Developing the art of writing can pose a difficult task, particularly in knowing where to begin. This difficulty is further compounded when teaching the skill to young minds who often believe writing to be taxing and more tedious than enjoyable. However, writing is one of the most human and celebrated forms of expression. Everyone enjoys a good story so it seems problematic that despite our natural inclination towards writing, so many are at a loss as to how to write themselves. Today, I often hear teachers trying to foster creativity by doing away with boundaries and parameters. These are said to hinder a student’s self-expression. It is as if, rather than actually teaching the skill, teachers expect it to already be present in their students. I propose a different approach that began in ancient Greece and has been employed by great writers such as Cicero, Benjamin Franklin, and John Milton: the progymnasmata.
The progymnasmata, or “preliminary exercises”, is a model of writing that the ancient Greeks used to prepare students for writing and public speaking. Its foundational principle is that imitation precedes invention. A common pitfall in today’s education is encouraging students to be creative, but failing to provide them with good examples of writing. Being exposed to great pieces of literature is the catalyst for composing our own works of art.
My third-grade students at St. Benedict Classical Academy recently finished their first experience with the progymnasmata. The series of lessons began with students being introduced to a quality piece of writing to inspire awe and wonder. In third grade, this is often a fable or other short narrative. For this beginning lesson, students read the famous parable of “The Prodigal Son,” a personal favorite of mine. Although most students are familiar with this classic tale of forgiveness and a father’s love, it was encouraging to see how many of the students, upon a closer reading, saw it with fresh eyes. They were able to appreciate even more the depth of the story and its application in their own lives.
After reading the text, the class was guided through a discussion about the characters and the moral of the story. Students then played with the sentences, which is as fun as it sounds. Students were given a sentence from the story, we discussed its quality, and then they were asked to imitate the sentence by first substituting words with synonyms and noticing how the sentence changed. Students then changed the word order and used a skill called “copiousness” to add details and descriptions to the original sentence. With this strong example laid before them, students crafted their own ideas and, even more, shared their ideas with the class, which inspired other students.
After analyzing and playing with the writing, our last task was to change the point of view. The story is told from the Prodigal Son’s perspective and students were tasked with writing the story from the older brother’s perspective. Through this final exercise, students saw how a change of view can affect the story. My favorite part was having students share their new stories with the class. It was astounding to see what students, even at such a young age, could accomplish through this series of modeling.
Thus, when learning how to write well, I advise one to begin by reading good writing. Imitation is not the antithesis of creativity, it is the foundation. We are created in the image of God. Therefore, we are imitations of God and yearn to imitate Him, the one true Creator, through our own created works. All for the greater glory of God!
AUTHOR: Katharine Marich, Grade 3 Teacher
