provides a clear example of an author who created four specific voices. By reading and discussing the characters in Anthony Browne's picture book, Voices in the Park, students will gain a clear understanding of how to use voice in their own writing. Students begin by giving a readers' theater performance of the book and then discuss and analyze the voices heard. They then discuss the characters' personalities and find supporting evidence from the text and illustrations. Finally, students apply their knowledge by writing about a situation in a specific voice, making their character's voice clear to the reader."

"Teaching your students to appreciate voice is a key part of helping them develop a distinctive voice in their own prose. In this lesson, students listen to different versions of familiar stories, learning to identify what makes a strong voice. In Once Upon a Fairy Tale, the characters retell a familiar tale from their own perspectives, imparting motivation that works in a contemporary context. Students compare this retelling with a traditional version of the story in order to understand the value of a strong voice in narrative writing. They apply what they have learned in two writing activities, one creating a story with an online Fractured Fairy Tales tool, and the other writing a story or essay on a self-selected topic."

"Susanne Rubenstein shows how to focus on voice in the teaching of writing to help students take ownership of their work, enjoy what they’re writing, and produce writing that shows depth of thought and originality of expression."

This "teaching tip" article discusses how to teach students to "write with voice."

"Romano discusses the importance of voice in writing."

"This strategy guide introduces the RAFT technique and offers practical ideas for using this technique to teach students to experiment with various perspectives in their writing."

RAFT is a writing strategy that helps students understand their roles as writers, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the topic they will be writing about. By using this strategy, teachers encourage students to write creatively, to consider a topic from a different perspective, and to gain practice writing for different audiences.

This section of The Writing Rope discusses teaching students about word choice, awareness of task, audience, and purpose, and literary devices as part of writing craft.