Where the Wild Things are Perspective Journal 1

Where the Wild Things are Perspective Journal

Approach Description:
SOL:

4.7 The student will write cohesively for a variety of purposes.

g) Write two or more related paragraphs on the same topic.

k) Include supporting details that elaborate the main idea.

4.8 The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, spelling,

punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraphing.

Materials:

Prompt worksheet

Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak

Pencils

Colored pencils

Strategy:

The writing activity I will be using is a perspective journal. According to our class

handout for week four, perspective journal entries are engaging and allow students to step into

the shoes of characters from books which give them a unique view on the topic (Lupo, 2017).

Where the Wild Things are is in the perspective of Max, the young boy. I want my students to

view the same story, but through the viewpoint of the wild things which are also important

characters in the story. The overall goal of this journal is not only to have students work on

grammar and sentence structure, but also to increase their reading comprehension. According to
 Where the Wild Things are Perspective Journal 3

Developing Reading Comprehension: Effective Instruction for all students in PreK-2, When

students draw or write responses to texts, they facilitate their comprehension of texts as well as

reveal how they are making sense of them (Stahl & Garcia, p. 120). This perspective journal

should be engaging for the students and help them to get a deeper understanding of character

development in the story and reading comprehension.

Approach Implementation:

Pre-Reading Questions:

Has anyone read this story before?

If you havent can anyone make a prediction on what they think the story is about judging

by the cover?

Who do you think the wild things are?

Do you notice anything special about the creature (wild thing) on the front?

During Reading Questions:

Do you think the forest really started to grow in his bedroom? If not, what do you think

was really going on?

Can someone make a prediction on what they think will happen next?

Again, does anyone notice anything special about the wild things?

Looking at the pictures, what do you think a rumpus is?

Now that Max feels lonely, what do you think is going to happen? Will he go home? Will

he stay where the wild things are forever?

Why did the author mention that Maxs dinner was still warm when he got home? What

could that tell us?

Assignment:

For this assignment, you will be writing a perspective journal on Where the Wild Things

are. A perspective journal is when you step into the shoes of another character or object in a

book, and write the story in their point of view. The entire story was in Maxs point of view, but

I want you to write this journal as if you are one of the wild things. I am going to pass out a sheet

of paper for you to write your responses. The top of the page has two questions on it in bold.

These are the questions I want you to answer. You will write one paragraph to answer each

question. That is a total of two paragraphs. You will write your response nicely, neatly, and

correctly on the lines I have provided for you. There is also an empty box on the page. That is

where you are going to draw you as a wild thing. Just like the wild things in the story, you

need to be made up of multiple animal parts. You have the first 10 to 15 minutes to draw your

wild thing, but after that you must stop where you are and answer the prompt. I want you to

spend the majority of the time answering the prompt in a thoughtful way. I will be collecting this

so please put your name on it.

Approach Artifacts:
Where the Wild Things are Perspective Journal 5
Where the Wild Things are Perspective Journal 6
 Where the Wild Things are Perspective Journal 7

Reflection:
Overall, I am very pleased with how the lesson went. For the first time all semester, I got

to see my practicum students excited about learning and writing. Students were collaborating and

sharing ideas with each other. They really exceeded my expectations. Students were very

creative when writing about how they ended up in the land of the wild things. Two students even

tied their prompts together and their two wild things met in their writing. I was a little concerned

that since the students had yet to attempt something like this in fourth grade, that it would be too

new to them and they wouldnt follow directions well. However, each student was so motivated

that everyone did a good job working on the task. I think the use of the perspective prompt was

what really engaged and motivated them.

One issue I faced was that students were getting off topic when answering the prompt

questions. They got so into their stories about their wild things that they were steering away from

the second question. I was excited that they were interested in writing, but they need to work on

being focused in their writing. Ill bring up the prompt questions again on Tuesday and

emphasize the importance of staying on topic when writing. Another issue I faced was time. I did

not factor in enough time for the students to write, since it takes them awhile to brainstorm and

get ideas down. If I were to teach a writing lesson in the future, I would definitely think about

timing more.

For my very first writing activity, I am happy with how it went. I do think that I could

improve by giving students more time and keeping students on topic when writing. The more

writing activities I do, the more I can improve as a teacher. I always loved writing journals when

I was younger. I think that perspective journals are a great way for students to make personal

connections with text and expand upon their reading comprehension.

References:
Lupo, S. M. (2017). Handout class 4 writing: [Class handout]. Retrieved from canvas.
Sendak, M. (1984). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper & Row.
Stahl, K. D., & Garcia, G. E.. (2015). Developing Reading Comprehension: Effective Instruction
for all students in PreK-2. New York, NY: Guilford.